Patty Ihm
Thirty-Three
I couldn't hear the ticking sound. They ran through my pounding head, over and over. There were goats and sheep and the little clothes...
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Patty Ihm
- Mar 8
- 3 min
A Hundred Sunrises
Only through the photograph of a friend did I see the shades of fireball orange, candy pink, and smoky lavender that painted the sky....
Patty Ihm
- Feb 18
- 4 min
I Wish I Had Taken a Picture
The hill at the back of my dad's childhood home separates a modest expanse of grass--a tiny backyard haven where we picked apples from my...
Patty Ihm
- Jan 20
- 3 min
Twelve Dollars
Steam from the cup And snow on the path The seasons have changed From the present to past I knew even before I saw the white feathers,...
Patty Ihm
- Nov 17, 2022
- 4 min
Tar Paper
We bought it out of necessity, and we loved it for so many reasons. Leaves fell from the trees even as I raked the spent garden in short...
Patty Ihm
- Oct 6, 2022
- 3 min
Shortbread Cookies
It stood alone, illuminated by the glow of the moon in the early morning hours. The air was crisp, and I knew that my garden days were...
Patty Ihm
- Sep 9, 2022
- 3 min
Waiting to Blow
He stands proudly with stiffened shoulders, cheeks puffed as to nearly usurp his smug stone smile. The sparkle in the eyes of this...
Patty Ihm
- Jul 31, 2022
- 3 min
Lost in the Dark Gray
He's joyful as he glides like a stunt plane along the cement hills and ramps at the skate park. He's riding a scooter, the...
Patty Ihm
- Jun 20, 2022
- 3 min
Digging Up the Mint
It must have been an imposter: leggy, medium green, and without fanfare, it grew in great bunches where there had been mint last year. I...
Patty Ihm
- May 9, 2022
- 3 min
Breaking Free
He plotted his escape, because he knew he had to go. Forty years after first reading the beloved story, I am still learning the lessons...
Patty Ihm
- Apr 25, 2022
- 3 min
The Demise of Mr. Happiness
I'm getting better at cracking open the boxes of my hives. I had better be, as beekeeping season is upon us. When I check on my bees, I...
Patty Ihm
- Mar 28, 2022
- 2 min
The Color Inside of Me
To be so tied to someone that their hurt, disappointment, and fear mix with what's inside of you and become indiscernible: that must be...
Patty Ihm
- Mar 12, 2022
- 3 min
When the Dusky Sky was Most Beautiful
I found them at the hour when the dusky sky was most beautiful. There was a small spot of darkness on the mounded snow, just where the...
Patty Ihm
- Feb 17, 2022
- 2 min
Lost, For a Little While
It was easier when I could just carry them. With both the trusted old purple hiking backpack and my Ergo newborn front carrier strapped...
Patty Ihm
- Jan 17, 2022
- 3 min
The Best of Me
A shadow flashed across the road ahead of me. As the light changed and I moved through the intersection, there it was: frozen, small...
Patty Ihm
- Dec 25, 2021
- 3 min
Christmas Past
For thirty years, we stuffed envelopes with photographs of children of various shapes and sizes, bedecked in some sort of holiday cheer...
Patty Ihm
- Nov 25, 2021
- 3 min
Absconding
“But you’ll never, you’ll never know.” ~Stockton Gala Days, 10,000 Maniacs I never really liked this park. Through the maze of...
Patty Ihm
- Oct 24, 2021
- 2 min
Behind the Veil of a Beekeeper
I got a new bee suit. It's white, with three layers of mesh and a double zipper system to keep me completely covered and to prevent...
Patty Ihm
- Aug 9, 2021
- 3 min
Curtain Call
I have been fighting the demons for a long time…and I’m not speaking of my children. Deep inside of me I know, even when no one else...
Patty Ihm
- Jul 16, 2021
- 2 min
Weeds and Stings
You can’t possibly know the glory of the rose’s bloom while the climber lies in waiting. The thatch and nettle push their way in front of...
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