Blossoms

Distant travels far from home

longer away than imagined ~

each home blossomed

then curled and dried in 

the heat of longing 

for home and family.

“Home’s where you go when you run out of homes.”

~ John le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy

Meal Prep

Spaces of time hover idly,

revved by untended energy.

Creative kitchen longings are

granted opportunity to slip into place 

for shopping and chopping

blanching and freezing 

delicious packaged goodness.

Colourful and flavourful ~ accompaniments for many a meal.

“If the divine creator has taken pains to give us 

delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is 

prepare them well and serve them with ceremony.”

~ Fernand Point, French chef and restaurateur (1890-1955)

Longings

Longings

“Da-a-ad! Quit tickling me! I’m trying to get my boots on and I don’t feel like laughing right now. I’m going to be late getting to the skating rink. Ben is going to be there and if I’m all red in the face from racing to get there, I’ll blame it all on you.”

Chelsea just wasn’t a little girl anymore. She had grown up. Her dad, Johnson, was sad and happy all at the same time. He had loved every bit of Christmas since Chelsea had been born. That sweet, pink little wrinkled baby. He had been terrified of being a dad, but now? Chelsea had wrapped his big 'workerman' finger in her tiny soft fist and it was game over. Christmas had been fun, and magic and even spiritual sometimes - although he would forever deny that last part. His own childhood Christmas’s had been lonely and bleak. In his memory, it seemed like his own dad had no concept of kindness and giving. He often wondered what his dad’s home had been like. It was never talked about. Johnson’s mother warned him to keep quiet about any of his dad’s family. But Chelsea. She brought such joy into their lives. Joy that Johnson had never felt. Sometimes was even a little uncomfortable when Christmas felt so good. Johnson and his wife, Celeste had, each year, created a magical Christmas time. Not just for Chelsea, but because of Chelsea. Christmas had become, not just for the child in their life, but for themselves. Celeste called it their ‘shining bubble’.

“Okay, I’ll stop. You’re right, honey. You are grown up now - well kind of grown up - and you have other more important things to learn about life. I guess I just miss all the fun we’ve had every year. Is there anything you miss?”

“Well, I’m in a hurry but one thing I miss is driving around with you and mom looking at Christmas lights and singing carols. Can we do that tonight? Gotta go now, dad. Love you, love you. ‘Bye’.”

“Chelsea, you’re forgetting your skates!”

“OMG!  Thanks dad!  Love you!”

The cold blast of air from the back door being flung open, and the sudden warmth again as it slammed felt good. It felt like home with a little bit of teenage Christmas.

“We all have an old knot in the heart that we wish to untie.”

~ Michael Ondaatje,  The Cat’s

Author's note: Edited February 25, 2024

Christmas Wrapping ~ 1

No perception of stress or strain today!
Christmas music……
Reading and writing……
A day for wrapping, ribbons and bows.
Not many things
Enough to satisfy my Christmas longing
Preparing for weekend family time in Vancouver!

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of 

a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”

~ Burton Hillis

I Long to Get out In the Garden

I long to get out in the garden

to plant a row of beans,

plan where hills of potatoes should go

in front of a trellis of peas?

I long to get out in the garden,

with a fork, a spade and a rake

Toss out the weeds, put in the seeds

in rows that my hoe will make.

I long to get out in the garden

with sun shining hot on my face

or a thunder roll from billowed clouds

bringing rain and lightning through space.

I long to get out in the garden,

my hands in rich black soil.

At the end of the day in the garden,

I’m satisfied with all of my toil.

“Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing 

in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally 

taking time to soak up a little peace and serenity.”

~ Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com

Rainy days bring opportunity

Strolling the meadow cancelled today ~ at least for me.

A cool and cloudy rainy day

slowed my interest in daisies and goslings.

My longing for outside air on my skin satisfied when a lull in the rain pulled me out of doors 

to dig in mud, gray and thick with clay, bound in balls around invading grass roots.

A perfect vent for pent up energy.

An afternoon full of kids and balloons with

pizza and ice cream at 

3 year old Madylin’s birthday party.

All ages of family, visiting and sharing stories.

Birthday gifts unwrapped and shown around.

Cups of tea after the party

at a local coffee house shared with

Larry, Dana, and Suze

Home to a ‘Meow Chorus’, kitties and dog fed.

Popcorn and a movie brought this cool, rainy day to a close.

A ballooning of moments to enjoy despite the wet weather.

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive;

but it is the lightening that does the work.”

- Mark Twain