Patty Ihm
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,...
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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...
Patty Ihm
- Jun 30, 2021
- 3 min
Sitting on a Phone Book
“Can I say a bad word?” At least he asked permission. “If you really have to, go in the bathroom and yell it into the toilet,” I offered...
Patty Ihm
- Jun 7, 2021
- 3 min
Asparagus
He had spun me from what was left of my childhood, turning me toward the rich path of motherhood by his very existence. I made...
Patty Ihm
- Apr 27, 2021
- 3 min
Magnolia
It always seemed like by the time I would notice that the magnolia blossoms had opened, the petals had begun to fade and fall from the...
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