Category Archives: Life

Jan21

dinner?

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if I could invite

 any mix of people to dinner

for an interesting chat, a meal, and a laugh?

mr. rogers would be one of my guests


of course, dolly, who I wrote about yesterday, would be another

and rod serling,  one of my favorite writers, twilight zone man

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all good humans

 smart, kind, creative, generous, funny, and i imagine, good company

all people I admire

we could fit right into a booth.

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who are the 3 people

that you would invite

to sit in a booth with you

to talk and laugh and have dinner with?

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‘i’ve never been to a dinner party where everyone

at the dinner table didn’t say something funny.’

-lorrie moore

*Lorrie Moore is a celebrated American author, known for her witty, poignant short stories and novels that often explore the complexities of modern relationships, career struggles, and heartbreak. A professor of English and Creative Writing, she’s recognized for her sharp dialogue, mordant humor, and ability to blend tragedy with comedy, earning numerous awards.

Jan12

to all the people helping

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photo credit: a. dollins, statesman journal

Dec15

when things go missing.

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Deborah J. Brasket’s moving novel When Things Go Missing, may cause you to reflect on your life in ways that you didn’t expect, as you follow her characters in this very human tale of a family. 

Throughout the book, each family member will be challenged to take stock of their own lives in response to an unexpected change in their family dynamic when their always reliable mother chooses to disappear. While they all love each other, they do have very real issues, and there are times when it’s best to let people resolve things on their own, yet only the people involved can make that decision. 

As a parent, a sibling, a child, a friend, perhaps we’ve all had those moments when we’ve felt the push/pull of wanting to take a break from it all, but how many of us would do it, and what would happen to those we would have to leave behind, even though we love them dearly, while also loving ourselves? Are we helping, are we hurting, by staying or leaving? What happens next?

This book tells this family’s story with compassion, love, humor, and caring, and shows you how people can find a way to find a way, with love and a strong will. I highly recommend it. 

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‘some things are best mended by a break.’

– edith wharton

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In ‘real life’ Deborah is a very interesting person –

She spent six years sailing around the world with her husband and children before returning to California where she earned her MA in English. She taught literature courses to college students, organized a union for adjunct instructors, and fought for affordable housing as the leader of a nonprofit in Santa Barbara County.

Now she lives with her husband among the rolling hills and vineyards of California’s central coast where she writes the kinds of novels she loves to read. “When Things Go Missing” is her debut novel.

She writes about art, literature, and the creative process on her author website/blog at “Deborah J. Brasket, Author – Writing from the Edge of the Wild,” where she also shares her poetry and short stories.

“When Things Go Missing” is available for sale in the following places:

Amazon,  Amazon UK, Amazon AUS, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, along with all major retailers

Deborah’s blog can be found here: deborahjbasket.com

Dec7

finding that perfect gift.

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when you realize just bit too late…

 

 

 

 

 

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image credit gary larson, the far side

 

Nov25

darkness just begun.

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‘during the gloaming mother nature holds her breath.

she lowers her eyes and there is a eerie stillness

much like that in a moment of silent prayer. 

night slides over her as her day is done.

everything about her is now secret,

hidden in the darkness just begun’

-helen osbourne

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dexter, michigan, usa – november 2025

Nov20

not much to report.

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thought I’d just see if the neighbors had anything going on

welp… not much to report

same old, same old. 

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‘the most revolutionary thing you can do is to get to know your neighbors.’

-karl hess

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image credits: google images, gary larson, the far side

Nov17

‘we shall play one day.’

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Vallvidrera, near Barcelona, has a curling club. Each season, the members of the club go to the local reservoir and toss a stone in to see if the ice is strong enough to play. Since the water never freezes, they go for brunch instead and raise the toast, ‘We shall play one day’.

 

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‘i never knew people made a club for me!’

-clay aiken, american singer

Nov14

wild turkey.

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wild turkey crossing – use caution

i had no idea they were coffee drinkers.

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“though wild turkeys may not be the PhDs of the bird world—-that distinction goes to the common crow—-they do have the capability to learn and remember important survival information from their environment and from those of their own kind.’
– Gary W. Griffen, America’s Wild Turkey

*Gary W. Griffen has published wildlife and nature photographs in hundreds of books, magazines and calendars worldwide (including more than 50 magazine covers).

National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Smithsonian, Natural History, BBC.

Nov13

no pennies for you.

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In 2017, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln made out of 24,500 pennies won over $200,000 in prizes at the ninth annual ArtPrize international art competition. Richard Schlatter, a 73-year-old artist, illustrator and former ad executive from Battle Creek, Michigan, created the piece, which he titled “A. Lincoln” after the way in which the 16th president wrote his signature.

“A. Lincoln” is a 96-square-foot (eight feet wide by 12 feet tall) portrait of the 16th President of the United States, consisting of 24,500 pennies and five pounds of glue that altogether weighs approximately 400 pounds. Each year of the coin series is represented, from 1909 through 2017, and each cent is unaltered in any way. Schlatter stated that he sorted through tens of thousands of pennies to get the colors he needed–including 1,681 steel cents produced during World War II to conserve copper for the war effort that eventually became Lincoln’s shirt.

According to the artist, it took about 315 hours to finish the work. Schlatter began the project on Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and installed the final pieces on the day that Lincoln died (April 15).

The yearly art event, is based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, with art displayed at various businesses and venues downtown. “A. Lincoln” won the Public Vote grand Prize of $200,000, as well as the $12,500 Public Vote Prize in the two-dimensional art category. Speaking on the public Grand Prize vote, ArtPrize’s Executive Director Christian Gaines made the following statement on the organization’s website:

“The public has chosen work that is large scale, iconic and familiar, and one that reflects qualities that are widely admired – patience, skill and considerable labor … Though this work depicts an image we’ve seen before in myriad ways, when we see it at this epic scale we’re invited to stop and reflect on our 16th president who set in motion the abolition of slavery in the United States.”

The artist, who has designed fonts and illustrated children’s books, has said that he made the portrait of Lincoln to use as an educational tool, outlining his thoughts in a brochure he created explaining the work. Schlatter believes that “A. Lincoln” has a special resonance in today’s polarized political culture. He will donate a portion of his grand prize money to a Battle Creek women’s shelter.

As for the portrait itself, Schlatter has received inquiries from interested parties, including one from someone who would donate it to a museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

1,346 artists from 47 countries and 41 states entered the competition. A preliminary round of voting whittled the field down to 20 selections in both the public and juried pools, and a second round ran through the final week of the event, ultimately selecting the winner.

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the u.s. mint has officially made their last penny, it’s history.

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‘when someone asks you, 

a penny for your thoughts,

and you put your two cents in,

what happens to the other penny?’

-george carlin

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source credits: ArtPrize.org, mlive.org. battlecreekenquirer.com, detroitnews.com, coin.com

Nov11

on Veteran’s Day.

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JFK and son John at Arlington National Cemetery for Veterans Day, 

1963, eleven days before his assassination.

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‘as they express their gratitude,

they must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.’

– John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States 

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photo: Cecil Stoghton, White House Photographs, American Photo Archive