Wandering through with a cleanup crew, Sarah reflected on how much they could make once it was cleaned up. But she wasn’t ready to bring that up – yet. So out loud she said, “Gah, what a PLACE! Between the MOLDY smell and odd bits like that random QUILL and cracked vase, we are going to have a devil of a time getting it clean enough to sell. When was the house BUILT?”

Georg’ann

My best friend eased the car down the DRIVE, turned left onto the gravel road and headed to the small cemetery where we liked perch atop a gravestone and talk. Usually we walked, but today we decided to take her parents’ car- they were away for 24 hours. It was our first time being left alone and we were up for adventure. A teen risk. Neither of us had a license or permission to drive, nor, obviously any experience.

It was a late afternoon in September when yellowjackets aggressively come for food. Do they sense the ending of their days when sunlight comes at an angle and nights have a chill?

One got in her soda can, with the next sweet sip came a sharp STING, suddenly her lip grew THICK. We weren’t worried that it could be FATAL, yet we did feel an urgency to get home. Back in the car no amount of turning the key in the ignition resulted in the engine turning over. Only silence. In a panic we simply left the car in the cemetery and ran down the lane. We had no idea what we’d say, there was no lie to be BUILT. We were in big trouble.

After the sting had been tended and the truth of the car revealed, my mom went back with us to asses the situation. As it turned out we had left the car in drive when we turned it off. The only problem had been operator error. Our grand adventure ended with one fat lip, a few harsh lectures, and a lengthy period of significant restriction.

Heather

“The LODGE is the perfect place to relax, go SLACK,
cheerfully STALL and procrastinate, and indulge in SMALL delights.” I read out loud from the brochure. “Well, what do you think? Are you persuaded? Here, look at the pictures.” I hand you the brochure, eagerly scanning your face for any indication that you are willing to go. “I know it is not your usual choice, being more of a serious traveler, but I think that it could be nice to get away and rest.” I speak in a casual, off-handed way, certain that will get me what I want more than an urgent plea will.

Georg’ann

Sifting through years of ribbon and bows,
rolls, folds, and pieces of printed paper.
Out falls a silver SCRAP, a tag addressed to me from you.
Childlike printing in a SHADE of green,
the effect not unlike a celery STALK.
This SMALL treasurer waiting
in the folds of recycle and reuse
or pristine paper waiting it’s turn
to be cut, folded, taped, ripped, gathered
and put back in the wrapping box,
perhaps with some small scrap attached
destined to be a serendipitous gift
received in some future season of giving.

Heather

Speak up and lay CLAIM
Your LABOR is powerful
Sit at the TABLE

Georg’ann

Twinges of GRIEF whisper
within the twinkles
as I sit gazing at the tree,
lit with strands of sparkles
CHEAP red wine in hand,
unconsecrated yet still redeeming.

By myself in reverie, allowing
dark and light to play alongside.
So little required to bring me
into the fullness of everything.
The LEAST bits come together,
all welcome at this TABLE.

Heather

CHAIR by the OCEAN
Feet up, steaming cup o’ Joe
Gulls fight over BACON

Georg’ann

Seeking something to DRINK
after an early morning hike
we stopped at the Scenic View
perched above the snaky road
giving but a glimpse of the lake.

Settling in, hunger joined thirst
Early LUNCH, black bean burger
with a SCANT smear of brown mustard.
You went for brunch in a glass
a Bloody Mary that came like a centerpiece.
a crudité display, stalks and baubles galore
draped with 3 wide curls of BACON
gracing the vase-like glass as if it were ribbon.

Heather

Having looked up the CHART of countries, I think about how we COULD send it back. But do I still have the paperwork? Is it in a drawer, hidden under a random GLOVE? or lost in a frenzy of cleaning? I spin the GLOBE, a gift to you, made many years ago. It came with a promise that if countries changed, they would update it. We have ignored this so far, through boundary and names changes over the years. It makes me wonder: do we have places like that in our lives, our relationship? The outdated names for parts of ourselves that we refuse to adjust? I ponder and wonder, thinking how this will be a silly topic for us over dinner, like a pretend academic seminar. “Geopolitics: metaphor for love?”

Georg’ann

The mood had struck to get dressed super SMART. We hadn’t planned beyond the preparations, and really there was no where to go. Wondering the streets we FOUND a small tavern, set back in time, and ironically behind an old fashioned street CLOCK painted bright red. Inside everything was draped in evergreen garland and twinkling lights which reflected off the long mirror behind the dark, heavy wood bar. I took off my opera GLOVES and unbuttoned my long, wool coat. The overall atmosphere was cheerful and warm. We took our seats at the bar and each ordered a festive cocktail- yours sweet and pepperminty, mine layered with smoky spice. Above us you noticed a GLOBE of mistletoe and leaned forward for a kiss. Pulling apart we laughed, and continued our conversation without hesitation, drinks in hand.

Heather

At PEACE —
Enjoy end of day.
Full with SPICY pasta —
Savor lingering tastes.
Ready to write —
Pull TOPIC from thin air.

Georg’ann

QUERY has begun,
which PITCH resonates within-
crucial choir TOPIC.

Heather

To cast spell to protect against a card CHEAT, follow these instructions before your next game. Put dabs of animal BLOOD under the corners of the playing table. Then tie a red string around the table leg closest to true north, saying as you do so, “tricks be gone, deceit be shown, lies stands alone.” Then when you play cards, the deception will be exposed by the red stain that will appear on the hand of the WOULD-be cheater.

Georg’ann

Last night I turned waning apples
and long frozen cranberries
into a favorite comfort – fruit CRISP.
Thought I longed for the day to end,
let it be time to nestle in blankets.

Winds had BLOWN the WHOLE day.
Almost ready to take a hot shower,
slip on WOOLY socks and be still,
but not quite yet. The apples call.

In the kitchen listening to Koko Taylor’s earthy blues,
while measuring and mixing,
my body WOULD not stop its motion.
She is blowing me around,
I am carried away.

Heather

TOUGH days on the floor, found her with a wan and PASTY pallor. She could not wait to get home, STRIP off her scrubs, and unwind. Wrung out, wiped out, however you put it: she was SPENT after a 12 hour shift.

Georg’ann

1.
Within they wrestle.
Parts take their STAND,
you are SPENT.
SCENT of home, rest now.

2.
Walking to the STAND,
I smell the familiar SCENT
Cash soon will be SPENT

Heather

I almost HEARD it, the WHEEL of ideas turning in Mother’s head as she picked the THEME for the next dinner party. THESE were moments I looked forward to — the pondering, the playful consideration of the menu, the guest list, the centerpiece. Indeed, the anticipation was almost as delicious as the event itself.

Georg’ann

An empty PLACE.
Nothing QUITE right.
Nothing really wrong.
Fill it with this or that?
Definitely not THOSE,
but maybe THESE?

Heather

It is in this place that I became CLEAR
In this town, where I came to EXIST more fully
That I settled in and built
The contours of my life in this container
Beloved and well-worn survivor
It is, also, the brick and mortar expression of us
Where we hang out with our POSSE
Where we express all the things
The HOUSE on University Street

Georg’ann

Warm light in the COURT,
filtered through the soft fir BOUGH
Inside our HOUSE, peace.

Heather

Above the COUCH, a CHART, written in CHALK, lists who is the CHAMP of the week. The classroom-like urge to separate the wheat from the CHAFF doesn’t work so well in the home. Brenda still finds herself running around after children who are on the hunt for trouble. This never-ending CHASE can set off a CHAIN of events that she tries steer towards laughter (because who wants to cry?). And what were they thinking when they added a puppy, two kittens, and a rabbit to the mix?

Georg’ann

Your GHOST story shared.
Slow painful tears, not tingles.
Truth CHARM, CHAIN loosens.

Heather

Is it a CHEAT to SHOUT out
When you see the SHIRT
That will be the perfect gift?
Is it too much to give a shove,
To SHIFT heaven and Earth to reach the sale counter?
Holiday shopping frenzy changes all the rules!

Georg’ann

Rolling cookie DOUGH
Wind blowing the CHIME outside
SHIFT comes in small joys

Heather

The day? A TRIAL
The respite?
A glass of CHARD
A seat on the WHARF
A plate of cheese
SHARP knife at the ready

Georg’ann

Twinkle LIGHT, darkness
Winter PHASE brings clarity
SHARP contrasts abound.

Heather

She is working her way through the inventory, and next up is a Roman CAMEO of the god Neptune. She runs her finger down the INDEX, searching for the exact reference. It has been a month since Sylvia has come to work at the newly opened museum. The SWEEP and scope of the collection is a bit overwhelming. She had interned at another, smaller place and had been able to STEEP herself in the collection in just a year. This one felt like she would need many years to comprehend what was before her. But no point borrowing trouble. First she needs to make sure this stunningly carved god is indeed correctly catalogued. She is so engrossed that she doesn’t hear the steps coming behind her. And by the time she does, it is too late. Everything goes dark and when she talked about it later with the police, she struggled to explain. No, she hadn’t gone to SLEEP at work. No, she hadn’t heard anything
before she passed out. And no, she couldn’t explain where the piece of priceless Roman antiquity she had been working on had gone. Sylvia could not shake the sense that there was something she was missing, if only she could remember.

Georg’ann

I crave fresh squeezed JUICE,
quietly SPEAK goodbye.
Sate while still you SLEEP.

Heather

The old CLOCK chimed and instead of a cuckoo, out came the oddest pair. Hard to think of any OTHER situation where it would be okay, but a dinosaur paired with a snowman?? Somehow it worked for this silly Alpine cuckoo clock. We WOUND it again and again just to see them pop out of their doors and spin round, to the delight of an old WOMAN and her grandchildren. Their chuckles and giggles did much to relieve the tedium of working in my uncle’s antique shop.

Georg’ann

Uninvited GUEST
invades you, CHOIR sings sorrow.
Illness takes WOMAN

Heather

The appointment gave me pause. Understandable, I suppose: thinking about one’s aging brain is not a very comfortable PLACE to be. Still, I sit in the discomfort and ponder how to slow down the inevitable. In the process, I feel like the child at the dinner table pushing the undesirable bits of dinner ROUND the plate, to make it seem like she’s taken bites. I want to say to the universe, “may I be excused? May I leave this table of things I really don’t want?” Alongside this surging desire to run away, there is the stand and fight urge, to MOUNT a campaign as it were, to fight back. I imagine people saying, “she’s doing quite well for her age, isn’t she? Her mind is still so sharp, etc, etc.” Not to mention that awful wistful feeling: oh how I miss being YOUNG!

Georg’ann

What would happen if I wrote you nothing?
You would love me still, with understanding.
Such importance we place on accountability,
without honest expression of limitations,
Rarely acknowledging choice is possible.
Struggling to find words to MATCH my mood,
not wanting to SPOIL the practice, the tether.
You FOUND a pathway, let me join you there.
Today I wish to be YOUNG, the age of animal crackers
and mud pies. When stories were read to me
I was held in someone’s arms, no decisions to make.

Heather

CLEAR and ROUND —
I am seldom a source of WORRY —
My WORTH does not change —
Despite being locked away for a year,
I do not look my WORST
When you pull me out
And I look my best when you hang me up
What am I?
(A Christmas tree ornament)

Georg’ann

Since they’d met in preschool, Olive and Shirley had been inseparable. Fast friends and loyal supporters of one another no matter the situation. In the face of any trouble either would VOUCH for the other with a level of POISE and sincerity that always worked to deflect doubt.

Afterwards they liked to BOAST to themselves, and only to themselves, for they were far too clever to risk letting on about their mostly harmless antics or their tactics for avoiding detection. Birds of a feather, together they ruled the ROOST until the WORST came to pass…

Heather

Staring at the BLACK waters swirling under the WHARF, he hears some giggles and an unexpected exclamation of “NEATO!” Despite being somewhat hidden by the bait shop (closed at this late hour), he could hear the sound of running and more giggles. Detective Vincent Raleigh did not welcome this intrusion. The night and his own dark mood had placed its STAMP upon the moment. He shook his head, wondering if he would have to change his expression so that he didn’t frighten the teenagers (if that’s who they were). Sigh this was not what he needed right now: he was mulling over his last case. Oh well, perhaps they would take their shenanigans elsewhere. He would try to stay hidden or maybe he could walk past them. Alas, this was not to be. The sounds were changing – a very clear and distinct feminine “No!” could be heard. He couldn’t hear the reply but he knew the sounds of a scuffle. Raleigh stepped out to see – and too late he couldn’t see what was happening, but was that a splash? In a split second he was out and running – easy enough to ADAPT that dark mood into the energy needed to deal with whatever was happening.

Georg’ann

I admire the tenacity of a small patch of THYME
growing in isolation out of the pea gravel
along the walkway.
Whether clipped formally or left to sprawl,
as in neglected,
her delicate little leaves cling closely
to their tender upright stems,
cheery sprigs on gnarled, leggy growth.

Year round she softens the stone STAIR,
greeting all who pass with a scented caress.
Flavors the carrot soup, roasted vegetables,
and tea cakes, plucked leaf by leaf
or giving her essence full stemmed.

Oh that I were like this PLANT,
able to ADAPT so gracefully
to conditions and attentions
less than ideal, while effortlessly lending
softness and substance in every season.

Heather

I wasn’t AWARE of where it would lead —
I couldn’t know what it MEANT —
But the moment I asked,
A whole trajectory was launched:
“Pardon me, is this seat TAKEN?”

Georg’ann

With timid voice and words that are hard to decipher,
they tell me of the hiding PLACE, the interior closet
where still they are not safe.
Trying to describe a brain too full,
a brain too loud, over occupied within

We sit so still, tears falling
Yes, I, too have tears
while I muster all the calm, protective love I can
to soothe and steady us both.
I suspect the medication has not been TAKEN.

Heather

I took on a baking project today. Flustered and a bit ungrounded, I found it hard to SHAPE the loaf. This recipe, orange cinnamon swirl loaf is a familiar one, but I have not made it in decades. I am feeling now like I should have been content to let it EXIST only in my memory. Somehow I did manage to get it rolled up in what looked like a reasonable facsimile of how I remember it. Though, once I cut into I feel as if I was more of a MISER than I meant to be with the cinnamon and sugar. The orange peel looks quite pretty in the dough and the confectioner’s sugar glaze. The orange bits make me think of amber, though thankfully, unlike a hard chemical RESIN, they are tender and flavorful.

Georg’ann

Walking at day BREAK
black trees SCORE the pink blush sky
RESIN for my heart

Heather

Watching her daughter on stage, Victoria felt a little MISTY about the eyes. She was so grateful that Bella wanted to dance. Victoria had bent over backwards not to steer her to ballet, so as not to seem to be forcing Bella to follow in her footsteps. But in the end, her daughter seemed to love ballet as much as she did. Thankfully, the rest of the family didn’t mind. No one made an ISSUE of the piles of slippers and toe shoes, the spray cans of ROSIN, not to speak of what seemed like mountains of tutus, tights, skirts, sweaters, leg warmers, and leotards. Victoria smiled – it was such a delight, sitting in the auditorium and watching the rehearsal. So much magic as Bella and the rest of the children rehearsed for their big performance. Much to everyone’s delight, the ballet school planned a performance of “If I Were a SUSHI Roll,” a contemporary ballet scaled down for children. Even better, for the after party, Victoria and the other parents had scoured the Internet and had found recipes to make little bites of rice and cheese in the shapes of ballet slippers and tutus. Tedious as heck, but so much fun!

Georg’ann

SMART cat, warms itself
sun beams SHINE on wood, laughter,
SUSHI on table.

Heather

Wield a sword! Flex with all your MIGHT! SWEAR fealty to all that is good!Ginny pedaled so hard that every SPOKE on her bike blurred. Her ponytail streamed behind her. She and Jimmy yelled their battle cries, going like the wind. The empty field offers wide SCOPE for play, and Ginny and Jimmy and their friends are determined to make the most of it. Imaginary foes, vivid tales of heroics — no epic tale can top this gang of 10 year olds and their imaginations.

Georg’ann

It wasn’t meant to IMPLY anything,
intended as a simple PRANK.

Innocent and playful, yet
with light SPEED a fervor arose

the SCOPE of which couldn’t be
contained, your pain unbound.

Unintended implications, carelessly
released, regrets unceasing.

Heather

I watch as they come, one after another — some to BATHE, some to drink — in the heated bird bath. We have a TACIT understanding, the birds and I, that I will dependably put food and water out for them and they will oblige by coming to our backyard. We cheerfully ignore one another during the hot days, but once the temperatures drop, we are very aware of each other. There is no cat or dog in the yard to TAUNT or threaten them, so they feel quite safe hanging around waiting. I step out each morning, politely saying hello, as I refill feeders and replenish the water. They stare at me from a safe distance — mostly doves, wrens, finches, juncos — ready to land and feast. Their various shades of brown, TAWNY, bits of red, and flashes of white blend with the fallen leaves and grey skies. I am fascinated by how this drab color scheme nevertheless conveys energy and brings me so much joy. I
could watch their activities for hours as if it were the most multicolored spectacular production I have ever seen.

Georg’ann

We walk along the pier,
headed toward the sea lion viewing spot,
our GREAT pleasure to watch them
lolling on the platforms
that support the structure.
Their huge bodies tucked in mass
a few feet above the water.
Along the way we stop
at Marini’s candy shop
to buy a pound of TASTY
salt water TAFFY.
The sugary bites we put in our mouths
are as soft and sweet as my daughter’s sun kissed cheeks.
I look from her to the creatures below,
noting the TAWNY markings
of their fur and her freckles.

Heather

I cherish THOSE after-party moments —
SORRY that it had to end —
When the morning silence holds
More than the absence of SOUND —
Feeling that connections have softened
The often too SOLID barriers that isolate:
I sit at the same table, replete, and
I can believe in a world that has
Possibilities and abundance.

Georg’ann

Fluid BELOW, surface SOLID
This season, layered states.
Union of opposition.

Heather

The SPACE between us almost BROKE me — I was
QUITE uncertain of how to proceed. No GUIDE available for navigating this distance. Even though it was almost four decades ago, I remember it well. It was the time before emails, no cell phones. Just letters and long-distance phone calls. We did end up surviving that time. But the vulnerability is occasionally still there: a cold chilling finger reaching across the years.

Georg’ann

Dinner preparation comes to a halt,
You STARE, fury in your eyes,
as I place the garlic CLOVE into the press.
Harshly you JUDGE me, we argue
about garlic- to press or to peel and mince.
A decade passes, standing in your kitchen
you GUIDE an unpeeled clove into a silver press.
Squeezing firmly you acknowledge
the lowering of your standard.
We sip wine and snip herbs,
two sisters cooking together.

Heather

I WOULD gladly be
SWORN to thee
Cupid’s ARROW
I will not flee
And when, at last, a kiss
You THROW to me:
Thus my fate sealed,
My heart forever healed

Georg’ann

What’s the STORY, moon?
Shinning into my TOWER
to THROW these love beams.

Heather

Little Cat

GRACE embodied, step
So QUIET – alert, ears
Twitching
Veritable QUEEN
Of the garden

Georg’ann

The hand was surely won, she’d DRAWN the QUEEN
she needed! Oh, she could not wait to lay her cards down.
Then came devastation. Poor Eleanor’s triple was outplayed by Jamie’s full house. Thus ended the holiday card playing tradition for another year.

Heather

It’s been a little rough coming home. I had imagined landing and being able to just move forward: no jet lag, no illness. I wanted to believe that I could just STEAM ahead – fully, completely – like I have done before. But, alas, that has not been the case. I struggle with how off-balance I have been, and this serves to ERODE my confidence in my ability to travel for such a long time. CHIEF among my concerns is my aging body, as well as an increased sense of vulnerability when traveling. Will we have to curtail travel abroad? Limit ourselves to the PINEY woods of North Carolina or art museums of Indiana? Or travel virtually – like the old travel films at the IU Auditorium (aimed at the armchair or solely nostalgic traveler)? I grapple with the notion that all too soon I might be relegated to staring at a PIXEL on a screen, trying to convince myself it’s as good as being there.

Georg’ann

Our morning activity,
a zen photography walk
to cultivate presence-
necessary for sitting with
rather than doing to

After they’d gone for the day
I created a slideshow
of their world views
seeing what of mine
I recognized in theirs

In the grey of today
I’m holding LIGHT
shining through SILKY milkweed filament
gossamer strands beginning
to separate, finding the wind
they’ll blow across the FIELD
This image in PIXEL form
opens a softness in me
so delicate I, too, could be
carried on a gentle breeze

Heather

It was in the middle of a very bad STORM, exactly the kind of situation where Delia hated to have her phone go off. You would think with all these years of working as a doula she would have grown accustomed to it. After all, changes in barometric pressure – the usual thunderstorms, tornadoes, and snowstorms – did seem to throw her clients into labor. She had taken many a middle of the night drive in bad weather. Nevertheless, she didn’t love it. At least she had gotten a chance to take the CANOE out this afternoon, well before the clouds had gathered.

Her conversation with her client was short and encouraging. Delia had a list of questions she always asked after the obvious ones about length and timing of contractions. This client had indeed napped and eaten a normal dinner, things that would be helpful later. Hanging up, she spun around, frustrated that it always took longer to get out of the house than she hoped. Now,where had she put her keys? Ah, there – on the PIANO. Taking a big breath, she quietly opened the door and stepped into wind and rain. Making a dash for the car seemed her only choice. A wild night to be born, she thought, as she took a breath. Settling in for the drive across town, a grin spread across her face, downpour or no downpour, she thought, “God, I love my job!”

Georg’ann

After the ANGRY eruption
we both sat in silence.
BLANK faced, no response.
Despair settled like volcanic ash.
Eventually one of us rose,
and then the other, retreating
from the massive mess.
Walking past the music STAND
I regretted having used my voice,
not the PIANO, to unleash my fury.
My words, he never understands.

Heather

Sara sought to TEACH her dog how to CARRY things for her. Her sweet girl was really smart and possessed of a very CANNY mind. Once the she had figured out what was wanted, the dog did indeed perform to perfection every time. And then one day it occurred to Sara that the dog was sneaking bits of food out of the bags she carried. It was the cherry tomatoes that gave it away, something the dog loved like a little kid with CANDY.

Georg’ann

What is the EXTRA mile?
where is the line drawn?
and who drew it?

taking a DAILY measurement
of sufficiency is HANDY
before going past the finish,

abundant like a box of CANDY
or meager reserve, insufficient
stop at your line to assess

Heather

A PLATE with cheeses. Two knives artfully arranged. Basket with a selection of breads and crackers. Bottle of water. Carafe of wine. Two glasses.

I CHOSE carefully, with you in mind. Thinking and considering what would please and delight. A plate of fruit – picked to tempt and tantalize. Contrasts of colors and textures. Focus on just the right level of ripeness in the pear. Crisp and sharp for the apple. Soft and sensuous for the berries.

Every item expresses gratitude. Each piece says welcome. My heart full – appreciative that you wanted to make the DRIVE, make the effort to see me.

Other lovers might take a different measure – be impressed by the elegant restaurant, the need to stand in a QUEUE for the hard to get in spot, a brag that I had to bribe and wheedle a reservation at such and such a place.

Not for us. This, this simple homely display is more than enough.

I make a few small adjustments and sit. Holding the tension between confidence and vulnerability, waiting for you to complete the scene.

Georg’ann

He moves like the tin man
stilted, unbalanced.
EXTRA focus needed to move
from one place to the next.

Lacking POISE is an adjustment
for this man who used to run
and dance, move with a swagger.

We don’t DELVE too deeply
on the loss of grace.
Many are the laden conversations
we don’t have after he struggles
to stand in QUEUE for this or that.

I walk ahead, beside, or behind
ready to steady should the tilt topple.
Sometimes we walk independently,
as if in the past.
Or apart in some place far less honorable.

Heather

My mind feels quite STALE. I try and PRINT out some ideas, but really, I can’t THINK of where to begin.

Georg’ann

An EXTRA serving of pie?
Don’t THINK twice!

Heather

She walked out onto the stage, certain that the SWEAT beading on her brow would be visible from the balcony. The musicians waited, attentive. She picked up the BATON and so it began. From that point forward, everything was a blur: she knows that she got through the concert, they did well, the applause was real. But honestly it wasn’t until the PARTY afterwards that she came back down to Earth. Like waking up after a particularly long and involved dream, she blinked a few times and wondered how she was standing, holding a glass of champagne, accepting congratulations, and smiling. Fortunately, her trance state did not cause her to TARRY, as it would have been bad form to be TARDY to the celebration after the concert.

Georg’ann

World needs EXTRA care
Too much TRASH everywhere, sad
Response is TARDY

Heather

Feeling his GLOVE gently brush the edge of her own, in that vulnerable spot on the underside of her wrist… Well, it is not an exaggeration to say that she felt quite FAINT for a moment. It was like offering a CRUST of bread to someone who is starving. Indeed, in a way she was starving – starved of touch, of intimacy. It had been far too long since she had felt that kind of desire, the kind that makes you weaken in the knees. For now she accepted this little taste, and would TRUST that there was more to come.

Georg’ann

After resisting for months, I found myself making a QUICK turn, unexpectedly heading toward the POUND. I’d never been before.
“We’re just looking!” I tell my daughter.
3 hours later I have to LAUGH as we complete the adoption paperwork. Two adorable kitties are coming home with us. We’ve passed the test, they will TRUST us to be capable pet owners for JoJo and Stella.
After a few days, Stella will come to choose a neighbor family, rejecting us fully. JoJo will become Dolce, an aptly named feline – truly one of the sweetest cats ever known.

Heather