Monthly Archives: February 2025

Woodsy, wintery morning

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We woke today to a forecast of rainy drizzle. Never one of my favorite weather conditions, it was especially inconvenient on this day because we had promised our dogs much-needed exercise. Our car was in the shop all week, rendering us unable to take the puppas to the woods or the prairie, and neighborhood walks are mere placeholders for them. They love long walks with no traffic nearby, and the beagle lives for the scent of deer.

Having picked the car up from the mechanic too late yesterday to take them anywhere, we really felt we owed them a trip to the woods.

So after feeding all of the household critters while downing only a short portion of our morning coffee, the husband and I piled both dogs into the car and headed for the river path through the woods. There we saw geese, woodpeckers, cardinals, squirrels, and yes…plenty of deer. There’s no sound like the sound of Elwood on the trail of deer, and no frenzy like it, either. He darts to and from, tugging the leash and yelling. The sound that comes out of him is neither bay, nor howl, nor bark, but a unique mixture of the three, and it’s sheer joy for his people.

Tess, the maybe-a-year-old, maybe greyhound-cattle dog mix, is interested in the deer, but not frenzied. I think she cares more about the other dogs, all of whom she wants to be her friends. Alas, she didn’t get to play with any others this morning, but she still had a grand time leading and following her adoptive brother through the woods.

Back home, predictably, they collapsed together in a pile of legs and bellies and heads and fell fast asleep.

If that’s the only good thing that happens all day, it will be enough.

2-for-1 #frontstooppoetry

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I have been less than reliable in posting daily poetry to the front stoop, and even less reliable adding it here. So today we have a double edition of #frontstooppoetry.

It turned back to winter after teasing us with false spring. First cold, then snow flurries, then a freezing mist last night that made everywhere a skating rink. I learned this morning that an icy-coated rubber welcome mat is even slipperier than an ice-coated wooden deck! (Good news: I did not fall.)

I had to acknowledge the mercurial weather on the chalkboard, with “Snow Flurries.” It did really feel kind of like Mother Nature was reminding us who’s in charge.

That was two days ago. This morning’s ice rink thawed fairly quickly, and I was able to walk down my alley and front sidewalk safely by about 10am. By late afternoon the temperature felt spring-like again, and shortly before sunset I spied a beautiful, slightly hazy half moon peering down at me from far above the pine tree in the back yard. I was happy enough when I went outside; the moon lifted my spirits even further.

Today I’m grateful to be re-establishing a podcast habit while walking, grateful that my hound dog tried to leap into my lap while I worked at my desk this afternoon, and grateful for the inspiration to post a new poem on the porch this evening. All in all, a good day, and it’s not yet over.

So much for daily!

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Already I’ve skipped a day of #frontstooppoetry. But I’m not daunted. I had missed more than a month before putting up this poem on Thursday, so a one-day gap is a big improvement. Right?

In any case,yesterday was a work day, and the start of a weekend so also a play day. And here I am today, and there’s a new poem on the chalkboard, so…progress!

Today is a Slow Saturday. I’ll get a haircut (overdue), get the rest of the Christmas decorations down (overdue), make a grocery list, maybe make or write a postcard or two, and otherwise probably just hang out with the pack. I’ve been on walks with both dogs already (separate ones, as somebody needs some serious leash work), so I already feel like the day hasn’t been wasted.

Looking for a good book?

Today’s reading is Parable of the Sower, my first Octavia Butler book ever. I’ve just started it. But there are two books I’ve read recently that I’m recommending widely:

  • Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, by Katherine Rundell, is a beautifully written collection of essays about some of the many animals that are threatened or endangered. I found it simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, a combination that seems impossible even after experiencing it.
  • The Barbizon: The Hotel that Set Women Free, by Pauline Bren, tells the tale of New York City’s women’s residential hotel, along with many of the famous women who called it home, including Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, and many more. For me, it also was an unparalleled look at the culture of the 1950s and what it meant for women.

And if, like me, you’re a fan of mysteries and noir, check out March Violets, by Philip Kerr, set in Nazi Germany before World War II. If you’ve got a reading suggestion for me, drop it in a comment.