Haircuts

Haircuts, haircuts,
Where have your been?
My hair just keeps growing.
It's down to my shin.

While stuck at home,
It's done nothing but grown,
I don't think I like this
Haircuts getting postponed.

We waited for days
Sixty-five to be exact
For the salons to open
To get our hair hacked.

Some people took scissors
And started cutting away
Hoping no mistakes
They would need to downplay.

Back to normal,
Looking like me again,
Mom wanted to take pictures
To document now and then.

No pictures to show
Our crazy hair during Covid,
Just get this hair cut,
So it's out of our eyelids!

The salons have opened.
This is our chance.
No more leaving our hairstyles
Up to circumstance.

Christmas 2019

A is for annual

Each year we’re together 

We gather the offspring

In all types of weather.

In front of the chicken barn,

From the first to the last,

They used to be stair-stepped

In all the year’s past.

B is for barfing

We tried to refrain

But once it hit

It was all down the drain.

C is for Christmas

The reason we gather

To give Jesus the glory

The only One to matter.

It’s not the gifts or the tree

But His story we seek,

As we huddle together 

In the house by the creek.

D is for down time

At home on the farm

4-wheelers and kitties

Wrapped up in our arms.

And when the snow falls

From the sky up above

A little sledding must happen

It’s what kids are made of.

E is for eating

It’s definitely our scene

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

And all the time in between.

F is for fish fry

Tacos we would make

A little of this, a little of that

Seconds were first rate.

G is for games,

A tradition of ours.

Scattergories, Pictionary

To pass away the hours.

It gets really loud

As we each take a turn

Defending our words

All for a point we will earn.

H is for hanging out

At Aunt Tris’s for night

Donuts and bacon

Breakfast was all right!

I is for impact

And all the memories made

The time together

We would never trade.

J is for jaunts 

Back and forth to the farm

From Buhler, from grandma’s

It still holds the same charm.

K is for Kansas

The destination each year

To see Grandma and Grandpa

Family we hold dear.  

L is for LCR

A game of all chance,

As the dollars go around

In their left and right dance.

M is for math

As it always pops up

How can a pint be a pound,

So it equals two cups?

N is for napping

A famous Duerksen trait

Its the only way

We can stay up late

To play the games

We all love so dear

To eat all the snacks 

That are always so near.  

O is for ongoing

The laughs and the fun

It’s just one giant party

Until the week is done.

P is for puzzles

And the time they consume

As we work together

Under a light in the room.

Q is for quarantine

To keep the bugs at bay

For no one wants

To see the vomit spray.

So instead of bowling

To the alumni game we went

In four different places

Is where our time was spent.

But it didn’t stop there,

Three more went down

Whatever this germ was

It was sure getting around!

Disrupting sleep,

Cancelling plans,

Increasing the importance

Of washing our hands.

R is for reminiscing

Sharing stories from before

The serious, the funny

The grandkids wanting more.

S is for summer

And the trip we will take

All the plans we could do

All the decisions to make.

T is for tips

It works great in the shop

It’s so much fun

It’s hard to stop!

U is for unite

We love to be together

Only apart 

In sickness and weather.

V is for vocal

It can get quite loud!

As everyone shouts

To be heard about the crowd!

W is for well wishes

As our time draws nigh

That time we all hate

When we have to say good-bye.

So XYZ,

If it were up to me

This week together

Would be two or three!

Up Down Up Down

My mind teeter totters between thinking about the lasts and all the firsts. 
My eyes start to sting when I think that he just spent his last night in his bed here at home, 
but then I start to imagine how their dorm room will look when they are done setting it up! 
I reflect on when he needed to hold my hand and then I wonder what he will all do when I let go. 
The empty closet 😢...but now all the piles will be in Manhattan instead of my living room. 😊 
Up and down. 
A whirlwind of all the emotions. 
I’m going to miss the sound of his footsteps coming up the stairs 
but that is overshadowed as I anticipate where each step will end up taking him. 
Up. 
Down. 
Up. 
Down.

Covid and My Classroom

I think of my classroom
All quiet and still
Awaiting each morning
For students to fill.

I picture my classroom
Tables at attention
Anxiously listening
For the math I should mention.

I see my whiteboard
Stark white and clean
Not understanding
This whole virus scene.

Absent are the problems
Missing...the justification
Just silence in all rooms
All across the nation.

The questions have no answers
No raised hands, not a word,
Just waiting patiently and quietly
Nothing to be heard.

But while my classroom rests
The learning continues on
For learning doesn't stop
Just when the teachers are gone.

The drive of teachers everywhere
Is to make the best of this,
Designing lessons from afar
For the students we dearly miss.

It's time to jump in now,
These unchartered waters we are in,
Full of grace, kindness, love
To see how far we swim!

Ode To My Dishwasher

Ode to my dishwasher
You’re faithful through and through
For we never stop eating
So you keep doing what you do.

You never ever complain
As we load you up each day
Cycling through the cleaning
You never have a say.

For we just keep on baking
Cakes, cookies, brownies too.
Your hot water and your suds
Powers through all that goo.

We try to help you out
When sandwiches are made
We keep it really simple
A paper towel as our plate.

I admit it gets quite tiresome
Unloading you oft and on
But I sure am thankful
You haven’t up and gone.

For in this day of at home
We totally rely on you
Keeping our household clean
As only you can do!

New Growth

The other day when walking around my yard,
I had to stop to truly see what was happening with my Forsythia bush.
For you see, when the virus was just a vicious rumor,
We had a yard work day where we gave a "hair cut" to every bush and shrub around the house.
In the case of this one, it was more like a buzz cut, as we chopped it down to the bare minimum.

As I stood over it,
Marveling at the new growth,
I couldn't help but compare it to where we are at right now.
The virus has cut short every plan we had in our schedule.
It has pared down our lives to just the essentials needed to survive.
But, I just have to wonder how our new growth will look when this is over.
As some fret and worry over the economy and upcoming mutated viruses,
I can take a step back and trust that there is growth woven into this tapestry of fixed schedules.
What will emerge as priorities after this all passes?
As we recover, what healing will have taken place in our hearts? Our minds?

For just like this forsythia bush,
If you didn't trust it would bloom again,
All you would see is an ugly representation of what used to be.
So as I anticipate the sprouting of new life for this old friend,
I rest in a peace that the same will be true for us after the virus,
that pruned our lives down to the most basic of elements,
moves on.

Brown Spots

I found myself again analyzing my Forsythia shrub the other day.
This time, the leaves were shriveled and curled.
Brown spots dotted the brilliant green growth.
Something was working to stop the recovery of this persistent bush.
It was then that I noticed the field next to our yard
Brown and dying.
It had been sprayed to stop the growth of weeds
And in the process the overspray had drifted
affecting the new life blooming forward in my yard.

My mind couldn’t help but wander to the barrage of news these days.
The news for our recovery from this virus is bleak,
Despite states opening back up.
The press doles out information,
Reporting expert opinions that we should believe.
But what really should we trust?
Conflicting reports come out stating just the opposite.
That this is all conspiracy.
That the pandemic has a hidden agenda.
It seems like a poison that has blown over our lives,
All these controversial viewpoints.
All this back and forth.
Are they meant to cloud our judgement
So we are just confused and fearful?

But before I get mired down in all the brown spots,
I have to refocus on the green.
The spots may be small,
The curling may be evident,
But these new little leaves only see the sunshine
And soak up the rain,
As they reach for the sky and new life.

We have to realize that these stains spotting our life right now,
Are just as temporary as those speckling my new foliage.
For we, too, have the choice to focus on the Son
And soak up His truth.
His everlasting truth.
Where His love rains down on us
Constant and pure.
Never confusing or deceiving.
With roots deep in our faith,
We can weather this passing disruption
And continue to blossom and shine for Him.

More Math Songs

Solving Equations

(sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Solving equations is a breeze

Follow the rules with grace and ease.

Distribute first to simplify

Then combine those terms alike.

Undo the constants, you subtract or add,

Then isolate the x it isn’t too bad

Spheres, Cones & Cylinders

(to the tune of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)

Spheres, cones and cylinders (cylinders)

Spheres, cones and cylinders (cylinders)

Volumes of these 3-D Figures

Spheres, cones and cylinders (cylinders)

4/3 pi r cubed (pi r cubed)

4/3 pi r cubed (pi r cubed)

Volume of a sphere it is

4/3 pi r cubed (pi r cubed)

Pi r squared times h (times h)

Pi r squared times h (times h)

The volume of a cylinder

Pi r squared times h (times h)

Pi r squared times h (divided by 3)

Pi r squared times h (divided by 3)

Volume of a cone is easy

Pi r squared times h (divided by 3)

Puzzle

It was evident,

That missing piece.

I tried to overlook

But it wasn’t complete.

As each piece was added

Creating the whole

A marvelous design

Began to unfold.

Yet the hole in the middle

Begged my eye to see

What I was missing

What never could be.

I looked and I searched

For where it might be,

But unknown to me

My eyes could not see.

For when I stopped looking,

You came to me,

Bringing my attention

To the piece that I need.

You fill the hole

A complete perfect fit.

I don't think I ever finished this one...

A Christmas Poem

We made our list

And we checked it twice.

Had to find out

Where to be each night.

We started with Mace

And his school program

He sang his heart out

It was really grand.

Then came the time,

His moment to shine,

As he got to the mike

And delivered his lines.

Next up was Cale

And a rousing bball game

Both defense and offense

And shots with good aim.

The coaches did their part

And timeouts they took.

I also helped out

And kept score in the book.

To church we went 

on Sunday morn,

At Little River Methodist

to perform.

A day to celebrate

Jesus' birth

And remember His time

Here on earth.

Later that night

We gathered once more

Another Christmas message

Was in store.

Dressed in pajamas,

The kids sang out loud

As they told the story,

To a packed house crowd.

And as in years past

We gathered to eat

Good company and food

Just can't be beat!

The school days are special

With crafts and food drives

Blocking McCabe's door

To help other's lives.

Helping others

Is always a hit

This year our goal?

MCC kits.

And in between

All the events

Shopping and crafting

Special presents.

It wouldn't be Christmas

Without all the songs,

A special first concert

Practiced for all week long.

A gym full of kids

Singing every word

Of carols and songs

They were not deterred.

For Christmas is near

School's out for break

And they raised their hands

To shimmy and shake.

The "Blitzen Boogie" 

Spoke of the season,

But it was "Silent Night"

That gave us the reason.

And as I sang

It all became clear

It's just a to do list

For once every year.

If we look past the things

That crowd up our day

We realize quite quickly

It should be His way.

With Him at the center

There is no doubt

What all this hubbub

Is all about.