the long shadows
of my puppy,
asleep in the sun

the long shadows
of my puppy,
asleep in the sun
Last night’s results are HUGE. The victories, the margins, the turnout and the intensity all bode well, methinks, for the 2026 midterms. We have to keep it going!
Let’s go, people. LET’S GO!!!
in explorer-mode, I stroll along
a newly discovered trail.
its path, dotted with hedge apples,
weaves and winds
through grassy woods, gentle hills
where cattle grazed, not so long ago.
I’m as thrilled as a child, the child I still remain,
transported beneath an autumn-blue sky
to a magic surround, one I don’t ever want to leave —
you can’t make me!
we discuss AI, the Battle of Thermopylae
one’s personal canon, pop quizzes on Halloween
self-checkout, self-nurturing bedtime podcasts —
I feel closer to you now than I’ve ever felt,
our long-distance mother-child symbiosis
sporadic moments of joy
erupting in everyday witness
of what is & what still might be
This afternoon would have been Day 4. It was marked on my calendar, for quarter past three: Feed Sourdough Starter. The soupy concoction was rising nicely, building in size, growing larger. Yes, indeed. My little kitchen experiment, my first attempt at making starter for sourdough bread, was humming right along.
That is, until I preheated the oven to warm up a couple of slices of leftover pizza. Argh!!
Per the instructions on the website I’m following, it’s important to keep the starter cozy and warm in a 70-to-75-degree environment. The site suggested placing the jar, with the bubbling, potent mixture, in the oven with the light on for short periods of time.
However, I forgot that my sweet, little monster was in the oven when I set the oven temperature. To a scorching 400 degrees.
Ruh-Roh.
So. Back to the drawing board. Begin again. And this time, I’ll place a sticky note over the oven controls every time that space is ocupado!
A flash fiction story of mine was published late Halloween night in the Foxglove issue of the online journal Wild Willow Magazine. The story is called Lizard Love. It’s the last piece, on page 40, and I hope you like it.
chocolate chip cookies for breakfast
give me a break!
Trick or TREAT – it’s Halloween, y’all
puppy growls a protective warning
circles the interior perimeter of the house
unknown, unseen assailants quiver in fear
mommy & daddy are safe, once again
autumn leaf portraits
matted on grass & concrete walkways
wooden decks and neglected patios
entire galleries of art
beneath our feet
Chit Chat