Interactive Mothering #5

Well, another fine day with the boy and his cousin too.  Took them kayaking on Maumee River in the shiny new kayaks.  Imagine if you will applying two kayaks without a rack (yes, i know, we are getting one as soon as possible) to the top of a small pontiac grand am :) It was a bit difficult to manage the first time but with ropes on both ends and two ratchet straps round the middle, all was well.   By the way, for future reference do NOT pass the ratchet straps through the windows of the closed car doors, just in case you might want to get in the car.  :D Just sayin'.  We make it there, unload the kayaks, the boys paddle around for a bit near shore and become more confident, so they paddle out to the usual fishing spot.  Of course the wind picks up and the current is stronger than normal.  Needless to say, it was a bit of a harrowing experience for our young fellas and mom.  Safely back on shore, we eventually get around to loading the kayaks back on the car.  We get the first one up there with little problem other than a bit of thumping and bumping.  We go to the other side of the car and lift our 2nd kayak up and it thumps down in place and sends the first kayak right off the side of my car taking the passenger side mirror with it.  Oh yay for me!  Fortunately my car is 14 years old and not a show piece.  Eventually we get that puppy back up there and strap them on, only to find for a 2nd time that yes mom has strapped the door shut once again :D I was all for the boys climbing in the window but noooooooooooooo.  LOL  So we redid the straps.  I stopped by my favorite mechanics garage and he has recommended that I have someone screw the mirror back in place, but really it looks so stylish dangling from the door........right?!? :) LOL  

Valueable lessons for boys:


- Don't listen to mom when she says it's ok to go out to fishing spot in kayaks.
- Don't leave a man/boy behind even if you are scared.
- Don't let mom put straps on car with doors shut.

These are only a few of my interactive mothering experiences :) More to come I have no doubt.  I have heard people whispering about girls and cars............AArrrghhhhhhhhaahhh!

Moms know Best

What's Good for You...

Sugar sweet,
Medicine vile.
Mom's so mean
Full of bile.

She always says
now be good.
Gives me meds.
I misunderstood.

This is good?
In what way?
"I'm fine!" I shout.
Throughout the day.

The cough has gone.
The fever fled.
Now leave me mother
I dread that med!

Horrid flavor,
Wretched taste
Makes me shudder
Worse than paste!

Mom's just smilin'
Spoon at the ready.
Knowing better,
"C'mere, Freddy."

She's so mean,
I don't know why.
She used to love me
In days gone by.

Judy Ponceby

Feb 4

Make a Difference!

This story illustrates beautifully to me what each one of us could do to make the world a better place.  I for one want to make life a little better when and where I can.  :) 

Beware of Dragons, my Friends!!

After the Vengeance

 

byJudy Ponceby

Dragon slain,
Vile creature,
Pillaging our home.

Family lying dead
Torn to bloody shreds
In the rubble of destruction.

Senseless slaughter,
Unreasoning winged monster,
Murdering and razing.

Vengeance has been mine.
Hunted down, to its bower,
Slain without mercy.

As it has shown none,
So have I.
Vengeance sought and found.

Exhaustion, grief, pain,
Now mine,
Tell me I have lived this horror.

But going on?
Inconceivable,
Grief unreliquished.

Sinking to my knees,
Praying to that God,
Begging final peace.

No answer given.
Only the quiet sound,
Of one spared.

Calling for help,
Beneath debris,
Safely sheltered.

Tis my own,
My child,
My reason.

Oct 11, 2010

Day at the Beach...

Along the Shore

by Judy Ponceby

 

Crusty crabs
           scuttle through
                        the tide pools.

Fish dart among
                 undulating
                         sea-weed forests.

Salted breezes
             push waves
                       on to shore.

Seagulls
         surf the ocean
                           rhythm.

Tides rise and fall.
                 Waves roll in.
                               Peace abides.

Nov 30, 2011

Another Arachnid Update! :)

The monster spider has been identified as Dolomedes.  AKA the river spider, wharf spider.  It can walk on water, go underwater and mainly lives on insects and occasionally small fish.  :D Yay!!!

Arachnid Update!!!

Yes!! I went back out to the Maumee fishing with my son again!  And the spider was STILL there!! and I obtained an even better picture of it.  Not perfect mind you, but soooo much better.  Be prepared to meet The River Monster! :D

Arachnids, yep I love 'em :)

Out on another fishing/geocaching trip.  We were sitting on some rocks in the middle, yes, the middle of the Maumee River, where thankfully someone had the good sense to paddle me to in a kayak.  Thanks to my brother Charles, a prince among men :) Granted a little rough around the edges for a prince but I digress. :) As we were sitting there, the boys were fishing and Brendan said there was a huge spider where he had been sitting.  I figured it was an ordinary wolf spider or some such critter.  But of course, curiosity pulled me in and I went to look.  Behold!! The mother of all spiders was sitting there.  No wonder the kid was concerned, it could have eaten him in two bites!!  Of course being the mom with absolutely no sense that I am, I reach out and POKE it with my finger.  It didn't budge.  It sat there like, "C'mon! Is that all you got!"  It was huge!  Fortunately I like spiders.  It did run under the large rock on the tiny sandbar we were on.  And I really tried hard to take its picture, but alas I only have these blurry legs reaching up over a smaller rock to show you. 

And in honor of my friend the spider I give you a poetic tribute:

Wolf Hunter

byJudy Ponceby

 

Twas a Wolf Spider,
wandering around.
Searching for dinner,
On the dark ground.

It didn't make webs,
didn't have a tunnel,
No traps or sticky threads,
No venom or funnel.

But deadly nonetheless,
Striking so quick.
Relentlessly tracking,
And, named for this trick.

Traveling quickly,
Hiding from the light,
Stalking its prey,
Having a bite.

Now some say they're icky,
Some get creeped out.
But taking the time,
to just look about.

Shows how essential,
are these little creatures.
Intricate killing spiders,
with deadly brown features.

Oct 11, 2010

Sweet Sensations

A Rose

by Judy Ponceby

 

Close your eyes.

Immerse yourself
in
the sensuous treasure
of
a rose.

Sweet scented
seduction.

Soft, fragile petal
grazing your cheek.

Find yourself
enamored
of cool
dew
that slipped
the trenches
of a nimbus cloud and
settled on this
speck of
earth-bound beauty
inspiring
procreative
urges.

For Creative Poetry at Writer's Cafe.

Words 10/3:  Trenches.  Immerse.  Nimbus.  Speck.  Procreative.  Enamored.  
Treasure.  Rose.  Petal. 

 

Oct 8, 2011

Interactive Mothering #4

Hi.  Another day with my son on Friday. :) I love it.  I do NOT love the heat, 100 degrees plus.  We picked up his friend and went to my brother's house because we were going fishing with him and my nephew.  Well, a 2 hour fishing trip turned into a whole day of activity.  We found a geocache down the block from my brother's house.  Ian and his friend were very excited, but my 10 yr old nephew didnt get what the point of having coordinates that he thinks takes you right to the site.  I tried to explain that they are not completely accurate and the fun is in the find.  He didn't buy it.  He's very adamant about what he knows :)  Then we went to a little bridge and the boys fished for chubs and crayfish for bait.  Following this fun trip, we went down to Van Tassel and let the boys fish and kayak.  They had a blast.  My brother and I watched for awhile from the shore, and then because it was like a frying pan we got in the car, turned on the air conditioning and watched from there :)   Attempted another geocache but couldn't find it.  Everyone had fun :) Another fun day hanging out with the boys :) 

Interactive Mothering #3

Well gosh, what could a bored 13 yr old and his mom do on a day that is 100 degrees?  Go swimming, stay cool??   Nooooooo......we went Geocaching with Ian's friend Brendan.  In case you have never done this fun activity I will post the link at the end.  The gist of it is that people all over the world hide containers at certain GPS locations and you track them down, find them, log yourself on the notebook, and put the container back in exactly the same position.  Kind of like hide and seek.  I would have loved it except for the heat.  We chose 4 sites and were able to find 2.  One involved an ungodly trek (because we went THROUGH the brush and briars instead of the nice wide trail where we should have been) and we didn't find the location.  That was our first location.  But being made of sturdy stuff we persevered and found the next two!! :) Yay us!! :) Then sadly we were unable to find the 4th one, but Brendan came up with a baseball as a souvenir.  Ian spotted the two we found.  One container was covered in camoflauge tape!!  Sneaky people.  LOL  Apparently the plan is to go to a nearby town that has 8 caches in it and find them and do a little fishing on the side. :) Can't wait to see what happens there.

www.geocaching.com

Try it, you'll like it. :) lol

I Loved Swinging as a Child

The Swing 

by Judy Ponceby

Take a seat and push with your feet.
Feel the smooth, rocking glide.

Pump your legs hard and fast.
Hold on tight to the chains.

As you rise higher, ever higher
Reach out and touch the clear blue sky.

Rush through the air, defy gravity.
Lean back against the forward motion

And feel the sheer
                             joy
                                   of
                                       being.

Sep 22, 2011