an encore can only last so long
eventually the stage is empty.
after an up and down week
bob seger, in today’s paper,
had just the right message.
Sep20
Tag Archives: family
Sep19
superpowers.
the grandies offered me a chance
to choose my superpower –
flight, strength, invisibility, speed, or shape shift?
i chose invisibilty
got inside of the machine
they powered it up
when i came out
they confirmed that i was now invisible.
except for my feet
which did not fit in the box.
i can live with that.
—
“the things that make us different, those are our superpowers.”
-lena waithe
Sep18
encore une fois. (once again)
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
Sep17
our last day.
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.
Sep4
the crossing.
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
Sep2
ghosts.
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
Sep1
snacks.
and we are off!
road trip to the north!
and we have stopped.
snacks!
—
—
image credit: vintage and classic cars – 1966
Aug10
reach.
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
Aug3
on the road to mastery.
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
Jul6
amy’s choice.
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
I didn't have my glasses on.... 