#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

The mister

In the morning brook, in the rain, on St. Patrick’s Day, mister mallard is wearing bright green. missus Mallard paddles nearby, harder to see. Because the ice as gone and spring warmth is trickling in, I want my feet wet in the wetlands. Fluidity. There is flow and bubbling in the wetlands. Ducks back, looking to build. Hawks in the yard, a pheasant. Frank saw the groundhog today. I had a great swim. I worked hard on my poem for workshop, but it needs a lot. I got helpful and supportive feedback, but I will really need some time on this revision. Picked Wave up today, having left with a plan that my daughter would prepare a St. Patty’s day leprechaun surprise before he got home. But I couldn’t reach her by phone after he got into the car and I realized how very very excited and focused he was with expectations about a visit from a leprechaun. And I wasn’t sure she’d gotten to the store and gotten ready. . . I stalled where I could. This isn’t the daughter who is really into stuff like this. That’s Franci. So, I truly didn’t know what we’d find. I shouldn’t have doubted her though. We came into the house to a trail of gum drops leading to his stuffed animals dressed in his socks and underwear on their heads with little notes and clues for where to find the next clue––we even found leprechaun green pee in the toilet! He was full of delight. By the time we got to the pot o’ gold out in the garden, it was a bowl of a few dollar bills and some coins. (Neither of us could acquire the gold chocolate coins.) So, he had a wonderful time, full of zest and joy, and made us follow him around the trails of the woods running and looking for more leprechauns. Charlie would have loved being part of St. Patty’s with us. For dinner I did not make corned beef and cabbage, as my mother used to do. I made a blueberry pie with frozen wild Maine blueberries. Everyone appreciated the pie.