It’s a bit different now. We haven’t lived there in nearly two years. Though not exactly a historical scholar, I have always been drawn to things of the past. Four or five thrift and vintage stores are now part of our sleepy university city’s downtown. I found myself alone in the bustle, if even thereContinue reading “Bird Street: Retrospective “
Category Archives: foster parenting
Ponies and Cupcakes: All Grown Up
There was nothing magic that happened at the end. It just trailed off quietly and uneventfully. I’m not sure what I expected, or if I expected much of anything at all. Now, though, it’s all done, without fancy sugar-sparkled cupcakes, rainbow-maned ponies with golden hooves, or a ticker-tape parade. The hopes and wishes have fadedContinue reading “Ponies and Cupcakes: All Grown Up “
Impatient
Even though the plant’s tag read “full shade,” I was sure that if I planted it in a bright, sunny spot, it would do even better. I have learned much about plants over the years. I have learned that more sun is definitely not better for impatiens, and that tomatoes will not grow well ifContinue reading “Impatient”
Getting to the Other Side
The chickens cross the road for lots of reasons. It was unusually warm for late May. As I stole time in the garden on a Sunday morning, I could nearly feel the seeds taking root beneath the soil. There was already a row of mesclun, a cool weather crop, showing itself to life above ground.Continue reading “Getting to the Other Side “
Sand and Music
The fairies are at work on the farm at this time of year. I am grateful for the renewal of spring, when I am surprised by all of last year’s plantings and those from years past, by the reminders of the new life as the year, however challenging or joyous it may have been, completesContinue reading “Sand and Music”
Undone
Right now, nothing else matters to her. She has put her whole self, every ounce of her energy and every hour of her days and nights into sitting on a fake egg and two brown eggs which will never develop into chickens. “Poor girl,” as my friend pointed out, “just wants to be a mama.”Continue reading “Undone”
Lions and Lambs
Darkness had already fallen when I finally made my way out to close the chicken door on this cold March night. I was almost startled by the nondescript, shadowy figure that mimicked my gait against the grain bin, until the motion sensitive light snapped on, taking me with it, back to the reality that itContinue reading “Lions and Lambs”
What’s In Your Egg Basket?
Something happened. Something went wrong, or maybe it didn’t. Words that interrupted my idle thoughts as I stood at the kitchen sink, face-to-face with dinner’s aftermath, cannot be taken back. Even as I feel the blood rush through my legs and the empty space grow in my soul, I find solace in a cupcake. It’sContinue reading “What’s In Your Egg Basket?”
What I Hope You Will Know
“And just as the darkness got very dark, he bumped into his big fur mother, and she took her little fur child home in her arms and gave him his supper.” –from “Little Fur Family” by Margaret Wise Brown Here is what I hope you will know: it is different. Raising babies that IContinue reading “What I Hope You Will Know”
Frostbite
I didn’t even want him. I certainly didn’t expect to love him. It wasn’t until he was at the mercy of another, in danger of demise, that I realized how deeply I loved him and how I would fight to save him. Four new baby chicks will be coming to the farm this spring. ByContinue reading “Frostbite “
