Persnickity Plum

Cathy Stenquist
3 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

The first box of 8 Crayola Crayons was sold in 1903. Ever since, they have become an iconic part of so many young children's lives.

Each September, I headed off to school with a new green and yellow pack and tucked it into my school desk. There was nothing like a new, fresh pack of 8 crayons to spur the imagination. I loved coloring because it was very meditative and a way to escape into my own little world for a while. I dabbed and layered the 8 colors to make new ones, pressing hard to get richer, darker colors and lightly to get softer ones.

And then the most life-changing happened....

I received a box of 64 crayons for my birthday. Not only did this 9-year-old now own every color imaginable, but the box came with a flip-open top and a built-in sharpener. Wow!

The possibilities for creation seemed endless.

Since our last Poetry Friday (read more about what Poetry Friday is HERE), I have been pondering the OLW (One Little Word) that each poet has been choosing for their focus this year. It brought to mind a tradition at Highlights where we each choose a word that rings true to us. My word this November was GRATEFUL.

Then this week, I spent some time writing brief poems about colors and enjoyed it quite a bit. I think COLOR feels like a good word for me this year for many reasons:

The drab of winter has me longing for colorful blossoms in the spring and the cheerfulness they bring.
Color makes me happy. When I am around colorful things, my imagination soars, and so does my gratitude for the beauty I see in the colors of the sky, in my grandchildren's drawings, even in the vegetables in my soup.
Color is everywhere. Since it is all around me, I cannot help but notice and think about it.
Thinking about "COLOR" this year will help me to find the color in my own world, which at times can feel a bit gray.

Inspired by Irene Latham's weekly poems, I am going to go through the box of 64 colors from my childhood this year and see what poem each one inspires.

Here is my first one:

Thank you to Jan at Bookseed Studio for hosting this week. Her post reminded me of a long-forgotten song from my childhood. Hope you will stop by.

I Already Miss You, Nat King Cole...

Cathy Stenquist
Jan 9
2 min read

Taking the Christmas tree down was a bittersweet activity yesterday. Unlike the evening we gathered to decorate, Nat King Cole and his Christmas carols were silent; no anticipation in my grandson's eyes or the smell of Swedish coffee bread hot from the oven... just memory after memory making me smile as each ornament was lifted from its branch.

After the final ornament was layered in a box for next time, I stopped to look at the star. The lights lit up the ceiling with wings of color, flying me back to a small apartment 45 years ago, when short on money, we fashioned a tree topper out of a wire hanger in our closet, and wrapped the little tinsel we had around its shape. This same star has been the final "cherry on top" of our tree ever since—scraggly, worn but still sparkling all the love Scott and I felt so many years ago. (You can see more about the star here)

I began to reminisce about all the ways Christmas trees have been the backdrop to my life:

When I was about 10 years old, and "Santa" knocked on our front door on Christmas eve with five presents for us in his pillow case bag. It was magical!

And then on Christmas morning, how we had to line up on the stairs, waiting for Dad in his plaid robe to turn on the Christmas music, for Mom to start the coffee BEFORE we could scramble down to see what Santa brought us. Oh, the waiting!

And then there's memories of Christmas past with family...

One's where we welcomed a new grand baby...

or missed someone whose chair was empty that year.

I love that each year when the furnace hums, the candles flicker in the windows, the boxes are brought up, and Nat King Cole once again sings, "Oh Tannenbaum," that all those memories stored for months in the basement, patiently waiting... will again, be the best gift of all.

So with sugar plums dancing around in my head, I thought I would dig out an old "shape poem" I wrote, trying to sum up my feelings of all the memories a Christmas tree holds.

Be sure to stop by this week's POETRY FRIDAY host, Ruth's blog,"There is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town," which comes to us from East Africa today. She shares a lovely winter solstice poem,"Soulful Warming" by Drew Lanham, which reminds us that the light will come back. And boy, do we need that!

Hope your own memories of this past Holiday warm you through these cold, dark days. Light is coming!

It's Snack Time

Cathy Stenquist
Jan 2
2 min read

Have you ever walked by the chips aisle at your grocery store, resplendent with every crunchy, salty, imaginable temptation, and bite your lip, steering quickly past?

Boy, I have!

We know those snacks aren't good for you, but occasionally I stop and indulge myself.

Well, today... You are in luck, my friend.

I have a snack for you that can be eaten one tiny bite at a time, has zero sodium and calories, and is sure to make not only your tummy, but your spirit feel better.....

It's...

Yep, sometimes plain, sometimes spicy. Poetry Chips may feel delicate in your mouth or pack a real good crunch. It is a bag of deliciousness that will constantly surprise and satisfy...

...and I bet you can't eat just one!

Poetry comes in fun bite-sized nibbles,

or extra large portions

Poems also come in a variety of flavors like:

playful,

vintage,

and meaningful... to name a few.

Like Forrest Gump said,

"Poetry is like a box of chocolates.

You never know what you're gonna get."

Forgive me... I took some artistic license there ;)

Go ahead, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage, and join me in 2026 for a nice, relaxing bowl of "Poetry Chips." Let's get crunchin'!

Below are the Poetry Friday Roundup links through June.

Click on the link for that day. You will see a poem from our host and also see links to other poets' blogs for more deliciousness. I will be hosting for the first time in May. I hope you will stop by!

Thanks to Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core this week, for kicking off 2026 for us!

She has a surprising poem knitting together the month of January with a skein of yarn! Wow!