By Karen Handyside Ely

 

Petaluma summer morning.

Cool, brisk, velvet fog

blankets Sonoma Mountain shoulders,

Leaving only the soft domed tops revealed,

Rising in the mist.

 

Motivating chill in the air.

Bare feet pad across icy bathroom tile

Happy to be encased in wooly Ugg boots

Sweatshirts pile on easily, welcome companions

Urging action.

 

Nothing lazy about summer mornings in P-town.

Weeds beg to be pulled from soft damp ground.

Strawberry starts need new homes, replanted in

neat square holes left by trowel and spade.

The race is on to beat the heat.

 

Bees still slumber, but hummingbirds flit

perilously near my ear, offering

divebomb greetings in the grey haze.

Looking for their sugary breakfast in the early a.m. 

Sunshine and warmth will come later

Bathing the day in golden rays

With the power to burn off a

misty Petaluma morning.

 

But for now, the fog insists on the hard work of

gardening before the glow of noon.

P-town is a strict taskmaster on summer mornings. 

There are some who say that Karen Handyside Ely was born with her nose firmly planted in a book. She is a life-long lover of unusual words, lilting phrases, and absurd stories.

After a brief stint as a credit analyst in San Francisco and New York City, and a 30+year career as a mom and “professional” volunteer in Scottsdale, AZ, Karen retired to her beloved hometown of Petaluma, CA.

She delights in difficult crossword puzzles, singing with Petaluma Choirs, and anything baked by her husband James.

Karen has been published in several Write Spot books: The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your writing: Discoveries, The Write Spot: Reflections, The Write Spot: Possibilities, The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing, and The Write Spot: Musings and Ravings From a Pandemic Year.