Green Grow the Rushes, O.

I arrived home on Sunday afternoon. The temperature was 101 degrees in Phoenix and in the 50's in northern Indiana.

I was struct by the green of the groves as we drove back home. The colors of spring are so beautiful with every color of green imaginable. The air was cool and fresh as well.

I had a wonderful time visiting my son and his wife and children. They are gracious and kind and so willing to share their lives with me. But there is always something wonderful about coming home no matter where you live.

Years ago I didn't have a home for part of the year. I lived in an apartment and I had to vacate the apartment during the summer. I lived on the lake and my landlord rented it out.  My things were in storage and all I needed was placed in the back of my Jeep.

During that time period I often heard folks talk about home...so much.

"See you at home."

"Where will you be home?"

"Are you home?"

"How soon will you be home?"

I was so in love with the word home when I had none.

So, driving home from the airport, I thought about how green was my home.

Until tomorrow.

Oh, and enjoy the Celtic Women!

This visiting family business is a good hobby...

This visiting family business is a good hobby - KPCNews: Kpcnews


Here is the link to my Saturday morning column. As you can see I am in Phoenix visiting Abe and his family. The following photos accompany the column.

Enjoy as always and thank you for reading!

Until tomorrow.

Abe's garden does not just feed caterpillars!

This is the caterpillar with Abe's business name, Papili-Machaen-Bairdi.

Just another morning in the kitchen!

The morning brings tedious work for the lepidopterist..

Kristin walked in on the morning scene, "Holy Moly!"

Mary Poppins meets "The Children's Hour."

The Children's Hour

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Between the dark and the daylight,

      When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

      That is known as the Children's Hour...

This is Holly with both front teeth out!

Brianna is licking off the frosting on our cupcakes! I can't believe she waited until dinner!

Traveling to Arizona is not just a change in time (three hours), or a change of scenery (small town to the desert), but a change in my status. I become the Nannie of stories, puppets, and songs under the big sky.

It is always sad to leave and not see my girls for a long stretches, but the moment I walk in the door, all time passes, and it is as if we were never apart.

They remember everything...every story, every song, and all of our activities. We have many to do: we must make cupcakes, read in the afternoon, have puppets shows with Goldibocks (she travels in my suitcase), and no that is not a typo. We also swim in the afternoon, and every night we sing songs under the big night sky.

I am so fortunate that there is a full moon tonight. The rising of the moon and the singing of the songs is an event that I hope they will remember all their lives. Our songs include, She'll be Coming Round the Mountain, Jennie Jenkins (every color), I See the Moon, and Good-Night my Darling, Good Night from The Music Man.

I love that when I visit I am the Nannie and nothing else. What more could a person want?

Don't forget to see the full May Flower Moon tonight.

Until tomorrow.

It was not a quiet week in my hometown...

It was not a quiet week in my hometown - KPCNews: Kpcnews

Here is the link to this week's column. As always I hope you enjoy it.

I took the above photo last week after the completion of the T. Furth Center for the Performing Arts. After you read the column you will understand my thoughts of Hamlet!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting my work.

Tomorrow? Where in the world am I?

Until then.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you women out there reading my blog. The day is a bit bittersweet for most of us. There comes a time in our life when we realize those little ones will grow up and leave the nest as it should be.

I have three boys including twins, Adam and Aaron. Abe was born just two years later. During the early years I couldn't see past the work. I loved every minute of it and was not aware of the passing of time.

One day when they were in elementary school, I was home alone. I remember hearing the clock tick. It was the first time in years I heard the clock tick. I also remember crying my eyes out realizing that someday that is all I would hear in my house.

It did happen. I am so happy for my children; they are grown up, responsible young men and really nice kids.

Today I get to have breakfast with Aaron in my hometown and dinner with Abe and his family in Phoenix. That just leaves Adam, my oldest son in St. Pete, out of the equations. I miss them all every day.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms. Enjoy each moment.

Until tomorrow.

William Faulkner

Today was the first gardening day of the spring and a day I had completely to myself...no work, no meetings, no deadlines.

I started early with the garage door opened and hauled out all my tools: wheelbarrow, hoe, shovel, rake and other small odds and ends.

With the gardener's tools I worked the day working magic into the ground, into the air, into my soul, I might add.

The sounds of day wove around me as well: the street cleaner, the mechanic down the way, the church bells, a lawn mower from a few streets over.

It was a day of thinking of beauty, of poetry, of good life.

The photo is from last year. Two of my rose bushes died out because of the dreadfully cold winter and that was one of them.

Today also made me think of William Faulkner and his book, "Vision in Spring." Here is a short excerpt:

We dance and dance; the while our faces

Lighten, darken, resume their places

By walls of dark where spikes of bloom

Like censers swing and wall the room

With scented mirrors that beguile

Us with the promise of a smile

Which time alone can now efface,

Which always will return a face

When we draw near, to stir each heart

With memories ere we touch and part.

Harps soothe darkness to appease

The nervous swiftness of our knees

That maze the dark with little lights

To twinkle beyond all empty nights

When we are old, and lonely and wise,

And think and smile, with shadows in our eyes.

William Faulkner

Post election thoughts...

Yesterday I was honored to work the polls in my small town. I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. and honestly wonder to myself why I do this!

I made a small pot of coffee, showered, dressed and was out the door by 5:00. It was a beautiful morning with a sky full of stars and just a few cars lumbering out on the road.

My poll location was a small church in the country. Usually I work the town polls, but not this year. There were five of us gathered, a couple of folks I knew, the other two I did not.

It didn't take long for us to become friends. We worked together getting everything ready, read the oath to each other and opened the door promptly at 6:00. 

I must say it was a bit of a slow day. Perhaps because it was the primary without a huge national election...perhaps because the sun was shining and that alone is a rare phenomenon here or perhaps lack of interest.

We kept each other company by talking, sharing food, reading magazines, welcoming voters, and taking strolls up and down the hallways.

By 6:00 in the evening, our inspector, Tracy, went out to announce the closing of the polls and we locked the door. We spent another hour making sure the numbers all matched, the forms all filled out, and everything placed in the proper envelopes with seals.

As I worked as a judge, I followed Tracy to the court house with our totes and books and we were checked out by the clerk. The court house was buzzing with local folks and Mike, my editor, and Jim from WLKI.

I spent the rest of the evening with friends at McCool's tavern in town where we hashed out the day.

I am proud to be a participant in this system as well as a voter. I only hope we can garner more votes in the fall election.

Why don't Americans vote? I guess that is a topic for another time. 

Hopefully you were among the voters. Thank you for that.

Until tomorrow.