The world seems so full of life in summer, when leaves and lawn spread into a thick, full green. This is the peak, before rain forgets to fall and grass withers to a brittle brown.For now, redbud leafs outside my office window.Ferns sway lazily in a shady corner.Hydrangea's giant snowballs bloom soft white against deep green.A rose shimmers, iridescent, in angled afternoon … [Read more...]
How to Write Together
Writing is a solitary pursuit. When I work, I mutter, fidget, and contort my face while fishing for the right word or shaking a name from the folds of my grey matter. When I'm bogged down on a paragraph or project, I might stare out the window or leap from my chair to brew tea, the mental break unclogging ideas so that words flow freely. Nobody should be subjected to … [Read more...]
Where I’m From
Where I'm From by Ann Kroeker I am from the persimmon tree, ripe fruit dropping, splitting, squishing soft into the grassy lawn below. I am from sweet-spring lilac and lily-of-the-valley. I am from clover and crown vetch, hollyhocks and honeysuckle, peonies and pansies. I am from soybean and corn fields, hay and straw, and Black Angus cattle grazing in the pond … [Read more...]
There and Back Again: ’70s Memories
My parents bought a farm near the small town where Dad grew up. After spending a summer Saturday there planting a garden (I only remember doing this a few times), painting the barn (we only did this once, and I was not much help) or sweeping the cabin (a creepy, run-down log house used for storage and inhabited by rodents, snakes and wasps), we would end the day by driving … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: Breathe
Since last week, I've been gulping in air from time to time: sucking in through the nose, puffing out through the mouth. During those deep-breath attempts, I sound as deliberate and noisy as a fireman breathing oxygen through his mask...or maybe a bit like Darth Vader.It's not elegant, all this gulping and puffing, but I can't seem to get enough oxygen after reading … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: Time to Get our Fingers Dirty
The garden is mostly my thing. I plan it out, sketch ideas, buy the seeds or seedlings, and direct the entire process.My husband tills while the kids trudge out and help rake, plant and water...some of them grumble and mutter the whole time, aggravated to be working when they could be playing. … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: What Would You Find in my Room?
Rooms are like clothes and photographs- they tell stories. As I look around mine this afternoon- my mind goes tripping down the trails of my life... remembering what has been that has brought what I see around me. (from "Room Rhapsody," by L.E. Fiore)L.E. Fiore takes us on a tour of one room, browsing bookshelves and speculating on what is tucked inside a "mystery … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: My First Ash Wednesday
I pulled my hair back this morning. Normally I wear it down, but long strands will sometimes flop down against my face, angling in such a way that it cuts right across my forehead. Today, I swept my hair back. My forehead was bare. At breakfast I told the kids I would be attending an Ash Wednesday service at a church near ours. The service was at noon, I said, so I … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: What to Bury?
Thursday isn't my official "Slow-Down Fast" posting day, but I was inspired to think and write about Lent today, as well as Saturday. So, at risk of causing confusion, I stuck the button on this post. For more thoughts, check in again this Saturday.As I prepare for the Slow-Down Fast this Lent, I am open. I am willing to slow down in all areas, from my schedule to my … [Read more...]
There & Back Again: Grandma’s Cookie Pan
I remember the back door of Grandma's house swinging open. I can still hear the spring stretching, squeaking and pulling the door shut with a solid thunk. I can see the porcelain kitchen sink, the linoleum floor and the baker's cabinet where she stored all that she needed to make noodles or cookies...I can still see it all. In my mind, I can return to the times when I … [Read more...]
There and Back Again: Curiosity Journal
Many years ago, I was at the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College where Rob Bell was one of the main speakers. When I mentioned it on my blog, Monica of Paper Bridges left this comment: "Rob Bell! I’d totally be freaked out meeting him....Details, Ann."Rob Bell wasn't someone I was dying to see, so I kind of felt bad. I wished that I could bring Monica in for … [Read more...]
