Happy Poetry Friday!
I hope to make this a short post. Tomorrow, we’ll be headed back to Wisconsin. My sister arrived last night and she’ll be taking over our dad’s care in the coming weeks. We are happy to be headed home for a break from being caregivers.
First: A Poem
pink Irish hillsides
filled with heather and green ferns
hiding boggy land
© Carol Labuzzetta, 2025
Sticker Mania
Last week I shared about the bookstore in Brockport that I like. I mentioned the sticker packs I bought but didn’t share photos. Here they are! Aren’t they fun? I can’t wait to share them with those I know who are readers.
Serenity Now (Do you remember this Seinfeld episode?)
I also settled on my OLW for 2025. It is serenity. I’m sure those of you who have followed my journey with my dad know why I picked this word. It’s fitting and hopefully, will serve to center me in 2025 no matter what life brings. I feel it’s the most fitting word for me now, although the word grace was a close second. I also considered silence, as you might have guessed from my post two weeks ago. And, that word would serve me well, also. But, serenity has a certain reverent feel to it, and that’s why it won out.
I wrote a book review article on Medium this week. You can read it for free if you go to the article and click on the link – it’ll take you to the Friend page and you’ll be able to read the entire thing. The article link is here: https://medium.com/the-springboard/the-books-i-read-in-2024-good-great-and-didnt-finish-3b12133cefa9 I hope that if you’re looking for a new book to read, this is a helpful read.
Lastly, I thought I’d update you on my writing plans. I have ditched the substack idea on the advice of my tech-savvy son. Instead, I am going to revamp this blog. I think my time will be better spent that way. Medium is in flux and it’s not only me experiencing the lower views. I hope I can coax some of my readers from there to this blog.
I’ll try to provide updates in the coming weeks. If you want to be sure you don’t miss them, please follow me here on The Apples in My Orchard.
Today’s host for Poetry Friday is Kathryn Apel at Kat’s Whiskers. Please check out her blog for more poetry, links to poet’s pages, and more! . You’ll be asked about your pet preferences too! I was always a team cat but now love them both – since we got a yellow lab five years ago. Thanks for hosting, Kat!
The Apples in My Orchard 
Ireland is such a beautiful country, and I love that your photo and haiku capture its essence. I hope to get over there again one day.
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Thank you, Susan! We would love to go back!
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Love seeing your picture, Carol, and the haiku about (from?) Ireland – pleasant memories, I imagine. I hope you enjoy being home for a while & working on the new plans, and always wish your dad the best! Happy New Year!
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Thanks, Linda! Yes, haiku and tunnel photo are from Ireland. We are glad to be home, although it’s been sub-zero here the last few days. Thanks for your warm thoughts!
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oooooh… stickers! Those are great! Also, serenity is a wonderful word– I agree with you completely about the connotations. I hope it serves you well.
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Thanks, Sarah! Yes, the stickers! I just sent some off to a friend of mine! And, I’m already experiencing the benefits of serenity being my OLW.
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Wishing you some well-deserved rest and relaxation, Carol! Your cat and dog look like the best of friends, so sweet!
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Thanks, Tracey! Lol – they tolerate each other well – that’s about it. I got your second package and will be emailing you about how wonderful it is. Can I share the goodies you sent in a future Poetry Friday post? Let me know! Thanks!
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Of course! Glad things made it! : )
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I love that tunnel photo. Smiles and memories. What a fabulous capture. And your heather/ferns is so pretty. Wonderful perspective! I hope your time at home is joyful and restorative – cup-filling. So lovely that your furiends have been able to bring joy to your father, too.
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Thanks, Kat. Our tour guide took that photo of us coming out of the tunnel. She took some nice candids during our trip. Thank you for your kind words. The animals are a source of comfort, joy, and humor.
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The journey of aging parents can be difficult. Serenity will help soothe you. Love your Ireland adventures.
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Thank you, Margaret.I know you are dealing with this too. I am consciously looking for serene moments – our pets, especially my cat, will help with that. Glad you enjoy the Ireland trip descriptions and photos.
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Thanks for all the great photos, Carol. May you find the serenity you need in 2025. Sounds like you have a plan and a great mindset to start.
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Thank you, Rose. I hope so.
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Serenity Now! You remind me that I thought about making a poetry anthology about how we must deal with the good & bad, serene & unruly, easy & hard at the same time (or at least in the same day!). Good luck with your literal and metaphorical journeys.
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Thanks, Tabatha. Good luck with that idea for an anthology! We do deal with a lot of emotions all at the same time.
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Beautiful photos! I am so interested in what your tech-savvy son has to say about Substack. I was always under the impression that we wanted all traffic to drive to your website. Now people are jumping on substack, which they don’t own (like you own your website). I’m just curious. I still have the old mailchimp for my newsletter.
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Hi Marcie. We talked about how Substack works and that it would be a drain on my time to do the newsletter each week and publish something of value for my subscribers because they’d be paying for it. He thought my time would be spent better elsewhere. And yes, I also agree that while many are jumping to Substack, I don’t think it’s as easy to do well there as they make it seem. I”m going the old fashioned way and going to rebuild my website here to monetize it and draw new readers/followers. Thanks for your interest.
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Heather, hill, and boggy land — such a beautiful space for poetry, Carol. Hope you get some rest from caregiving. I’m on my way this week to start my turn.
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Thank you. Good luck to you, I hope it goes well. How do you gain access to your site? I went to check it out. I’m glad you liked my post.
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I not only remember that Seinfeld episode, but at our house, we often quote it (along with a million other Seinfeld lines.) Here’s hoping that when you call on your OLW, it won’t be with the clench-fisted yell that Frank Costanza displayed. 😀
The stickers are so fun!
I’m glad you are getting a breather and will be heading home for now. Caregiving can be so demanding and tiring. Breaks are a requirement!
I used to be a cats-all-the-way person until we got our Border collie/Aussie in 2010. She passed away in 2021, but she changed me forever. 🙂 Currently, we have just our sweet, perfect kitty, Maisy.
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Ah, Karen! I’m glad you got the joke. No, I hope I don’t call out for serenity the way Mr. Costanza did! This morning I had a moment with my kitty, Callie, as she crawled up on my lap while I had my tea. I just took in the moment and enjoyed it. It was so calming – and reminded me of my OLW. We are taking a break in a big way. I hope people don’t think I’m terrible but we’re off to St. Thomas in the USVI for vacation. I offered to cancel because we knew there’d be a possiblity we’d have to and got insurance but everyone wanted us to go – so we are. Thanks for the lovely thoughts!
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You should *definitely* go. Relax and enjoy some serenity! 🙂
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Silver Strand Beach looks like so many we visited in the Outer Hebrides when we were there in October!
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Yes, I agree, Mary Lee. Many of the beaches there look similar and they are all gorgeous! I hope you had a great trip. Did you write about it? I must have missed that week if you did!
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