Bread & With It

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

It's my turn to play . I can't wait! Each year, beginning April 1st, POETRY FRIDAY friends and other poetry lovers are invited to join the fun, as a poem travels daily from blog to blog, with each host adding a line. A big thank you to poet Irene Latham for creating The Kid Lit Progressive Poem, which was a way to celebrate National Poetry Month (April) as a community of writers. This year, I was assigned WEEK #2. Exciting but scary—with only one line ahead of me, the pos

A book is a magical thing. It can take you to places you have never been— tropical islands, outer space, foreign lands— all from the safety and comfort of your own bedroom. The picture books we discover as children and the novels we read as young adults tend to stay with us and hold a very special place in our hearts. My sister-in-law Delle and I were chatting the other day about our favorite childhood books. Hers was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and mine

Happy Spring, everyone! This year, the change in seasons has been a long time coming. But this week I saw little buds starting to form on skinny maple branches—their red color popping against the blue sky. It made me so happy! And then the surprise of a single crocus flower in my snowy backyard inspired this little ditty! The promise of growth, new life, and the resurrection of plants from their winter beds fills me with hope. Color is about to explode in the coming weeks, a

After dealing with over 24" of snow the past week or so, a lovely warm front blew in. After a couple of 70-degree days, the ice dams have finally melted off my roof. There is even some green-ish grass showing through now. I couldn't be happier. This week's poems were an eclectic bunch, but very fun to write. Bet you can't guess my color inspiration for this week... Yep! It's Green! Saint Patrick, is the patron saint of Ireland, and has been celebrated by Catholics and other

After I choose my colors each week, I start by researching what that Crayola crayon looks like. I then think all around the name for ideas, pulling images from my photos or online for inspiration. When I finally start to write, I believe I know the direction my writing will take me. Then, suddenly, my muse surprises me with a different idea, and I usually like it better. Well, this week I chose the colors: Denim Blush Gold They showed me they had something unexpected in commo

There are. few things I really don't mind about winter in New England. Getting to wear my oversized snuggly sweaters, The amazing blue color of the sky How thick, rich, warm soups taste on a snowy day and if you just stop and listen, the silence you hear trudging through the snow. But I have to admit.... on a few of these sub-zero days, I begin to understand why snowbirds fly south. Brrrrrr! Outside my window this week during the blizzard. Inspired by New England winters, he

Growing up in a mostly white town, my only interaction with people of color were Karen Miller and Pat Davis in my home room, who were bused in from Boston in the late '70's VERY early every morning to the suburbs for their education. And even then, homeroom was so short that you really didn't have time to get to know each other. When I think about it now, I can't imagine the stress busing added to the students and their families. I am embarrassed to say that, till recently,

During the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020- May 2023), the word KINDNESS began popping up everywhere. One of my favorite places was the Kindness 101 segments on TV. They were a welcome respite from our isolation and lifted morale across our homes. CBS's Steve Hartman and his children hosted KINDNESS 101, a series of classes featuring inspiring stories of people being kind. You can read more about them here . (These are great things to share with your kids.) Here is one of my