My Ballad: My Dear Children

My students are writing poetry.  I have two of my classes writing ballads and sonnets.  I decided I HAVE to try to write one of each or else I'm a lousy teacher! ;)

I've written a great deal of free verse poetry, Haikus, limericks, etc.--BUT NEVER a ballad or sonnet.  Oh, I'm sure during my high school and/or college days, I had to write them for an assignment, but never as an adult!  That's almost embarrassing to admit!

So...here goes!  I know that the rules can vary a bit, but this is what I'm trying for...

Ballad--
--Arranged in quatrains (4-line stanzas); every-other syllable is accented.  Syllables for each line follow:
8
6
8
6
--Rhyme scheme ABCB within each stanza (again, this can vary, but this is the rhyme scheme I've chosen for this attempt!).

             My Dear Children

I love these kids who are so fun!
They make my life complete.
From morn to night and night to morn
They argue and compete.

They scuffle and they whine a bit
They roughhouse and they kick.
Sometimes they spit down from a branch
Oh what a rotten trick.

But by the end of each long day
They are my favorite kids.
They have a way with this, my heart
No others would I wish.


 I wasn't sure if the last line makes complete sense.  I would like, "For no others would I wish," but I can't have the extra syllable...
---or "to trade them God forbids." :)      (I thought of this for my last line; it made Gary and me laugh; however, Gary says he likes the line I have within the stanza better...  What do you think?

Oh, What a Crazy but-- OH SO FUN-- Day!!!

Why is it that spring break week feels so much busier than a "normal" week?  Take today, for instance...

I took 6 girls rollerskating.  I was going to take a picture of the Roller Derby Cuties and include it in my post, but I forgot my camera!  :(   My youngest and her friend were decked out in fluorescent striped tights; one girl had black and neon orange stripes; the other had black and neon yellow.  Both girls then donned shorts, t-shirts, and tall slipper boots.  The orange-tighted Roller Derby Cutey had bright green boots, while the yellow-tighted cutey had bright orange, tall boots.  We went to the store, too...I wonder what people thought!  ;)  The girls said they were hippies...

After three hours of roller skating and no broken bones, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandpa's hospital bed was delivered to his den/living room yesterday by Hospice.  We had to check it out...As we talked, Grandma noted that their coffee table was too big now, with the hospital bed in the room, so they needed something a bit smaller.  We agreed to look for one.

After visiting a bit, my son texted and said he hadn't been picked up from baseball practice.  Since we couldn't reach his dad, we packed up hurriedly and began our journey to get him...knowing he'd probably have to wait almost an hour from the time he got out of practice.  Ugh!  As we waited for the train en route, we finally were able to reach abandoned boy by phone, and he informed us that his dad had, indeed, retrieved him from practice.  Whew!  Now we could rest easy...or so we thought...

That was UNTIL we sighted a small coffee table out front of what I'm sure was a drug dealer's home--for sale--in the front yard.  Back to the bank we go...get some cash to get Gram that table...Back to home boy's house for the table, only to find no one home to pay. What to do?  I didn't have change...ATM's are not accommodating with the change dilemma...to the gas station-- down, across the road.  The nice cashier gave us change. Back to the scary house.  

Rap! Rap! Rap!

Rap! Rap! Rap!

Rap! Rap! Raaaaap!!!!!!

Since nobody would answer the door, we wrapped the money in a paper and left a note, sticking the wad in the door, hoping the right person found the cash...it looked like two renters occupied the home.

We loaded up the table and exited down the alley, only to find a recently-arrived old brown pickup truck in the drive.  That hadn't been there before!  There was a man in back, so we asked if the garage sale stuff was his.  Yep! Or so he says, I thought to myself!

I tried to explain that we left his money in the door, but he wanted me to go with him to show him...Ugh!  "My kids are in the van," I explained, "so I have to hurry."  Maybe that will prevent him from abducting me, I thought to myself!  No one would abduct a mom whose kids are waiting there for her, in the van, right???!!!

After showing the money to the kind man who asked my name and scared me just a little, I hurried back to the van, to head back to Grandma's with the table.  The girls sighed with relief...Mom was NOT abducted!!!   They informed me that they'd put the windows down so they could hear if I screamed, and they'd made a plan to take off in the van if so...Hmmmm....At least they were thinking of me!  What kind, smart, thoughtful girls!

Back to Gram's...

I insisted on "sanitizing" the table on her front porch.  I scrubbed with soap and water.  I'm not sure, but I think some of the scrubbed-off bits could have been old boogers...Oh my...What love I must have for these parents of mine!  :)

After it was scrubbed clean and then polished, we traded out big table for small one, moved the biggie to the big living room, and left the small one in its place.  The nice man laying carpet in the hall is probably aggravated with me, I thought, as I tiptoed around him, carrying the too-big table. 

Finally...we sighed and headed down the road...only to get a block away and remember we forgot to leave Grandma the cookies we'd baked for her...

I think I need a vacation...   :)

Easter

"...And while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Thank you, Jesus.  I am yours...

I wish a blessed Easter to all my slicing friends!!!

Goldfish AGAIN

Well, tonight we bought four goldfish.  I had sworn previously I would NEVER buy another animal, but there was Rhyss tonight...begging, begging, begging for a goldfish.  Since we spent the day at Grandma's helping prepare for Easter, and Rhyss was a really hardworking trooper, I acquiesced.

She insisted she knew RIGHT where the fishbowl was...That was one condition that had to be met before I finally agreed...She said it was in the cupboard in the upstairs bathroom...It was the fishbowl left from the beta we tried out last year.  She knew RIGHT where it was, remember.

Well, we got home about 10 minutes ago, and low and behold, no fishbowl can be found ANYWHERE in our home.. So now we are resorting to a large glass jar.

Hmmm....We shall see!

Why do we, as parents, find ourselves in these sticky situations?

A Day on the Lake

Ticklish water
laps the shore

Crying out
more, more, more

Angry clouds
gather quick

Biting fiercely
what a trick

Once so calm
now turmoil

Watch the waves
see them boil

Storm rolled in
calm destroyed

Once serene
now devoid

Ramblings...

My girls and I went to our church's Maundy Thursday service tonight.  I haven't been to this type of service since college. Since it had been so long, and since I didn't even really think through the specifics of this type of service, I didn't think about it being a foot washing ceremony.  Dumb of me, right?

My girls handled it so beautifully.  They rolled with the punches and were so gracious and humble.  I'm so proud of them...

On another note, sometimes things in life happen...and you wonder why...and you question the details or whys--but you know down deep that God is in control and orchestrating everything all along...It's always humbling and awe-inspiring when you SEE some of the why's for the reason things didn't go as originally planned with our infinite minds.

For example, last fall, my husband was supposed to get a full knee replacement.  He ended up injuring the same leg two weeks before his surgery date.  He went through about 4 months of treatment to heal the injured leg.  Surgery dates were set two or three times, only to have them moved because the crazy wound just would NOT heal.

In the midst of all of this delay, I began listening to neighbors and friends and discovered that another doctor at the same orthopedic hospital he was using was really more the specialist for what my husband needs.  The other surgeon we had chosen is very skillful in his specialty, but he's really more a sports injury specialist, for younger patients.

To make a long story short, just yesterday we were able to change to the surgeon who better "fits" my husband's case. Gary was able to see the doctor TODAY, and the physician also thinks he can replace one knee fully and repair the other, healthier knee of its cartilage damage during the same operation.

Isn't God amazing?  Thanks, God, for always looking out for us!  I am humbled at how you act and care--and so often I'm unaware that you're even involved or moving.  You are awesome!

Jasmine

Ode to Jasmine,
My furry friend,
Who drools as she watches
Food move from fingers to mouth.

Ode to Jasmine,
My loyal companion,
Who barks ferociously at the slightest noise
but offers lots of love and licks to any visitor we allow entrance.

Ode to Jasmine,
My emotional hound,
Who gets thoroughly depressed
When her family is gone for extended hours.

Ode to Jasmine,
My kind-souled mutt,
Who growls like she means it
When she thinks I might be angry at "her boy."

Ode to Jasmine,
My black-haired beast,
Who makes our family
oh so complete.

Whatever did we do
Before we had you?