Our tents were set up in the designated campsite in the meadow. We each had our own tent. The whole idea was for the twelve of us to have a “get back to nature” weekend together. We would share meals and talk about our experiences in the natural surroundings.

I only tagged along because my brother practically begged me to come plus he would make all my meals. I reluctantly came as he is an excellent chef. He was trying to impress Mary Alice Paisley. He met her at my apartment and thought we were the best of friends.

Mary Alice had come up to ask me to join her and her friends on an enlightening find your inner peace soul weekend out near the Picasso Meadows. I had heard about that place being full of nature, woodland animals all peacefully regenerating your mind.

All this crapola I did not care about but snapping pictures of new virgin plants, fungi and perhaps a few birds, animals and insects was the main thing on my mind. I like quiet, undisturbed and virgin looking scenery.

I could just imagine eleven other humans yapping, carrying their loud phones and talking or laughing out in the forest! This included my loud brother. He would be looking for morels. I do know he at least remembered what they looked like. We picked many as children following our parents in the woods. I decided as soon as my tent was up right next to my brothers I would get a head start to the woods. Telling him I was off I think he heard me. He nodded something to me as he and Mary Alice were setting up his cooking table. I know she heard me because she waved goodbye.

Traipsing off into the woods, camera in hand, I was awed at the quietness of my surroundings. Once my tromping feet stopped breaking branches and I stopped listening to the junk clattering in my pockets. I shifted things around wrapping the noise into my paper napkins. I actually slowed down my pace. There was no hurry. The sky above was bright. Many hours left in the day.

It feels very peculiar now that my ears have adjusted to any new sound. Eerie at first I actually thought I could hear my own heart beating. Thumping loudly: but it was a Woodpecker and his loud rat-a-tat-tat against a far tree echoing into the forest. I heard him and did not see him. I’m sure he knew I was there. Being no threat he continued pecking rat-a-tat-tat. I felt a slight breeze on my cheeks. I saw the gray green weeping willow leaves stir slightly. I heard my own shoes crack twigs under my feet again. I had tried to walk as quietly as It was possible so no creature could detect I was on their turf. They would alert the others that a human was invading their home surroundings.

No chance that would happen as I heard the rustle of a critter quickly scrambling up the tree. My eye caught a large bushy tail quickly fading into the canopy of leaves. A nut or dry berry dropped. I saw it and left it lay where it had fallen. “Bushie-Tail” would be back to pick it up when I was out of range.

I was in deep woods now with little sky overhead. A person with a colorful imagination might have become confused and disoriented with the feeling of isolation. Not me as I was used to being alone wandering in unfamiliar territory. My siblings and I would follow our parents for days in the deep woods like gypsies. We hunted for mushrooms then.

Further on still walking quietly as possible I continued snapping photos: leaves, wildflowers, down trees from years ago. These logs were now homes to the small woodland creatures. Seeing a small movement towards the end of a moss covered log I finally saw a rabbit then another hopping bunny. Snap. Snap. Went my camera.

Rabbits scattered for cover. They knew I was there and their sharp ears heard my camera. The older animals knew the camera was not a weapon to take a life. They were still on caution alert. Squirrels ran up the trees and birds all flew upwards towards the canopy. I heard other woodland critters scurry here and there. I did not realize there was such a large audience watching me. I felt peaceful in my new surroundings. I stopped walking , pulled out my little notebook, read a prayer and thanked God for creating this beautiful serene place.

Mother Earth, hear your child,

Be a bond between the Worlds of Earth and Spirit.

Let the Winds echo the Knowledge

of the Grandfathers. Who await, unseen,

yet visible if I only turn my eyes to their World.

Let me hear their Voices,

in the Winds that Blow to the East

©Julia A Knaake

I TRULY AM NEVER ALONE

I NEVER AM ALONE

THE DAY HAS BEGUN

I NEVER AM ALONE

BEFORE BREAKFAST

IT'S STARTING TODAY

NO EXCEPTION

PHONE CALLS BEGIN

BEFORE COFFEE OR TEA

THAT PHONE STARTED

URGENTLY RINGING

CHEERFULLY JESSICA

ON A RECORDED LINE

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

CALLING TO SAVE MONEY

ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE

"I DO NOT OWN A CAR"

SURPRISED JESSICA

"OH. OK, THANK YOU

GOODBYE THEN"

TURNING AROUND

HALFWAY DOWN HALL

ANOTHER CALL:

CHEERFULLY THIS TIME

IT'S SWEET MEGHAN

CALLING FOR 'MEDICARE'

TO SAVE YOU MONEY

LISTENING TO THE SPIEL

WITH THREE OPTIONS

TO PRESS 1 OR 2 OR 9

I PRESS 9 REMOVE ME

TO DO NOT CALL LIST

SURPRISED MEGHAN

WITH A FAR AWAY

VERY CRUSHED TONE

"VERY WELL OK"

I THINK I BROKE HER

POOR LITTLE HEART

I NEVER WILL DEPART

ANSWERING MORNING CALLS

I NEVER AM ALONE

THIRD TIMES A CHARM

ONLY THREE RINGS

MY OL LEGS TOO SLOW

WALKING 2 ROOMS

DOWN HALL TO ANSWER

THE ROBOT CALLER

LANDLINES A BLESSING

GET MY EXERCISE DAILY

I NEVER AM ALONE

©Julia A Knaake

Surprise. Surprise. Thirteen hours to roast a pig!

" Hey you, I invited a few people over tomorrow for a pig roast. See what you can come up with for munchies and drinks."

"Stop calling me, Hey you, I got a name and don't you forget it, you ass! How many, is a "few" people that are coming? Your idea of few and mine are not the same. Are they bringing their own bottles?"

No comment from the Jerk who shuffled off to his channel changer and TV dropping his large bulk into a heavily stained chair that stunk up the whole house even though it had been treated with Woolite cleaner often.

Very early the next morning, a little after six, three men showed up to set up the humongous homemade rebar spit. They hoisted the pig up onto it before starting the fire in the three foot deep pit.

I started the day by going through three pots of coffee, a few pans of Huevos Rancheros , using fresh eggs from our hens and a nice fresh salsa with homemade flour tortillas.

Carrie cleans up the kitchen while the men go out to inspect the pig, smoke, lie to each other and bull shit in general.

The other women in the house get up and breakfast is served to them also. One is Carrie's elderly Ma and the other Carrie's daughter. They both want to help with the festivities right after breakfast dishes are done. This day was going to have a lot of dish washing and cleaning up!

While Ma tends to put away the clean dishes Carrie and her daughter start looking through the refrigerator seeing what they could come up with in a short time. Lots of bits and pieces of vegetables, a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and a nice piece of barbecued steak will make a lovely large pot of soup. There is also half a loaf of Italian bread that they spruce up with more butter, Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh garlic and sprinkled with fresh chives from the herb garden right outside the back door. Carrie figures after the soup is done she can broil the bread then cut it up into small triangles to go with the soup.

Three more people arrive from the Seattle area, then another two from Yakima. Soon another four from Okanogan and another five from Mallot. Damn now there are twenty-one to feed!

Carrie goes back to the fridge and inspects what else there is to feed them. At least some brought beer and chips but that pot of soup will not feed everyone. Two of the women guests come in to say hi to Ma then both say they brought a big container of chocolate chip cookies, salad and rolls so they went out to the car and brought them into the house placing them on the big long dining room table.

You could hear the men laughing and telling stories at the pit while they were drinking beer. The jerk comes in and calls up a few people telling them to come over for the roast. Carrie overhears and groans to herself, isn't twenty-one enough! Everyone goes outside to look at the pig starting to get a shine on its hide from the grease leaking out. The men all take turns turning the 400 pound beast on the spit.

Carrie leaves to go back inside to tend to the soup and hunt for more goodies. A knock on the door reveals 3 trucks have arrived with

nine more people and a car with five, two which are small children. They did bring more beer, booze and also food with them, yippee!

Ma has now come in and sits for a while and watches the goings on saying how are you going to feed all these people? Carrie is inventive and gets out all the packages of open crackers and starts making up platters of finger foods using peanut butter, cheese, smoked oysters and anything else she can muster up. Te celery is stuffed either with peanut butter or cream cheese with raisins on top. Red and green peppers are stuffed with cream cheese rolled in black pepper. Olives and homemade dill pickles go on the platters also. What a great way to get rid of leftovers.

People start walking in to pick up a plastic cup of soup and a hunk of bread then go back outside to the roast that is now making the pigs in the pen squeal because of the smoke from the grease dripping on the burning logs below the spit. Carrie sets up a trash can lined with a big plastic bag over on the side for everyone to toss the trash into instead of the well manicured grass.

To counteract the sounds of the live pig squeals Stevie Ray Vaughan and Creedence Clearwater are singing as loud as the music will go. Soon five local cowboys come moseying in bringing more beer, sodas and more food. They all come in to pay respects to Ma because they all love her and her stories so much.

Well, at least the trash is in the can outside and the only thing dirty in the house is the white floor in the kitchen from so much traffic.

The neighbor from down the road, his wife and three grandchildren come walking up to the door and wonder what the great smell was coming through the apple orchard. They are invited to stay and join the festivities which they do.

The neighbors from across the ravine call to see if their is a fire, I say no a pig roasting party is going on and to come on over. They, their son and two children come over. These people knew there was no fire because they are overly inquisitive of other peoples goings on and I swear once I saw the sun shine their binoculars when they were looking over at us.

Oh well it is nice to be neighborly anyway and invite them over because there are a lot of people here and they may meet some they actually do like.

Finally John and Tanya pull on the side road. John brought in a basket of fried smelt but no one ate any because I heard one uncouth person say he wasn't eating any fish bait …he'd rather wait for the pig.

The pig was pretty much roasted after thirteen hours and we only had two small mishaps…Georgio was drunk and fell in the fire pit but only singed his jacked and John came into the house and flopped on a chair and broke it right in front of Ma who immediately said

"Is that old fool drunk?"

I told her yes he is but at least he wasn't tossing up on the carpet!

The party really was fun and it wasn't hard to feed sixty people.

© Julia A Knaake

Surprise. Surprise. Thirteen hours to roast a pig!

" Hey you, I invited a few people over tomorrow for a pig roast. See what you can come up with for munchies and drinks."

"Stop calling me, Hey you, I got a name and don't you forget it, you ass! How many, is a "few" people that are coming? Your idea of few and mine are not the same. Are they bringing their own bottles?"

No comment from the Jerk who shuffled off to his channel changer and TV dropping his large bulk into a heavily stained chair that stunk up the whole house even though it had been treated with Woolite cleaner often.

Very early the next morning, a little after six, three men showed up to set up the humongous homemade rebar spit. They hoisted the pig up onto it before starting the fire in the three foot deep pit.

I started the day by going through three pots of coffee, a few pans of Huevos Rancheros , using fresh eggs from our hens and a nice fresh salsa with homemade flour tortillas.

Carrie cleans up the kitchen while the men go out to inspect the pig, smoke, lie to each other and bull shit in general.

The other women in the house get up and breakfast is served to them also. One is Carrie's elderly Ma and the other Carrie's daughter. They both want to help with the festivities right after breakfast dishes are done. This day was going to have a lot of dish washing and cleaning up!

While Ma tends to put away the clean dishes Carrie and her daughter start looking through the refrigerator seeing what they could come up with in a short time. Lots of bits and pieces of vegetables, a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and a nice piece of barbecued steak will make a lovely large pot of soup. There is also half a loaf of Italian bread that they spruce up with more butter, Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh garlic and sprinkled with fresh chives from the herb garden right outside the back door. Carrie figures after the soup is done she can broil the bread then cut it up into small triangles to go with the soup.

Three more people arrive from the Seattle area, then another two from Yakima. Soon another four from Okanogan and another five from Mallot. Damn now there are twenty-one to feed!

Carrie goes back to the fridge and inspects what else there is to feed them. At least some brought beer and chips but that pot of soup will not feed everyone. Two of the women guests come in to say hi to Ma then both say they brought a big container of chocolate chip cookies, salad and rolls so they went out to the car and brought them into the house placing them on the big long dining room table.

You could hear the men laughing and telling stories at the pit while they were drinking beer. The jerk comes in and calls up a few people telling them to come over for the roast. Carrie overhears and groans to herself, isn't twenty-one enough! Everyone goes outside to look at the pig starting to get a shine on its hide from the grease leaking out. The men all take turns turning the 400 pound beast on the spit.

Carrie leaves to go back inside to tend to the soup and hunt for more goodies. A knock on the door reveals 3 trucks have arrived with

nine more people and a car with five, two which are small children. They did bring more beer, booze and also food with them, yippee!

Ma has now come in and sits for a while and watches the goings on saying how are you going to feed all these people? Carrie is inventive and gets out all the packages of open crackers and starts making up platters of finger foods using peanut butter, cheese, smoked oysters and anything else she can muster up. Te celery is stuffed either with peanut butter or cream cheese with raisins on top. Red and green peppers are stuffed with cream cheese rolled in black pepper. Olives and homemade dill pickles go on the platters also. What a great way to get rid of leftovers.

People start walking in to pick up a plastic cup of soup and a hunk of bread then go back outside to the roast that is now making the pigs in the pen squeal because of the smoke from the grease dripping on the burning logs below the spit. Carrie sets up a trash can lined with a big plastic bag over on the side for everyone to toss the trash into instead of the well manicured grass.

To counteract the sounds of the live pig squeals Stevie Ray Vaughan and Creedence Clearwater are singing as loud as the music will go. Soon five local cowboys come moseying in bringing more beer, sodas and more food. They all come in to pay respects to Ma because they all love her and her stories so much.

Well, at least the trash is in the can outside and the only thing dirty in the house is the white floor in the kitchen from so much traffic.

The neighbor from down the road, his wife and three grandchildren come walking up to the door and wonder what the great smell was coming through the apple orchard. They are invited to stay and join the festivities which they do.

The neighbors from across the ravine call to see if their is a fire, I say no a pig roasting party is going on and to come on over. They, their son and two children come over. These people knew there was no fire because they are overly inquisitive of other peoples goings on and I swear once I saw the sun shine their binoculars when they were looking over at us.

Oh well it is nice to be neighborly anyway and invite them over because there are a lot of people here and they may meet some they actually do like.

Finally John and Tanya pull on the side road. John brought in a basket of fried smelt but no one ate any because I heard one uncouth person say he wasn't eating any fish bait …he'd rather wait for the pig.

The pig was pretty much roasted after thirteen hours and we only had two small mishaps…Georgio was drunk and fell in the fire pit but only singed his jacked and John came into the house and flopped on a chair and broke it right in front of Ma who immediately said

"Is that old fool drunk?"

I told her yes he is but at least he wasn't tossing up on the carpet!

The party really was fun and it wasn't hard to feed sixty people.

© Julia A Knaake

Dear Responsible Son Letter

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

Your  wise decision to rent, from your loving parents,

a large furnished room with TV, computer and private bathroom with meals and snacks seems to be working out well.

Also when all your clothing and bedding is placed in the laundry room by you. It will be cleaned and placed on hangers ready for you to take back to your room.

Your very responsible little sister agreed to take a much smaller room without a private bath because you promised her you would go to soccer games once a month.

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

The small fee for all these amenities is one eighth or less of the cost you would have had to make if you had rented an apartment near the University you are going to while getting a very good education. This was a great decision on your part.

Plus food and all utilities and your auto insurance and health insurance have been included. This is a great deal you wangled into the agreement.

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

Your grades are outstanding. No wonder you are high in grades because you are home almost every night studying except for the part-time job you have on weekends. You will become a great lawyer like your Grandpa.

Speaking of Grandpa…do you remember how gracious he was drawing up a fair tenant / landlord agreement for the large furnished room with TV, computer and private bathroom that you seem to love along with the food and drink that is included?

Did we tell you we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man?

Please remember one of the clauses, that you, and said landlord, both agreed on?

You know the one about paying a reduced fee for all the above with small chores,

like helping with the occasional yard work, helping with Your very responsible little sister at her soccer games once a month,

keeping your room and bath in reasonable order, changing the sheets once a week and sending to the laundry room,

and having no food particles on the new carpet, dirty dishes, spills on the floor, empty cans on the floor

( there are two large waste baskets in the room ), no pets indoors and last but not least

the shower, toilet and sink does need to be cleaned at least once a week even if only one person uses it every day.

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

Remember the clause stating if premises are not cleaned once a month the landlord has permission ( from you to enter said room ) and hire a maid

to clean said room and bath to it’s original order when you moved into these rooms with payment coming from you?

Did we tell you we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man?

Well the maid came to clean today. My oh My she had to ask your very responsible little sister to go outside and bring the cat indoors to help her catch your pet, Mrs. Mouse.

Mrs Mouse is now in a cage sitting on the dryer in the laundry room, with her nest!

You will have to start feeding her daily because now there are no crumbs, under the bed, on the dresser or on the new carpet.

Your very responsible little sister said she would take care of Mrs. Mouse until the babies are born.

Then you and she can get in the car and release them in the field 2 miles down the road.

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

You complained that your part time weekend job only pays $15.00 per hour so taking this into consideration that the maid worked 3 hours and 20 minutes on your room

You may please write a check for $50.00 for her service along with our rental agreement this month.

Tonight’s dinner is all your favorites including Triple chocolate cake. We love you so much.

Dear son, we are so proud of you for growing into a responsible man.

P.S.

Wherever you are, be there totally.

If you find your here and now intolerable

 and it makes you unhappy,

you have three options: 

remove yourself from the situation,

change it,

or accept it totally.

 If you want to take responsibility for your life,

 you must choose one of those three options,

and you must choose now.

~ Eckhart Tolle

© Julia A Knaake

Be Careful Of Your Wishes

A community of turtles lived the bank of turtle Creek.

All the turtles were happy except for Peg's sister Norma Jean.

Norma Jean restlessly dreamed of exploring the high hills up above. She wished she could go up there on an adventure.

One day with sheer determination she wandered uphill leaving the other turtles behind. Exploring the high hills up above had always been her dream. She was on her adventure. It was time to go do what she had always dreamed of to fulfill her adventure.

The climb up was long and taxing on her short legs.

She was small but her shell was heavy and cumbersome.

When she got to the top there was no resting.

The vehicles whizzed by with terrifying speeds that frightened her.

She was very smart and kept to the side road.

The long climb uphill made her very tired and hungry.

Under the shade trees she found tender greens all around.

She ate then decided to rest next to medium rocks.

These rocks would help camouflage her from any impending danger.

When the traffic was sparse she ambled across the road.

This side was much drier with sand,dirt and rocks.

Carelessly broken bottles and cans were all over this area. Norma Jean knew she must be careful.

A dog spied her but its owner stopped the animal.

The owner picked Norma Jean up putting her in a box.

She was going to go become a little girls pet.

The girl took great care of her pet one week.

Meanwhile she was greatly missed in the turtle Creek community.

They searched all over for their missing friend and sister.

Tracks were seen going up the hill with fearful eyes.

The mother of the little girl decided to set Norma Jean free. Mother knew there were turtles in the creek down below.

The little girl and the mother took Norma Jean down to freedom.

This freedom was a different part of the creek area.

Norma Jean was near home but not with her loving family.

She saw a muskrat friend and asked the way home.

Muskrat said “Climb on my back I will take you.”

They were out in the deepest of the creek water.

Muskrat dove down under and Norma Jean slide off his back.

Just in time she hid her head inside her shell before hitting bottom.

Bang she went like a submarine hitting bottom ocean water.

She soon gained composure and somehow got to the top.

A piece of wood floated near so she got aboard.

She came to a cove with flower petals all around.

Her family and friends were having a ceremony for her.

Floating up on the wood she caused a great commotion.

Everyone was happy to see her alive and safely in her home.

© Julia A Knaake

Clickety-clacking on the rails

Memories of wonderful train rides

Clickety-clacking on the rails

watching the passing scenery

When I was an impressionable four year old going on my first train trip

I thought I was going on the most adventurous ride of my life.

My big sister, Virginia, was twenty and she was my travel companion

and the protector of me on this trip from Toledo,Ohio to Agosta, Ohio.

Knowing what an energetic and precocious child I was she gave me the window seat

where I was told to stop tapping my toes and please sit still and

look out the window at all the wonderful sights.

She also suggested that I count all the cows I saw out that window.

That did not last very long as I had never seen such a big window in my life.

The windows in our rickety old wooden farmhouse were tall and thin

not allowing a little wee one to see a lot of the outdoors.

I was so excited and wanted to see everything I could out that big long train window.

We were traveling into farming country and seeing the animals thrilled me to no end.

The silos, massive tall steel cylinders, cobalt blue in color, especially were beautiful.

I tried so hard to sit still but it was pretty impossible for an energetic four year old.

Often the things we passed just went by too fast for me to take it all in so I would jump up

and down from my seat to the window trying to see everything. I even ran out of fingers

counting those cows!

Soon my big sister laid the law down to me to sit still or she would take the window seat.

That got me quiet for a while then she gave me a big white pillow hoping I’d stop constantly

chattering and take a nap. I must have dozed off a few minutes listening

to the clickety-clack of the wheels on the track. I awakened to get myself quickly into another jam!

My sister had quietly gotten up for some reason unknown to me, perhaps to use the trains

bathroom but she quickly came back when my ear wrenching howls were heard all over the train!

Somehow I had gotten my little left arm caught between the train wall and the arm rest on

the seat. In my four year old impressionable mind I thought I was trapped and would be stuck

there forever.

My sister called the conductor and I immediately curtailed my banshee wailing’s.

He was a very nice man with a gentle caring face and a giant smile. He wore a dark suit

and a cap. The reason I shut up was because he had the darkest skin I had ever seen

in my life. I always got brown like a walnut in the summer from being out in the sun

but to me this man looked as black as the coal in the bin attached to our garage

where I sneaked in to play.

Ma would scold me for getting dirty from playing in that coal bin but I did not care

because to me that was a fun thing to do on a hot summer day as it was a cool place

to hang out. When I saw this big person all black I asked him if his Ma would scold him

from being in the coal bin. He gently got my arm out then laughing to himself

he went down the aisle. My sister thanked him and then she hugged me.

About five minutes later he came back with some potato chips and laughing

told my sister it was for the wee one.

The next time I rode a train I was twelve years old and a big shot riding alone

from Toledo, Ohio to Tucson, Arizona. This time I rode alone. Unheard of for such a young girl.

I had a new blue suitcase packed with some new and old clothes. I also had books, crossword puzzles, comic books and writing paper with pencils. In my purse was ID, fifteen dollars cash and my Brownie Hawk-eye Camera with three rolls of film.

There also was a huge basket with fresh fruits, a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There were some orange and root beer sodas, candy bars and Graham crackers and cheese.

I left on a train alone and was told to not get up until I saw my Aunt Bertha and Aunt Julia. I think the trip was two days I’m really not sure. I loved the ride. But I never got up from that seat.

I was near a window and no one ever sat next to me the whole trip. I can not remember how long it took from Toledo Ohio to Tuscon Arizona. When Aunt Bertha found me on the train I asked her if I could get up and go to the bathroom. She and Aunt Julia were amazed I had not used the bathroom since Toledo.

I had a great time with my cousins in Arizona for eight weeks. When I arrived home I had no home to go to.

Ma and Dad were divorced. One of my dogs, Peaches, had been given away. My other dog, Pee Wee had been run over by a car. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle five days a week while going to school. Then with my Ma two days a week during school. At least I got to stay with Ma during summer school. I only saw my Dad once.

©Julia A Knaake

Hey Mr Black Tip

Early this morning

on the way to church

I spied a beautiful

red fur covered critter

with a long pointed nose

a bushy tail as long as body

with a bushy black point

He ran along the fence line

with fearless speed

along the edge of pavement

He seemed to turn his head

looking from the corner of eye

for that place to escape

into a safe flat field of grass

He was a beauty all sleek

like a flash of red orange

but that tail tip was black!

mesmerized with the black tip

He ran a quick and sure pace

Actually he ran like wind

then quickly darted into the

nearest large green meadow

Goodbye Mr black tip tail Fox

I could hardly believe my eyes

seeing a bushy black tail tip

every other fox had a white tip

Run like wind Mr Black Tip

© Julia A Knaake

Happy Memories

I can not believe the heavy red tile porch roof is still standing.

 With all that mud debris standing on one side. It looked heavy

 to me yet the roof edge had no buckle or curve.  Still looking

 straight as an arrow when built over seventy years ago.  

Even the gutter and downspout were intact. The wood awning

on the side had been made from sturdy Olive wood shakes

and had survived the weather and even wartime years well.

A very small porch with a two person settee had a metal mop bucket

 at one end sitting on a newspaper and towel.  Under the bench

 were four neatly lined glass liter bottles.  On the four foot rope

 clothesline were two work towels and one small work cloth.

They had been washed and were neatly pinned hanging

 in the slight breeze to dry. They were old and well used

but cleaned with loving hands for the next job.

Five plants, well cared for, were out there in various bright colors.

Another hanging plant Schlumbergera or commonly called Christmas Cacti,

 was hanging in the center of the porch.

This one looked to be about ten or more years old. There were buds but no

 flowers at this time. May have been a clipping from the original plant.

The floor of the porch was made of modern day very neat red brick

and the small three foot high wall poured cement. They were both

 modern contrasts to the ancient cobblestone street directing one

down towards the town.

 Someone inside was a neat and tidy housekeeper, that was for sure.

Our walk up was a lot easier than our walk down would be but

I traveled this path many times in my childhood to carry baskets

of produce to Nonnina . She was the mainstay of our family.

 A term of endearment meaning our little grandmother. I do miss her.

Today I have happy memories to  remember and share.

©Julia A Knaake

Quiet Hotel

Walk softly down that long hall

with the quietest steps you can

possibly make late at night.

walking softly down the hall…..

Some can hear every step taken

and awaken with unknown fear

that you may be coming with harm.

walking softly down the hall…..

The secret lovers may be hiding

fearing they will be quickly found

then their secret will be out.

walking softly down the hall…..

Tom the young doctor starts to snore

as he finally calms down from his day

of long hours always on the run.

walking softly down the hall…..

A frightened elderly one might call

out " Is that you manager Dan? "

" I just called you, I had such a fright. "

walking softly down the hall…..

The young child with a tooth aching

moaning and crying all you can hear

is the noise like a blasting alarm.

walking softly down the hall…..

An ignored wife waiting and biding

her time not wanting to be bound

to a husband that is never about.

walking softly down the hall…..

What would be with a knock on a door

of the new friend you just met today

she was nice and might be the one.

walking softly down the hall…..

© Julia A Knaake