Francy's New Morning

BEFORE pictures of our living room, gutted  after Hurricane Sandy      and AFTER (or during, getting close to finish)                                                                                                                   Newly painted walls and new floor hidden under the paper Keyra enjoys her new lookout post from a clean room Our house is getting close to being finished. After all the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, we will soon have a new home. In the last few weeks, we have had Samaritan’s purse volunteers come from Illinois, California and Kentucky. Many of these special people ha...

The best grandparents Where did the years go? Little fingers wiggle, Tickle my hands, As I turn the pages To “Goodnight Moon.” A gurgle, a hiccup, a yawn; The moon, just as swollen as the one on the page, Rests, high outside the baby blue checked curtains, Suggests a story be told. Lights off, I kiss his forehead That glows in the moonlight. Little fingers point To the scariest of all As I turn the pages Of “Where the Wild Things Are.” His legs bounce until They can’t be stopped, And he jumps to the floor To show me his wildest monster dance; A roar, a growl, a giggle. “The moon is turning me into a werewolf,” He says. “Ooh…you better run to dreamland Where it’s safe.” Lights off, I kiss his forehead that peeks out From under a Cookie Monster quilt. He balances the book On bent knees, Tucked toward his chest, And turns the pages of “The Graduation of Jake Moon.” As I listen to him read, We...

She calls me her best friend, always will be no matter who pats her belly, feeds her chicken, or plays tug of war. I am the official Bestie to this Yorkie. So…I get to deal with the good, the bad, the ugly. Some problems are too difficult for my little four-legged friend, Bella. Mornings. To ease our morning rush routine, I resort to putting my friend outside on a leash tied to the fence; she can roam free but not too free, and I can pick up her little piles later, or let inclement weather take care of it. Backtrack two months… Winter. This winter was unusually white here like most places. Poor Bella was up to her ears in snow and not too happy about her predicament. Since I was always the first to wake, I had to shovel a four square foot space to allow for Bella to run in circles, do her pre-business dance. She’d look at me, concerned, her eyes asking: “How can I find a good spot in this size space? Is this stuff ever going away?” I sympathized with my fine friend, b...