2/28/11

Fort Defiance, VA

The perfect cure for a rainy Monday :)

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 Huntsville, AL


 Brothers, they already love each other so much.
Sam, loves to lay in Lucas's lap and just stare at him.
He also loves to watch cartoons with him.
I realize this is not a good habit for a five month old.
But seeing them hang out, two little buddies,
warms my heart.
This is what I dreamed about.
Two siblings, the very best of friends!

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Los Angeles, CA

I bought myself a present: in anticipation
of a celebration and just looking at them makes me
happy. That's the point of a present,
right? Five bright faces, leaning towards the light.
I will model myself after these stoic stems,
leaning towards tomorrow, when I will breathe
a sigh of relief.

2/25/11

Fort Defiance, VA

Thank you, sunshine, for making your big debut.

We've missed you.

And I will gladly accept your reminder.

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Huntsville, AL

The rocket is a symbol of our town.
I drive by it every day, to and from work.
For months Lucas would say, "Look Mommy, there's the rocket."
I would say, "Yep, there it is."
Huntsville is rocket city.
It's not so bad here.

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Los Angeles, CA

Saturday morning and there are just

Two days left. I know I should be

Unwrapping my pages and pages of notes already, no

Doubt, but Martha Stewart,

You always know just how to put me at ease...

2/24/11

Huntsville, AL

Clutter, it's everywhere. It's on my desk at work.

It piles up and swallows me hole.

Clutter is in my house because I just moved.

And let's face it, it would be there regardless.

It was in my car until my dad cleaned it.

Boy, was that nice. One part of my life now that isn't messy.

This picture is embarrassing.

It looks even worse since I'm getting new office furniture.

Today, it will be cleaned.

I will de-clutter my life.

One mess at a time.

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Fort Defiance, VA

I hear the drizzle of the rain

Like a memory it falls

Soft and warm continuing

Tapping on my roof and walls

And from the shelter of my mind

Through the window of my eyes

I gaze beyond the rain-drenched streets

To England where my heart lies

My mind's distracted and defused

My thoughts are many miles away

They lie with you when you're asleep

And kiss you when you start your day

And this song I was writing is left undone

I don't know why I spend my time
Writing songs I can't believe
With words that tear and strain to rhyme.

And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.

And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I.

I love that song.

Thank you Simon & Garfunkel,

for framing this rainy day perfectly.

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Los Angeles, CA

This has been my week.

Between Stell and I, we're falling apart, one puff
of an inhaler at a time. The pharmacist gave me a tutorial:
It's not rocket science, Miss. Well,
excuse me, sir, I've never had to breathe-deep-exhale-
puff-puff-suck-in before. That's a lot of steps
and it's been pretty tough to do the blink-blink-one-leg-over-the-edge-
at-a-time thing this week. What with those four
legs and two eyes that keep staring up at me, dependent
and miserable.

I am tired.

And yet, I am hopeful that the tiny little promises picked up
from the vet today will be our saving grace.

2/23/11

Huntsville, AL

Good morning, back yard.

I love your cool brisk air greeting me through my screened-in door.

I love how the sun is shining through the trees, letting me know the day has begun.

No one in sight, just me and you, and the morning dew.

I sit and stare and finally feel at home.

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Fort Defiance, VA

I have this cool spinny thing on my desk with four different framed cards.
This is the particular frame that normally stares at me as I'm standing in front of the class.
I love the bright colors and retro 1960's font.
And the message's not so bad either.
It's important to remember the bright spots every day.
Today my bright spot was finally getting some antibiotics
on day 12 of a horrible sinus infection
from a doctor who is known for holdin' out on the drugs.
Bless you no-drug-givin' Dr. for helping me out.
It's time to start feeling better
and slowly climb out of this funk
and into the sun...
whether it's shining
or hiding.


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La La Land

I wish I could have taken a picture
of the song I was listening to, passing downtown, headed
to job #2 of the day. 45 minutes and 22 miles separates
two of the worlds I live in. This outline of gangstahs and an out-of-place
scape pierces the gut of that weekly trip. My third was threaded
by the sound of cigarettes dripping off Common
and his promises to Mary J...
"The pimp in me will die with you."

Is it strange that this statement causes the gap
in my heart to remind me it's still there? I want
to hear the commitment of future tribes
and of my beautiful being.

Thank you, Common, for being such a pimp.

2/22/11

Huntsville, AL (Mobile Bay, AL)

I miss warm summer nights on the Gulf.
Me and my boy, the sand between our toes.

Winter, it's time we bid adieu.

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Fort Defiance, VA

Last night I sat miserable and bored
well into the evening,
nothing to do but

look up Avett Brothers videos on YouTube,
giving up time with my own family for
parents that never showed.

Suddenly, I looked to the doorway
greeted by a baby with
wild hair and hand-me-down pajamas.
She crawled underneath a bridge of desks,
keys jangling in hand
and came up
black from pencil shavings and dirt of days gone by,
smiling.


Exactly what I needed.


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La La Land

Before I got out of bed today, I
Repeated a pep talk to myself:
Even though there
Aren't enough (second) hands,
There is a reason to smile and thank
Heaven for the days, however numbered and un-
Even.

(And you just have to smile.)

2/21/11

Fort Defiance, VA

This is the view from my desk.

 Eight hours a day, five days a week,
I am here.

It's a nice view.

But today it feels pretty bleak.

Rather than dreaming of flowers and sunshine
I should be focused on teaching and learning.

As I look at this picture

I try to see the beauty.

I know it could be worse.

But it's hard.

Love, P

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Huntsville, AL

Living in the south was my dream after college. I journeyed to Nashville where a chance encounter with an old friend at the Ryman lead me to my husband. We moved to Huntsville, Alabama in hopes of an easier life. Ironically, the opposite happened. Four years later I'm divorced but willful and strong. I continue my dream as a mother of two boys, a professional, and now, a southerner.

A song my dad used to sing to me

"Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton. There ole's times are not forgotten. Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land. Oh, I wish I was in Dixie, away, away. I wish I was in Dixie Land, I'll take my stand in Dixie. Oh way, Oh way down south in Dixie."

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LaLa Land...

Today is Monday and this is how
I will remember her. New week, fresh
start, new project. But I feel tired and homesick
and watching my dog die
is hard. I stayed home to study and keep
vigil, but my neighbors, like everyone in LA,
are waiting to be discovered
and so continue to have band practice over my head,
which does not make for easy.

I just want this exam over with. It's only
going to determine the rest of my life
as I sit here and keep vigil and feel myself
becoming hardened.

I miss home. That place in my heart
where there is easy, I have passed, Stella
jumps up and down when I come home,
and my neighbors do not have the liberty to write
the soundtrack to my afternoon.