Occasionally, it is beneficial to look at one’s blog stats to see how it is performing. I’ve been writing The Apples in My Orchard for almost three years now. My writing continues to grow followers and regular readers from all over the world! I am humbled by the comments I receive as well as the…
creative writing
Poetry Friday: I was 18 once.
18 – A Haiku. Once, you are eighteen Dreams Alive In Front of You Fully breathe it in An Ode to Eighteen. In mid-life, I realize and acknowledge that I have become a lot of things….. a mother a wife a daughter a sister a friend a nurse a teacher a writer a jewelry…
Poetry Friday: Insomnia & Boundaries
Introduction to Poetry Friday for November 15th, 2019. Usually, my poems do not rhyme. I am very comfortable with that and often surprise the school children I’ve worked with on poetry when I tell them that poetry does not have to rhyme. But, the other night, while lying in bed, wide awake for two hours,…
Poetry Friday: Sounds and Song
Since it is poetry Friday I started to think about what I was going to write about today. I had children’s poetry books I got out of the library last week and could review one of those. I did really liked “The Free and the Brave: A Collection of poems about the United States” (2004). The…
Traits of Writing Poetry
Since my work a week ago when I conducted a mini-lesson on writing Haiku at Wetland Education Days, I have been thinking a lot about writing. One of the most common questions I received from the students was whether their haiku needed to rhyme. Of course not, was my response! Flow trumps rhyme in poetry…
School, Creativity, and Work: Using all three for Life’s Balance
It took me until I was in my 40’s to discover (or rediscover) my creative side. In school, I was a serious student, striving for straight A’s (usually getting them), and leaving little to chance through unpreparedness or lack of completing the assigned work. From high school, I carried this work ethic through college and…
Space Explorations
A Child’s Memory I don’t know about you, but I love all this stuff about space. There’s been many stories in the news lately due the the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I was five. I remember being glued to the television set to watch something that seemed so incredible it was…
Tick Tock, I’m on the Clock!
Tick Tock, I’m on the Clock. Eggs to check. Caterpillars to feed. Butterflies to release. Tick Tock, I’m still on the Clock. Jewelry to make. A website to finish. Gallery pieces to mail. Tick Tock, I’m on the Clock Again. School obligations start. A senior year looms. Forms, forms, and more forms. Beckon…
Passing on the School Garden Baton
School gardens are in my blood. I’ve been continually involved in planning, planting, and caring for school gardens since 2004! Fifteen years! Wow, that is a long time! And, more remarkably, that span of time only involves two gardens! My first school garden involvement was at the elementary school where my boys attended their first…
Poetry Friday: Frog Invasion & Sunflower Sneaks
Today is Poetry Friday. Sadly, I missed the last couple of weeks, just due to a busy schedule and not being able to slow down to write a mindful poem. Yesterday was warm, sunny, and I found time to sit listen, watch, reflect, and write. I hope you enjoy these poems. Thanks to Reflections on…










