May 30 - On Getting Past That Overly Polite Initial Stage After Everyone First Meets, With A Bike-To-Work Backdrop

My cyclist friends? Gone
But we lunch, and have some laughs
Sometimes I feel loud

May 29 - Once You Have The Realization That Your Helmet Is 16 Years Old, What Can You Do But Rush Right Out For A New One?

My helmet is dead
Long live the new one: black, snug
Paul can't find his size

May 28 - The Harrowing, Moving, Paralyzing Experience Of Reading "A Little Life" For Hours On A Sunny Patio

Not sorrow, really
More like heartbreak at seeing
how life really is

May 27 - I Am Gone Four Hours Doing An Odd Collection Of Tasks That Leave Me Feeling Light After Ticking Them Off

Cycling to my chores
Money in, tea drank, printer
full of ink again

May 26 - A Continuing Stretch Of Warm Weather In A Period Of Longer Housesits, Which Is To Say, Hallelujah

Steaks on the barbie
Late-day sun is perfect here
Ours for a whole month

May 25 - I Wouldn't Say That I Actually Swam, But I Did Run In Noisily To Entertain My Small Companion

First lake day, no burn
We bicker about the hat
Stare at huge tadpoles

May 24 - Not That This Plan Actually Works, But The Sun Starts Shining And The Day's Pleasant No Matter, and Peppa Always Makes Things Better

Carless, but Bob's here
We roll to the pool, swimming
for a better nap

May 23 - Glad I've Got Yesterday's Restful Hours To Draw On As The Work Load Ramps Up And We Move On

Back to Esquimalt
What's up with this long work day?
Lewis greets us, calm

May 22 - A Completely Laid Back Day That Would Be Made Better Only By The Addition Of A Comfy Chaise Lounge

A serious day off
Cycle to the other side
Devour a book

May 21 - A Lacrosse Game In Duncan Takes Us North For A Cousin Reunion

There's a sweetness here
Much time apart, and yet R
remembers this boy

May 20 - In Which We Fear That Terry Was Right Again In Suggesting That The Cost Of Moving An Appliance To Courtenay Just Might Be Greater Than Buying A Second-Hand One Up There

The fridge arrives, bugs
plastered to the side of it
Quick visit, drive back

May 19 - Mom's Fridge In John's Truck Headed For Regan's Garage

Ratchet straps are cool
We follow the YouTube man
Please stand firm, old fridge

May 18 - Exploring Life Under The Rocks At The Muddy Little Beach Near Pete And Karen's House

"Look, a worm," I say
"It's a centipede," says she
Age two. And correct

May 17 - It Seems To Me That $3 For One Small, Frozen Herring Is A Pricey Treat, But What Can You Do When Harbour Seals Don't Eat Fishie Crackers?

Short nap, crabby kid
We opt for seals, bound to calm
Palms open for crabs

May 16 - I Shake Off A Day's Difficulties With A Sunny, Happy Ride Home To Sidney

To write about death
often gives offence; so hard,
a stranger's musings

May 15 - In Which It Becomes Clear I Could Have Some Interesting Bus Experiences If I Keep Myself Open To Oddness

Wet roads soak my feet
I bail at Saanich, and meet
a boy named Daniel

May 14 - Home Again, Home Again, Feeling Strangely Drained By All The Peripheral Emotion Of The Past Two Days

Sunny ferry ride
My first guilt-free Mother's Day
I doze in wrecked chairs

May 13 - I Cycle Onto The Ferry, Up A Truly Gigantic Hill, And Into A Situation

Tension rules this house
So much sorrow and anger
I can't find my friend

May 12 - The Thing About Real Jobs And Long Commutes Is That I'm Back In That Weird Habit Of Grocery Shopping At 8 P.M.

Planned to cycle but

Austin needs a late-day walk

Owners U2-bound

May 11 - A Day In Which Waking Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed Is Resolved By Warm Swims And Fun Swirling

Crabby like Chiclet
Until we hit the pool, where
she floats on pure joy

May 10 - Anyone Else Would Not Have Stayed So Long At Gyro Park Beach On This Marginal Day

That we tough it out
speaks to how hard we're trying
to wish in summer

May 9 - A Miscalculation In Housesit Synchronicity Leads Me To A Graham Street Sleepover

I take baby's bed
Swaddled in down, fast asleep
among the stuffies

May 8 - A Side Project Brings The Promise Of More Money And A Prestigious Way To Begin A Conversation

When I say "The Globe,"
everyone calls me back
Golden by proxy

May 7 - Another Delicious Day Of Reading And Sunning At Willows Beach, Topped Off With A Picnic Supper With Rosetta Near The Peacocks

Weekends mean much more
now that my sked doesn't bend
Funny how that works

May 6 - One Of Those Magical Days When Sunshine And An Uncomplicated Day Off Align, And You Take Yourself Off To Willows Beach To Read About Henrietta Lacks

First chance to sunbathe
The rain sprinkles me sometimes
I take it all, zenned

May 5 - Yeah, Paul, Looks Like I'll Be On About Neuro-Science For The Next While

Learning brain science
Makes my head hurt. Dingle balls.
Bad blows. Ram's horns. Fear

May 4 - I Am So Happy That I Got To Spend A Lot Of This Glorious And Rare Day Outside

OMG, sunshine
Warm enough for naked time
Warm enough to doze

May 3 - An Easy Kid Day

Play dates are working
R loosens up, giving King
her soft baby touch

May 2 - Conversations With Academics And Researchers Always Make Me Want To Write Their Stories

We talk of neurons
Of death, and how to prepare
People, we're a match

May 1 - Cleo And Dexter And I Switch To Cedar Hill Corner For Our Morning Dog Walk, Which Has To Be Spectacularly Early If I'm To Get To Work On Time

Alas, no more beach
But the dogs like this big field
Full of dogs like them