Please Be Safe Out There, Everyone.

Winter Storm Fern did not come to play.


There is something about the weather that’ll make you cower under confidence in less than a minute flat.

There’s snow, and then, there’s black ice. One can cripple a pathway before you, but you may be able to maneuver your way through it. The other can paralyze you; change you from your able-bodied self to someone you have to learn to know all over again.

When officials say, “Stay off the roads unless you absolutely have to be on them”, many of us should heed that plea.

It’s too cold here for DOT to begin treating the roads again. So, I’m seated under a heated blanket, sipping my coffee, and staring out the balcony door of my fourth (technically fifth) floor apartment.

I’d rather be on a plage in a tropical setting, rubbing my feet together under a beach-themed towel.

It is not lost on me how many people are without power, are currently on the street struggling to stay warm, or do not have employers who care about their well-being.

I am grateful that I can say this. I thank God that these words can leave my lips. Luxuries can be both big and small at the same time. I acknowledge that.

Stay safe and warm, yet thankful if you’re able to do these things.


Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Life in Photos #9

Daily photographic musings

Canada Geese enjoying a sunny day before a M A J O R cold snap! Thursday, January 15, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
A fake orchid. Taken in the hallway of my apartment building. Sunday, January 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
A hearty meal for an empty belly. Seasoned pork steak, sweet corn, and roasted Rustic potatoes w/ Roma tomatoes. Sunday, January 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Sunday: a day to wash the locs, and then towel-dry them. Sunday, January 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt, enhanced with Google Gemini
Chunky chocolate chip cookies, because YES!!! I shared them with my two neighbors, Nikayla & Herbbie. Thursday, January 22, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
My tortoise is cuter than yours. Zumi Tye loves to eat, as I am sure you all know by now. LOL! Saturday, January 24, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Winston (AKA Winnie) is Jernee Timid’s friend. I speak about him in “smelling death,” which is a poem I have included in Scattered Words. He is such a sweet boy, and he loves to give me full-body hugs. I know he misses Jernee; he looks around me as if he’s searching for her tiny body to greet him. It warms my heart and breaks it at the same time. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
I’m a little bit Coraline. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Snow, Snow, and Ice, Ice Baby #1. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Snow, Snow, and Ice, Ice Baby #2. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Snow, Snow, and Ice, Ice Baby #3. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Snow, Snow, and Ice, Ice Baby #4. Sunday, January 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Beauty Is All Around Us

Are you keeping your eyes open?

A photo montage of nature, and the beauty that is outside waiting for me to explore daily. Creator: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Sunday is the only day with a silent melody. —Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu


Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Life in Photos #8

Daily photographic musings

Getting ready for Caison’s basketball game. Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Caison Michael… my favorite boy. I said, “Come here, baby… lemme take a picture of you.” He came to me, squared up, smiled, and I snapped it. And then, I got all my kisses afterward. LOL! Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
One of us… because why not! I cannot believe how much Caison has grown! It simply blows my mind. *Cries uncontrollably* Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
His head was in the game. Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
See what I mean? The hustle was unmatched! Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Scrambled. Artwork in the hallway of my apartment building. Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
She no longer dances for a living; frozen in time. An artpiece in the hallway of my apartment building. Saturday, January 10, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Big Daddy? Sunday, January 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
God’s green Earth. Sunday, January 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
“A bridge over troubled water.” Sunday, January 11, 2026. Photo Credit Tremaine L. Loadholt

The camera is an instrument that teaches people
how to see without a camera. —Dorothea Lange


Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Life in Photos #7

Daily photographic musings

Kosmos, my bamboo plant, looks incredibly cute in its new pot. I truly do love this design, and it fits Kosmos perfectly. It is one of the items I purchased from my friend’s site, which I shared in this post. Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
A New Year’s card that I received from the truly amazing K. E. Garland. Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
New Year’s Dinner: BBQ ribs, coconut lemon Jasmine rice, cherry tomatoes, onions, & zucchini. Yummy. Photo Credit: Thursday, January 01, 2026. Tremaine L. Loadholt
The ribs alone… because YAAASSSSSS. Thursday, January 01, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
The trail at work. Angle 1. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
The trail at work. Angle 2. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
The trail at work. Angle 3. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Outside: Fake plants. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Inside: “Real” Plants: Dora, Lyric, and Kosmos. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Another item that I purchased from my friend’s site, Lyfer’s Choice. Tuesday, January 06, 2026. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Have you gotten your copy of SéduireSerial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

Zumi’s Gotta New Friend

Would you like to help us name it?!

Zumi Tye and ?!?

One of my dearest friends, Poohbs, decided to send a gift for Zumi Tye along with the items I purchased from her website. When I opened the box housing the items that would now be new features in our home, this little buddy had been wrapped separately and packaged along with everything.

I have placed the new addition in Zumi Tye’s terrarium to see how Zumi takes to it, and well… So far, Zumi hasn’t really paid much attention to it. I’m sure Zuse probably senses that it’s a toy or not a living being, but I still want to see how Zuse reacts to its presence over the next few days.

Naming things is typically my claim to semi-fame, but I would appreciate some input from all of you. I have listed three potential names for Zumi’s new friend. Which of the three should this lovely beauty of a toy be saddled with?

  1. Cricket
  2. Charlley
  3. Coral

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photo montage I’ve created of Zumi Tye and such a wonderfully colored toy sea turtle. I’ll update everyone after the new year on which name I have selected, taking into account the input from all of you in the comments.

Stay tuned!