Bread & With It

Gardening this year has been so much fun. I loved heading outside each day to see what gifts the garden had for me. A bit of my bounty :) I learned a lot this summer..., Don't stake your squash; cool idea, but too hard to keep up with. Bunnies can get through the smallest holes in your fencing to eat ALL your beans, eggplant, and kale. Mourning doves love to have a dirt bath in your newly planted seeds. Cucumbers get a pointy end if not properly pollinated. There is a phanto

I had forgotten how inspiring I found the Crayola Crayon color names I have been working with this year, and how poems seem to flow more easily at times from colors than from other words. It felt good to sit down this week and choose three new colors. Snapped this week in Massachusetts. This week's colors were inspired by the change in seasons from swimsuits and to comfy sweatshirts. Tan Bittersweet Shimmer Goldenrod Let's start with the color: Tan Do you remember these ads?

This week, there has been something about the squeal of school bus brakes outside my window that has brought me back to the first day of school as an empty nester. I wrote this mixture of reflection/poetry/lyrics as I juggled the memories of being a young mom, scrambling to get the kids ready and on the bus, to the quiet tug on my empty-nester heart. First posted on August 31, 2022, the sentiment felt timeless this morning. Hope you enjoy :) Happy Poetry Friday Everyone! An

Wednesday evening I attended Georgia Heard's webinar "Word's that Sing and Soar," with Irene Latham. How wonderful it was to gather virtually with so many poets I have gotten to know through Boyds Mills(Highlights). Really looking forward to going to Poetry Palooza there this fall and catching up with them. Be sure to sign up for these little ditties! They are both a little bit of poetry love, filled with great tips and news about upcoming webinars. Georgia Heard's Newslett

...and they have my head swirling, in a very good way. ;) Poetry that touched my heart: Musician Glen Hansard tragically died last week, and the air has been filled with his music. He started out as a busker on the streets of Dublin, so I was particularly touched by the video of other buskers and people on the street gathered and singing his Oscar-winning song, "Falling Slowly." I first learned about Glen's work on a return flight home from a business trip to Hong Kong. The

I was a nervous newbie to the KidLit world, attending my first conference in 2017 when I found myself in line to have Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi sign my books. As the line moved closer, I couldn't quite see them—for the shifting line of bodies trying to get a glance or a photo—but I could hear their voices... the kindness, the laughter, and the generous, encouraging words. When it was my turn, their lovely smiles and kind words made me feel welcome. As I left, I hugg

Choosing the colors for this week was a no brainer. I only had to look at the date and know they had to be: red, white and blue. I had posted a poem inspired by WHITE before, but decided to write a new poem about that color. A search for RED brought me to BRICK RED and for BLUE to BLUETIFUL. What fun these names are! BRICK RED At the top of my street, there is a little-known trail into the woods that has the evidence of all sorts of buildings that had once been there- stone f

I have always been fascinated by the color black. As a mural artist, I learned over the years that my art was not complete until I added touches of black and white — black to define, give depth and shadow, and white to highlight and call attention to areas. If I had to choose between a color photo and a black-and-white one, there was always a clear answer for me- black-and-white. With the color stripped away, I am invited to look deeper at the image; all distraction is gone.

Anyone hungry? To my delight, Crayola often uses food names to label their crayons. Not only do the word names themselves inspire, taking me to new places, but.... ...all my senses come alive. Take a color name like Cotton Candy :) It takes me right to the carnival. I can almost hear the merry-go-round music. Can't you smell it? Feel its stickiness between your fingers? Taste its sweetness? Words can do that! If you recall, a while ago I wrote a poem about the Crayola color M

Since I was young, I dreamed of having a backyard garden. It was perfect. No weeds, continuous blossoms and a harvest to die for. Especially in the winter when I longed for the blossoming energy of spring. Dreaming of what a garden could be. When I was 15, we moved to Boston and my family had a community plot. I loved driving there with my family after dinner and all of us pulling weeds and watering in the quiet dusk of the river valley, the joy of discovering what was ready

I think I can now safely say Spring is really here, and snow will remain a distant memory. I find myself enjoying being out in nature more and soaking it up with all my senses. the smell of my lavender lilacs the sound of baby birds in the birdhouse outside my home begging for food the softness of dogwood petals the baby goslings quietly paddling behind their mama the flavor of my summer drink- lemonade infused with passion fruit tea. Can't you just smell them? Spring shows

Welcome to the Poetry Friday Round-up I am delighted to be hosting for the first time. Coffee's on, apps are on the table, candles lit. Oh, I almost forgot. Some music would be nice. Welcome! Let me take your coat. Make yourself at home ;) Please feel free to let the music play while you browse. This week we celebrate mothers: Birth mothers, adoptive mothers, friends and family who are like mothers to us. They love , comfort , nurture, support and guide us—our soft place t

So happy to be back this week to celebrate COLOR!!! My precious granddaughter, running with joy through the tulips. This Crayola color journey has been an interesting one so far. I am amazed at all the "fandom" over crayons! These are just a couple of sites to check out if you want to know more about those "broken-colorful-wands-of-creation-filled-with-possibility," that you have in a Tupperware container in your closet ;) Check it out HERE Check it out HERE In 2013, Smithso