I’m taking it as a good sign that when he rotated the tent today—oh yes, pulled up all the stakes and cords and rotated it 180 degrees—the front door is now facing our house. Before this, in the random, because-it-was-there way of woodsman Will, tent got plunked down with the door facing the woods and its back to us. Our homeowner is now in week three of life outdoors, and apparently today was “spring cleaning”… Continue reading

I can think of a million reasons why setting up a six-man tent in the side yard late on a Sunday afternoon is a bad idea. It’s too complicated. It’s just more stuff to haul out, and he hasn’t finished or put away the “bike repair” project littering the garage. I don’t care if we’re in quarantine, it’s a school night. I want him to get a solid start on Monday learn-at-home. Rested. Focused. Not… Continue reading

She doesn’t want it posted or shared. She doesn’t want it acknowledged, much less celebrated–and she doesn’t want to put on the dress. Instead, on the day of her senior prom, Sophie stays in her room. The night before, she had agreed to a “fancy dinner” so that the day didn’t go “uncelebrated” and so that we, her family, could show “how much we love her.” At that point it was little more than a… Continue reading

Easter Sunday 2020 For the first time ever in the history of the Burk Motel, we hold an Easter egg hunt. You would think with five children passing through here over 23 years we would have had one–or many, but I realize as I watch them that we are usually too busy at church to pull it off. Also new this year–a scavenger hunt with clues to a dozen or so places on our own… Continue reading

It comes up this time every year–the faithless, sleepy disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. With friends like these, who needs enemies, right? Run the loyalty theme through scripture like a magnet, and all kinds of other stories clap to it – that Peter denied him, that Thomas failed to take him at his word, that Judas betrayed him. What is wrong with these people and why couldn’t they follow one simple instruction? I know… Continue reading

“But his love is from everlasting to everlasting…” Psalm 103:17 In my mind I am riding a train with a weekend bag on the seat next to me and my daughter across. She has a bag, too, more carefully packed than mine, no doubt containing some “cute” outfits for our trip to the big city. She would have her phone in her lap and her ear buds in. Wearing an expression of less investment than… Continue reading

APRIL FOOLS! I awoke to my cell phone alarm going off, with my phone fully encased in a 2-liter bottle of soda on the bedside table. Perfectly intact empty ginger ale bottle, vibrating to “Morning Flower.” It was like waking up in a nut house. Once I figured out how to extract it and shut off the alarm, I texted him: “I am too scared to get out of bed.” For those wishing the short… Continue reading

“Mom, April Fools is April Fools. I can’t help there’s a worldwide epidemic.”   — William, on why he has to order, among other things, an “Ecoblast Refillable Airhorn” from Amazon when other people are worried about getting toilet paper and food. I don’t know why, but ever since boy was a grade-schooler, April 1st rivals Christmas as the best day of the year. Truly, did I even notice the end of March with children… Continue reading

Never has the popular term “reaching out” made more sense to me. As a former English teacher and self-appointed grammarian, I notice such things as language and usage. Dorky, but I do. For example, it’s been hard for me to swallow the rampant use of “due to.” “Due to” is an adjective, used to modify nouns, whereas “because of” is an adverb, used to modify verbs. One cannot substitute for the other. The Chicago Manual… Continue reading

Learn at Home If only the Corona Virus would move through town as quickly as a mood swing at the Burk house. We’re on voluntary quarantine, with our schools closed until April 12. So far. Day 1: Boy is up with the sun, dressed and ready for a day in the yard. He has the tractor hummin’, trailer hitched, hauling a load of sticks and debris and–roped on the back, caravan-style–cartloads of mulch for my… Continue reading