Category Archives: Life

Apr19

open the schools.

Posted on April 19, 2026 by beth

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an important message from the dictionary in response to this query.

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‘the investigation of the meaning of words is the beginning of education.’

-antisthenes

Apr9

entangled.

Posted on April 9, 2026 by beth

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entangled in national poetry month.

Mar13

widdershins.

Posted on March 13, 2026 by beth

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Widdershins

Merriam Webster Dictionary

wid·der·shinsˈ- wi-dər-shənz

ever have those days?

English speakers today are most likely to encounter widdershins as a synonym of counterclockwise. But in earliest known uses, found in texts from the early 1500s, widdershins was used more broadly in the sense of “in the wrong way or opposite direction.” To say that one’s hair “stood widdershins” was, in essence, to say that one was having a bad hair day. By the mid-1500s, English speakers had adopted widdershins to specifically describe movement opposite to the apparent clockwise direction (as seen from the northern hemisphere) of the sun traveling across the sky, which, at the time, could be considered evil or unlucky. The word originates from the Old High German widar, meaning “back” or “against,” and sinnen, meaning “to travel.”

Mar7

thank you jesse jackson.

Posted on March 7, 2026 by beth

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Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to ‘step up’ like Jesse Jackson, at the final public tribute to the late civil rights leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

Obama said Jackson’s own presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for other Black leaders, including his own successful 2009 presidency and reelection.

“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope,” Obama said. “Each day we wake up to some new assault to our democratic institutions. Another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible.”

“Each day we are told by folks in high office to fear each other,” said Obama, referring to the current Republican leadership in Washington.

“But this man, Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path,” Obama added. “His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, ‘Send me,’ wherever we have a chance to make an impact.”

Obama was one of three former Democratic presidents, along with Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, who attended the service. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also attended.

Jackson died in February at age 84.

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Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. (1941-2026) was an American civil rights activist, LGBTQ rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. A protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement, he became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries and an ardent advocate and early supporter of LGBTQ rights in the United States. A critic of police brutality, the Republican and conservative policies, he was widely regarded as one of the most influential African‑American activists of his era. From 1991 to 1997, he served as a shadow delegate and shadow senator for the District of Columbia.

Mar6

first swim.

Posted on March 6, 2026 by beth

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A man ice fishing on Lake St. Clair got an unexpected shock when a vintage Big Boy restaurant statue floated beneath the ice directly below where he was fishing, according to authorities. The fisherman said he noticed a large shadow moving under the ice. “At first I thought I had a really big fish under me,” he said. “Then I realized it was a Big Boy.”

Officials believe the statue, which had been removed from a former restaurant location near the shoreline, entered the water earlier and remained buoyant enough to travel beneath the frozen surface. While the ice didn’t break and no injuries were reported, several residents who spotted the statue contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR says it is working to locate and safely remove the statue and is reminding the public to report large debris or hazards observed on frozen waterways, especially during periods of fluctuating winter temperatures.

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“if you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it.”

-heraclitus

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source credit: macumb daily

Feb27

support for those still standing and fighting.

Posted on February 27, 2026 by beth

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How you can help my southern Minnesota community of Faribault following Operation Metro Surge

for my blog friend, Audrey, and all Minnesotans, who are still out there fighting, struggling, and just trying to live their lives. The surge continues. People are still being taken, traumatized, afraid to go to work or school, and while not in the big city of Minneapolis, the smaller towns are suffering too. Thank you for standing up and showing us the strength of community and for not giving up, we are learning how to be courageous and caring from you, I’m happy to support you and hope that others will too –

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‘No more apologies for a bleeding heart when the opposite is no heart at all.

Danger of losing our humanity must be met with more humanity.’

-Toni Morrison