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Ode to a Spider {a thankful, poetic ramble}
When the giant webs appeared in our yard(and I mean big, as wide as the length of my arm)My first thought was concernBut when my bug guy reminded me that these spiders are good, actuallyI was more than happy to live and let live, as I’ve always loved bugs (with some exceptions). When a particularly giant web appeared outside my kitchen windowI was stunned at how big its inhabitant was, its body half the length of my thumbIts long legs pointy and spindly, the thickness of pine needlesBut I watched it curiously, appreciating its creepiness adding to the Halloween vibe, but little elseAt first. Then, one day, I stood at…
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January-March 2020 Fly-By Status Report – Creating in a Time of Coronavirus
Hello everyone! I’m sitting on my couch, where I do most of my work & editing, and I’m here with my cats and Wervyn, and despite the coronavirus spreading outside, with this social distancing we’re in introvert heaven! But I was having a lot of anxiety for the last couple of weeks; in addition to not knowing if I was going to have enough groceries, my church office coworkers and I were scrambling to get everything together for live-streaming Sunday services, which was mad hectic. But I’m taking off work till April 1, and we have enough food, so I’m feeling a lot better already! And with the open schedule,…
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Flocks & Murmurations
Hey! Just popping in to tell a cool little anecdote. I have a bird feeder in my yard, and a bird book and binoculars nearby so I can try to identify the birds I see. The cats love to watch them (I love how Zwartbles Ireland calls it “cat TV“), and Moss sometimes chatters at them when he gets particularly excited. It’s so cute, but I can never get it on film. So yesterday morning, he’s poking his head through the blinds, and I go to open them for him–and stare outside in shock. About 20 red-winged blackbirds were chowing at my feeder, like tourists at a hotel breakfast buffet! They…
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#WeeklyVenture Challenge: Solo {a poem of embellishments on things that really happened}
When the yard explodes with violets and dandelions,And wasps inexplicably thump head first into the window,I know it’s finally time to break out the jellies. (They’re grown up jellies, with a low purple heel, comfort ridges and everything.) I know I’ll need comfortable* shoes because today I’m walking.I won’t have a car for an hour or so, and there’s some unexplored urban territory nearby.Jaywalking is involved. The weather is perfect, and I wish I had my bike. (It’s hiding in the shed on cracked tires.) A strip mall adjoining a nature trail is mine to conquer. A rare thing, like an old tree growing in the center of a parking…
