O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!*

Chipmunk
Bird call
Busy gray squirrels
Yellow butterflies
Leafy oak branch that brushes the ground
Scent of new-mown grass
Heat of the sun on my face
Cool of the breeze on my neck
Deck of a sturdy house under my feet
Dear friend's voice on the telephone

. . . thy winds, thy wide gray skies,
. . . thy mists that roll and rise. . .
World, world! I cannot get thee close enough!*

*from "God's World," by Edna St. Vincent Millay

* * *

Anyway, Joyce Earle phoned today and said that we have lost another classmate, Hoyt. We're dwindling down.

Joyce is indomitable, one of those who strive to hold the world together. Her husband Jack is recovering from surgery. Joyce cares for him, and for 2 friends, a mother and daughter, who are both ill and disabled. Also, a cousin in the early stage of Alzheimer's is coming to stay with her.

Our old mountain hermit, Mr. Lowery, used to say (to my grandma), "Cranky, I hope you live always." I hope Joyce and Jack live always.

Sandra and Joyce, about 2005.