The Apples in My Orchard

I am still getting back to normal after our trip to Yosemite. We’ve been home a little over a week, and my time management has been lacking. On Monday, I volunteered at the public gardens where I had helped last year and found that I’m still questioning my fit. It’s also an hour away, and that plays heavily into what I feel like I get out of it. I’ll go back this Monday, but the jury is still out.

Yesterday, I finally felt back on track. We even spent an hour fishing off our dock in the late afternoon. I was reeling them in left and right, catching ten small panfish in an hour! We practice catch and release, so there are no worries about them not being keepers.

I spent some time editing a few of my poems this week and submitted one to The Toy. I keep trying! There are a few more I want to finish editing, which for me mostly means word choice and clarifying the rhyme scheme, before I submit. I find editing hard, as most of us probably do.

The summer poem swap started, and I finished the one I will send to the first recipient on my list from Tabatha Yeatts, who graciously organizes these trades. I find that I really look forward to them.

Today, I am starting to work on a proposed book chapter that I’ve been accepted to write. It’s on teaching with awe. I hope to be able to write my thoughts and experiences down in an organized and cogent manner. Of course, it all has to be referenced, too. I have until mid-August to write a 10,000-word contribution to the textbook. It’s a little intimidating.

Lastly, I’ve been able to do some gardening. We’ve received a lot of rain in the last six weeks. Everything is lush and green. The plants are loving the extra moisture. It was so very dry in California – the contrast is exceptional!

When we were in Yosemite, I thought a lot about John Muir. I thought of him alone in those vast woods, surrounded by glorious granite mountains and clean mountain streams. Nature is a balm. But we are influencing it, beyond anything experienced before, causing changes to our landscapes and their purity.

If you are unfamiliar with John Muir, take a look at some of his most famous thoughts and quotes, listed on a National Park website, here.

The sights of the Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy Valley/Reservoir, as well as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, are hard to put into words. And even though we are pleased with our photographs of the trip, they still cannot completely account for the beauty we witnessed.

I found a link to a volume of descriptive poetry of Yosemite Valley that is in the public domain at the Library of Congress. It is well worth a look. Here is a page that resonated with me:

APA citation:

Buchanan, R. J. (1917) Idyls of the Yosemite Valley; descriptive poems. [Berkeley, Calif. R. J. Buchanan] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/17013990/.

Here is a link to the entire volume: https://www.loc.gov/item/17013990/

Today’s Poetry Friday Round-up is by Ruth at her website: There is no such place as a God-forsaken town. Thanks for hosting, Ruth!

I have the round-up next week, but I will be selling my handcrafted jewelry at a night market on Thursday, 6/19. I will try to have the link up by 10pm on Thursday night, but there’s a possibility I will not have it up until early Friday morning, 6/20/25. Thanks, in advance, for your patience.