Has it been this long? Nothing much new. Work. Writing.

Early Autumn

Work at the Fort is wrapping up. I have today, Wednesday and Thursday off then work through the next Monday. And done. This week I have to get my finger prints taken so that I can sub during the school year. Some students and teachers at the alternative high school have asked when I will be back. Nice to be wanted.

So what does one do with an MFA in poetry?

In May my daughter Kristyn graduated from Minnesota State (Mankato) with an MFA in Poetry. She knew the limitations this would have on making a living so she wisely picked up her Graduate Certification in TESL. (teaching English as a second language) This summer she taught English in Korea for several weeks and while there was contacted by her professor about a job opening at Michigan Tech (where she received her Bachelors) She applied and they called her in Korea. When she returned and went for an interview here - they told her they had already decided to hire her. So she has gone back to Minnesota to pack up some things.

When she did her thesis reading at Mankato her advisor (Rick Robbins) introduced her work as inspired by the land and waters of the Keweenaw. And now she has returned.

Now if I can only convince her to read at the Community Poetry reading here in Calumet on the 12th. She doesn't feel comfortable reading in public.

Work at the park is winding down. I'll go to 3 days a week in September. But for the holiday weekend I have 4 patrol shifts (4 pm to 12:30 am ) and one late shift in the contact station. With the patrol shift I get home around 1:30 and to bed around 2:30 - but still wake up by 8 - I'll be glad when that is over - never have adjusted. I still need to get my finger prints taken so that I can sub this year. This will be the 3rd time. Screwy system as my fingers haven't changed. Somebody is making some money off of this but it ain't me. Oh and the private company that does this charges about one day's sub pay for the fee. I think I will see if the Sheriff's department still does them for free.

Leona starts a new online graduate class (some Education class) this week and returns to work for Americorps.

Poetry Reading Tonight

I will be reading tonight with two wonderful poets: Ralph Murre and Sharon Auberle at Ed Gray's Miskwabik Gallery in Calumet. We will each read from our own works and then do a shared reading from Ralph's new book Psalms. Joe Kirkish will also be signing his new book of photographs published by Miskwabik Press. Should be an interesting evening.

On another note I have picked up three albums by local bands and performers. All good and will have more later on them. But, for now I will highly recommend Erin Smith's Around This Place if you like folk music. Her songs Calumet, Misery Bay, Portage, Around This Place and others are excellent. You can buy this at CDBaby. Samples are available to listen to. I keep listening to Calumet. With a moment to edit I will tell you the other two. Greg Merkle (guitarist) who opened for Iris Dement at the Calumet Theater this month and The Squeaky Clean Cretins. Greg's guitar playing is amazing. The SCC play a mix of music styles. No covers - just their own. Good listen.

Which brings me to winter. Mid-August and already a slight turn in the air. Winter is always lurking, peeking, waiting.
Bears have been in the park lately. Drinking beer, eating steak and cheese, being a general after dark nuisance. I haven't seen one when I have been on night patrol, but they are there. Besides geese, ducks, ravens and buzzards, the only furry animals I've seen are one coyote and a couple of deer, lots of red squirrels, chipmunks, and a vole. On the drive home after dark I have seen bear three times now.

Last weekend we camped with Jason and Micki and the kids. Went up to the summit of Brockway and watched a little of the Perseids. Then on Monday night/Tuesday morning Leona and I went with Elise, Serena and Sara to Bucky's and watched the Perseids over Lake Superior. Moon was pretty bright and Serena said we should have gone up to the Swedetown Hill and we might of seen more. Yet the big lake was beautiful and relaxing. Got home around 1:30 am.

Kristyn will soon be back in The Cities from Korea where she has been teaching English. She and Beth will come over next week and Kristyn will have an interview for a ESL job at Tech.

That's about it.

Except for a couple of recent tanka.

at night
the fort so quiet
my shadow
a hole
in the moonlight


the mom
working so hard
pedaling up hill
towed behid
the child laughs

ta!

Busy weeks at work. The last weekend in July the Battery D (the Civil War encampent) was at the Fort and yesterday was the Copperman Triathelon. Both very busy weekends. Busy is good.

When R came to work this morning a coyote was by the booth. He had gotten into the trash. Someone left BK trash and he figured it was a drive-thru. Only seen a couple of coyotes in the park this year. And so far, no bear. But bear have been seen on either end of town or the park in the past week.

Thimbleberries are beginning to get ripe. Should be a good crop this year. Bilberries, Huckleberries and blue berries have all been good. Service berries (sugar plums) are also getting ripe. When they begin to rot they ferment - drunken birds.

Not much writing lately, but that's okay, the words will come when there is time.

back to work at the park

So, it is trying to be spring and I am back to work at the park in Copper Harbor.
Still trying to adjust to working late and sleeping in. Something my body doesn't
like to do. It still thinks I should get up at 5:30 am.

What has it been like at the park? Slow.

high gas prices
more hummingbirds
than campers


not even enough campers to make it worthwhile for the bears to visit.

On the publication front: The Rose and Thorn is in the June online issue of Underground Voices
along with Listening to Sun Ra. Another poem appears online at Origami Condom. and a few tanka were kindly published in the spring issue of Modern English Tanka.

This summer I will be kick-starting a couple of new magazines. Her Red Dress which will either be printed through Lulu or Amazon's Create Space sites. And a little cut-and -paste 3 page newsletterish zine titled Whiskey Breath - poems from the barroom floor. But, first I have to get chapbooks by Ken Pobo and Mark Hartenbach printed.

not much to say.

Not much writing lately. Between work and driving downstate to bring up more stuff from storage I haven't had much time. However the state park job is over and now i am looking for a new job. Slowly.