“There is joy in all”– from Welcome Morning, a poem by Anne Sexton.
First let’s get our bearings: 6:10 am. Light. It’s raining, lightly, not much wind, the buds are greening, so is the seaweed and the grass. The tide is out and the river flats are full of ducks, geese and gulls. It’s noisy with birdsong and about 45 degrees. Low tide.
All is quiet, for now.
I had every intention of keeping you posted daily this past week, but then I had to speak at the last Rivertalk evening of the winter on Wednesday. I spent all day writing, practicing, re-writing and re- talking and re-noting so I could deliver a 7 minute funny story at the Chilkat Center effortlessly. When I got there, I decided that the two I had memorized were no good (one involved a new couch) and instead told an impromptu story about going to church in Ocala, Florida a few weeks ago. I’ll tell you about them both sometime soon.
The kids arrived from Juneau for Easter on Friday (so Thursday was clean towels, and sheets and all of that, plus I’m on the radio in the afternoon.) There was the weekend of church services and a big party Sunday when the sun shone ( and a blitz of yard work and deck cleaning on Saturday to prepare) not to mention the food and party plans. It was so warm we were mostly outside. The teens played volleyball , the littles blew bubbles, found eggs, and smashed a piñata. The adults drank beer in the sunshine and laughed a lot.
I had hoped to share some pictures, but I am having technical difficulties, so excuse typos as well– (which could be the theme of another story…or my life.) I do very well with immediate tasks- the personal interactions and obligations that added altogether equal a day, a week, a good life. It’s the organization I’m not so great at. The problem with living in the moment is that it makes you unreliable.
Teddy ( six) had his birthday on Easter, which added to the fun and happy chaos, and today his cousin Henry is three. Henry loves policemen and wants to be one when he grows up so I called the dispatcher and we arranged for a visit. The Haines PD is bit short staffed right now so if there’s an emergency we may have to reschedule, but I have a backup plan. Henry’s sister Emilia ( five) loves animals, so I checked with the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel (HARK) about visiting times. They have expanded their hours to 9-5. That’s the good news, and it is also good, in the big picture, that there are no kittens or cats or dogs or puppies there right now that need homes. Stacy apologized that there wouldn’t be much for us to see. They only have one, small animal. But— and this is perfect — it is a spotted floppy-eared rabbit!
That’s my schedule today: cops and rabbits and cake. There’s another “little” party with the cousins. As Henry’s mother said last night, “There will only be fourteen for pizza and cake” — and jelly beans and the last of the chocolate and hard boiled eggs.
