SOLSC 2022 #31 - Reaching for the sky

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Do you like my trees with leaves, Nana?

The trees are in the sky.

A rainbow cloud in the sky.

I made a square.

This drawing and description is from my three year old granddaughter "Frog," and it seemed the perfect closing for this magical month of blogging. 

Thank you 

Two Writing Teachers community 

for sharing stories 

reminding me 

there is a sky filled with 

trees 

rainbow clouds

surprising squares

there is a sky filled with 

writing 

bounteous topics 

many different perspectives 

incredible insight and imagination 

and caring comments, too

there is a sky filled with writing 

and it is endless

I hope to see you on Tuesdays, for weekly slicing!

SOLSC 2022 #30 - Zippers

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Well, it's nearly 8:30 p.m. and there's been nary a moment to write.

So, let me share one little snippet of this day:

A certain someone has gotten very, very good at unzipping everything. Which means, getting out the door has gotten very, very challenging. She is quick! You no sooner get something on her, when she is unzipping it off. 

She practiced this over and over and over, on every zipper she could reach. I had no idea there were so many zippers in the house.

She's pretty good with velcro, too - which makes it tricky to keep shoes on those feet.

 

SOLSC 2022 #29 - Touring Hickory Flats

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

With the phone on speaker, my brother-in-law's southern drawl filled the car as he shared the directions he remembered - 

"From there, you go down a big ol' hill; at the bottom, on the opposite side of the road from a pasture, there's a big Sycamore tree. We lived right up the road from this bend..."

Yesterday, I spent time typing up notes I had taken on a very special driving tour with my husband and in-laws. When we were in Georgia in February for my sister-in-law's funeral, my husband Tony and his two remaining sisters decided to drive around and visit the places that they had lived as children. They called their brother up on speaker phone, so that he might help them find their way around. I went along as the "scribe," bringing my trusty notebook and pen. I tried not to interrupt their conversation, and to write down every tidbit I heard them sharing. I knew this was an all-too-rare opportunity to capture family history.  

Tony is second youngest in a family of 13 children; the sister-in-law that died was the baby of the family (and it doesn't seem right for the youngest to die before others, does it?). One of the first thoughts I had when she died, in the midst of all the grief, was that we had just lost a lot of family history. The baby sister was the one who kept tabs on everybody and everything that had happened through the years. She truly treasured her family.

Their father worked as a preacher, a cabinet maker, and a tenant farmer, which meant that the family was uprooted many times, moving to new locations in the state. A number of years were spent in the vicinity of Hickory Flats, which was near to where we were staying. (It's amazing to think how much population has grown in this area - Hickory Flats was considered 'the boonies' when my husband and his siblings were growing up, but is now considered the outer environs of Atlanta.)

Now, there are only four living siblings, of the original 13 - Tony, an older brother, and two older sisters. It was a very special day to drive around and hear their reminiscing. It was also fun to type up all the notes from this grand tour and share them with everyone. Tony and his sibs are making edits, adding details, and sharing new stories to the ones I captured - there is a touch of healing in this memory-writing. 

SOLSC 2022 #28 - What's for dinner?

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

As we walked up to door of our favorite Indian-Nepali restaurant, we saw through the window that several tables were filled with customers. How wonderful! We are finally getting to a more normal state of affairs with this pandemic. This was our first time out to eat in many, many months, and we were excited to eat INSIDE the restaurant, rather than simply enjoying takeout at home. It was great to see that many others had the same idea.

We stepped inside, only to find so many unfamiliar faces. It was a little confusing. The hostess, the wait staff, the bartender; we didn't recognize anyone. 

The hostess walked us through the main room to a small table on the side and I scanned the room for our manager/friend as we walked, but I didn't see him. Tony looked at the tables themselves - happy customers eating and conversing, with platters of injera with its varied stews and vegetables at the center. Ethiopian cuisine. 

This was not the same restaurant. 

How to explain what this felt like - same place but not? same location yet entirely new? 

We sat down quietly as she handed us our menus and said she'd be back with water. 

Tony whispered, "Hon, this is an Ethiopian restaurant now."

I looked at him, nodding, wrapping my mind around the foods being served at the surrounding tables and  the sound of foreign language conversations being spoken all around us. Hmm. Well, that is sad; I guess our little restaurant didn't make it through the pandemic after all; the owner had spoken with us many months back at how tough a go it had been so far. 

Then we smiled at each other - this is entirely unexpected, but this will be fun. Our very first date was at an Ethiopian restaurant in Adams Morgan (Washington, DC) so many years ago; we have enjoyed the cuisine many times since. We have always been game to try new foods. 

We settled in our seats and studied the menu. Wait, what? This was the old, familiar menu we knew, for Indian food. There was no Ethiopian food listed.

What is going on here? 

I whispered, "Okay, this is weird. Why is everyone eating Ethiopian in what we believe is an Indian restaurant, and you and I are given menus for Indian?" Honestly, it was a little bit like a scene from a science fiction movie - maybe the floor was moving beneath our feet, maybe this was some dream sequence and we were going to wake up in a minute?

The hostess/waitress returned for our orders, and we shared our confusion. "Is the restaurant under new management?" She happily explained that, about a month ago, the Indian restaurant merged with an Ethiopian restaurant. There are two managers in the same location, offering these two cuisines, both with their own chefs but utilizing one space together (and the same organic farm for their vegetables). A very clever solution in these challenging economic times, I think.

I was still confused about the menu - why were we not offered Ethiopian options, as well? The waitress had seen our surprise upon entry and knew us to be returning customers; therefore, she had given us the Indian menu. She insisted on bringing a small sample of Ethiopian food for us to try, alongside our favorites from the Indian menu. 

An unexpected twist in our evening, yet what a delicious and adventurous meal we had!

SOLSC 2022 #27 - Push ups

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Today, at this very moment, I have completed 21 pushups. 

How do you motivate yourself to move a little more each day? Here we are in our sixties, and we know this is an important goal. For about eight weeks now, Tony and I have been keeping a log of our daily pushups - a friendly competition, if you will. It's a simple notepad, and it is kept in plain view on our kitchen counter, so that we might keep these calisthenics in mind throughout the day. 

Although we can readily see each other's totals on a daily basis, I don't compete numerically with him - Tony is much more practiced at doing pushups and his totals are always considerably higher, at least twice mine, if not three times more, to be honest. I do notice, however, when he has logged in - which tends to inspire me to get down on the floor and do a few, or a few more, building my daily total. I have also noticed that, today, I am able to do more at one time ("in a set") than I was when we started - so, this simple logging game is definitely making me stronger - at least at this one skill. 

We are both finding that doing a quick set of pushups also serves to clear the mind. It gets us off the couch a bit. I've been doing a few after sitting and writing/sitting and thinking - particularly if I get a mental block. Which, actually, is why this 27th day of March is about pushups - hahaha! I had no other idea for today's slice! lol

Push on! The 31st of March is just around the corner.... 

SOLSC 2022 - #26 Consistent joy

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Every Saturday morning I enjoy reading the On Being newsletter called On Pause which never ceases to send me thinking in some new, positive direction.  Today's post asked the open-ended question, reflecting on this time of pandemic, 

What are the joys I've "hoarded" and protected these past two years?

What an uplifting reflection this was for me! Here's where I landed - and I am sure the list isn't complete, how wonderful is that?

• cozy, kind, nourishing, loving connection and time with my husband, Tony; we have really prioritized this, in many ways, including walks, talks, dinners, even our evenings on the couch just binging shows together
• having a minimum of two days a week when I can completely lose myself in the magical playful world of young children, thanks to babysitting my sweet granddaughters "Frog" (age 3) and "Bird" (age 1)
• my sons, always my sons; being more intentional about regular connection during this time...at least weekly ... how incredibly special it has been to have my sons and the in-laws all living close by, which meant we were able to form a 'pod' very early on in the pandemic, and this has led to many beautiful 'whole family' times - two sets of grandparents, the granddaughters, their parents, four uncles, a fiance - sharing holidays, birthdays, special events...this has been so, so dear
• my girlfriends! long rambling phone conversations with my high school buddy and my college buddy, both of whom live far away, but we seemed to find a way to get closer during this time; same is true for others...I think I have been hoarding these friendships, hahaha - my local buddy and I doing weekly runs in the woods, another dear friend who meets me for long walks and talks, my sweet bookgroup, just four of us - we managed to "zoom" through the hard pandemic months, eat outdoors lots, and we've read and discussed so many great books together...we made it work...
• dear couples in our lives...meeting one at the playground with our grandchildren together, another for hikes every now and again, still others for special lunches or dinners...I have truly been blessed by these friendships
• my gratitude circle - only one of whom I actually know/have met - how close we've become through the years, but how important this has been to me these past couple of years, to share our gratitudes via email on a regular basis, to have a window into each other's lives, and to support and care for one another
• all my own siblings and my husband's siblings - sadly, grief and loss brought us together too many times these past two years...we grieved the death of my Dad, my sister-in-law's Mom, Tony's brother, my uncle/godfather, Tony's sister just recently...it's been a lot of sorrow, but I have really loved how we siblings held each other up, sharing honestly and openly our memories, our love - and we connect with one another regularly through phone calls and some visits, knowing how important it is, treasuring our time together
• my church community - what a joy to have this to lean on, to depend on, every single Sunday, whether a zoom service or in person, the ministers offer love, hope, support, inspiration, prayer, guidance, open arms, welcome to all
• my neighbors/my neighborhood, the friendly, welcoming vibe, the looking out and caring for one another
• being quiet, alone, developing my spiritual practice, making time for contemplation - I have been very intentional about this, able to grow, pray, and reflect deeply, making this intentional each day; much of this is done through my daily personal writing/journaling, but also through books and podcasts, reading and listening to understand, hope, grow; plus, I have a dear 'friendship circle' of women from church that I connect with, too. 
• my online writing communities (again, there seems to be a theme of me hoarding 'connections'!), how I have loved the Two Writing Teachers slicing and my poetry writing with EthicalELA, how I have enjoyed reading and commenting on writing of others, and hearing from them about mine, how I feel I have made real friends through this practice
• NATURE - I had to capitalize this because it may be listed last, but it is not last; I seek it out all the time - through gardening, time with kids, walking, hiking, running...how the natural world has supported me through this time, oh my! It is a blessing to live in the Washington, DC area, where there are innumerable parks to explore....

I feel that I must have missed something...which is kind of a joyous thing, in and of itself!

What joys have you protected these past two years?

SOLSC 2022 #25 - Storm door

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

There was this friendly knock at the side door of our house, our entrance for family and friends  -

ba-ba- BA-BA-BA (pause) ba- ba

My oldest son was expected; why in the world would he be knocking? I had left the side door unlocked for him. I scoot over to the door, and there he stood. 

"Well, come in! Why are you knocking?"

"Because I can't come in. Look!" - and he holds up the outside handle to our storm door. 

"What?!"

Oh my goodness. This leaves me chuckling; why has this handle come apart? This house is falling apart in more ways than I can count. I open the door for him, do my best to refasten the handle, and assure him we will fix this - "Yes, that's definitely a problem." 

I must remember to ask Tony to tighten this, with whatever proper tool it requires. In the meanwhile, it's not a big problem, especially if we don't close the storm door all the way....

Two days later - last evening - I stepped outside to chat with a neighbor, standing on our porch, calling out and conversing. The neighbor left and I started to tinker with things on the porch - adjusting the cushions, straightening things. Tony steps out to tell me something, and the storm door closes behind him with a slam - 

Clink, clink!

Yes, you guessed it! 

The handle fell off again and we were locked out of our own home. Oh my goodness. "Oops," I said, "I forgot to tell you that the storm door handle was broken. Not a good time to share this news, I guess!"

There we were, standing in our socks. 

Silly silly silly situation.

Hmmm.

Unfortunately, whatever mechanism /rod/thingamabob that works the handle had slipped out and was now out of reach. There was no way to fix this from where we were.

It's really pretty surprising that you need a handle to open a door, I think. Hahaha.

After a few moments of confusion, we remembered where we had hid an extra key; Tony retrieved this and entered the house through the back door, then came around and opened the side door from the inside. Then he headed for his toolbox and spent the next twenty minutes fixing the door.

SOLSC 2022 #24 - Tea for one

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

It's Thursday, meaning that this week's two days of babysitting are past, and my five day weekend begins - the joys of retirement. I offer this poem -

Thursday mornings

My Thursdays mornings have become 

Saturday mornings

when

I feel the warmth of my ceramic mug in my hand,

radiating throughout my palm and fingers,

this soft caressing comforting heat, 

when

I smell the subtle earthy waft of my green tea, and

indulge in sips of tea at its finest temperature,

an impossible treat in the midst of children

now my morning's delicacy 

when

I hear the delightful echo of yesterday

with each sip

their young chatter laughter hurts joys movement

remembering 

these precious moments

when

I settle deeper into my chair 

holding

the cup in one hand

the pen in the other 

the journal open on my lap

when

my body is still calm relaxed

at peace

how I love 

the unfazed day ahead that

Thursday morning brings.

SOLSC 2022 #23 Flowering fun

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Ten days later, the gorgeous anniversary flowers were no longer so; in fact, they were sad, droopy, and discarding petal after petal onto the table. They had lasted a good length of time; I decided to get them out to the compost. I laid down newspaper to examine and collect them one by one, thinking - maybe, just maybe, some of them were not wilting? Ah, that was not to be. 

Three year old Frog pulled up a chair to where I was working. 

"Nana, shouldn't we do a flower experiment?"

I looked at her, incredulously, and then remembered seeing a photo of her with her other grandmother, breaking apart remnants of another vase of flowers and exploring. My goodness, of course, we SHOULD do this, shouldn't we? 

One couple's trash is a child's treasure! These tasks are great learning fun.

I found some containers and we began pulling off blossoms, taking care - for a short while, anyway - to have each type of flower in a different container. We were fascinated by the different shapes and sizes of the blossoms. Frog bombarded me with questions - 

What is this part called?

Why are some flowers bigger?

What is this flower?

What is this part that is making a powder mess?

Other than petals, leaves, and stems, the discussion was pretty quickly over my head, so I suggested we research this on the computer. We don't have to be the experts, right? Welcome the questions and figure it out together. I looked up "parts of plant," and we studied the diagrams together; soon Frog was tossing around the words "stamen" and "pistil" with confidence, which had me chuckling. Then she had the idea to mix all the petals into one bowl, making a bed for Thumbelina (we had just read this fairy tale together earlier). That cozy bed led to an art project - I found a piece of card stock and got out the glue; Frog made a floral collage. 

This art still drying at day's end; I'll get it out again next week with her, and see if she wants to add some marker or paint...or glue more flowers...

With grandchildren, chores turn into the most pleasant opportunities!

 

SOLSC 2022 #22 - Just highlights

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Not a moment to write today, it seems. Certainly, no time to reflectively write. It's a babysitting day, taking care of the grandkids - Frog, age 3, and Callie, age 1. Oh my! They have been busy - and, therefore, so have I. Here are the highlights - 

- oatmeal breakfast with a medley of yummy additions, their choice - chopped pecans, apples, blueberries, craisins, and banana

- making a new batch of playdough (dark green was today's experimental color...how do you make dark green?...well, you add nearly the whole bottle of green and a little bit of red, yellow, blue)

- neighborhood walk, checking out the flowers and the budding trees

- making bubbles in the backyard (no hands in mouth, bubbles are not for eating!) 

- helping Poppa dig out the weeds 

- noticing - the spinach seeds that Frog planted just last week have sent up their very first shoots in the vegetable garden

- reading story after story in A Treasury of Children's Literature (three year old Frog has discovered the world of make believe)

- watching and listening to house sparrows at the birdhouse 

- singing favorite songs

That's it for this beautiful spring day!

SOLSC 2022 #21 Time for my nap

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

I scoot to the side so that she can get by me, only to have her stop right at my feet and pat my thigh with her sweet little hand. I look down at her, and she looks up at me, raising her arms so that I might pick her up. 

"Oh, I get to have a hug?! You little sweetie," and I scoop up my youngest granddaughter ("Bird"), who is sixteen months old. 

The adults are gathered around my dining room table, in a the midst of a big discussion that has nothing to do with little Bird. She had been playing with toys to the side, but then had come to find me.

"What do you want, sweetie? What are you trying to tell me?" I ask. 

She leans her head to one side, and waves at the adults at the table.

"Oh! It is time for your nap, isn't it? Did you want me to put you to bed?," I interpret.

Bird gives me a tired smile. Yes, I am right! 

This little one amazes me. When it comes to sleep, she knows what she needs. 

We wave goodbye to everyone and I carry her up the stairs to her porta crib, her bed at our house, and move through the nap routine, all the while narrating - 

"Here's your bedroom, 

here is the fan - let's turn this on, 

let's close the shades so that you will have a nice dark room for sleeping, 

let's turn on your sound machine, and 

here's your sleep sack, let's zip it up, 

there are your bedtime buddies - 

it's elephant and fish and your animal book, too. 

Here you go, sweetie." 

Then I hold her close and she holds me, too, and I gently sway and sing, "go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little one." I lay her down with one last kiss on the forehead, and Bird makes not a peep, just gives me a sweet soft smile. 

I am out the door, closing it gently behind me. Back downstairs, I look through the monitor and I see her looking at her animal board book for a minute or two, and then she puts it down and slips off to sleep. So precious.

I shake my head in amazement. How often have I overextended my awake hours, ignoring the pleas from my body and mind? 

I have lots to learn from her. 

SOLSC 2022 #20 - One shelf at a time

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

One drawer, one shelf, one cabinet at a time, we are culling things before our big remodel. The permit process has just begun; actual work will not begin until May; so there's plenty of time to work carefully, with intention, to think through needs and desires. One thing is for sure - we are paring down our kitchen stuff, eliminating all the extra things that we don't use, we don't need, we don't want.

Today's boxed up donation-to-be - a shelf of wine and cordial glasses -

These were so thick with dust, I washed them thoroughly before packing them up. 

It is interesting to think about how perspective changes over time. Once, we treasured these glasses. I loved their varied heights and purposes, their varied styles. Some, I am pretty certain, were wedding gifts, and made from beautiful crystal. Now, truly, they are just extra stuff, sitting up and away on a high shelf, virtually ignored. 

We are happy to give them away... and thrilled to see an empty shelf in the cabinets! 

SOLSC 2022 #19 - Moving right along

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

I think the tell for me was the sloppy paint splashed along the wood trim and the tile floor; this old house/apartment was not lovingly or respectfully maintained. No one really CARED. I hoped I was wrong; just a visual cue that jumped out at me as I squeezed around the varied moving boxes to use the bathroom.

It was a bitter cold day in late January when my youngest son (Bryce) moved to his new apartment. The five of us made it happen - Tony and I, our three sons.  We know the drill all too well: rent a truck, load it up, shuffle groan up and down stairs, curse the furniture, work up a sweat, hope no one moves again anytime soon, be thankful there is no sleep sofa. It was hard work, and I am so thankful that my three sons are strong and able, doing almost every bit of the heavy lifting and bending, leaving me to packing and unpacking individual boxes. 

That was exactly seven weeks ago, the last Saturday in January. Today - INSTANT REPLAY! I am not kidding. Good news - it's not bitter cold! Bad news - it's going to pour rain. Of course it is. I mean, c'mon, it's moving day. Gotta be uncomfortable! Gotta have pain!

Bryce is moving in with Wade (my middle son). 

That is the proverbial long story short. 

These seven weeks have been an unrelenting series of problems in that apartment rental, unlike anything any of us have experienced. One example - that very first night in his 'new' apartment, the lights went out and his heat went off because he used the microwave. Looking back, this was also one of the rare times the landlord actually responded in a timely manner to a problem - within an hour of sitting in the dark, Bryce was given directions on how to enter a basement apartment and flip the breaker. (And, yes, this is still the required fix for this ongoing electrical problem - better yet, turn off heat and everything else before using the microwave.) 

There's been an endless series of horrors with this place - I cannot even begin to share the story. It really is Bryce's to tell, and he has been advocating for himself on this, reaching out to appropriate authorities, documenting every bit of rot, vermin, outage, leak, request, complaint, response (lame or ignored), violation...suffice to say, it is not a livable situation. 

So, two brothers will now be living together! This situation adds about forty minutes to Bryce's work commute, which is definitely an inconvenience, but it will so much better for his sanity. 

Here's to another Saturday move! May it be the last one for awhile.

SOLSC 2022 #18 - To Life!

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

A friend shared this quote by Katerina Belash, Ukrainian refugee  - 

"Please do cherish a clear sky. Every single time you see sky, treasure every moment of your life."

For a long while now, perhaps since the pandemic began and my long walks have been a more daily routine, I have been taking lots of photos of the sky. I don't really do anything with them; I'm just intrigued by the sky's beauty, its vastness, its personality on a given day. Let me share a few of these photos from this month of March, as my post today. 

Happy Friday! To the preciousness of life!

(This is the sky right now, in Silver Spring, Maryland.)

SOLSC 2022 #17 - I am overwhelmed

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

Definition:

overwhelm- 

bury or drown beneath a huge mass

I am overwhelmed

?

boxes in the basement

waiting to be filled

seems like it might be wise to look through things

do I dare

?

everything is a question

one question after another

?

how do we get ready for these massive home repairs

what should I be doing right now

where do I begin

how do we plan for the unforeseen

are these boxes enough

won't we need so many more

where do we start

?

everything is a question

one question after another

?

what cabinets can be emptied

dare I empty them now

what's in all these cabinets

what can I toss

what can I store

what can I donate

what's not necessary, just yet

?

everything is a question

one question after another

?

how will we do this

what needs to be done now soon later then last

what will I regret not doing in advance

how do we plan this out

how do we live here while these home repairs are on-going

are we making a huge mistake

what other option do we even have

?

everything is a question

one question after another

?

what will we need

what will we never miss

why do we have all this stuff

where can we store all the things we want to keep

what must we have access to

do we have the fortitude to get through this

how will I keep kind throughout

?

chicken or egg

rub your belly, pat your head

push me, pull you

c'est sera, sera

that's the way the cookie house crumbles

?

I am overwhelmed

SOLSC 2022 #16 - Playground Adventure

 

It is March 2022 and time for the

 15th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge  

Every single day, for all thirty-one days of March,

writers will share stories.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community 

of teacher-writers!

The sedate part is the packing:

• Peanut butter and banana sandwiches
• Yogurt and fruit 
• Clementines
• Goldfish
• Water bottles

• Wipes
• Paper towels
• Sunblock
• Sun hats
• Toys for the sand box
• Changing pad, diapers - just in case!
• Stroller

The lively part is everything else - 

• getting the three year old dressed for the day, her teeth brushed, her hair tangles out (I punted on this last one - hahaha)
• getting a clean diaper onto one very wriggly sixteen-month old before leaving the house - what is it with snapping a onesie that seems to signal to the toddler, "time to make a quick escape!!!"?
• finding everyone's shoes, socks, jackets (it got so warm, we didn't even need the jackets - hooray!!)
• three year old to the bathroom, one last time, before leaving 
• at the playground, so much wonderful running around...and running quickly, keeping alert - to the big slide, to the yellow slide, to the 'mountain,' to the sand box, to the balance beam, to the water fountain, to the blue twisty thing, to to to 
• trying to curb their interest in the dog poop near the water fountain 
• keeping food from blowing away, water from spilling over, hands relatively clean, bodies seated on the bench, during lunch
• keeping them awake on the car ride home, so that they both take great naps - woohoo! WIN for the grandparents!

It was an awesome day!