Just for Me

For days my body has been asking me to get some exercise, so finally this morning I made the time to head out on a solo bike ride. It was wonderful to be by myself and feel my body moving.

I thought of a poem that Paul had written for school about biking, using the five senses as the structure, and decided I'd try writing one.










Morning Bike Ride

I see the lush green on both sides of the bike trail.

I smell the brief but sharp stench of the dead frog on the side of the path.

I hear the sudden chaotic sound of traffic as the trail follows the highway.

I feel my thigh muscles working as I labor up the hill.

I taste the salty sweat as it falls from my forehead.

I think to myself that this is a good way to start the day.


I took a break this week from reading children's and young adult books for my job and read Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. I had read her March and People of the Book and enjoyed them both, so when an acquaintance recommended Year of Wonders, I was eager to get started on it. I'm glad I did, as it turned out to be my favorite of the three.

Told by Anna Frith, a servant in a medieval village, it is the story of how people in her village reacted when the village was hit by the plague in 1666. The information about the plague was interesting, the descriptions of the villagers' struggles with illness, death, witchcraft, and madness were riveting, and the gradual revealing of the main hidden characters was intriguing. I was most taken with Anna's own growth and how out of the terrible year of the plague she grew from an almost invisible presence into a compassionate, strong, and intelligent leader. She realizes this herself, finally exulting in the fact that "...I had been tempered and made strong."

And I loved the ending, so surprising and so perfect. A very satisfying read!