382: beautiful year, march

I met Louise Gluck, one of the amazing benefits of being an MFA student and even more, the events photographer for the English department.

But this semester is fast becoming difficult: I missed the first week of classes due to Palm Beach, another few days of classes for AWP, and then I was selected for jury duty, which took away the week before spring break. I don't know it yet, but there are still more reasons lurking around the corner to keep me from my studies and students.


I learned to make cheese with three women I greatly admire.


I scrutinized the landscape for signs of spring: anything green was victim of my lens, any hopes of snow melt and bulbs protruding. There were none to be found in our patch if Minnesota.


But when Ryan and I spent my spring break in Michigan, we found buds on the trees and crocuses pushing through the bracken in her front lawn. It's a quiet but slightly mournful visit; my grandmother's missing her husband is acute.

Winter has pressed down hard on my soul.