Just One on Day One

They called a high of 90, but the first day of school required a blazer.

#LittleProfessional #SeriousScholar












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Friends tagged me in a few Facebook posts this weekend, so I'm not the photographer for once:

at a drag show (KB)

at the Broad Museum (CF)

at the Sotomayor event (JL)

Sunday with Sonia Sotomayor

AAAAAAAAAA. SHE SHOOK THE KIDS' HANDS!! I made them shake mine right after. Haha.

She was here for the one-book-one-community MSU-Lansing event with her My Beloved World. The event was billed as Q&A only, but as she answered questions, she walked around the auditorium connecting with people. She is so awesome, and I kept tearing up with the knowledge that this smart, amiable, down-to-earth person is almost single-handedly keeping us from constitutional ruin.

She said she'd pulled a hamstring as explanation for why she was walking so slowly. I was bit taken aback when she first came in though and had already added her to my list of Supreme Court justices to pray for (#RBGForever).

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Saturday Trudge

Riverfront Park hike. I love that we have a hiking club now, and I particularly love our squishy ten-year-old member.






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On the River; On the Beach

L is off on Mackinaw Island, so Nu and I sent her a picture of a really tall rock tower that someone had built on the river...

L sent us back a picture of a rock tower she found on the beach :)

















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Two

Yesterday:
A long day at work, and a detour
to take school supplies to A. Then--
there's so much hope on the horizon.
I might even be seeing double.

Today:
Nu's Back-to-school "Kickstart"
and we realize that school begins
NEXT WEEK (not after Labor Day
like it usually does). Ooops.



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The Fall

Sunlight still pirouettes
but fall thrusts its cold nose
into my face this morning

just the raw edge of power
"see what I can do?"
listening for applause

for their noble restraint,
looking for my gasp
of surprise. Gasp.



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Dog-Eared Day

dog-eared day:
our ears are knotted with burrs
delicious burrs from dashing round
and round the garden looking for squirrels
looking for some deer, looking for turkeys, people
people like our family who then sigh loudly
when we come into the family room
when we've got more burrs than fur
--but they've got us

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This is both Scout and Huckie; but Huckie is the bigger criminal. She had stuff ALL over her face especially around her ears, eyes, and mouth. Big A is working tonight, so I had to cut it all off with tiny scissors while At and Nu held her still and spoke soothingly to her. It was HARROWING. I was terrified I'd hurt her or that she'd jar me with sudden movement and get hurt. Nu gave me a hug for being brave later on and said she could feel my heart jumping right through my chest when she did. Our non-human part of the family is nuts.

Also, as the kids said, we should get Big A to do this in the future, he is the professional, after all.

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Sweet Hobbitses

We walked to the MSU Arboretum today for a world of gardens (Japanese, English, Michigan).

Also, I love my special little juicy hobbit so much.




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An Augury

An Augury 
Here my children are making spaces:
blanket forts, jokes, eye rolls, faces--
spaces for just them

Their sweetness swirling from cyan
to scarlet to sonnets nibbling,
unfurling in my heart

The gates that once swung between us
when they were young now lie
translated, behind us.

It seems yesterdays are gold, are spent
and tomorrows are vague presents
here at summer's end

May my empty be their success, I pray:
Take the clay of my blood and milk,
my loves; blaze away.

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Forest Bathing

Nu joined the walkers today and loved all six miles.

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