It’s #PoetryFriday!
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Marcie at Marcie Flinchum Atkins is hosting the Poetry Friday round up this week. Marcie is pretty much the busiest, most organized person I know. She is gearing up for the Sealey Challenge: she will read a poetry book each day in the month of August –while starting school in the same month! Hop over to her site to celebrate the paperback release of her book WAIT, REST, PAUSE and find more poetry!
I held out as long as could. Finally, I caved. I bought a Philips 3200 miracle machine. I tell myself it’s my way of delighting my coffee-drinking daughters-in-law. It fraps and lattes roasted beans to your chosen temperature (with some rather loud abracadabra-ing). But I carry a lot of guilt for the amount of plastic-processed packaging that will be added to our local landfill.
The wordless instruction booklet read like a foreign language. I resorted to youtube and google for how to brew a single cup of coffee. Chagrined, I managed to fill a test mug –though I was not sure how I did it. Without thinking, I left the mug on the counter overnight.
This morning, up before the sun, I approached The Philip, sent a whispered prayer to the coffee gods, and began pushing buttons. It brewed… a very fine, hot cup of water –several times. For the life of me, I could not figure out how to get this baby to give up the goods. After several tries and several refills of the reservoir, I gave up, grateful to be able to toss yesterday’s mug into the microwave.
I carried my weak-ass coffee and my disappointment outside. After requisite loves on the dog, we settled in to enjoy the coming sunrise. As I repositioned my quilt, a little something caught my eye.
pseudacris sierra
the Sierran chorus frog or Sierran treefrog
This unexpected deck visitor turned my entire morning around. Grinning ear-to-ear, I snapped a photo and delighted in the little guy’s presence. I knew he needed safety, someplace where he might have a shot at a small insect or his own morning juice. So I cupped him in my hands and set him in one of my flower boxes.
I forgot all about coffee.
And I’ve been smiling all day.
morning surprise
two tiny inches
of gray-green joy
turned my day to delight
photos and poem
©2024 Patricia J. Franz
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. 
So sorry you had coffee maker troubles, Patricia. But that little tree frog sure saved the day! Your poem captures your joy. I hope everything goes well as you busy yourself with wedding preparations this week.
What a delightful poem – visitor – day improvement.
And I feel you on the coffee thingamabob. My husband has FOUR coffee makers for various…caffeinations. I …push buttons and hope for the best, or make tea…
Patricia, ah, in my house mechanical dilemmas are always tied up with directions that are frustrating. It is quite annoying but your little surprise made up for your coffee issues. I am glad that in the end joy turned you day to delight. (On the other hand, while cleaning my garage, my son and I found something that looked dead. I left this for my husband who found a dead mouse again while the pest control tech was at our house a few hours ago.)
Awww, that is such a delightful story! And I thought that machine was some kind of old time radio or something! (I barely glanced at it before getting to the words…it’s of course obvious when I really look at it.) Hooray for that tiny grey-green joy!
Patricia, your description of your frustrating coffeeless morning is great. “with some rather loud abracadabra-ing” This magical way of describing the machine made me smile. I hope the sweet little frog that turned your morning around knows you wrote a poem about him.
Maybe your daughters-in-law can work their magic with the machine? I’m not a coffee drinker, and we have a very basic coffee machine for when my parents come. And I still don’t know how to use it. Ha! Love that frog!
I love how your morning turned around with your unexpected visitor. My husband just bought an elaborate coffee machine (after getting fully addicted to cappuccinos during almost 3 weeks in Europe). I was horrified by the extravagance, but have to admit I’m loving the daily cappuccinos! (Truth be told, I’m heading away for a week today and have been a bit sad about leaving the machine behind. lol) I expect you’ll master your magic machine in no time, and if not, you can always retire to your back deck for a reset. Something wonderful is sure to come along!
Too bad about the coffee, but WOW! your very own frog prince to turn the day around!
You’ll figure out your miracle coffee machine or you can ask your daughters-in-law for help. What a wonderful way to forget about your coffee worries – tree frog + delight = smiling. Our tree frogs here are a grayish color that are so camouflaged with our trees that I have never seen one except when my husband, Craig caught one when he was mowing our lawn. But do I hear them at dusk and love their serenading. They’re only an inch long but have quite a vocal range.