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Spring Break in Salt Lake

17 Mar

I really wanted to go to the beach for Spring Break. However, the resident Captain had to be at Camp Williams for the Saturday and Sunday of the week, so driving the opposite direction to Sand Diego or Puerto Penasco didn’t make sense this year.

We were considering whether to take the family to Salt Lake City for Spring break, and then Key Lime Pie won our regional Poetry OutLoud competition, and the state final was in Salt Lake City on the Wednesday of spring break week. Decision made.

We got to Salt Lake City on Tuesday evening, and the first thing I did Wednesday morning was get a haircut. Currently, the biggest pain point of living in Monument Valley for me is living so far away from a good haircut. I still haven’t found a stylist within a 4-hour drive that cuts my hair the way I’d like. Even this cut was not what I initially asked for, but I compromised when it became clear that I wasn’t getting the cut I wanted. At least it’s cut.

After the haircut, I took Key Lime Pie shopping for an outfit for the night. She bought her own shoes! what a grown-up!

Then the Man is the House and I went to a runners store and got new running shoes because we started our favorite couch to 10K running program again. I am determined to build up some cardiovascular fitness and endurance! I also got these sweet converse kicks on clearance. When I saw them, I knew the kiddie pies would approve.

Ready for the Evening

All the contestants, but one, were type 1 energy girls, just like Key Lime Pie, so they became instant friends and already have a text chat group.

After the contest ended, we went to Leatherby’s Family Creamery and had ice cream. I had the best coconut cream pie ice cream I’ve ever eaten.

Thursday, we found a place called “Classic Fun Center” in Sandy, Utah. We bought discounted tickets online and spent about 6 hours there playing in the bouncy houses, jungle climbing, laser tagging, nerf blasting, roller skating, and arcade gaming. I have zero pictures. We were too busy having fun.

Thursday night, we left the kids at the Airbnb with microwave Mac-n-cheese, and the Man of the House took me to a delicious Indian restaurant in American Fork. Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Curry, naan, and mango lassies! Yes please!

The Skooter Pies were very happy to skip Indian food and eat macaroni and play the Wii instead.

Friday, we went to Clark Planetarium. We had free tickets to the IMAX theater, thanks to Key Lime Pie’s astronomy teacher. We watched Deep Sea 3D. The kids were amazed by the 3D movie. The narrators (Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet) were very soothing, so I admit, I fell asleep for an unknown chunk of the movie. After the movie, we spent about 1.5 hours playing with all the interactive exhibits. Friday was probably not the best day to go, because there were 2 school groups, and it was pretty crazy and crowded. But the exhibits were stellar. We would have stayed much longer, but we all got hungry and caved in to baser needs than exploring.

Friday afternoon, we headed to my friend Shelley’s house. She moved from Missouri about the same time we did and loves to have us visit.

Pumpkin Pie and Peach Pie drove down from Rexburg to visit us, too. That was lovely. We did lots of talking about their school and future plans.

Friday night, the resident captain headed off to Camp Williams for soldier duty. Shelley, Robyn, and I went to Leatherby’s Family Creamery for a girls’ night out! Robyn is another Missouri friend who lives in the Salt Lake Area now.

I ordered the mud pie, and it did not disappoint! So, so, so delicious- but not overwhelmingly sweet. Girls night at Leatherby’s will happen again.

Mud Pie with chocolate sauce 🤌🤌😤🔥

Saturday, we went to an early Easter breakfast at Shelley’s ward. Then Shelley and I ran some errands (like picking up dry cleaning because when I’m in town with all the stores, I have to do all the things that cannot be done in Monument Valley.)

Then we walked with the kids to a fun park about a mile from her home.

Lottie is Key Lime Pie’s BFF. Yay!
Peach Pie had a whole Saturday of homework to do, but Pumpkin Pie was able to come to the park with us. She and I made so many plans for the future. ❤️
Sunday morning, the Kiddie Pies and I went to church with Shelley.
At 12:30pm, we picked up the Man of the House, and headed back home to Monument Valley.
Apple Pie created food from Starbursts on the drive home.

We made good time, and got home around 7pm. I whipped up some Spaghetti-and-Meatballs and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts. It was so good to eat home-cooked food after a week of take-out and easy snacks.

A Literary Success Week

20 Feb
Key Lime Pie and the other great contestants

Tonight night Key Lime Pie won our regional Poetry Out Loud competition. That means that in about three weeks, she will compete in Salt Lake City for the state level competition.

She did such a good job! She recited from memory “The Conqueror Worm” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Momma Said” by Calvin Forbes

Here is “Momma Said”

While the judges were deliberating, the MC asked if anyone in the audience wanted to share a poem. Banana Cream Pie got up and recited

“Antigonish” by Huges Mearns, which she memorized last year during homeschool.

In about three more years, she can compete, too.

A little later, Apple Pie came over to me and recited a poem she had written before school recently. She showed me in her notebook when we got home. It’s not quite the same as what she recited from memory- her recitation actually had better rhyme and meter. But she has this whole notebook full of poems that she has written!

“Poor Mushroom”

A single mushroom lies beneath

A tree.

It sits there day by day.

It sits there

Without a care.

One rainy day

The tree falls

After that day,

A girl picks the mushroom.

…

The poor mushroom is not

here anymore.

**********

As you may imagine, I’m pretty proud of my girls tonight.

Also, since we had to drive all the way to Blanding, we stopped at the library, too. Apple Pie found a book to check out called The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass

Apple Pie was reading while we waited for the poetry to start, and giggling over a funny line. This is a first for her, and as learning to read has been a tough, years long, struggle for her, it is a real breakthrough. My heart is full of gratitude for this tender mercy.

Apple Pie

August in Waterton, Alberta

26 Mar

August in Waterton, Alberta

Above me, wind does its best

to blow leaves off

the aspen tree a month too soon.

No use wind. All you succeed

in doing is making music, the noise

of failure growing beautiful.

~Bill Holm

Invitation Poems

30 Mar

This week we read some Songs from the Tempest “Come unto these yellow sands…” and “Where the Bee sucks, there suck I…”

Then we wrote invitation poems–invitations to magical colorful places full of sound where marvelous things can happen.

I just really love Key Lime Pie’s poem because it is so full of her personality.

Through the Jungle
Come with me to the nice green jungle.
We’ll swing from vines,
Climb trees.
We’ll visit the gorillas
Boom, boom boom!
(They pound their chests.)
And the parrots
Rawk, rawk!
We’ll see the jaguars,
And the jaguars might chase us
So we’ll hide in the trees.
Maybe we’ll even see some lizards.
We’ll swing back through the vines
Down through the trees.
We’ll go back home
And eat leafy greens.

The Tapestry

25 Jan

I mentioned in a post before, that I wrote a poem to my grandfather when I was in jr. high.  Several people asked then to read it, but I had to find it first.  And then I had to find the courage to post it. I’ve been thinking about him a lot this past week, but hadn’t put together why until today when my cousin posted on Facebook that today is the 5 year anniversary of his passing.  So it seems fitting to post this now.

Image

The Tapestry

Come and sit, the old man said,

And listen to my story.

I’ll weave you a tale of life and death,

A tale of strife and glory.

—

So she came to hear his yarn,

Leaned against his knee.

He wove the colors of words so well,

They sang in harmony.

—

Then he spoke and the tale began

The fire crackled and burned.

While Grandpa imparted his wisdom,

Speaking of lessons well-learned.

—

From many lands the characters came,

Dancing before her view.

Actors they were, on the stage of life

Appearing at Grandpa’s cue.

—

One and all, they sang to her

The hues of their voices blending

Of laughter and sorrow, they sang to her,

Weaving the tapestry unending.

—

Dear Abuelito, tell your stories

I’ll lean upon your knee.

The colors you weave are everything.

Unfold your tapestry.

—

(for my grandfather, and all grandfathers who love to tell stories)

Morning Chores

2 Jun


I left the window open yesterday
the day was so warm, and
flies invaded.
I heard them buzzing this morning.

So I stood in the doorwayofmyroom
swatting them.
I am
the cyclops
(not blind but
cl
um
sy)

They were having a CIRCUS
with acrobats
and Ferris wheels

When I was finished
I swept their bodies off my rug.

**************************************

p.s. Don’t miss my giveaway

Poetry

25 Apr

You could say I was raised on poetry. My Dad read poetry to my sisters and I instead of bedtime stories.
The Highway Man, The Pirate Don Dirk of Dowdee, Dilliki Dolliki Dinah, and Annabel Lee were my favorites. He memorized many poems and would recite them to us as we weeded the garden or on long car trips. He would sort of just burst into poetry like a musical. (He often burst into song too…) One night, he and I were driving home from Springfield, MO and he recited poetry for the entire hour and a half without ever repeating a poem or pausing to think of a new one. They just came rolling out of him. So I grew up loving poetry.

When I was in 6th grade, the local jr. college held a writing contest. Winners would be published in their magazine and poetry was one of the categories.

You must understand, I had never studied poetry in school –writing or reading. I was so excited to write my first poem. I was sure I would win and be published! The theme was “Enchantment” so I wrote a poem describing an enchanted lake in the middle of a forrest. I even used my parent’s typewriter to type up my poem. I turned it in to my reading teacher and waited with breathless anticipation for her response.

The next day, she placed my paper on my desk and walked away without a word. At the top was written,

“Punctuate this.”

I was crushed. I knew she hated it. I hadn’t even known that poetry needed punctuation. I knew it should rhyme and that the lines needed to have a rhythm that matched. I randomly added commas and periods and resubmitted my poem. She never said anything about it. I did not win the poetry anything. (Though my best friend won and was published.)

This experience effectively murdered my confidence with poetry. I continued to write poetry, but rarely showed it to anyone.

When I was 14 or so, I wrote a poem for my grandfather. He was undergoing bypass surgery for his heart. Seven- Bypass- Surgery. He had been writing family history stories and some creative fiction and trying to get published, but no one was interested. Except his grandkids, who loved to sit around him and listen. He was a magical storyteller. I wanted so much to tell Grandpa how much I loved him and that I liked his stories. So I wrote him this poem and snuck it on the table at his house–that was almost more than my courage could muster. I was pretty sure that it was overly sentimental and no good, and yet it was me and it was what I wanted to tell him. Grandpa loved my poem. He loved it so much, that he kept showing it to people, which embarrassed me deeply. I was certain that Grandpa only loved it because he loved me and everyone else who read it would see exactly how amateur-ish and unoriginal it was. I was almost rude to my Uncle Joe, who tried to talk to me about it. I was so afraid he was going to criticize my poetry that I ran away. Now with 20 years perspective I think he was just trying to encourage me.

I still have no confidence regarding my poetry and yet I can’t help writing it every now and then.

Funny the impact a teacher can have just by saying nothing. It is a lesson I try to remember with my piano students and my own children.

Incidentally, my DH wooed me with poetry. His love of great poetry, the poetry he wrote, and especially the poems he wrote about me stole my heart away. I had always dreamed of being one of those ladies who walk in beauty

And now I was.

I reminded him of that recently and wondered aloud if he might ever write me love poems again. I guess inspiration hasn’t struck recently… 😛