Slice of Life: A Walk in the Park

After driving by Tanger Center Bicentennial Park many times, I finally stopped yesterday. My visit to Chico's had taken longer than expected, so I missed my afternoon exercise class. However, the park beckoned and I answered. Even though it was two in the afternoon and prime time for sun exposure, most of the park was shaded. I had a wonderful stroll through this garden oasis as you'll see from the pictures I'm sharing. Although I've lived here for almost three years, it was my first visit. I look forward to future walks in these gorgeous gardens.

  

 

Cathedral of green

refreshes heavy hearts

comforts weary souls 

- Ramona Behnke 

Slice of Life: The Three Rees

We used to meet in person, but then I moved clear across the country (WA to NC), so now we meet via a three way FaceTime call. We meet for a variety of reasons: birthdays, after one of us returns from a trip, to talk about good books, but mostly just to chat, see each other's faces and stay up-to-date with each other's lives.

Who exactly are the Three Rees? Three gals of a certain vintage who used to work together. When the third one retired, we formed the "Three Retirees" so we would stay connected. We used to take walks together, attend events together, and lunch together. Now we chat on the phone together. We gathered in Seattle last summer. We had to cancel a planned gathering in North Carolina this spring. We hope to gather in Utah sometime soon. I go there several times a year to visit the grands (and my son and daughter-in-law). 

We generally share a FaceTime call every couple of weeks or so, but currently we're meeting weekly to discuss each new episode of "Call the Midwives." We all have PBS Passport, so why do we ration out the episodes to one a week? When you've waited a year for another season of a favorite show, it's fun to slow down and savor each episode. 

This tradition of discussing a show hearkens back to lunchtime at Islander Middle School. Our entire table of sixth grade teachers loved discussing each week's new episode of Downton Abbey. Sometimes we would wait until Tuesday if someone had missed it on Sunday night, but by Tuesday it was time to discuss and dissect.  

The Three Rees at the Botanical Garden from seven springs ago: 

 "Old friends are the ones you keep forever in your heart. Every moment together is a cherished memory."

Something came up and we had to reschedule our planned gathering for today to discuss the latest episode of "Call the Midwives". Fingers crossed that we can still remember it when we FaceTime on Friday!

Poetry Friday (on Sunday): I dipped my toe in VerseLove last week

As we finished our month of writing slices every day, many of my slicer friends gave encouragement for writing poems each day in April through the Verse Love prompts at Ethical ELA. Sarah Donovan, founding collaborator of Ethical ELA and Verselove, offered the first invitation for Poetry Month: "our lives are landscapes."

I responded to her invitation with this poem: 

 

Inside me is a classroom,
where sixth graders fill my dreams
with crazy, chaotic shenanigans.
The daily frenzy continues.

Inside me is an island,
I walk with friends through
spring blossoms, summer blackberries,
fall splendor, and winter’s quiet comfort.

Inside me is a lake,
a wooden bridge, honking geese,
diamond sparkles, gentle breezes,
my solo walks are never lonely.

 

We'll see what the rest of the month brings. I'm hoping to write at least weekly for VerseLove and post it on my blog for Poetry Friday. 

 Matt Forrest Esenwine is our post for Poetry Friday at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme. 

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Service

Ruth Hersey is hosting on this Maundy Thursday and asked us to write about service. Check out Ruth's post where you can find links to the reflections of other spiritual travelers. Feel free to join us with your own thoughts. We are an open and welcoming group who post on the first Thursday of the month.

 

In honor of National Poetry Month, I'm sharing a favorite poem, "Everyday Grace" by Stella Nesanovich from the Poetry Foundation website. Please stop now, click on the link, and read her poem.

I chose to write an acrostic using the poet's words, "holy ground." You'll recognize ideas from the poem in my Holy Ground acrostic as I wrote about our theme of service. My gratitude to the poet, Stella Nesanovich, for inspiration for today's poem.

 

Holy Ground 

 

He set the example by washing the feet

Of His disciples. Sometimes you 

Lift a friend through prayer, sometimes

You offer the quiet heart that listens.

  

Gentle expressions of caring concern 

Reveal the hope that stitches

Our precarious world together. Simple actions can 

Unleash goodness in a world so in 

Need of solace. Offer a smile, listen, reach out.

Decide now to extend grace everyday. 

                               - Ramona Behnke 

SOL 31/31: Bookending my Fifteenth Year with Poems

I started working on this fibonacci poem for Day 31 three days ago. It wasn't until this morning that I noticed that I had kicked off this month of writing with a free verse poem, "A Cheer for Day One." And poems became my favorite style of slicing as you can see by this breakdown of the 11 poems (sorted by format) created during this month.

1 free verse poem

1 tricube (for day 3, of course)

3 haiku

1 limerick (for St. Patrick's Day) 

1 cento (thanks Kim for the inspiration)

3 fibonacci (thanks Natalie for reminding me of this form)

1 book spine poem

And with no further ado, I bring you my final poem (a fibonacci*) for this month of slicing.

Our 

month

concludes.

Story threads 

weave a tapestry

connecting our community.  

*fibonacci poem -  6 line, 20 syllable poem. It follows the Fibonacci sequence for syllables in each line. The six lines have a syllable count of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 respectively.

See you on Tuesdays! 

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

 

SOL 30/31: Book Spine Poem

A fellow blogger (sorry, I can't remember who) shared a book spine poem yesterday and I realized that I hadn't used this form for a slice this month. Some years I use it several times.

The books all came from my library book basket. Limiting the number of books you use is key to a quick book spine poem and sometimes the stars seem to align with just the right titles as they did for me this morning. 

Dear writer,

Enchantment

for a girl becoming. 

 

Goldenrod

guests on earth,

the forest of a thousand eyes.

 

Keep moving, 

trust,

gather grateful.  

 

This is my fifteenth year participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

SOL 29/31: Open Windows and Rabbit Holes

I come home from church ready to write the post I decided on during a wakeful period last night (it took me awhile to remember what it was), but it did come to me.

I notice an open window for Ms. Chiubooka Writes. I'm plagued this year with disappearing comments. I try again to leave comments on two different blog posts, but I ultimately put up the white flag and resort to the Contact button on her blog. Good grief, I don't know what is happening! It's not like I'm a newbie at this game.

And then I notice another open window. When I woke up last night and couldn't sleep, I did not succumb to the siren call of Instagram on my phone. Instead, I looked at my sadly neglected emails, convinced that this task will definitely put me back to sleep. 

I leave an open window to the Choice Literacy Special Edition: Spring Break. It's about thriving, a word I've often considered for my OLW. There's a letter from editor in chief, Ruth Ayres, an original co-founder with Stacey Shubitz of Two Writing Teachers. Ruth's letter is followed by five completely free articles (for the next week). You'll want to check them out. 

I still need to read the fifth article, but I'm interrupting this rabbit hole to bring you this slice first. 

My favorite article (so far) is Maintaining an Adult Reading Life by Dana Murphy, who also used to write for Two Writing Teachers and sliced with us back in the day.

When I read Gretchen Schroeder's article, I click on her Instagram account, mrs_schroeders_shelves. It turns out that I already follow her! I click on The Correspondent book cover and find a blog post about letter writing on her blog, "Spontaneous Delights" (don't you love that name?).

Then I force myself to write today's slice, saving that last article/rabbit hole for later today.   

SOL 28/31: By the Book

Inspired by Elisabeth's post today, I share my answers to some of the questions posed by The New York Times "By the Book" column:

Describe your ideal reading experience.

Outside, under a shade tree, in a mosquito free environment, with temps in the 70s. If I can’t have the mosquito free environment (hard to find in NC), I’ll take a wintertime read in my recliner, wrapped in a cozy blanket, with a cup of Ghiradelli hot chocolate beside me.

What books are on your night stand?

James by Percival Everett (my book club read for April); The Power of Stillness by Hess, Skarda, Anderson, and Mansfield; A Field Guide to the Heart by Georgia Heard & Rebecca Kai Dotlich; Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self Compassion by James Crew and A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal edited by Sarah Bessey.

What’s the most terrifying book you’ve ever read?

The first book club I belonged to (which I started in 1987) read Orson Scott Card’s Lost Boys in 1994. This book still sends shivers down my spine. I don’t normally read supernatural thrillers or horror. 

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going was my favorite read aloud to share with my 6^th graders. It’s about the friendship between Gabriel King and Frita Wilson who faced their fears and discovered what courage was all about during the summer of 1976. It has some great scenes for reading aloud and meaty topics for discussion.

What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?

The Random House College Dictionary (1972) gifted to me by my best friend’s parents, Patsy and Byron Rodden as a high school graduation gift. It’s made all the moves and holds precious memories from the days when I used a dictionary much more frequently than I do today.

What’s the last great book you read?

It’s a tie between The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.

How have your reading tastes changed over time?

I went from reading Snip, Snap, Snurr picture books to the Bobbsey Twins to Nancy Drew to Trixie Belden to Cherry Ames, Student Nurse to books by Victoria Holt and Catherine Cookson. Today my favorite genres to read are historical fiction, literary fiction, memoir, and middle grade novels.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

Dinner parties are way too much trouble. How about a sit and chat evening around the fireplace with everyone’s favorite takeout dishes? I’ll make dessert!

I would invite Lois Lowry (Gossamer and Number the Stars), Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Desperaux) and Aubrey Hartman (The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor and The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest). I listed two favorites for each author. I told you I loved middle grade novels!

SOL 27/31 & Poetry Friday: A Twilight Poem and Recent Library Finds

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is hosting Poetry Friday and asked us to share a poem about twilight in honor of her new book, When Twilight Comes, arriving on Tuesday. I'm reposting a twilight poem I wrote while in Utah earlier this month and sharing two new poetry finds from my library. 

 

Sunset beckons me

Nature's marvelous paintbrush

Springtime spectacle

Photo taken by me!

March 7, 2026 

Millcreek, UT

 

 

For A Girl Becoming was a serendipitous find on our library's New Books table. As soon as I saw that Joy Harjo (a favorite poet) was the author, I snatched the book off the table. The words from the inside flap wonderfully capture the essence of this book/poem: "Captivating verse accompanied by radiant paintings conjure homes, generations of family, a land of desert horses and mountain rain, and offer the promise of guidance and the gift of belonging." I need this book to add to my collection of books that promote story and generational connections. You'll want it too!

 

I love it when a poet uses the picture book format for a collection of poems. This book arrived on my holds shelf recently. DearAcorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends is a collaboration of nature poet, Joyce Sidman, and award-winning author and illustrator, Melissa Sweet who teamed up for this delectable book of letter poems about our natural world. The book concludes with a one page how-to for children, "Writing Letter Poems".

 

Have you discovered any new picture books of poems recently? 

 

 

This is my fifteenth year participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

SOL 26/31: A Faithful Writing Life

Credit for today's post goes to Sally who left a note for us at the end of her post: "If you are getting stuck for ideas, see if you have anything saved as a draft. Might just be the thing to get you to the finished line of this March 2026 challenge!"

Thanks, Sally for the inspiration to check my drafts where I found this almost completed post.

Today I'm sharing a few quotes about writing from my commonplace book, a handmade book I won from fellow slicer, Girl Griot in 2014.

"The holy is always there, like a luminous lifeline. In the end, it is a matter of opening the soul to seeing. (Fran Haley, Lit Bits & Pieces, 11-2-22)

"Writing is a daily practice, an opening of my heart to the whispers of my soul." (Carol Varsalona, Beyond Literacy Link) 

"When I see my days as a writer, life shimmers." (Ana Valentina Patton, Start With a Story, 2-10-26)

"And when I have a faithful writing life, I find the words, I find the story." (Leigh Anne Eck, A Day in the Life, 2-28-17)

I offer this post and these inspiring words with gratitude to so many of you who help me have a faithful writing life.

This is my fifteenth year participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.  

SOL 25/31: An Illustrated Haiku

A haiku with accompanying photos demonstrates how quickly spring's pageantry vanishes:

 

Blossoms herald spring

Daffodil beckons hello

Leaves whisper summer  

 

 

    

SOL 24/31: A 'Ta-Da!' List

I first heard about the 'Ta-Da!' List on the podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Episode 134. Instead of a To-Do list, a 'Ta-Da!' list looks back at a day and celebrates the things you accomplished.

My 'Ta-Da!' List for Tuesday, 3-24-2026

 

Ate breakfast 

 
Finished prepping two boxes for mailing including gift items, cards & poetry, packing material, taping exterior of packages for secure mailing, & finding correct addresses

 
 Watched grandson from 10am-12:30pm

 
Read two picture books and several chapters in a Geronimo Stilton book

 
Started mixing chocolate chip cookies with grandson

 
Paused the mixing process for an emergency run to elementary school with another grandson's lunch 

 
Prepared grandson's lunch, baked a pan of cookies, and began cleaning kitchen (which grandson said was very messy) 

 
Had a visit with a friend who moved up her 2:30 visit due to other commitments

 
Ate lunch, Went to the post office, Tried to write a blog post

 
Had a scheduled FaceTime call/birthday chat with the Three Rees

 
Delivered cookies to neighbor, Squeezed in a walk

 
Reheated leftovers for dinner, Ate, & Loaded dishwasher

 
Dashed to daughter's to get youngest grandson to bed while she & husband lead Scout groups for oldest and middle sons

 
Home, Wrote this post

   

Want to know more about the 'Ta-Da!' list? Check out this post by Brianna Schubert.

 

This is my fifteenth year participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

 

SOL 23/31: Floors and Ceilings!

Here's the quick AI explanation:

"The "floors and ceilings" approach to habit formation is

a framework used to build consistency by setting a minimum baseline ("floor") to ensure action, and a maximum limit ("ceiling") to prevent burnout. This technique addresses the main failure point in forming new habits—relying on high motivation to perform large, unsustainable actions—by focusing on small, repeatable behaviors that create momentum regardless of daily circumstances."

Here's the goal I'm currently working on:

I want to deal with the paper in my life. I have more than one box of paper that I've collected from surfaces and stashed into boxes.

The floor or baseline goal is dealing with one piece of paper from my latest box of paper. The ceiling (or maximum limit to prevent burnout) for me is spending ten minutes dealing with paper. Can you tell that I can get overwhelmed quickly?

The key to success seems to be where I place the box! I recently put the box where I see it every night when I pull the decorative pillows off the bed. So even if I've failed to deal with paper during the day, there's the box reminding me: "Just one piece of paper." Last night, I dealt with one piece of paper and seven sticky notes.

About those sticky notes - I'm trying to limit their ability to proliferate by using a wire bound journal for notes to self. When I finish dealing with a page of them, I merely rip it out of the journal.

What tips do you have for dealing with the paper in your life?

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

SOL 22/31: Springtime

Day 22 deserves another Fibonacci poem. Kudos to fellow slicer, Natalie, who reintroduced me to this poetic form which follows the Fibonacci sequence for syllables in each line. The six lines have a syllable count of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 respectively. Credit goes to Greg Pincus for creating this form. 

 

 White 

bud,

redbuds,

glad pansy.

Promise of rebirth

Witness of His resurrection. 

 

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

SOL 21/31: First Wheels

Natalie's post yesterday reminded me of the 6 line, 20 syllable Fib (Fibonacci) poem. It follows the Fibonacci sequence for syllables in each line. The six lines have a syllable count of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 respectively. Credit goes to Greg Pincus for creating this form.

I tried to leave a comment for Natalie, but it didn't show up. So I'm leaving it here: "Naps are so refreshing, glad you enjoyed one yesterday." And thanks for the nudge to write a Fibonacci poem. 

 

First 

wheels 

glide to 

school playground.

Grandpa adventures,

a treasure chest of memories. 

 

 

My how time flies! These grand boys are now six, nine, and ten years old. The six and nine year olds have a brother who is four. The ten year old has two sisters, four and almost six. 

 

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. 

SOL 20/31 & Poetry Friday:

This week's Poetry Roundup is hosted by Tanita S. Davis.

Kim Johnson is featuring a living poet each day in March for Slice of Life and using existing lines from the poet's poems to create a Cento. The Cento, from the Latin word for “patchwork,” is a poetic form composed entirely of lines from poems by other poets. You can read more about Kim's process for using this in the classroom here. 

I decided to play with lines from a favorite children's anthology, Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems edited by Georgia Heard to create today's Cento.

 

 Poetry Fields 

My friends the words

What secrets are they holding?

Moon breathes,

listen for the right rhythm.

 Light the moon at night,

then dance a poem.

Dream! 

 

Lines taken from these poems in Falling Down the Page: 

1. "Words in My Pillow' by Naomi Shihab Nye

2. "Are We There Yet?" by Heidi Roemer

3. "Message from the Moon" by Lara Anderson

4. "Things to Do If You Are a Pencil "by Elaine Magliaro

5. "Things to Do if You Are the Sun" by Bobbi Katz

 6. "Things to Do If You Are a Pencil" by Elaine Magliaro

7. "Things to Do Today" by Liz Rosenberg

 

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

 

SOL 19/31: Gathering Glimmers

Yesterday fellow blogger Trish (Jump off; Find Wings) introduced me to a new word, unshazamable.

She referenced Rob Walker's post Unshazamable on his blog The Art of Noticing, with this explanation of the word:

“Unshazamable” refers to that rare occurrence—when the databases are unable to find/name that tune, when algorithms fail, when there is nothing to which it refers. It is its own creation, something beyond. Walker concludes his post with these words: “Tapping into something enjoyable that didn’t come from a database doesn’t have to take the form of consuming a particular cultural object like a rare song; it could be an experience, a moment of presence.” 

I've often referred to these moments as glimmers. According to AI: "Glimmers are small, everyday moments that spark feelings of safety, connection, and joy, acting as the opposite of triggers." Yesterday I had a glimmer or an unshazamable on my way to book club. 

I leave a bit early so I can help if daughter has any last minute chores to be done before book club. We live near a road where everyone drives the speed limit, 40 mph. I notice a gathering of deer on my right side, near the road, as if they are waiting for a break in the traffic. After a quick glance in my rear view mirror to ascertain that no one is behind me, I stop for the deer. Unfortunately, traffic on the other side of the road does not stop. I continue waiting and finally there is a break in the traffic. I count: one - two - three - four - five - six - deer as they cross the road. A remaining timid duo stands fearfully at the edge of the road. Traffic on the other side of the road picks up again as I wait for this mama and her little one. Finally, seven and eight are safely across the road just as I spy an oncoming car in my rear view mirror. I savor this "deer crossing" as I pick up speed and know that I have tomorrow's slice!

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

 

SOL 18/31: Picking New Books with My Oldest Book Club

 

 

• 
  
• Today's post is handwritten (see image above) so I could play with my new Sharpies and typed for efficiency.
• I belong to several book clubs, but this is my 28th year with this particular book club, MI Bookwomen. 
• After years of voting on books, we returned to an older format that allows the host to choose the book. 
• I picked The Correspondent, but so did someone else, so I went to my second choice, This Tender Land. 
• Our book club is trying out a completely Zoom format this year because so many of us have moved away. Previously, we used a hybrid in-person/Zoom format.
• True confession: This book club did not choose Isola, but I'm reading it for another book club and loving it so much that I fudged and put it on this list. James IS our April book club pick and I haven't read it yet. So many have loved this book!  
• Share a favorite book that you read recently or long ago in your comment.    

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

SOL 17/31: A limerick is not a quick write . . .

 

There once was a grandson named Jack

Of good books he never did lack 

We went to Walmart

He pushed round a cart

'Til wind sent us scurrying back.

 

If you read my Fortunately, Unfortunately post yesterday, then you know that grandson Jack was the hero of the hour who notified our visiting guests that high winds were ten minutes away! 

In the evening, this Grandma asked if it was okay if I indulged him with a quick library run, even though we had gone that morning. He had a hold he NEEDED badly. It was only after arriving home that I learned it was volume 10 (he has Volumes 7.5 and 8 checked out, but is still waiting on volume 9). I'm always game for a library trip, even if it's the second one in a day! 

Jack's current book obsession!

Jack ends the day with Dad's dark chocolate cream pie!