ironic notice
as the words come flooding in
(yet i can’t stop them)

no. i had no plan.
no plan for any of this.
(nor a solution).
ironic notice
as the words come flooding in
(yet i can’t stop them)

no. i had no plan.
no plan for any of this.
(nor a solution).
parenting problems
don’t end when the kids grow up
(they can still break you)
Berthoud Pass driving
sisters learn two years apart
same day, different face


2020 ends
in the same way it began
(with downhill skiing)

2020 ends
nearly every way different
than a year ago

2020 brings
a balance of sorrow, joy
hidden behind masks

2020 ends
with screens controlling our lives
(searching for meaning)

2021
with its 5-syllable self
will bring us new hope
a cold winter walk
along the Colorado
right where it begins

a hot springs retreat
to strip the cold off our skins,
bring heat to our bones

he’s no idea
what he’s got himself into
with these crazy girls

cookies are cookies.
we will cut, bake, decorate.
’cause it’s what we do.

arms, metal, ginger:
what is a holiday scent?
molasses. that’s it.

and soft-spun sugar
ready to perfect Christmas
with gingerbread sweets.

almost all love skis
and that’s enough for today
that, and fresh powder


some rough beginnings
can end in the perfect way
for a perfect day




Almost a year ago, we invited this boy home for Christmas because he was living in a youth shelter.
We brought him downtown to see this beautiful tree.
And what a year it has been. Challenging in more ways than we ever thought imaginable, and all of us adjusting to this new life of having a brother and a son in the midst of a pandemic.
Here we are, standing under these same lights. And aren’t they still beautiful?



the best mail ever
with a scholarship of hope
to fulfill her dreams
