walking in the woods
i spy
this portal
a little yellow globe
at the top of the opening
maybe
a welcome bell
or
a light
where do you think it leads?
—
‘stand guard at the portal of your mind.’
-ralph waldo emerson
Jul31
Jul30
fairy food.
hola!
to my neighborhood fairies
who have opened
a tiny taco stand
i might order
137 of these
for dinner.
—
“A little glittery fairy dust can help you float, but a good taco brings you back down to earth.”
– from a wise anonymous fairy
—
here is another take on food offered from the fairies:
Folklore says that eating food offered to you while visiting Fairyland,
makes it impossible to ever leave and go back home.
By eating fairy food, Fairyland becomes a part of you and you’ll have to stay there forever.
Illustration by Shirley Barber (1935-2023)
Jul29
a stitch in time.
not the ‘very long cozy blanket’ i made using one stitch
(mine was a few rows wider)
but it is the same daffodil yellow
—
i’ve written about
a knitting store
that i love
a couple of times
though i’m not
a knitter by nature
there was that one time though
when my first baby was coming
i decided to knit her a blanket
chose a pretty daffodil yellow yarn
bought the needles
not sure
how to knit
figured out
how to get
yarn on the needle
used one stitch
the garter stitch
it’s the same stitch
for the whole blanket
before too long
i realized
it was only as wide
as what would fit
on one
long knitting needle
oh well
i made it really long
kept working on it
not getting any wider
growing
still longer yet
not ‘finished’
by the time
she was born
so i picked it up again
for my second daughter
it continued to get longer
by the third daughter
it was finally done
not exactly sure
how to end it
somehow
i came up with
a finished row
it was like a
loooooooong
wide yellow scarf
i wrapped that baby up
in her cozy yellow
wide strip of knitting
the girls had it for years
i told them all the story
it was made
with one stitch
and
a whole lot of love
and
i decided
being a mother was great
and
i would not be
a competitive knitter.
—
Directions: Garter stitch is the most basic pattern in knitting, created by knitting every stitch in every single row when working flat. It produces a bumpy, ridged, and stretchy fabric that looks the same on both sides and lies completely flat without curling at the edges. When knitting flat (back and forth) knit every single stitch on every row. You do not need to use the purl stitch at all. Just slip as if to knit the first stitch on each row at the beginning and it will give a nice edge. Some will also knit through the back loop of last stitch but you don’t have to. (Help!)
—
“she wondered if she was doomed to be one of those people who spend their lives trying things.
she had tried being in a band, writing plays and children’s books,
she had tried acting and getting a job in publishing.
perhaps crime fiction was just another failed project to place alongside trapeze, buddhism and spanish.”
-David Nicholls, One Day, author/screenwriter
*David Nicholls (born 1966) is a British novelist and screenwriter. Initially an actor after graduating from college, he became a screenwriter, notably creating the television series Rescue Me and adaptations of novels, plays, and memoirs. He is the author of six novels.
Jul28
it’s not safe to talk.
‘It’s Not Safe To Talk’, David Hayward, Sumi ink and watercolour on paper
“It’s Not Safe to Talk”, it’s origin story – A woman contacted me to say she saw a young bright maple tree surrounded by dead and dying trees as if they were trying to silence it. She heard, “It’s not safe to talk!” How I feel! She said keep shining. So I painted it.
(Ink used to make calligraphy) – David Hayward
It’s not safe to talk, but as long as we talk, we’re alive.
Bio from the artist: I’m a lot of things. Pastor turned artist. Cartoonist. Writer. And other things I’m still figuring out. To be all these things is simply to be human. Complex, meaningful, creative, curious, and evolving. – DH
Jul27
spinning.
while my sister was here
we paid a visit to one of our favorite stores
‘spun’
i’ve written about it before
while i’m not a knitter
my sister is very good at it
we both love the feeling
of being in the store
it’s whimsical and welcoming
the yarns, so beautiful
always a bit of fun and community going on
like their brilliant ‘tour de fleece’ event
for spinners of all kinds
and
i especially love
the tiny baby sweaters.
(warning: sweaters are much tinier than they appear in the photo)
and
there’s a surprise
a tiny baby sheep is in the pocket
shhhh….
—
‘i love the way kintting brings people together.’
– debbie macomber
Jul25
just living isn’t enough.
what a charming scene to happen upon
a tiny bench for a child
to sit and rest
or watch the world go by
or dream
a small bowl of water
for a dog to have a drink
the happy chalk drawings
to bring smiles
for those walking by
the flags
to celebrate our country
to remember what it stands for
plants
to enjoy the beauty of
nurturing and growing
such a kind and generous thing to do.
—
“just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.”
-Hans Christian Anderson”
Jul24
that look.
when you get that look
—
pete the cat
lets you know
that you have forgotten
to do something
he put
on his secret inner schedule
and
you should have known.
—
below are
some literary and pop culture phrases
that describe the look
choose your own adventure here:
which is your favorite ?
do you know another?
write your own caption:
—
“A look that could curdle milk.”
“Her eyes narrowed into two dangerous slits of ice.”
“He shot a glare so sharp it felt like a physical blow.”
“A silent stare loaded with quiet, simmering fury.”
“Eyes that burned with an unspoken warning.”
“A look heavy enough to crush stone.”
“The kind of stare that makes the room drop ten degrees.”
“A hard, flat gaze devoid of any warmth.”
—
‘bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down… and won.’
– John Prine, american singer/song writer
Jul24
rippling.
the lake rippling
calm cool as the dark welcomes
in the star-lit night
—
“nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”
-Lao Tzu
Lao-Tzu (l. c. 500 BCE, also known as Laozi or Lao-Tze) was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism.
—
irish hills, michigan, usa – summer 2026
Jul23
crazy vanilla.
Retro “Crazy Vanilla” striped 60s ice cream (1965)
treat from the 60s
crazy cool so delicious
a mind-bender too
—
here’s their pitch:
Don’t let the crazy stripes fool you. They’re vanilla too!
Crazy Vanilla looks like crazy because it has red and blue stripes leaping all over the place. But it tastes like vanilla because that’s what it is — vanilla ice cream.
It’s the coolest, craziest flavor ever. And who else but Sealtest could bring you this wacky treat? Start swinging. Pick up on this wild flavor today. Man, like it’s the craziest!
—
“Peace and productivity,” said the Sixties. “Let us keep things groovy.”
―
―
Jul22
free stuff.
MY FAVORITE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORHOOD POST OF THE WEEK (with responses)
Especially the first sentence
My robot lawn mower drove itself into my free pile and someone took it. Which is fair. It looked free. It was not free. If you’re now the owner of a white Navimow you didn’t expect to have this week, I’d like it back! Happy to give you something for your trouble. No questions, no hard feelings — it just works for a living and I’d like it to come home. =) Also whatever to the bozo who took the container for the pop-top thingies but left the thingies ?! C’mon!
Oh no! I’m sorry this happened to you. Here’s hoping robots of the future show better judgment than to hop in a free pile!
Disappointed I didn’t hear about the free pile.
UGH! I put out a shelving unit. Someone took the shelf boards, left the unit for me to have to dispose of, because who wants a shelf unit without any shelves?
A robot lawn mower… I had no idea such a thing existed! I hope you get it back.
Sorry to hear that. Had no idea how expensive they are. Hope it returns. If it is like my IRobot Roomba they can shut it down.it doesn’t have gps to help locate it?
it does have gps, but not to “phone home” … for that it’d need a cellular modem or something.
·Not to pour salt on the wound, but did you find it worth the money? The fact that it did not go around the pile is a bummer – my neighbor has one and it does a terrible job of mowing.
You see these robot lawn mowers all over the place in Europe. If you stand in front of them, they will stop and wait for you to move. If you do not move they try to move around you.
This reminds me of the scary sweeper they have at Sam’s Club. It only stops if you’re certain height. I saw a mother having to pull her child away from this crazy thing.
I have had people go shopping around my house when I had free stuff out. I had a table taken, a shovel by the front garden, and some other minor things. Sorry about your mower, that is not a minor thing.
When I was a kid my dad made a “robot” mower from a little tykes trike. I helped with something but not much. This was early seventies and it mowed about 100 ft. before my dad put int the crawl space. It now hangs in my garage.
Edit: It has been RETURNED !!! Thank you, bozo !!! (Wait, wait … you’re not the bozo — the person who messed with the little thing-a-majigs is. You’re the hero of this story! Robot says thanks !!
What a happy ending. almost like a Disney movie.
—
‘i don’t care how much money you have, free stuff is always a good thing.’
-Queen Latifah
I didn't have my glasses on.... 