my childhood home
with trees my parents planted
taller than our lives


my childhood home
with trees my parents planted
taller than our lives


along a river
this fairy tale ferry stop
has stood a beacon




in muddy waters
kids get to be kids all day
while mamas paddle


nature is our home
found in Kentucky fire
lit by desire



a creek paddle day
brings every boat together
for swimming and grins




solo hike with pup
not marred by weather; just bikes
but these flowers; views.




should i post pea buds
or a bunch of trashed balloons?
(each its own beauty)


the perfect respite
after seventy-one days
staying safe at home

mental sanity
in our short time here on earth
can be life-saving


hiking these mountains
with their divine mental cleanse
has saved us today


away from the crowds
away from constant worry
here. here we are safe.


paranoia wins
my midday motherhood run
(let’s hope she’s healthy)

for now, let us plant.
petunias, lupine, sweet blooms
springing for summer



we’ve risen at dawn
for two months of lonely walks
but look at our view

I went to the grocery store today, and I don’t want to write about the nightmare I had last night where no one was wearing a mask.
Could you imagine, three months ago, having a nightmare about people not wearing masks in Target?
Actually, King Soopers was well-stocked today. Everyone I saw had a mask on. People at 8:30am obeyed the one-way aisle rules, and best of all? I stayed within my budget.
I made a budget for my post-work husband, starting at the beginning of May. $200 a week. It may sound extraordinarily excessive, but we’ve got six mouths to feed, and these are American prices, after all.
But I bought extras today. This bugleweed. A roll of packaging tape. And sushi because fuck Wednesday cooking.


And, my nightmares should end soon.
Because my post-work husband got a job, a non-union, non-seniority-screws-you job, doing exactly what he’s great at and wants to do forever, in the midst of a pandemic.
And.
And you can call it what you want. White privilege. True. Luck. Absolutely. Divine intervention. Maybe.
Or just… fate. The fate that led him through the Air Force to me, that led the boy to our doorstep, that led three beautiful daughters into our home, that led his previous experience to him becoming the best candidate out of all the others being laid off.

Coronatine, day sixty-one. It’s a beautiful image filled with pets, hope, and love.
And I want to hold on to this non-nightmare feeling for as long as I can.


And.
This cat was born to be a model. Good night.
we’re stepping outside
into this beautiful yard
to celebrate love

it’s a bit risky
and only sixty degrees.
but it’s Mother’s Day.

each girl made a card
and worked to include this boy
in conversations



it’s as good as weeds
ripped from choking my garden
so beauty can breathe


