Tag: poem
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National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month marks the importance of poets and poetry in our culture. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with millions of teachers, students, librarians, booksellers, and, of course, poets recognizing the impact of… Read more
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Signs of Spring
This year, March 20th marked the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the fall equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night.” On the equinox, the lengths of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. In our Northern Hemisphere, we consider… Read more
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Mardi Gras
I never thought much about Mardi Gras until I met a gal who lived in New Orleans. When I lived in Oklahoma City, I worked as a traveling marketing representative for a nationwide insurance company, and she was the company’s marketing rep in Louisiana. Quarterly, we had to fly to San Antonio, Texas, for meetings.… Read more
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Valentine Pandas
Giant pandas Bao Li [BOW-lee] and Qing Bao [ching-BOW] are at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. They made their public debut on January 24, 2025, after a nineteen-hour flight to the United States from China in October of 2024. Admission to the Smithsonian National Zoo is free, but entry passes are required. It… Read more
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Hiking and Biking
With frigid winter weather keeping us indoors, I thought it might be uplifting to start making plans for some fair-weather activities. The Roanoke Region in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the place to visit if you love the outdoors. The area offers more than 700 miles of trails for hikers and bikers, including the Appalachian… Read more
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Jigsaw Puzzles
North winds are whipping, and the ground is frozen, so yardwork is out of the question right now—hooray! That gives me the excuse to dig out a jigsaw puzzle and get busy building a picture. Sometimes I glue the puzzle together when it’s done, frame it, and hang it on the wall. But most of… Read more
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Snowy Days
As children growing up in Milwaukee, my sister and I didn’t care what the weather was doing as long as we could play outside. Mom bundled us up in heavy coats with scarves, fuzzy earmuffs, snow pants, boots, double socks, and warm mittens, and we’d brave the cold to make snow angels in the backyard… Read more
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Cashews
The holidays bring plenty of food to our house. We seem to buy too much to feed guests and must eat leftovers for a week. Gifts from friends include candies, fruitcake, and nuts. We do our best to eat most of it before the new year so we can begin our resolution to lose weight… Read more
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After Thanksgiving
It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and everyone is still talking about the grand feast they devoured, their family gathering, and traveling to and from their holiday destination. It was different at our house. Walter and I had no company this year, no gathering to go to, and less than a grand feast for the big… Read more
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Touchdown!
I grew up in Wisconsin cheering for the Green Bay Packers during football season. They are one tough team when it comes to playing in frigid weather—the more snow, the better. The fans are even tougher, filling the stands while bundled up from head to toe with blocks of cheese on their heads. Nothing stops… Read more