a little precarious,

but fine

 i will live in a house

someday soon

that looks

 out over this water

a stream

work often

leaves me feeling

like this tree

or like this 

dammed and fruitlessly

looking for release

but today a writer friend visited

and read her novel to us

they, we, LISTENED

with, what my teachers called 

our thinking caps on

(found on the way to school 

at st. lawrence university this morning)

 cooler weather with rain.

and birds are calling away

in joy

each morning.

frustration and forgiveness

today in my inbox were two messages. one about the amazing steve miller, a teacher, a bookmaker, a printer, and a fine human being. steve is ok, but his house in tuscaloosa was in the path of one hungry tornado and has been destroyed. the other message was from an internet friend, jean betts, who is checking on me and my sick finger. 

i am frustrated, but have a plan of action regarding the finger. i am buying an amazing tiny plastic splint that will enable me to function as well as possible minus one joint, while this heals. it will be on at least six more weeks; this splint will allow me to do prep for my summer teaching gigs. this is good news indeed. my doctor gary gets it. and i will get better.


but steve, though he and his partner are safe, have lost their home. i have a tiny hurt, his is huge. and yet, they are safe. 


it's very windy here. i watched two tree branches crack in the wind. water levels are very high, rivers above flood stage. the snowmelt is adding to the rain and our rivers are flooding. right now there is bright sunshine. as this front moves through, it will chill off. things are stirring and weird, and yet i am full of hope. steve and his partner will be ok, i will be ok, but this planet, i'm not so sure. but i'm still hoping. 

weather weirdness

yep. it's in the air, too. one week ago exactly it was 89 degrees. i knew it was strange and odd and weird. but then the leaves on the brush out back sprouted, so i can't see the land and i knew it was truly an early spring. i took the down comforter off my bed (but didn't put it away!) but today, this. (i slept under down last night.) 

dire straits

do the weather reports drive you crazy? today i cancelled a car repair appointment because of the stories of dire wintry weather. today, after 7/8 of yesterday's snow melted away i realized i'd been had. again. is it news (NEWS!!!) if we have weather? is that it? at the end of work we were talking about scheduling and sure enough, more snow and freezing rain and high winds. i went home, and checked the reports. high winds gusting to 30 mph and temperatures in the 40s? does everyone exaggerate? why? 


at school i wonder often about the constant use of hyperbole. from staff and students. last year a student used to shout "i LOVE it", making love a three syllable word, something i would have thought impossible until i heard it. simplicity and clarity are things i strive for, and i wish i didn't feel like i was always swimming upstream. maybe that's why it was so refreshing to hear temple grandin on ted talks today (thanks aimee!).