For the Love of June

Welcome, summer! Yes, I know the summer solstice is still a few weeks away, but Minnesotans are in full summer mode. The gardens are bursting, the school year is wrapping up, we’ve put chairs outside so we can plop down and linger anytime we want. There’s nothing like living in a place that includes winterContinue reading “For the Love of June”

Sharing Mother’s Day

This year, my granddaughter Camille’s twelfth birthday fell on Mother’s Day. My son Shawn hosted a brunch to celebrate both the birthday and all things mother-related. All this mother/grandmother needed to do was show up with some breakfast sausage. And Camille’s birthday present, of course. In my head, Camille’s birthday got first billing. I’ve beenContinue reading “Sharing Mother’s Day”

Of Birds and Warm Weather

By the time this post is public, it’ll be chilly again here in Minnesota. We are in the midst of a heatwave as I write this on a Thursday afternoon, temperatures in the 80s with small piles of snow lingering in shady, hidden places. Two weeks ago, family from Wisconsin arrived on our doorstep; whenContinue reading “Of Birds and Warm Weather”

Talking About On Shifting Shoals with Poet Joanne Durham

On Shifting Shoals, poems by Joanne Durham (Kelsay Books, 2023). Chapbook, $17.00. I recently had the pleasure of reading another poetry collection by Joanne Durham: On Shifting Shoals, her new chapbook published by Kelsay Books. Joanne agreed to have a conversation about the work for One Minnesota Crone. Here is that conversation, with OMC standing for One MinnesotaContinue reading “Talking About On Shifting Shoals with Poet Joanne Durham”

When Making Lasagna on Sunday Afternoon Feels Miraculous

The never-ending snow floats past the bay window where our houseplants hang out, clean our indoor air, and provide respite from the white landscape of a Minnesota winter. The last time I checked, the snow pile outside the front door formed from our many winter driveway clearings is taller than I am. Some of theContinue reading “When Making Lasagna on Sunday Afternoon Feels Miraculous”

My Creative Spark Journal

Prologue: As I got this post ready, I was keenly aware that I was not going to address what is going on in the United States – and the world – right this minute: multiple mass shootings, another Black man killed by police, the loss of women’s rights on 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade,Continue reading “My Creative Spark Journal”