Category Archives: Slice of Life

Dog Park Sage

Family, Pets, Slice of Life
Part of Slice of Life on Two Writing Teachers

I’m still thinking about the
pregnant woman at the dog park

She’s due in 2 months
Her dog has 2 months
to live

She had been expecting adorable
Golden and baby days
And now she will be saying goodbye
to her fur baby and hello to her new baby

“We don’t know,”
she says,
“Would we be crazy
to get a new puppy?”

I paused
I’m too young to be the old woman looking back like this—
advising

“Well,
people do it,”
I landed on
and then quickly added,
“but I don’t recommend it”

A father and a toddler brought their husky
and he leaned down with his daughter
who said,
“Dog!”
“Dog!”
“Dog!”
as dogs ran and jumped and played
and came by her to say hello
“Kiss!”
she said when my dog sniffed her cheek
I apologized of course
”It’s okay,” her dad said,
”I’m here and we’re just setting our own boundaries
We’re okay”

Later he let his daughter roam a few steps ahead of him
she pointed at each dog
”Friend!”
and wanted to share their toys

“Do you miss that age?”
The pregnant mom asked me

My mind imploded with that thing movies try to show you —
flashbacks through your whole life

It’s really an unanswerable question –
Do I miss that age?

Yes
there is nothing like it
I would go back in time if I could to get another
snuggle filled day
middle of the night feeding
walk with my two-year old’s hand in mine
a baby in my lap talking to me, nose to nose

Of course it was exhausting
a decade of sleep deprivation
touched out days
so much taking care
of
all the little people

And
now there’s magic in
older kids —
hilarious
smart
independent
older kids

Do I miss that age?

I finally answered
“Yes.
It is the cutest time
with all the words”

“So cute,” she said

“And hard!” I added
and we talk about the middle of the night feedings
all the rocking
I tell her about how after I read something about moms all over the world up feeding and rocking in the middle of the night, I never felt quite as stressed about it
I wasn’t alone

I laughed to this soon-to-be-mom,
“Now I’m the old woman with advice again…
It will go so fast
Enjoy those baby snuggles
Sleep when the baby sleeps!”

I wonder if she was sad
I think she must have been
as she watched the the toddler point at the dogs

Her dog will be
gone
long before
her baby has a chance to say
“Dog!”
”Kiss!”
“Friend!”

Talula

Pets, Slice of Life

It’s Talula’s birthday
She is shy
Likes to sleep in corners, dressers, cabinets even
Hides from guests

She used to snuggle Theo
She used to play fetch sometimes
Bringing the toy back for more
Better than my dog

Now she likes to stay upstairs mostly
I feel guilty playing fetch downstairs with Clyde
Who is also
Better than my dog

When Talula and Clyde see each other
They both crouch
Hiss, growl
Sometimes next to the Multi-Cat pheromone diffuser meant to calm them

Why can’t you get along? I ask them
You could be best friends!
You both love fetch!
You both miss Theo!

We love Talula’s golden nose and chin
Her wide bright eyes
And how she chose us in the cat room
By falling asleep in my arms

Theodore Hobbes

Pets, Slice of Life
Part of Slice of Life Writing on Two Writing Teachers.

There’s a video of Theodore that I can’t stop watching. He’s on his back, on my lap, purring.

It’s the purr
the reach of his paw
the pink of his nose
his eyes staring at me

It’s his back legs resting on a pillow

He was sick on Saturday.
He died on Sunday.

My youngest keeps saying “He was just so young.”

Before I took him to the emergency vet, I had to look up his birthday. I couldn’t remember which year we adopted him.

Born in 2017
Home in 2018
Died in 2023

He was just so young.

For the first couple of years he and his sister Talula had to be isolated away from the dog. Thank goodness we finally got our dog Finn trained, but I can’t stop thinking of those wasted years when he didn’t have the run of the house. I’m sorry, Theodore.

He was the fluffiest cat I’ve ever had.
His name was Theodore Hobbes
We called him Theo
and somehow the kids called him Bearlious
and I was known to
occasionally
call him
fluffer-nutter-peanut-butter.

He was the sweetest.

He used to wake up from his nap to check on the other cats and the dog whenever there was a little scuffle. When our newest kitten Clyde got into it with Finn, Theo would shuffle in, usually still groggy. He would walk over to Finn and give him a swat.

He liked to sleep on my head at night, and swat all my things off my nightstand in the early morning.

The vet said his urinary blockage was most likely caused by stress. It could have been his change in routine after Clyde came home from surgery and was isolated in my room for two weeks. (No head sleeping for Theodore.) It could have been something we weren’t even aware of, like a new cat in the neighborhood.

Clyde is our baby cat. He had a urinary blockage problem and needed surgery a few weeks ago. But Theodore? Theodore never had this problem. I don’t understand.

I miss him, and I don’t understand.

Did he try to take care of Clyde by taking Clyde’s health problem? Seems like a crazy question unless you ever met Theodore and watched him take care of his family.

He used to love sitting by the window next to the frontdoor — the one he could just reach — and just stare.

Sometimes you’d walk into a room and he was sitting in front of a mirror just looking at himself.

Usually you’d walk into a room and he was napping.

If you were lucky enough to have him sit on your lap, like I was most mornings, you would have a chance to scritch and scratch his soft, soft fluffy self.

Scratch him in the right spot and he’d lick his front leg. Without fail. Full of party tricks, this one.

Grief is full of wishes.
I wish I snuggled him even more.
I wish I never got annoyed when he tried to sleep on my head while I was reading in bed.
I wish I took him to the vet sooner this past weekend.
I wish we had more time with him.

We miss him so much here.

But, I know Theodore is fine wherever he is.

What do I know about cat after-life, but that he’s free of any pain.

I just hope that somehow he is in a lap
purring
reaching his paws —
and that somebody
is loving his
pink pink nose
his pink pink toes
and his fluff
oh
that fluff

September 26

Family, Slice of Life
Part of Slice of Life Writing by Two Writing Teachers


I might have a cold coming on,
or is it allergies?
my son made me hot cocoa
he wasn’t even making it for himself
just for me
with maple mini marshmallows
was it the smooth hot drink
or the kindness that made my throat
forget to be scratchy?

these rainy September days
the coziest
stay inside days
I love sweater weather!
but also
note to self
find the therapy lamp
because the sun is not around so much

I’m exhausted
are you?

Just Call me Ma

Slice of Life
Part of Slice of Life Writing, from Two Writing Teachers

I’m glad I watched so much Little House on the Prairie when
I was a kid
and when my daughter
was a kid

I feel it has prepared me

My daughter was madly in love with Charles
Who wouldn’t be?
Pa Ingalls
Working, farming, playing the fiddle
Played by Michael Landon

But, it’s Ma Ingalls I was thinking about today
She worked and farmed too – sure
She sewed everyone’s clothes – yep
Once she had to cut open her own leg
when it was infected and she was alone – of course
Plus, she made breakfast for everyone

This morning I realized I needed to rewash my dishes
Since my neighborhood is under a boil water advisory
I realized I needed to repack my son’s lunch
Rewash his strawberries
Maybe not drink the coffee I had set up the night before

I boiled water in a kettle
Let it cool a bit
Washed the strawberries
and all the lunch containers
with safe, boiled water

So you can just call me Ma

I mean, then I told my kids to grab a granola bar, and I stopped at Starbucks on the way to an appointment —

But still.

You did Slice of Life with us in third grade!

Reflections on coaching, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life
Part of Slice of Life Writing on Two Writing Teachers

“You did slice of life with us in third grade!”

That’s how one fifth-grader remembers me.

Today was the first day of school, and soon, if I’m lucky, I’ll get to write with kids again.

So.

I was thinking.

For months I’ve been paused.

“Prewriting!” My writing friend says.

If I’m going to teach kids about writing —

I better start writing again.

March 31 My Plants

Reflections on coaching, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

I’m writing every day of March for the Slice of Life Challenge at Two Writing Teachers

I’m keeping all of my plants a little bit alive.

I think it’s because I give them each the same amount of water. Once a week, maybe every two weeks, I remember to water them.

I know they each came with care instructions. My money plant does better if I give it two ice cubes once a week. My cactus is supposed to dry out before I water it again. I have some succulents I’m supposed to water from the bottom, and an African Violet that used to be one of a pair… it needs lukewarm water poured from the side. Oh, and a new jade plant that I need to make sure not to overwater.

But they all seem to survive if I just water them about once a week, sometimes forgetting.

Equitable watering for all.

I mean I do a little bit of intervention. If one of the plants really needs an extra dose of water that day, I’ll do it.

But for the most part, I’m not differentiating between plants. If I had a green thumb, then maybe I’d be able to decide what’s best for each and every plant. I think there is an app that helps you determine what your plants needs. There’s probably plant food suited for each one. I bet they could each thrive!

But this way I know that the plants are at least surviving. If one of them needs a little extra water, surely they could all use it.

What’s good for the cactus is just going to have to work for the others.

I even put some fake plants in there to inspire my other plants to do better.