Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

There have been162 separate recalls made in 2026 alone (so far) for food and associated items. Add to that the upending of the vax schedule, the cuts made to necessary support systems like school lunches and medical care, and we are at a really scary tipping point in the country-- all while the roadways in DC are being prepped for a street race with cars topping 200 mph. All for...what? What the hell are we celebrating?  I'm worried for the health and safety of not only my own family and myself, but of my students. Many of the kids in my district come from lower income families, those who can't just "grow their own food" as has been callously quipped about the food recalls. Health care costs have gone so far out of reach for so many people it's astounding. People can't take a day off to stay home with sick kids, too-- so we are likely going to have a germ incubator filled with hungry, insecure, sick kids. Can't wait.  As it is, I bring snacks for my studen...

Thursday, a little damp, a little cooler... good day to get things done. Well, sort of. I got the laundry done last night, and (drumroll) I got the first month penciled into the plan book. Might as well. It's about time.  If I can get all the piddly stuff figured out, then I can just focus on setting up my classroom on Monday when we have time to do it. I don't imagine I'll get everything done, but making it an organized space is good enough. I do not envy elementary teachers. They have to jazz up their rooms to make them all sorts of bright and colorful. And it seems that they end up having to move rooms fairly often, so all their stuff is packed up in totes and they have to start from scratch. Ugh. My posters stay up. I have a handful of books coming in, but not a lot (who has a budget?), and I need to reconnect the SMART board and put up a bulletin board. Nothing all that taxing. Speaking of taxing, I sincerely hope that the lady at HR Block is in today, so I can (finall...

I really need to get myself back into school schedule. I stayed up far too late watching a series on Netflix called Best Medicine . It's really cute, sort of has Northern Exposure vibes. But getting up in the morning is awfully hard when you've stayed up watching TV. Every night I say I'm going to start going to bed earlier, but yeah... the allure of TV with no real consequences is there. But honestly, I have to get my body-schedule back on track. Y'know, when to pee, when to eat-- it's amazing how teachers have to hold it, wait for it, deny the urge to do...human bio things. And sleep. I know I need to go to bed a lot earlier, so 5:30 is not a horrid surprise.  Well, it's always a horrid surprise, but less horrid?  My schedule this year is blocks 2 and 3, so I don't technically have to be to work until 8:30 (blessings), and I leave at lunch (12:35). If the grant money comes in, I'll stay for lunch for writing lab time. MUCH better than block 1--  morni...

Tuesday: warm, humid, no bears.  Holly and I baked all day yesterday, and it was a load of fun. And we have plenty of zucchini muffins, a banana bread, and two loaves of sourdough bread. I froze a lot of it, to be honest. I should be making/freezing a lot more stuff, too. Once school gets into full swing, I have limited time to do much.  I am sitting here looking at the bright orange folder that holds the poems in some sort of order that should eventually become a manuscript. Enough time has lapsed so that I should be able to read through it carefully now. I suspect there will be more rearranging, there will be more revising and editing, and it'll probably sit for a week or two again. I might work on it tomorrow. Maybe even today. Who knows? My muse is on strike.  And I have a nail appointment set for 10 am. And I have to check back with the tax lady to find out if the amended forms are done. And I got a late notice from the electric/water company-- the check I mailed wee...

Raining, but warm. I'll take it. I need a day to lounge, to bake, and just hang out. And in a few minutes, Holly will be here, and I hope she wants a lazy day.  The day started at 5:30 when I opened the  blinds upstairs, looked out, and saw a HUGE bear. I mean, we know its been here for months, raiding trash and generally being a nuisance. But my goodness, I had not seen it live, and there it was. He (and we believe it's a he) is a wide-body bruin, to be sure. If G had the deck door curtain open, he would have had a front row seat while eating breakfast. We don't have trash out, and the feeders are pulled in at night (and will not be put out today). Meg's trash got hit last night and again this morning though. What a mess. Stupid bear. And before the lecture begins, there is absolutely nowhere else for her to put the trash -- no shed, no garage, no door on the breezeway (not that any of those things stop a determined and hungry bear). Ammonia and ratchet straps have bee...

Sunday, cool temps this morning, but it promises to be lovely later. I sure hope so.  Yesterday, after I completely wasted well over an hour and lost my mind, I gave up on the tax forms and called the professionals. I got an appointment immediately, and the nice lady at HR Block is fixing my errors --and yes, they are mine-- and we will refile the documents. What an ordeal. It used to be pretty easy to fill in the 1040 and move on with your day, but not so much now. I will never do them myself again. I teach English , as I tell people, for a reason . The worst part is, the directions to fill out the form didn't agree with the form, and that gets me irate. So, I gave up on that. Sometimes you just have to. The rest of the day was really good. Groceries went well, and I made a pretty dinner of a purchased shrimp ring, french rolls, and a caprese salad that was photo-worthy. Our tomatoes are coming in well, and it featured the bright yellow and deep red, coupled with locally-produced ...

I got up this morning a little groggy, but determined to confront the form that the IRS says I didn't fill out (which is true) that shows the math leading to the number that reflects something about HSA stuff. UGH. I am not at all comfortable with this. I paid for the use of the HR Block fill-and-print thingy, but I didn't spring for the Premium version-- and thus, I have this paperwork to do. And somehow they lost (!?) the copies of our W2 forms. What the actual hell.  Instead, I ended up revising two new poems, one of which is the anchor poem for the manuscript I'm working on. Words, even when they are being resistant, are a hell of a lot more understandable than government forms.  So yeah, that's how I'm starting my Saturday. Today is our 39th anniversary, too. My goal, other than surviving this stupid paperwork, is to head to the grocery store. Yes, there are a few other chores, but those are flexible enough that if I don't do them, there's always tomorr...

Brr. It is 49 degrees, and of course, this is the "Fun Friday" at the pool to celebrate the end of swimming lessons. I'm pretty sure that "I must find out for myself" Holly will want to go, so we'll go. I just think she might be a little cold. So be it. I'll bring her sweatshirt.  Other than that, it's a typical day. I, for one, would much rather it warmed up-- I still have not spent a lot of time on the deck. I need to. I'm feeling almost panicky about the start of school --too soon, too soon-- and I don't feel at all excited about anything much. I'm just dog-assed tired.  I'm going into Year 40.  Can you believe this? Forty years of getting ramped up to try to lead recalcitrant teenagers to the promised land of written and spoken literacy. And all they want to do is scroll Tik Tok, watch reels, and eat snacks. Boy, did I take a left turn at Albuquerque.  Well, I'm not bad at my job. I can do the work. I just hate the resistance ...

Thursday, and it's a cool and damp start to the day. It rained again last night, just enough. I should putter about in the garden boxes later on. So many "I shoulds" are starting to crowd my brain, but right now, I have not even had breakfast yet (it's 8:20!) and I honestly have no zip as of yet. No matter. Soon enough, I'll be on the go-go-go. But maybe not today.  I have minimal chores to accomplish, and only one errand to do. I don't mind. In fact, the only possibly pressing thing I have on my internal agenda is to buy more peaches. The good ones are in the market now! And I've been enjoying them so much-- I love good peaches. The hard, tasteless, rubbery ones are such a disappointment. To have just-right, super sweet, big ol' peaches is a temporary delight, and I don't mind gorging on them.  And our tomatoes are starting to really come in-- I want to avoid having to chop/freeze too many, so we are having tomatoes with many meals. Again, I don...

Wednesday.  Did you see that the proposed 25% tariffs on imported metals will include brass instruments? An already expensive trumpet (say, $500) will cost $125 more. Yeah, way to get kids interested in marching band. And the reason? National Security. A reliance on imported copper and aluminum, etc. is going t undercut our safety. Okay, maybe, sort of. But gee whiz.  The hits keep coming, eh? If you have an old model in the closet, you might be able to get a good price on that ol' tuba, French horn, or trombone.  I spent years in marching band with my wooden clarinet. Yes, everyone else's were made of molded material, but my paternal grandfather had gifted me with a wooden Prueffer clarinet. It was hard to march with (heavy), and hard to keep on pitch, but I managed. I still have it. I do not still play it. I sincerely doubt anyone ever will. I should sell it.  I didn't really like marching band. Honestly, I didn't really like band all that much. That was a mother-l...

Medical decisions by untrained, uninformed fiat.  This whole situation about the vax schedule for kids, for the availability of medical care being decided by AI bots, for the cutting and gutting of funds for everything from research to school nurses and everything in between-- what is the end goal, really? I do not for one minute buy the idea it's about personal choice. Or parental rights. Or about unnecessary costs. People, from birth to old age, are going to-- are already--dying, due to the grossly incompetent mismanagement of health care in what should be one of the more advanced nations in the world. How is a dead and dying population any benefit? Parental productivity will plummet (hey, that alliteration works), and thus the workforce is impacted precariously (sorry, couldn't help myself). But in all seriousness, a proposed 22 visits in just the first year of a child's life? Copays for each visit? Time off work? And the actual needle fear that will be the obvious side ...

Yesterday was a good day. Church was good, we ended up having breakfast at Starbucks (so many tourists in our usual spots), and G helped me out with two cleaning projects that I needed a bit of assistance with. The day was hot and sunny, and neither of us had outdoor chores to battle through. The reading at Iron Furnace went really well, and dinner there was simple and good.  Sorry the Sox lost. Sigh. Maybe they'll kick it back into gear this next series. It's August, it's hot, and everyone --ballplayers and Memeres alike-- are tired.  Today, we do not have swim lessons. Holly completed the whole summer and she learned a lot; the "test" is Wednesday, and the final "fun day" is Friday. But today, we have a day to just hang out. That may or may not be as easy as it seems, but I have a couple of fun things in mind. I've promised a picnic at the park and she can play on the swings, slides, and so on. And we have a birthday cake to bake. Meg is coming hom...

Sunday morning, warm, damp from the gully-washer and on and off rain last night. The garden is happy. I'm happy that the pool cover didn't get swamped in.  I made a simple enough supper last night: shrimp cocktail ring and a sort of bruschetta. I can't have a lot of garlic right now (tummy hates me sometimes), so I got nice Tuscan white bread, then slathered it in butter, sprinkled a little garlic powder on it, then topped it with diced tomatoes (our own!) and diced zukes that I'd marinated in a little olive oil, oregano, and basil. This I covered with shredded cheddar and parmesan, and popped it all in the oven for about 15 minutes. YUM. Next time, I think I'd head out to the herb garden and get fresh basil and oregano, but it was a little wet out there when I thought this whole thing up.  Anyhow, it was good. And tummy-friendly.  Today, church, breakfast, then clean the downstairs shower. woot.   Then, off to Iron Furnace to hear my good friend Meg Kearney rea...

Today, I have a few quick chores and groceries to attend to, and then I hope to be reading/sorting/arranging poems in the not-even-really-close-to-being-a-manuscript. I have two weeks left of flexible time. My house is still in need of a really thorough deep-cleaning, but that is hard to do when the only day there's no one else in here is Saturday. And that means packing one day a week with days/weeks/months-worth of chores and projects. Ain't happening. It can't. I wish I could justify paying someone to come help me get things under control, but the going rate is pretty steep (most charge 50/hr., with a minimum of two hours). Not that they wouldn't earn it, but I just can't see spending almost a week's worth of groceries on house cleaning. Sigh. So either I figure out how to get it done, or it's not getting done.  But not today. It's going to have to be enough that mostly the house is pretty okay. And there's just some things that will never be more...

Thirty-four years ago, at 3:17 am, Meghan Kathleen appeared on the scene-- almost 6 weeks early, and ready to roll. She's been a delight, an interesting companion, and one of the very best humans I know. And it's truly a wonder and a blessing that she's our daughter.  She's working through until Monday evening, so we can't have her traditional meatballs and spaghetti dinner this year, but my thoughts and best wishes are with her. Well, they always are. I'll see if she wants to do dinner on Tuesday.  Holly and I will go to swimming lessons, then home for lunch. After lunch, we will spend some time working on a gift for Meg. Maybe pool time after that, weather depending. I hope it's a good day. Holly misses her mom, especially when she's working a 6 day stretch without being able to come home. Working on the project will be something to keep her happy and engaged and not "spicy"-- she had a rough day yesterday, and we need a good reset.  I'm ...

Yesterday was pretty good, too. Sunny, not too sticky, and Holly did well at swimming lessons. We also spent 90 minutes in the pool in the afternoon. And picked tomatoes and green beans! Today will be some errands, some baking, and probably more pool time. Why not squeeze as much summer out of each day as we can?  Tomorrow is Meg's birthday, and she's working away until Monday. Holly and I have plans to make something for her as a gift. That'll be tomorrow's plan. And I will push grocery-getting to Saturday (time to get back on track), and I will work on my manuscript as much as possible.  Ah, the manuscript. I got a small inkling of what might be a much better organizational principle for the book, and I sorted out poems that didn't fit that narrative yesterday. I'm itching to get back to it again, but Holly has limited patience for me doing solo, quiet work. What is the controlling idea? Hint: I ordered an hourglass. Not only will it tie in with the arc of the...

Yesterday turned out quite lovely. I got chores and calls done early, and Meg, Holly, and I spent a really nice day mostly outside on the deck. Holly was in the pool for three hours (with a few snack breaks, of course). And then Meg and I went to see Rent at Weathervane in Whitefield-- what a show. It was fast, complicated, and truly a tour de force. A lot to think about, a lot to unpack.  We've both seen the show before, so it was an interesting conversation afterward on the way home to talk about what thread of the narrative that the director chose to highlight. The show debuted in 1993, and since then, some of the issues that are present in the play have waxed and waned a bit in the public eye. My take-away from this production was a focus on the marginalization of those who are homeless, and a bit of how true art is being forced to the side by "cyber creations." Of course, the omnipresent problems of drug use, AIDS/HIV, and the persecution of those in the queer commu...

 ..."and summer's lease hath all too short a date." --Sonnet 18, Shakespeare I have not accomplished much of my personal wish list this summer. I'll admit it, I've spent more time online than I ought to have, which is not only a bad use of time, but bad in general for my mental health. I've been on childcare duty since school let out, and to be honest, I get tired. Very tired. And the "free time" I've had has been spent catching up on house chores and errands, for the most part.  That all said, I have read a little. Written very little. Not nearly what I had hoped, but some. And I did start shifting poems around for a manuscript. It's nowhere near where I wanted it to be, but it's in process. But I have not even killed the weeds in the flagstones. I have not done much in the way of weeding at all. I'm just watching every day slip through my fingers, and the regrets are starting to hum in the back of my head.  Too late, too late, they...

Monday, and it's raining. Quite warm, too, and soggy. I'm not sure what today holds; we are supposed to go to swim lessons, but I wonder if maybe Holly would rather just lounge around and then do a fun art project. I hope so, honestly. We'll see. I don't have a huge to-do list, which is good, since I busted out a whole lot of stuff on Saturday. Yesterday was busy, too, so a day to kind of cruise would be super. I spent about 7 hours on Saturday building my Google Classrooms for the fall semester. They are not fully done, but what is left to do is minor. I won't add due dates until I get my plan book going. Supplemental materials will be added along the way. But the semester, for both classes, is laid out, topic by topic, week by week. Yes, I'll have to fill in some details about the assignments in some cases, but that's all in the syllabi. Honestly, I could just have them look at that, but you know kids. Sigh. If they aren't told, have it written on the ...

I find it interesting that the gospel reading this weekend is about the breaking of the loaves and fishes to feed the multitudes (Mt 14:13-21). The OT reading from Isaiah (55: 1-3), too, mentions bread: "You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat" and "Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?" It is also the old Celtic-Christian feast of Lammas, which is also centered on bread. The word lammas comes from OE, translated as "loaf-mass" and the feast day is usually celebrated on or about August 1st. The loaf referenced directly connects to the Eucharist, and the festival is intended to bless the First Fruits, the early harvest, and a loaf of bread signifies all the blessings we receive through hard work and faith. In some communities, a loaf of bread is brought to the church to be blessed.  Bread is central to human existence; every culture has some form of bread. The basic elements of water, wheat, salt, and ...