CELEBRATE this week!

Join us each Saturday for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

Winding up my week in Oklahoma with lots of pictures -

1.  Time with family 

We celebrated Leah's 3rd birthday, and I met my newest great-nephew, Asher.

2.  More time with friends and family

Best friends since 7th grade - Jan, Susan, and me

Abby (a friend's daughter from WA attending Tulsa University)
and her roommate joined our group for dinner.
My brother didn't mind at all that he was the only guy in our group of seven.
After all he's an only brother with three sisters.  

The next morning Susan met us at the care center

for a quick visit with Patsy (Udder Mudder).

Then I made Jan stop so I could take
these pics of fall color at the airport exit.  

Here's her sublime pose . . . 

and her ridiculous pose. 
So glad she hasn't changed a bit in the almost 50 years that I've known her!

3.  Home and more gorgeous leaves 
I  loved every moment of my Oklahoma trip,
 but nothing beats coming home, 
especially to fall splendor like this.  

Inspired by my friend and fellow blogger, Betsy

When I hopped on the bus, I grabbed my phone to catch up on some blog posts.  After reading just one post, Betsy's at Two Writing Teachers, I pulled out my writer's notebook instead.  And this morning I'm setting the timer for 30 minutes.  

Surprised by an offer of senior space, I take a seat

I follow moving white lights whizzing by homeward bound

I follow moving red lights bound for the city

I follow white lights, almost stationary, threading their way home.

I look around me, people sit silenced by devices in hand,

Plugged in, but not connecting.

I'm surprised by the quiet and 

the total darkness at so early an hour 

Lights twinkle at the edge of the water

Beckoning me toward evening pleasure.

The tunnel curves into the bowels of the city

The rounded face of a station beckons,

We pause at a red light

A long red light

Accompanied by the quiet rumble of radio engineers.

Finally we edge toward the face of our first stop

No one disembarks, we add one passenger

The vacuum door closes with a whoosh

We wait and watch the red lights ahead

They disappear and finally we ease forward. 

Only to stop and wait again at another red light

We move forward to 

Another stop, six get off, a few get on

We stop and wait again,

An occasional female voice breaks the silence to 

Announce the next station

As we ease forward, pulled by the light.

This draft was completed in 22 minutes.  Thanks, Betsy, for inviting me to write a poem. Your voice  was so powerful that I had no choice but to respond.  And thanks for our slow progress which provided time to reflect and write.

Keri Collins Lewis at Keri Recommends is hosting Poetry Friday today.  Thanks for hosting, Keri, during this difficult time for you.  Be sure to stop by for today's taste of poetry love.

A Slow Oklahoma Morning

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by

  Two Writing Teachers.

I'm sitting at my BFF's kitchen table.  She's not up yet, but it won't be long.  Topher, her college-age son, is cooking breakfast.  We're listening to Michael Hedges ("old" new age folk), and Rusty (her German Shephard/Lab) is sitting at my feet.  He made a quick foray outside, but his pleading eyes appeared soon at the sliding door.  The arctic blast arrived as predicted with a 30 degree drop in temperature.  It's really not that arctic, but they've had practically no cool weather this fall, so 45 degrees is a big change for them.   No more time to slice because she just got up.  We have a slow, cozy morning planned, a visit to "udder mudder" (her mom),  and a late afternoon flight for me.

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...

Join us each Saturday for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

So many moments to savor this week:

A cherished week long trip to Oklahoma

 Getting lost in my book on the flight

Shopping at Dillards and a road trip with my BFF to McAlester

Road tripping with Karl to Ardmore with a full moon to savor all the way home

Visiting my niece Kara's 4th grade classroom and dinner at a Mexican restaurant

Sharing meals with family and friends

Bucky and Elaine, good friends since elementary school

Dortha, good friend for 50+ years

My brother Karl and his wife Kathy

Cutest couple ever!

Blue skies and sunshine
Home!

Two 4th grade classrooms separated by 50 years!

 "Poetry is a rhythmical piece of writing that leaves
 the reader feeling that life is a little richer than before,
a little more full of wonder, beauty, or just plain delight."
-Aileen Fisher

Stop by Diane's blog at Random Noodling for this week's taste of Poetry Love. 

 We said goodbye to Percy this week and shipped the Poetry Box to its next stop in Utah.  

I'm visiting my brother in Oklahoma, and yesterday he drove me 2 1/2 hours so I could visit my niece Kara's 4th grade classroom.  My stack of books for the classroom visit included the book I was currently reading, my writer's notebook, and a picture book to share with the students.
  
When I shared some of the poems from my writer's notebook with them, Kara's students clamored to share a poem with me.  I was delighted with their recitation of "Fall" by Aileen Fisher.  The repeated phrase "the last of October" in Fisher's poem was a perfect segue into the picture book that I brought to share, In November by Cynthia Rylant, a book rich in poetic language.  

My time in Kara's classroom reminded me of my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Lewallen, who taught for 40 years and required us to memorize many poems.  I know that my life was made richer during the year I spent with her.   I wish I could share with her the joy that poetry continues to bring into my life.  She would love Poetry Friday!

Percy (passionate promoter of poetry) pens a farewell post!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by

  Two Writing Teachers.

Hi, I'm Percy, the poetry loving penguin.
I couldn't resist this opportunity to pen one more post about

my adventures in Washington because today I fly to Utah!

Tuesday I visited Ms. Moore's and Ms. Gaffney's classrooms.  Every student shared a poem they finished for the Poetry Box.  Wow!  I loved listening to their contributions to the growing collection of poems traveling around the country.

Thursday I discovered this Carl Sandburg quote about poetry:  "Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air."  I was perusing the pages of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (hey, I met her last month)!  This book has many poems by poets who contributed to The Poetry Box.

Monday everything was a flurry of activity as Mrs. B. sorted poems by author, located air pillows to cushion me for this adventure, and readied the box for today's travels.  

But Saturday was the high point of the week!  I spent the afternoon at Island Books with poets and poetry lovers.  Mrs. B. kept reminding me that it was the day after Halloween so there might not be a huge turnout for my farewell party.  (She keeps reminding me that it was the Poetry Box's party, not my party.)  But remember, I did have a cameo appearance on the flyer!

Three student poets and their families arrived to share poems.  Two of Mrs. B's teacher friends who love poetry stopped by.  I was introduced to Nancy and Lori, children's booksellers and passionate advocates for poetry at Island Books. I met Vikram Madan, local poet and illustrator of The Bubble Collector.  I giggled at his poem "Ogre's Meal (a.k.a. The Toad Not Taken)."

The best moment of the afternoon?  Listening spellbound to Vikram's sonorous words as every person in the bookstore paused to listen to "Curses:  A Villain-elle," perfect for the day after Halloween. 

The icing on the cake for me?  Discovering Vikram's playful business card that features a penguin and a little person savoring a cup of hot chocolate.

And so my friends, adieu.  Hopefully you'll hear more of my

adventures with the Poetry Box in the coming weeks and months.  

 ~ Percy, passionate promoter of poetry

Bags, Lost Bins, Deer, Percy, and 300 Posts!

Join us each Saturday for Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres.  

 When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

1.  I broke in my "after-retirement substituting bag" that I bought ten months ago for less than $15.   My first subbing stint was for Patty in our front office.  

It was fun to spend my first Halloween after retirement 

enjoying the costumes and the fun with no teaching duties attached.

2.  I thought I had returned all the poetry books to the library,

and then I discovered another bin in Janet's room.  

I've said it before, but people who don't lose things cut down on the celebrating 

that occurs when something is found (even if you didn't know it was lost).

3.  My good friend and I stopped on a walk to investigate a lot for sale that is perched on a ravine.  

When we walked to the edge, we discovered this deer who soon joined two others 

munching on the tasty leaves brought down during our recent windstorm.

4.  Percy poses with the Poetry Box and flyer for today's party.  

He's perfectly elated with his cameo picture on the flyer, excited for today's party,

and can't wait to spend several days perusing poems before his arrival in Utah.

5.  Shout outs to Two Writing Teachers, Celebrate this Week, Poetry Friday, 

and my blogger friends who nurture my writing life.

Today marks my 300th post!