by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Sledding

Male Cardinal, Photo by Joshua J Cotten from Unsplash

Sledding

Saturday morning…soup in the crockpot,

wholegrain bread rising, birdseed scattered

on the snowy porch. Cat at the window

watching cardinals, jays, and finches!

Photo by Sergio Arze from Unsplash

Sunday afternoon…packing a picnic,

dressing in long johns, boots, and mittens.

Daughter excited! Driving up the mountain

to George Washington National Forest.

Photo by Pezibear from Pixabay

Building a fire, soup pot on the grill.

Sledding downhill, trudging uphill,

sledding down again. Cheeks red with cold,

ice-matted sleeves, jeans wet at the knees.

Photo by Yvonne Huijbens

Steaming mugs of homemade soup,

homemade wholegrain bread.

Sitting tired and happy at a picnic table,

laughing, talking…making memories!

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

51 Comments

  7. So utterly delicious Cheryl, just what lovely weekends should be like, forever … no, maybe sometimes you need a break from the snow seasonally to enjoy the sunshine on the grass and the flowers blooming. But while the beautiful cover of snow is there, nothing can warm your heart better than a picnic lunch with warm oven fresh bread and hot soup, and with lots of family talk to go 🙂

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    1. Deb, I am overwhelmed by the lovely thoughts you share. Thank you so much! ❤

      The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia were a beautiful place to live. I am glad that my daughter was able to spend her childhood there, and I am writing a few poems for her about these happy memories some forty years ago. I know you are a devoted father making a happy childhood for your daughter and leaving poems for her. I am sure she will treasure them as she grows older. 🙂

      Have a wonderful day! Cheryl

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    1. Michel, I am so glad you liked the poem. Thank you for your beautiful thoughts. ❤ This poem, and a few other poems, are a gift to my daughter to celebrate these family memories from her childhood some forty years ago. I hope she likes it

      Lots of love to you, Michel! ❤ Take care, Cheryl

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    1. Anjali, such a kind comment! I am glad you enjoy my poems. ❤ I am fortunate to have lived a life of many experiences. I hope my daughter enjoys the poems I am writing for her about her childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia over forty years ago. Nepal has rugged mountains that dwarf anything in the US. I am sure that is a source of inspiration for you. 🙂 I hope your studies are going well. What are your future plans? Cheryl

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      1. Yes, my country and all the beautiful things around are my inspiration! My studies are going quite well but ut little disturbed due to inefficiency of Our university to continue studies during this pandemic. I have plan to be in USA for my further studies. Want to complete my masters from one of the university of USA!

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  13. You are too kind Cheryl, may it be just as you say with my daughter ❤️

    And that’s Blue Ridge mountains of John Denver’s country song? Then it has to be beautiful ❤️ those country roads must be calling out to your daughter too, even after so many years …

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    1. The very same Blue Ridge Mountains, Deb! 🙂 I lived in small towns in and around those mountains for most of my life before moving to FL in 1995. When my daughter was growing up, we lived for about twenty years in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies. That is a beautiful area not too far from Washington, DC, if you ever are in the US. ❤ Cheryl

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    1. Thank you, Beck; I’m glad you liked the poem. Yes, the ice and snow are coming. The leaves are starting to turn in Northern Virginia where my sister lives. It’s still hot here, and we have had a lot of rain from the storms, but soon the drier cooler weather will be here! 🙂 Where is your summer home?

      All the best! Cheryl ❤

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    1. Thank you, Hamish, for sharing your thoughts. I have lived in Florida since 1995, and there is no snow here. Snow is beautiful and I am sometimes nostalgic for the good times playing in the snow, but I don’t miss the cold, icy roads or scraping the windshield! Enjoy it while you are young! ❤ Take care, Cheryl

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      1. Funny you should say that. Having just passed 30 years on this beautiful earth, with over half of them doesn’t playing some sort of intense sport and not looking after myself as well as I could, my knee is getting to the point it’s being affected by cold!

        Keep on writing and sharing your wonderful poems. 😊

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    2. Sorry to hear about your knee, Hamish. Supplementing with capsaicin (hot pepper), turmeric, or ginger (all available in capsules) helps some types of pain with no side effects. Might be worth a try. 🙂 Thank you again for your kind comments. Take care! Cheryl ❤

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