Skip to content

Month: April 2023

‘I Do’ To-Do’s

Published on April 25, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Our last week in April is bookended by wedding weekends. This past Sunday, the son of a dear friend of mine got married. Next Saturday, the daughter of another dear friend gets married. With both weddings here in the Washington, D.C. area, I’ve had a front row seat to all those last minute to-do’s. 

I am happy to help in whatever way I can. Wedding couple #1 had a last minute request for a knife ‘to keep forever,’ not simply one provided by the caterer – and I remembered that we had one. 

I re-found this knife in the back of a kitchen drawer months ago, as we were culling and clearing before our recent remodeling. I was donating lots of stuff at the time (that never-ending chore of getting rid of clutter and excess) but I couldn’t quite convince myself to toss or donate this knife with all the other odds-and-ends.

I find it intriguing that I even have this knife. We had a very simple wedding – planned in three weeks’ time when we discovered we were expecting our first child. Who gave this silver cake knife to us? My best recollection is that it was an elderly cousin of my mother’s, who simply believed I ‘had’ to have one. I honestly don’t believe we’ve used it since our wedding day, back in 1988. 

I polished the cake knife for the happy couple and sent it on its way. This was my note to my friend, mother of the groom:

“May they have at least 35 happy years 
of this knife collecting dust
in the back of a drawer.”

I’m keeping this slice short – my company has arrived for wedding #2, so that’s it for me today! Happy week, everyone!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

Nature Triolets

Published on April 18, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We have been having a bright and sunny spring, day after day of low humidity and mild temperatures. (Also, our spring has been rather frighteningly bereft of rain – oh, but who needs to worry about such things when the sun is shining?) (I do, honestly, I do.) 

I glanced through my camera roll for inspiration for today’s slice, and realized – with the exception of countless photos of the grandchildren – I have three fun categories of nature photos from the past couple of weeks:

One: shadows, 

Two: trees touching the sky,  and 

Three: my favorite spring tree: the redbud (which is in full bloom right now, here in the Mid-Atlantic – you see these purple blossoms popping up everywhere).

Well, I can’t just share photos and call it a slice, can I? (I suppose I could.) 

Then, I saw Fran Haley’s inspiration on Ethical ELA’s Verselove, to write a triolet. Let me revisit those three categories of photos and share some happy spring triolets with you…and then I’ll call it a slice, lol. I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them. This poetry form seems just perfect for capturing moments in nature, I think.

water play

sun and shadow in water play
dancing bobbing moving
to happen upon this sight this day
sun and shadow in water play
honestly, it takes my breath away
the image all-consuming
sun and shadow in water play
dancing bobbing moving
how hope emerges

purple buds upon the branches
showing how hope emerges
each little blossom simply prances
purple buds upon the branches
unconcerned about their chances
following perceptive urges
purple buds upon the branches
showing how hope emerges
striving together

trees strive for the sky
holding onto one another 
gently stretching way up high
trees strive for the sky
look up, as you pass by
how they form a loving cover
trees strive for the sky
holding onto one another 
Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

Dress Shopping

Published on April 11, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We have two very special weddings to attend later this month – both for children of dear friends. I needed to find a new dress. I haven’t had a new dress in years. I simply haven’t needed one.

The problem is, I really dislike shopping. Seriously.

I take after my father, who only went into stores with a specific list – and he dashed through the store to find these items only. I remember, as a kid, I had to run to catch up with him. Just like him, I do not browse. I do not dawdle. I know what I want, I get in, get what I need, and get out.

Buying a dress is different, though. It is very hard to be quick. I have to try on dresses, see how they fit. Every dress fits a little differently.

It also means I have to go to the mall. I never go to the mall anymore. Honestly, being retired – I just wear the same old, same old, day in day out. [insert whiny voice] Do I really have to go to the mall!?

Well, time to ‘woman up.’ 

I marked my calendar for the dreaded chore – right after Easter, so that the stores would be less crowded. 

I needed a warm up routine of some sort. I worked in the yard for a bit – a little weeding, moving mulch, and simply delighting in the fresh air. This cleared my head, for sure. We are having a wonderful week of weather – bright sunshine, mild temperatures, low humidity. There are so many wonderful flowers in bloom! Tulips, daffodils, bleeding hearts, dogwood, hyacinth, lenten roses . . . .

Oh, can’t I just stay outside all day? [there’s that whiny voice again!] No. No. No. After a quick shower and fresh “easy on/easy off clothes,” I was out the door. I wanted to get in and out of the mall before the high schoolers were dismissed for the day.  

It was my lucky day!

I found what I wanted in the very first store, in a little under an hour. I tried on maybe a dozen dresses? All the dresses were on sale, so I dared to buy two. Woohoo!

I am so glad that chore is done. My father would have been very proud.

Now all I need are scissors, so I can cut off those odd little ribbons on the inside shoulder seam . . . . 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

Retreat Together

Published on April 4, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

This past weekend, a group of ‘empty-nesters’ gathered at our church’s retreat center, in rural West Virginia. Let me share a few words and photos. 

The retreat center is small, with one central house for meals and fellowship, and three adorable cabins. It accommodates less than two dozen folks overnight. This was my husband’s first time visiting the retreat center since it went through an extensive remodeling. I have had the joy of being here twice for women’s retreats. 

View from our cabin window

The weekend had no agenda and no schedule, other than meals. It was a time to share stories and relax together, to connect more deeply than those quick conversations before and after church services. The retreat center is in a very remote area, with no cell service. Just before you arrive, you have to drive through a creek. We literally “Forded” the stream, in our Fusion sedan – and both of us agree that it may well be time to get a bigger vehicle. 

The view from mid-stream, as we drove through.

We all took turns with the cooking. Tony and I were on the Sunday breakfast team – my task was vegetable frittata. The kitchen is large and welcoming, making for a wonderful community cooking experience. People were in and out of the kitchen, getting their morning coffee and tea, and making conversation while cooks prepared the meal. (Sorry, no photos of food to share. Trust me, it was a yummy breakfast.)

We went on an arduous walk, through the woods and up this challenging hill. This is one of those hills where I breathed a sigh of relief at getting to the top, and boasted “oh, that wasn’t so bad!,” only to find there was another enormous ascent, just around the bend. This second one took my breath away. That dang hill was new to me – not something we had attempted at my women’s retreat. I was glad I did it – the panoramic views of the surrounding countryside were well worth the unexpected exertion.

We made it up the hill!

One friend found this enormous feather along the dirt road…it is some 20 inches long. She let me bring it home! (I love feathers.)

It was a weekend of conversation and connection, to ‘catch up’ on one another’s lives. Such a gift, to be immersed in nature, together.

The view from the outdoor chapel, Sunday morning. 
Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.