Give Winter Notice

Sometimes I just need to get outside, even in the winter - and gain a fresh perspective. 

Historic Ebey's Landing - Whidbey Island, Washington 

What Cedars See

These short, stunted cedars 

weren't lined up for 

a bonsai show. 

They face the future and 

the wind not defiantly, 

but with resilient 

resolve  - if there is 

such a thing for those 

deformed by life, minus

 limbs and broken middles. 

They live brutally 

buffeted and battered

on a bluff overlooking

the Puget Sound. But

perched there, they get to see 

the silhouette of Seattle's skyline 

nestled to the right

of Mount Ranier's pink glow -

every single night at sunset.

Historic Ebey's Landing - Whidbey Island, Washington 

High on a Bluff With God

I hate heights. 

Trusting my uneasy 

balance and bulk

to a path no wider 

than a goat path

with a drop off on 

one side, steepness

on the other, and 

no place to 

stop and rest 

terrifies me. I loved 

walking along the beach, but

the bluff above beckoned

and tempted me. 

 Honey, do you 

want to finish the loop

and get back to the 

truck before dark, asked 

my date. Yes, I do, but I'm 

paralyzed by how high I climbed -

five shaky steps at a time. I can't move.

Darling, I'm with you. I invited you. 

I wanted you to see it from here. 

Do you like it - this dazzling view? 

When I finally reached the path along the bluff, I felt faint and dizzy. I wondered if I was going to topple all the way to the bottom. Nothing there to stop me. Alone and desperate, I decided to start singing….

Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all I see. And when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me. 

Tears streamed down my face as I tried to breathe calmly. A young man suddenly appeared in front of me. He looked back with the kindest eyes and said, you're going to get some great pictures. And disappeared. He wore a stocking cap. 

Historic Ebey's Landing - Whidbey Island, Washington 

The Feeding Place

Pigs feed on offal.

Chickens follow pigs and cows

around to eat the leftovers

dropping out the backside.

Vultures and crows find road kill

and carrion.

Swans and seagulls follow

new rows of black turned earth.

So will I find goodness

to feed on.

Historic Ebey's Landing - Whidbey Island, Washington

The Twinkle in His Eyes

Our little neighbor girl - the one who knocks on the door wondering if we can do art - came over to show me a craft she had done at school.

Craig let her in the door to my bedroom. She finds me having a dark day in bed with cramps and a heating pad. She climbs up, starts to get under the covers then wiggles out as she sees the gallon jar of buttons sitting on the nightstand. I tell her some of them were my grandmother's, and when I was little I spent many happy hours sorting and looking at them. 

I ask her if she wants to play with them. She says, sure, this jar isn't heavy for a strong girl like me - lugs it over to the bed, unscrews the lid and dumps it upside down. 

We spend slow time picking out big brown boulders, greens for leaves and grass, and brightly colored ones for flowers. She makes a button garden path across my white bedspread. We take a chatty stroll.  

I tell her it's time to go - we need to clean up - then I'm going to finish my movie.

She asks if she can watch it with me. No, it is in French and you probably wouldn't like it or understand it. 

Well, I speak French and my teacher calls me her gold nugget, she says. I burst into a belly laugh that displaces my cramps and makes me hemorrhage. You are my gold nugget too, Paige. I agree completely with your teacher. 

Say joi de vivre, Paige.  She repeats it - copying my poor accent. 

That is French. It means joy of life. You have the joy of life, girl. I'm so glad you come and share it with me.

I know, she says as she climbs down, tosses her curls, gets her boots on, and leaves. 

You're the Teacher's gold nugget, too, and he's always glad when you dance into the room. You being there makes his eyes twinkle.