Hello Friends

I wanted to say hello to all of my friends out there who I didn't mention in my 'Friends' blog post the other day; I know some of you read this blog, so I didn't want you to feel un-appreciated! These people make my life so rich and fun. Some are old friends, some relatively new. Please know how important you all are to me:-) My mom, Debby, Farzad, Nedda, Ann K., Jen, Debra, Amy, Diane, Betty, Erin, Mary, Michelle, Jodi. Some of you have given me very sound homeschooling advice, some of you are fellow politicos, some of you are just plain wonderful to talk with. Without your individual perspectives on life, mine would be much less rich and interesting.

Of course, I must mention my Carl here. He is truly my BFF. Not only do I love him, I actually really, REALLY like him. Ditto for Trent & Luke. Ditto for my big, lovely extended family:-) Ditto for Melissa Pratte -- fellow clothes horse, lipgloss junkie, garage sale maven, literature lover and Billy Collins fan.

This weekend is filled with garage sales, yard work, hopefully some time to read and bake, and a trip to Clarinda, IA to celebrate Trent's birthday. Lovely spring weekend!!

And now, a poem:

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.