Going Home
the great migration is underway
I leave home for home
knowing the way
seasonal whiplash awaits
summer to winter to spring
again
©draft, Patricia J. Franz
And this one, from Wendell Berry: A Homecoming
One faith in bondage. Two
are free. In the trust
of old love, cultivation shows
a dark, graceful wilderness…
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We are hosted this week by Linda at TeacherDance!
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
That ‘seasonal whiplash’ knows no bounds, I think. I’m either scrambling to open windows or to look again at the thermometer. I read the Berry poem and know it must mean a dichotomy in your life that holds blessings each way, that ‘two are free’. And then because of this writing I read your bio more closely & see you’re on your way to the Sierras with husband & Bonny. My son & daughter-in-law have two Bernese Mt. Dogs, beautiful & loving pets. Safe travels, Patricia!
Your comment has me feeling a bit philosophical, Linda – about dichotomies. We all experience them. I do try to find the blessings each way, as you say.Thank you for this nugget.
Patricia, have a great trip back to California. That whiplash does happen between places and seasons, like Linda mentions. Wendell Berry’s Homecoming poem is sweet and beautiful, isn’t it? I enjoyed that. “Show me my country. Take me home.” Lovely.
“My country” is struggling to leave winter behind this week. There is still more snow than forest floor visible. It is lovely.
Denise, I like your metaphors: great migration and seasonal whiplash. I love this line “I leave home for home”-great to have two homes in different environments! After seeing so many snow photos online and hearing of the record-breaking snowfalls in the Sierra Mtns, I’m curious how much snow you received in your mountain home? I remember when you mailed the New Year poem postcards you had received 5′, which you said was a lot for that time of the year. I hope that your home didn’t have any issues from all the snow, and you were safe when you were in CA. I read your blog post when you were coming back home to AZ and you were excited about the signs of spring.
Thank you for the Wendell Berry poem, also. After I read that I wondered how much wilderness you have around your CA home. Have a safe and enjoyable trip back to spring, listening to some different kinds of birds, different flowers, trees instead of cacti, hopefully cooler weather than AZ, no more snow, and being with the rest of your family, again.
Gail, we had to shovel snow from our roof when it got to 12′! The pressure begins to affect opening/closing doors in the house. We’ve had to do this one time before (early 2000’s). Where we are (outside of Tahoe City, Ca), they measured the seasonal snowfall at close to 750″. The record is 802″ (1950s). Our property is 5acres of woods that backs up to conservancy and state/national forest land. It’s not as isolated as it may sound. We have neighbors with homes that border our property. There are probably a hundred other homes in the nearby area. Town is 3 miles away. It is definitely night/day difference from living by the desert – yet similar in that there we are in a suburb, but we back up to preserve (undeveloped desert). So it is truly a joy to marvel at the different flora/fauna and weather patterns.
Seasonal whiplash. Yes! I think spring’s actually here in Minnesota now, though I won’t buy the plants for my deck until the end of May!
We don’t plant flowers till at least Father’s Day due to the chance of snow! -lol
“seasonal whiplash” is an apt description, Patricia. Travel safely!
Trying to plug in now and re-group…
Like others, I love the phrase “seasonal whiplash.” Enjoy your trip home (from home).
maybe seasonal deja vu? -lol
It sounds bitter sweet…leaving memories behind but ready to make new ones.
We are blessed to have roots in both places!
“Seasonal whiplash” — oh, so true and so perfectly put!
Psst…here it is a week or so later and I can see spring!