Scattered Words Is Making Its Rounds

A review by Candice Louisa Daquin of ThisKeptAche

I am not one to push grief and loss onto anyone. Compiling poems for this book was cathartic for me. I needed to do this. It has been helpful for my grieving process and the appropriate mourning of a dog who meant the world to me. She was such a lifesaver for me; my calm, my peace. I am certain there will never be another like her.

To know that this work is not only helping me but also others in their grief is the icing on the cake of creativity. This work was not produced in vain. Candice Louisa Daquin, a long-time friend and fellow creator/writer, reviewed Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt, and what she said about it made me truly see that I have given the world some magic, even in my sadness.

A snippet of her review is below:

It says a lot about how much animals can impact lives, including the lives of those around us, who understand they are family and the loss is incalculable and akin to losing another human being. Jernee’s life will never be forgotten and this is where Scattered Words comes into its own. To say this is a eulogy isn’t sufficient. This is a testament to love. It is also filled with light and love, because Tremaine knows, Jernee is waiting for her and not far away.

From the first page where there is an image of Tremaine with Jernee, and it says, “hello rainbow bridge / treat my baby with kindness / she deserves it all” to the last image, which is more of a portrait of Jernee, there is grief and loss and love and hope all wound together in this brave and honest homage and reflection of a life well spent.

It isn’t fair that we only had 17 years with Jernee, but one thing I know is, every one of those years was filled with meaning and the bond between them, inseparable. I remember seeing the photos of Jernee after she died, and also leading up to it, and it opened wounds in me I had forgotten I had. This is not a bad thing, it is a necessary thing. We do feel. We have pain. To pretend otherwise is foolish. I like that about Tremaine, she is unflinching in her examination of what is real.

These poems were written after Jernee’s death and during her life. They are sometimes terribly sad, but for any pet-owner, animal-lover or really, person capable of understanding the bonds we forge, this is a book we wish we all had someone write about our life.

You can read the review in its entirety by visiting the original blog post for it.

As a writer who depends on emotions, it is encouraging to know I didn’t overshoot this one. I thank Candice for pointing that out, and for giving Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt such a remarkable review.


Scattered Words: Hardcover $26.00 USD|Scattered Words: eBook $11.00 USD

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