Poetry Friday - Action Packed!

  

        Poetry Friday is with Michelle Kogan HERE on her website, More Art 4 All. This time, along with a poem and painting that shows her love for nature, she shares from a New York Times article that tells of artists all over the world whose countries are at war, like Ukraine. It's both inspiring to read how they are combating their war-torn homes and heartbreaking to realize that it is happening. Thanks for hosting, Michelle!

         I'll be in Lexington, Kentucky next week for my grandson Carter's graduation from the University of Kentucky. The poem is for him, from the joys of watching him grow.

         I'm reminded of the song "Turn Around" by Harry Belafonte. Because he is singing to a girl, I'm changing a word toward the end of the first verse. You can listen to it here!

Where are you going my little one? Little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young "boy" going out of the door

Turn Around 

 

From babyhood coo-cooing to crawling and exploring,

To walking and conversing, then running and ignoring

those calls of “Hey, be careful”, and you kept right on going!

To baseball and then Scouting, on to musically marching.

 

In spite of the pandemic, stepping slow, slow, and slow,

Your game became Monopoly, passing Go, then Go!  

Along with your friending, your working and the play,

You raced and you rocketed to clock into this day.

 

It’s time to slow your breathing and have a bit of fun.

You’re zooming to the finish, 

Now celebrating, shouting: 

“I’m done!”

 

Linda Baie ©

Poetry Friday - Back to School

          Robyn Hood Black at Life on The Deckle Edge hosts our Poetry Friday today. She's "weaving" together our PF links starting with her spider poem that has appeared in the Highlights Hello and a fun picture of someone's sweet child reading it. Also, Robyn has another celebration by sharing bit more from Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's newest publication, GREAT MORNING! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud. Thanks for hosting, Robyn and for the wonderful poetry sharing!

        I spent yesterday after school, helping Ingrid finish a school getting-to-know-you project. Usually, she spends Friday with me and those afternoons are relaxing, finding fun at the end of the week. This time, because she's off to the mountains this weekend, she came on Wednesday and had homework, a BIG assignment due Thursday before the holiday weekend. As she worked and as I answered a few questions, I wondered how the days were going, already busy with school and the stress, but fun, of learning - new subjects, new teacher, new classmates. In between assignment talk, we did remember summer, too, and I had time to write this, for Ingrid and Imogene, for Carter in his senior year, for all those back to school. It's for teachers, too, but they probably have their own to-do list.

Celebrating The Week, Future, too!

          Celebrating with Ruth Ayres and others today. Come visit to see how lovely it is to celebrate all the delights of the week! 

Happy August!

       This week continued to be busy, but it was one that I was happy to have. I managed to check off some things that have been on a "to-do" list for a long time, like a talk with my insurance agent to be sure my coverage is okay. It is. I also had to get an emissions inspection for my car to renew my license. It passed. I'm glad those are complete! They are those "things" that that are not hard, but take time. 

         The week held some happy celebrations, too.

Work at the bookstore, meeting new customers,
a great talk with a young boy about his
favorite books.

Smiles "after" the girls' performance at
the Denver Center for Performing Arts
drama camp. Each group's play is written
by the players, and oh so cute, with songs
and dancing, too. 

Slicing Into Connections

       I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today. It's always a pleasure to read what everyone writes about their lives.

         

         I share more on Facebook and here on my blog about my granddaughters, Ingrid, almost 8, and Imogene, 5 and 1/5 than I do about my grandson, almost 16. First of all, he lives in Texas, and second, he's almost 16! He does call occasionally and sometimes when my son calls, Carter will say hi and talk a bit. But he is not the little boy I used to have visit so often, and take places. He has his life to live like all young teens. I miss him and love when he visits. Since Carter and his family moved to another state about 5 years ago, I've sent him a postcard every week, one way to let him know I'm thinking of him, and hoping his life is going great! That's one way to make connections.
         Carter is interested in photography, and the large part of his Christmas gift this year was a new lens for his camera. I'm writing this intro because while I don't have as much interaction with Carter as I used to, he knows how much I love him, and enjoy being with him when I can. So, a day or so ago I received a photo from Carter. During the holidays, he did tell me that he would send some of his pictures! Connections aren't always like others, but they are there just the same. Carter knows how much I love birds. And a picture really can say a thousand words.

Celebrating The Celebrations

  This weekend I celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  and link with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for starting this meme that offers a place to celebrate together!

    The anticipation last week was high. It was Imogene's fifth birthday, and if you know or remember "almost" five year olds, you know they don't quite understand why the wait is so, so long. Well, it finally was here. Just the family celebrated on the 29th, her birth-day, including her favorite pumpkin pie! And the party was at my house just as wished, a bouncy house, with a water slide, friends and parents and a piñata. It was a success, clouds moved in to lower the temperature a little bit which was great. Here are the pictures, a celebration of Imi becoming five.

Special Moments

                                 I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today.  
            Thanks to Stacey, Tara, Anna, Betsy, Dana, Kathleen, Beth, and Deb, we keep going!

Be sure to go here to Michelle Barne's post at Today's Little Ditty for line number twelve of Irene Latham's Progressive Poem.

Yikes, my line is tomorrow!

        A special slice of my life happened last weekend, on Saturday night specifically. My grandson Carter received his Eagle Scout award, something he has spent years working toward. I am very proud of him, and know how proud my husband would be if he were still with us. Arvie was an avid Scout, earned his Eagle award too, and continued as a volunteer and Scoutmaster for many years. My son also is an Eagle Scout and now works as the head of a Scout council. 

        Carter lived near to us since birth, lucky us, and moved with his parents when he was in fourth grade. I am fortunate to see them often. My husband and I kept Carter a lot as a baby and toddler, but began traveling overnight with him when he was about five. We stayed in state for a few years, but then traveled farther when he was older. Recently, with his family and my daughter's too, we travel to the Gulf each year. It is a pleasure to be with all of them, and Carter is a traveler extraordinaire, so loving to his young cousins who adore him, helpful navigating the airports and the roads. He completed his Eagle project in Costa Rica, working with a school and Scouts there to rehabilitate buildings into re-cycle centers for a park. As I said, he is a traveler. 

Celebrations Sweet and Bittersweet

              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build and the rest of the wonderful community that celebrates together. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu

              Having visitors again is always something to celebrate. This week filled with visitors I was happy to have, from a former student and her husband in town at the Tattered Cover for their book launch of Find Me Unafraid to my son, daughter-in-law and grandson in Thursday to celebrate my birthday and a special family ceremony. I celebrate also the two rainy days we had, what a lovely blessing for our dry, dry earth.  Pictures show some of the joy, and you can imagine the in-between.

Jessica and Kennedy Odede at The Tattered Cover.

At The Kitchen--in our renovated Union Station all
together Saturday night before parting again.

Anticipation Celebration

              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  There are many others who celebrate, too. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu

With a little humor thrown in:  on my walk today, I imagined
that the rabbit was anticipating that I wouldn't see him at all.
But he did allow the picture!