#150

The first peony, pink of May,
three days late, will not 
adorn a grave on Decoration Day,
but adorns my back yard, 
a place I love at this time of year,
and I will miss, moving 400 miles 
south, where hopefully peonies bloom.

catherinenglish 05-30-2013

#149

Karen's grandma's grape irises 
actually smell like grapes, 
the purple flowers' aroma
permeates the house in a 
sleek glass vase in my front room,
surrounded by my friend's art
and heart. 

catherinenglish 05-29-2013

#148

Jerry and John tried to move the 
big cement "rock" and only got it 
as far as the curb before they 
gave up trying to lift it onto a truck bed.
Both convinced they needed some 
larger equipment. 

catherinenglish 05-28-2013

#147

I bought these purple "flags" 
(a term for them I learned 
from a play, "White Room of
My Remembering"), in the fall 
of 1992, first autumn in Aurora,
awaiting their royal glory, just in 
time for Memorial Day, 1993, 
just a decade before Dad's grave
would be adorned with them (if they 
blossomed in time). 

catherinenglish 05-27-2013

(Happy 7th Anniversary John and Amanda!) 

#146
for Karen

These pastel yellow irises
were rescued by Diane and Barrett,
the summer my best friend sold her 
house, a grand old house, where she 
planted old roses and these, her 
grandmother's irises.
catherinenglish 05-26-2013

#145

I drove to Silver Creek, Nebraska to 
decorate Dad's grave and met my cousin 
Lynn Cave in Genoa, with her Dad, 
my Uncle Henry, who commemorated his 
65th high school reunion, and when they 
announced the class of 1953, it dawned on me 
that it was my dad's 60th class reunion, and it made 
sense that as I crossed over the Loup River bridge, drove by 
the Loup Canal and before reaching Beaver Creek, a 
flock of mallards lifted up, flying northeast over Highway 92. 

catherinenglish 05-25-2013

#144

You never know what kind of beer 
you'll find on sale at Walmart on a trip
to purchase five battery-operated 
smoke alarms, new fire codes, if you
want to sell your house.  

I have always been fond of the Dark
Side.  

catherinenglish 05-24-2013

#143

Missing my AXiD daughter,
who is off in Omaha, working 
at Saddlebrook, gaining experience 
for the real world about to come her way
in three more short years,
contemplating a move six hours away,
missing her more,
and hoping this loneliness won't 
last forever. 

catherinenglish 05-23-2013

#142

Two pieces of wood to commemorate
twenty-one years of a high school teaching 
career, neither one a true reflection of what I've 
learned through my relationships with 
young people.  My memories are my commendation.

catherinenglish 05-22-2013

#141

So very thankful our beautiful niece 
and her beautiful family were safe 
and secure in the midst of a horrifying
tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.  

catherinenglish 05-21-2013

#140

Aurora's resident Santa,
Steve Leach, has left this 
world for the next, and how 
sad I am that such a happy man
who made us all laugh is off 
to happy trails.  

catherinenglish 05-20-2013

#138

Norma Jean and I love 
Chanel No. 5 because 
it is such a sensuous scent,
earthy and one-of-a-kind
and cannot be matched by 
any other.

catherinenglish 05-19-2013

#137

I'm officially a Bear tonight, 
and I couldn't be prouder of that 
fact.  I cannot wait to get to Springfield.

catherinenglish 05-18-2013

#136

There is a delight in the instant 
gratification of email when I open 
a message from Amanda, my 
daughter-in-law, and these two 
smiling faces make my world light 
up.

catherinenglish 05-17-2013

#135

Benedict Cumberbatch was not 

disappointing as Khan any more 

than he is as my beloved Sherlock.

(This is not a poem. It's just a statement).

Anna and I were on the edge of our seats for 

what seemed like a 5 minute movie. 

catherinenglish 05-16-2013

#134

Anna used to watch Scooby Do
three times a day, early in the morning,
afternoon, and evening,
obsessed with Scooby, Shaggy,
and Daphne, and I attribute her skill
at Clue to watching these meddling 
kids solve mysteries.

catherinenglish 05-15-2013

#133

How quickly a year passes
and our lives move on to new 
faces; friends we didn't know we 
had, come into our lives and change  
us, enrich us, and ask to grow into
the person we were meant to be.

catherinenglish 05-14-2013

#132

My mother loves 
purple petunias, 
planted in her pots, 
sitting on the front 
steps, and tonight, 
I drove to Silver Creek, 
just to give them to her,
sat down at 
the kitchen table
and ate leftover 
potato salad and 
roast beef sandwiches 
from my sister-in-law Julie's 
father's funeral. 

catherinenglish 05-13-2013

#131

After thirtysomething years of motherhood,
nothing compares to two grandbabies playing
with my necklace while sitting on my lap and 
both smiling and looking at the camera in unison.
Miraculous!  

catherinenglish 05-12-2013

#130

There is nothing better for a Mother's Day
treat than a Dairy Queen French Silk Pie
blizzard at only 680 calories for a small 
serving.  It was worth every calorie to 
celebrate being a mom.  

catherinenglish 05-11-2013

#129

Tonight I attended eight parties 
out of twelve invitations 
(actually, I had 62), and I am 
happy to be a part of  
such a joyous occasion, 
high school seniors commencing
into the next chapters of 
their lives, full of energy, 
enthusiasm and hope
for the future.  

catherinenglish 05-10-2013

#128

My dad's favorite baseball team 

was the Brooklyn Dodgers and tonight,

I missed him as I watched the movie,

"42" but I can't help believing that Dad 

was a huge fan of the Dodgers for a reason:

color did not matter to him; winning did. 

catherinenglish 05-09-2013

#127

Tonight, at 9:25, Anna and I went
on a Runza Run, me, vanilla, she
chocolate, a tradition began years ago,
a late night treat, driving around the square 
and then home.

catherinenglish 05-08-2013

#126

The smallest buds yield the most beautiful

flowers, white petals, delicate to the touch,

a thing of beauty to behold.

 

catherinenglish 05-07-2013

#125

 

It's May and the pinkest peonies

are anxious to bloom,

small buds waiting to

show off their aromatic beauty.

 

catherinenglish 05-06-2013

 

#124

Just a few short months ago, 
Anna left Aurora for her first year
of college at UNL, scowling at the UNK
plate holder, which was promptly removed
once she parked near Neihardt, 
and now she is home again, Enrique the Escape
back in his normal parking spot.

catherinenglish 05-05-2013

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! 

#123

My day began beautifully with yoga 
and deep relaxation,
fresh coffee, omelet and fruit
and ended with a heaping, steaming,
plate of pasta, el dente, with both
alfredo and meat sauce. 

catherinenglish 05-04-2013

#122

There is nothing better than a spa pedicure 
after a long week of travel, paper grading,
and an interview for a new job.

catherinenglish 05-03-2013

#121

It is 7:48 p.m. and I have 

a stack of 33 papers to grade by tomorrow 

with another 39 to go!  Can anyone spell c-o-f-f-e-e?

No wait, I don't drink it.   T-e-a?

catherinenglish 05-02-2013

#120

The only thing worse than April Snow is
May Snow and driving from Springfield, Missouri
starting with a temperature of 82 degrees, and 
gradually watching the temperature drop as I drove 
North, bracing 60 mph Northwest winds,
torrential rain, and finally,
sleet, snow and more wind and a temperature 
of 32.  

catherinenglish 05-01-2013

#119

The Walnut Street Inn welcomed me back to Springfield 
along with its 80 degree weather, MSU friendly faculty, engaging
pre-service English teachers, and great Italian food at Avanzare's and crepes at the Aviary, and each morning, eggs! And fruit and empanadas. And of course, intellectual discourse about writing.

catherinenglish 04-30-2013

#118

The closer I got to Clinton, Missouri,
the more barbecue billboard signs I saw:
Brown's, Sugar Land, Bandana's, Wobbly Boots,
and Randy's Road Kill just to name a few.
Nothing says Missouri or the South like good 
barbecue and you can take my word for that. 

catherinenglish 4-30-2013