My Poetry

"Spring's Snow"

I know many people don't like

The snow that falls in spring

Or the cold reminder of winter

That it's light, soft flakes do bring.

But snow on flowers speaks to me

I see their colors crisp and clear.

The snow adds to the canvas a gentle touch

Even though spring is already here.

It reminds me how strong life can be

Peeking from under the coverlet light.

Assuredly Spring will send her warmth

To peel back the blanket of white.

It lasts but moments, and then its gone

To the earth the snow does flow.

And the flowers get a precious drink

That's provided by Spring's sweet snow.

Crickett

Tea Cup, Coffee Cup, or Mug?

I broke a mug the other day. I was putting dishes away and a coffee cup tumbled out the cabinet (or cupboard - depending on where you're from and who you are) and hit the mug square on. The mug shattered. The coffee cup sustained only a minor chip. I threw it away (along with the mug) anyway simply because I have a dozen of them and I wasn't sure if the chip was part of a hairline fracture or just a chip. It made me think. . . . . .

People are like those drinking vessels.

Some are Tea Cups. Lovely, but fragile. Just the slightest bump and they might break. Being delicate is their nature. They are made of different "stuff". We handle them differently. More gentle-like. We are careful not to expose them to too much of the everyday roughness. We even enjoy them in a different way - more delicately - with softer hands, quieter spirits. They almost demand it, with their delicate mannerisms. And we oblige - why? Because they are so fragile that we can actually see it and we wouldn't dream of injuring them in any way.

Some are Coffee Cups. They too are lovely, especially a favorite, but more substantial in their "make-up". They may appear fragile at times, but their very nature allows them to be handled with a firmer grasp and we instinctively know that. They don't "chip" as easily and we aren't always on our guard as to how to handle them, because they appear stronger. It makes us feel stronger and little more secure in holding them. They are fine with everyday "wear and tear". They can hold their own. They are our "everyday cups"!

Then we have the Mugs. The very name conjures up images of strength and stability, of being indestructible. They are well built, for the most part. Not fancy. Practical and purposeful. We carry them like a trophy. A mug is a personal thing. It has to fit your “personality” before you claim it as your own. It can reflect your character, your strengths, your self image, and even your (in)securities, if you look hard enough. We aren't afraid to yield and wield our mugs. We expect them to take the bumps and hurdles we throw at them. We are attracted to them for that very reason. They offer security and substance and they are strong and comforting. They will take a tumble and keep it “together".

But, in knowing all this about these vessels, I realized that even the most fragile can muster up strength and become as strong as or stronger than the most invincible. Who would have thought that a coffee cup would have persevered against the strong, unbendable mug? Who would have thought the mug would have given way to a coffee cup that is half its size?

I know people like those "cups". Some very fragile, some "everyday", and some very "strong". Surprisingly, I've seen the Tea Cup rise up to meet the challenge of everyday battles, and even the unexpected wars of life. I've also seen the Coffee Cup hold firm, become fragile, and bounce back with Mug determination. And the Mugs in my life - I've watched them weather storms you only read about. I've seen them stand back and take a lighter view of life and sip from the Coffee Cup. And I've seen them become Tea Cups for a short period, only because they needed to become delicate enough not to be "man handled" by life - so they could re-group, if you will and then slowly claim their rightful status as "Mug" once again.

I'm supposing I'm a Mug. But, I have graced the cupboards of the Tea Cups and Coffee Cups. After all, life isn't meant to be drunk on the fly and with brute force all the time. I need the "delicate" balance of "everyday" life so I can be "strong".

A fine balance, I know. It is difficult to say the least. But. . . a balance worth the effort and work. Perhaps one day I will master the technique. Perhaps.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Well, I see you've reached the big "three-0"
So Happy Birthday to the "Bro"!
Are cake and ice cream on the slate,
Or are you going to have to wait?

I don't know how it came to be
'Cause yesterday, weren't you just three?
With those huge, warm brown eyes
Staring out, full of surprise.

Your thirst for knowledge was seen back then
When we thought your questions would never end!
You would talk of things, sometimes unknown,
And it hasn't changed as you've grown!

I love you Matt, you touch my heart.
It's been that way from the start.
I pray God uses your sharp mind,
'Cause you're surely one of a kind!

Happy Birthday
Much Love,
Aunt Crickett

My Poetry

"Two Big Planes"

Two big planes
Up in the sky
Making circles,
I know not why.

May be happy
May be confused
But it sure did
Keep me amused

Two big planes
Up in the sky
Making circles,
I know not why.

Could be lost
Could be playin',
Using gas,
I'm just sayin'.

Two big planes
Up in the sky
Making circles,
I know not why.

I don't care
If they circle 'round
Just as long as
I'm on the ground!

Crickett

Per Special Request!

I don't do this often. Actually, I've never done it before. Take special requests, that is. I just think Baby Girl's mama is going thru withdrawal! So here she is Kellifer - your cutie pie!

I just got her blanket and Baby out of the dryer! I didn't realize how happy that would make her! It was warm, and soft and comfy! Just love that smile and those teeth! !

Ahhh. . . . the joys of being able to pull yourself up anywhere! I walked in on her just the other day, only to find her with Ben's woodworking magazines. Harsh realization - can't leave her alone for a second! ! ! I really thought I had more time, really I did!

"Look Mom-mom! I can read!"

Will that do it for now, Kelly? I'm on a tight schedule here, ya know??? tee-hee

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Sarah! ! !

Happy Birthday Sarah!
It's hard to believe (and comprehend) that you are FIFTEEN years old today! Just yesterday your mom and I sat in the hospital with you - no bigger than a minute! I love you, Little Lady. Very much. (Um - I snagged the pic from your FB album! :) :)

Sarasponda, Sarasponda, Sarasponda, ret, set, set.

Brick of Brownie, Please. . . .

Usually I don't mind sharing my failures if they can help someone else. But in this case, I really don't know what went awry, so no help here! And just for the record, know that "no good deed goes unpunished". I am beginning to believe this! Period.


Yesterday I decided to make box brownies for the girl's after school snack and for us to have after dinner last night. I've made these a gazillion times. Sometimes I "doctor" them up with chocolate chips, M&M's, heath pieces, etc. Sometimes I make them cake-like - which my family despises. But that's ok - I gratefully, dutifully take care of that problem. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of baking powder to the "fudge-like" recipe to add a little "body" to the brownie. (Kinda like cheating to get almost cake-like.)


Well, yesterday something went askew. Terribly askew. I bake my brownies on the convection setting on my oven. It's quicker and produces a prettier brownie. But my oven sounded funny - like the fan was hitting something. I looked at my brownies. They had "creeped" up the side and then fallen aimlessly back into the pan. When I checked them they were like thick soup. I quickly changed to oven over to conventional heat and finished baking. This might have played into the horrible outcome, this and the fact that I had sprinkled chocolate chips on top - but - I don't think so. At any rate, I took them out at the end of the bake time because they really, really looked BAD. I sat them on the rack to cool and checked them once more. They couldn't be cut because they were goopy on top and crisp on the bottom. This is where I discovered they were "seizing (I like this word) up" ! And they were seizing up fast!! And, I couldn't leave them to cool, either - because - you guessed it - they were "seizing up"! *Light bulb*! ! I would scoop them out, and serve them with ice cream. They would be hot enough to melt the ice cream and I figured the liquid would soften them up. Wrong, wrong, wrong.


You know it's bad when the men folk set their uneaten portions on the counter. Really, really bad. It was like eating something akin to peanut brittle, only chocolate. When Kelly came to get the girls, of course they filled her in on the outcome of their snack. Kelly picked at it and laughed at me. I told her I was going to dump them, it, later, so some unsuspecting, trespassing animal could have the pleasure of eating it,them. She politely told me my dish would break before I got said disaster out of it. "Sure", says I. Well. She was almost right. My dish didn't break, but it would have if we had kept at it, I'm almost certain of that. Bob brought it back in and said it just wasn't working. Those brownies were rock solid stuck! (did she jinx me?). Can it get any worse? Yea, it can.


I sat the pan in the sink and filled it with hot soapy water. Surely this would do the trick! Ben walks up beside me and asks me what I was doing. I told him about the difficulty we were having removing the brick from pan and I was going to "soak" it out. Adding insult to injury, he politely (notice how polite my kids are when I'm in a quandary!) told me that I would need something stronger than water. A solvent, like gasoline or turpentine to break it down! Gee, thanks, Ben.

I worked on it off and on until I went to bed last night. I got to face the beast this morning. Finally after many attempts and a sharper, longer, more stable utensil, I loosed the brownie from its glassy grave and sent it to "Brownie Brick Heaven"!

Below is just a small portion of what was left this morning. Ahhhh. . . . the joys of brick making!

"Stuck like glue

You and me, Baby

We're stuck like glue!"

As I Said. . . .

. . . . sometimes boredom is it's own best friend!

'nuf said

Slip, Slide and Go With the Flow

Sometimes boredom is it's own best friend! Yesterday afternoon I was busy cleaning out the sink and asked Rease to "keep and eye" on Piper. Piper is at that stage where she wants to be walked by her hands all around the house. It is hard on the back - even a very young back! She can crawl, but that's not appealing to her at all right now. So, Rease, being tired of being hunched over, decided to get "creative". Good for her, I say! Good for her! She sat Baby Girl in between her legs and started sliding back and forth across the kitchen floor. Had I known she was going to do that I would have put down some cleaning agent and would have gotten my floors shiny clean!

Rease smiled. Piper just "hung" there. No emotion. No effort. No nothing. Just laying on Rease's legs, going with the flow. And Rease, well, she just kept at it! After all, Baby Girl was being still and quiet!

What we do for sanity!