A retired teacher and mother of three adult children, I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida with my soulmate, Robert. Leisure activities include discussing current events with Robert, watching movies, and playing Scrbble. Robert usually wins!
I also enjoy going to the beach and taking road trips with my daughters. One of our favorite pastimes is observing the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us.
I keep busy writing poetry, and I would be delighted if you visited my website!
Many thanks to Gabriella for the opportunity to participate in this anthology project. It was fun writing the haiku, and it is an honor to have my work included. Congratulations to Gabriella and to all the many contributors!
Since moving to this house five years ago, one thing I have missed is the ecstatic serenades of mockingbirds. This spring, a virtuoso mockingbird moved into our neighborhood. Here is a tribute to that talented new neighbor who has been singing his heart out all morning!
Robert and I have been together for eleven very happy years since that meeting at Chili’s. I was sixty-five, and he was sixty-six when we met. My husband had been dead for over twelve years before I started dating, and I had nearly given up on ever finding a soul mate… someone with whom I have so much in common!
My Mother, Marian Nicholson at the beach a week before her 90th birthday.
Quoting Mom
__Life on the Blue Planet
You Might as Well Laugh as Cry!
For about three years, this book has been ready to be published. I approved it for publication in September, 2025 and announced here on my blog that it was coming soon. I am so sorry for the delay in publication and for the unauthorized disaster of an ebook!
I do not understand quite how that happened, but rather than trying to place blame, I will just take my mother’s good advice… laugh, and continue working on the projects I have underway. I hope to return to blogging soon.
I am going to be off the blog celebrating the holidays. The holiday gift I want most is a world at peace. Let’s hope 2026 will be peaceful. See you in the New Year!
Photo of Osprey by Richard Lee from UnsplashPhoto of Cicada by Stephen Walker from Unsplash
Thank you, Ingrid, for this Lovely Review!
Ingrid Wilson, who taught me how to write a sonnet, has been one of my favorite poets for quite a long time. She is also a great photographer. Visit her blog at
Cheryl and Robert at Mary Margaret’s Tea Room, Arcadia, Florida
Wonders
Wonders: Poems about Love and Relationships was my first book. It is a tribute to the wonderful, though very different, men I have known and loved. There is a chapter of poems written for each individual man.
If I were to rate Wonders, I would probably give it a G, or maybe PG13.
It is a book without photos. One day, I would like to see it become an audiobook.
Gulf Coast Poet 