Category: Champions

In Memoriam

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In Memoriam Queen Anne Small, delicate - a girl who loved to read all the classics and murder mysteries too. Feisty in her smallness she stood her ground, she knew her own mind. Blossoming like a flower with all manner of ideas. She didn’t need an elaborate name or special place to bloom. She could twist her way around and fit in wherever she wanted, beautiful in her wild way, Forever. This is maybe the hardest post I’ve written to date. I’m trying in words to honor my mother-in-law who died last week at the age of 86. She was small in stature but had a large, quick-witted personality. She was a historian and university librarian, and amazed me with the depth of her knowledge. She graduated high school early, and went to the University of Chicago at the age of 16. I was truly in awe of just how smart she was. We would spend hours talking about literature and historical events. She taught me so much about history, and I loved discussing Jane Austen, Tolkien, Kenneth Grahame and multitudes of other authors. Wind in the Willows was one of her favorite children’s books, but she also adored Winnie the Pooh and Paddington. My mother-in-law was also a dog lover and over the years had four active terriers, the naughtiest being Penny, a Jack Russell, and the most devoted and her last dog, Charlie. When I’d come to visit, we spent time playing with her dogs and watching black & white films from the 1930’s and 40’s. Two of her favorites were Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948, Carey Grant and Myrna Loy) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945, Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan). I loved visiting with her on December nights and binge watching these films with her. The movies she loved were always hopeful with a happy ending. She requested to be buried in a yellow floral summer dress, which she wore when she lived in Hawaii. I smiled when I saw the list of her requests: she wanted three books (Persuasion, Wind in the Willows, Lord of the Rings), photos of her four dogs, a copy of a speech she gave to the American Library Association one year, and that yellow dress. I think she had written her own happy ending. I hope she is truly at peace wearing that beautiful flowing yellow dress, looking out into the Pacific Ocean under palm trees with a stack of books by her side, and small terrier dogs in the distance yapping at the waves.

One Little Word – Zest, 2025

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I keep thinking about the perfect word as my touchstone for 2025.  In the past, I’ve chosen: remember, purpose, and settle.  Those are important words and they kept me set on a definite path the last three years.  This year, I searched for a word that would reflect who I am now at the beginning of 2025, at the precipice of my 69th year. 

The Poetry of Politics: Writing About Presidential Elections

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To gain a better perspective of political history, I thought I’d write a poem about the election of 1922, the year my dear mother was born.  I did some research on President Harding and his administration. It was quite an interesting time, having some parallels to our present situation. 

That’s Silly! Learning and Laughing

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Last spring, I submitted a poem for possible publication in Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong’s  new anthology, Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimble Thoughts and Wonder Fuzz.  Janet and Sylvia have been wonderful supportive of my poetry and my creative process.  I can’t thank them enough for encouraging me to get silly again.

Putting in Pencil Miles

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I know to get good at anything, you must put time into it.  “Practice makes permanent,” as the saying goes. Recently, I read David Sibley refer to his development in drawings birds as "putting in pencil miles.,” which is a term used by nature journalist to describe the practice that goes into honing their craft.