Parenting

My Cry for the Day

It’s 8 a.m. and I’ve had my cry for the day. At 5 a.m. I gave my beloved a sleepy goodbye kiss as he left for work. At 6 a.m. I heard a familiar clomp, clomp, clomp. It’s my older man-child. He has his father’s heavy stomp and wears heavy shoes to boot. Back andContinue reading “My Cry for the Day”

The Ghost of Meadowview Road

We had waited restlessly from dim dawn to drizzly dark. It was a brumal October day in Oregon that boded well for a spooky evening of trick or treating. Misty rain and heavy, grey clouds palled over the day like a heavy, wet, grey blanket. It was dismal really. A long crooked line of rakedContinue reading “The Ghost of Meadowview Road”

Stubborn Curls

When my Paul was about 3, he dreaded walking into new situations, especially where there were crowds. The Rancher who fathered him is rather bashful so I intelligently attributed it to that genetic frailty (I can say this stuff because he doesn’t read my blogs.) I had to reassure Paul we would have a greatContinue reading “Stubborn Curls”

Together Forever – Thwarted

I. Today the Rancher separated the 3 calves from the mothers to wean them. They are across a fence from each other. The mothers moo forlornly for their young who are frolicking carefree in the next field. Even while they chew, the heart-sick mother’s moo. It’ll be a long week hearing their pathetic bellowing. II.Continue reading “Together Forever – Thwarted”

New Mama

We call her Naked Neck. Everyone that sees her says, “What’s wrong with that one?” I have nine chickens and she is the smartest of them all. One of my huge white chickens, Big Mama, was sitting on a pile of 6 eggs for about a week. Next time I went to the coop, NakedContinue reading “New Mama”

Panacea for Bashful Pupils

I bolted towards dad as soon as I saw his car in the parents’ parking line at Muthaiga Primary School. There weren’t any cars left. I hopped in beside him and settled into the edge of the seat with my massive orange rucksack still on my back. My feet barely touched the floor and myContinue reading “Panacea for Bashful Pupils”

Meant to Belong to a Herd

Part I: OXYTOCIN I took a magnificent Dementia class by fellow occupational therapist Teepa Snow. She taught a contact technique to use on people with dementia. She elaborated that it led to the release of Oxytocin, a hormone produced in mammalian brains. I call it our herd hormone. I later learned it controls social recognitionContinue reading “Meant to Belong to a Herd”

Please Weigh In

That’s my son about to unfold a Christ Air into the sunset. In his dreams. Going to a skate park is number one on my boys’ list whenever they are asked what they would like to do. We are fortunate to have 3 pretty awesome parks around us. The one above, overlooking the Pacific Ocean,Continue reading “Please Weigh In”

I Don’t Need You

“How do you do it?” her new friend gasped incredulously. My kid sister Jackie was at a children’s birthday party and had just shared that she was a single mum. She got this reaction almost every time. This time an extraordinary sense of ownership welled inside her. “I do it just fine with the Lord.”Continue reading “I Don’t Need You”