Tag Archives: family

encore une fois. (once again)

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glenn frey the rocker, (r.i.p.) and the eagles returning for one of many expected encores. 

glenn frey the cat has returned for a very unexpected encore.

his doctor gave him a last minute reprieve

offered him another chance

with new protocols and fingers crossed.

it may not last long

 he’s not in pain

and is purring again

so we’ll take it one encore at a time.

he and i were both equally surprised

olive took it all in stride.

 glenn still has no idea how big he really is

the lumbering giant

thinks he’s a kitten

knocking over everything in his way

he’s lived at least 3 lives since i’ve known him

that means 6ish still to go

and he’s still not ready to leave the stage for good, just yet.

“the encore is the short piece after the program has finished,

where the performer brings out something the audience doesn’t expect.”

-hillary hahn

 

 

our last day.

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we spent our last day together

glenn frey the cat, not the rocker

olive the cat, not the oil

and me.

glenn has taken a turn for the worse

and is quickly slowing down

resting in his favorite place

with olive refusing to leave his side

the three of us

sit in the quiet

just breathing

looking out at the signs

of the seasons changing

taking in the breezes.

i think back to his multiple rescues

his funny, crazy ways

his very loud voice

how i often spelled his name wrong

how he acted tough at first

but was really such a gentle giant

how he tried to camouflage himself in the vines and flowers

how he welcomed another rescue, tiny olive

into our little family.

in the morning

there will be

just two of us left

when we return to this room

as we say farewell

to our sweet friend, glenn frey.

even the flowers are sad.

the crossing.

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word has it the littles are headed to england.

hopefully they’re back in the states

in time for the first day of school today.

“you can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

-rabindranath tagore

glen lake, empire, michigan – summer 2018

ghosts.

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littles

playing, creeping, tiptoeing

ghosts in the graveyard

scaring themselves to death

screaming, spooky, squealing, shrieking

so much fun.

“while it’s cool to think ghosts exist, i don’t want to see one.”

-dean ambrose

snacks.

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and we are off!

road trip to the north!

and we have stopped.

snacks!

 

 

 

image credit: vintage and classic cars – 1966

reach.

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grandies

jump in.

get dirty.

fall down.

and

reach again

even higher.

“jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty,

fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.”

-ben stein

on the road to mastery.

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i asked two of the grandies

to go bike riding with me

but to have mercy

go easy on me

i haven’t been on a bike in two years

they are great riders

mountain bikers, road bikers, hill jumpers

all i wanted was to get my bike legs back

by starting on a flat surface

they were patient

told me some roads looked tricky

but i’d be okay

along the way they challenged me

and asked me if i could ride

using just 3 limbs, 2 limbs, 1 limb, no limbs?

(no to all)

with 4 limbs, a few minor crashes, tight turns,

near misses, and less than perfect balance

i survived the ride

and rode the next couple of days with them

each day i got a little sorer

but the ride got a little easier

they figured i’d get better by the end of the month

when i asked how they’d rate me as a rider

they told me that i began on the ‘terrible’ level

and had moved up to the ‘almost moderate’ level.

 i took that to mean

‘almost mastery’ level.

“she who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.”

-susan b. anthony

 

amy’s choice.

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oh, amy what have you done?

after a bit of an unexplained absence

and when rejoining us outside at her picnic

amy tells us that she was busy inside

setting her mother up with her old iPad

and is already feeling a bit of remorse and worry

that this choice may have created

a life-long need for her tech support

and round-the-clock calls to her

yearning for immediate answers

to the endless questions as to the subtleties and mysteries

contained within the world of apple products.

her brother quickly makes it clear

that he is hands-off

and is not in any way involved in this endeavor.

she speaks openly of her fear

while the only other things we know

that she is afraid of are mascots

though this new level of fear

may have even topped that.

we all reassure her that she is a good daughter for having done this

while at the same time privately harboring

our own personal doubts

about the potential risk/reward factor involved in her choice.

about 3 minutes went by

and this is a picture of amy re-entering her house

after she has been called in

to where her mother sits with her new iPad

and her first ‘question/glitch.’

she looks frightened and unsure of what awaits her inside.

 

“choices are the hinges of destiny.”

-edwin markham

 

wisdom and kindness.

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what a lovely afternoon spent

with a family whose three daughters

 each of us have taught and loved in our turn over the years

as they gave thanks to all of their teachers

by cooking and serving us an amazing brunch

at a beautiful table

complete with many homemade delights

main courses, sweets, desserts, coffee, and fruit prosecos

dad and daughters prepare our meal

while mom finalizes the drinks and details in the dining room

such an amazing and generous gesture

as their last daughter leaves the familiar comfort

of our elementary school

and moves on to her next chapter

in the middle school division

along with her lovely family

who we will miss

and who have taught their daughters

the wisdom of gratitude and kindness.

“what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

-jean-jacques rousseau

summer begins.

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summer begins

up north

with joyful grandie

up late

catching the sunset

in his net. 

 

“summertime is a period for youthful explorations,

a joyful time when we learn lessons

without grand expectations or harsh consequences.” 

-kilroy j. oldster

 

 

sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore, glen lake, empire, michigan, usa