the sky
the tree
the berries
i
SEE.
—
nature is not stingy
with her miracles
we simply forget to look.
-sara sarna
—
argo park, ann arbor, mi, usa, october 2026
Oct6
Oct5
shoot with your camera, not your weapon.
Orangutans in Borneo – critically endangered
A program in Borneo is paying villagers to photograph wildlife instead of hunting it, turning former hunters into protectors of endangered species. Through the KehatiKu program, run by Borneo Futures, more than 800 people in nine villages in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province earn up to $200 a month by uploading photos and audio recordings of animals, with bonuses for rare sightings like orangutans. Their contributions have produced 378,000 confirmed observations, including Critically Endangered and Endangered species like the Bornean orangutan and Abbott’s gibbon. “Where previously they caught one bird and it was worth 50,000 rupiah, now they just need to take a photo,” the program’s Indonesia director told AFP, while a 72-year-old farmer named Imelda said, “we really, really want to protect them.” One farmer said the extra income is helping pay for his children’s college educations. Funded through 2028 with $300,000 in philanthropic money, the program is expanding to two more villages next month, and its managing director says there’s now evidence that local forests and wildlife are “valued more for conservation than exploitation.”
‘Through increased awareness and education
World Animal Day (October 4th)
seeks to create a world where animals are always
recognized as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare.’
-carole king, american musician
—
source credits: Aaron Parnas, Borneo Futures Science For Change, Kehati Ku
Oct4
where does it begin?
“in every country in which there has been a loss of freedom, where does it begin?
it begins in news media, in public print, in books, and on the proscenium.
that’s where they attack you first right there.
that’s the bread basket.”
-Rod Serling, writer, creator of ‘the twilight zone’
—
credit: anne c. serling (rod’s daughter)
Oct3
with a thousand memories.
Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.
Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.
-carl sandburg
—
for C, you will be missed by so many.
—
image credit: cm
Oct2
sloth and the air of possibility.
one of my favorite fund-raisers ever
i love this cause
sitting quietly by the register
at my favorite local mexican street food carryout place.
—
“it is better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit.’
* Les Brown is an American politician and motivational speaker who served as a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Brown was born with his twin brother Wes, in a low-income section of Miami, Florida. He was adopted by Mamie Brown, a 38-year-old single woman who worked as a cafeteria attendant and domestic assistant. Brown said that he was labeled “educable mentally retarded” in elementary school, which damaged his self-esteem and confidence.
When Brown decided to get his life together and get his career going, he was hired by a radio station where he was repeatedly unsuccessful with his speeches. It was only after the on-air failures of the previous afternoon DJ that he was hired full-time. Upon his termination from the radio station, he ran for election in the Ohio House of Representatives and won. After leaving the State Legislature he shifted his career to television and became the host of his own show on PBS and had a syndicated radio show on KFWB in California. Les went on to marry R&B soul singer Gladys Knight, became a motivational speaker, and wrote Live Your Dreams, a motivational self-help book encouraging personal achievement and goal setting.
Oct1
welcome october, let the ‘ber months begin.
the united states of snowfall
when will your state see its first snowfall in 2026?
this map shows when to expect it.
the cold-weather snow key
(looks like mine will be november, the next ‘ber month)
Each year, Farmers’ Almanac releases a snowfall map that shows when your region will receive snow, based on previous years’ weather patterns.
Along with a map, is a key to show which regions will see snow months before others, if at all. Each color represents a timeframe when snow usually falls in a certain area. Purple indicates the earliest snowfall, while light blue depicts late or no snowfall.
And here we find ourselves, when snow might be on the horizon, depending on where you live. Some of us can’t wait for snow, reminiscing about hot cocoa, warm blankets, fireplaces, ice skating, cozy films, snow days off school (the kids) and watching the flakes fall from the window. Others wince at the mere thought of snow and last year’s frozen streets, power outages, shoveling, snow days off school (parents), and chilly temperatures.
People sometimes assume if you grew up with snow, you don’t mind when it blankets your city or ruins your plans, but that’s not always the case. Similarly, not everyone in states with temperate climates dreams of a white Christmas; they’re perfectly content building a sand snowman.
Still, some people really love (and depend on) the snow and the winter holidays and cold-weather activities that come with it.
Whether the possibility of snow is exciting or unwelcome, the map is not a snow guarantee, but an estimate based on yearly averages. Some states might see snow earlier than expected; others might go the entire year without any.
Here we go!
—
‘one thing I love about Detroit is that in the wintertime, they have a great device for removing snow. it’s called july.’
-soupy sales, american comedian, actor, radio-tv personality, and jazz aficionado
(i grew up watching soupy here in detroit)
—
source credits: logan deloye, mental floss, farmer’s almanac, getty images
Sep30
‘there are two kinds of people in this world, and i am one.’ – dave barry
Gaga Leo
–
i am the
bite a chunk of chocolate off the bar and exuberant celebrator kind
what kind of person are you?
—
‘there are two kinds of people in this world:
those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world
and those who are smart enough to know better.’
-tom robbins
—
image credits: zomzto, pinterest
Sep29
exercise your right.
so this arrived yesterday
gettiing my exercise
walking it back to the clerk’s office
to return it today
filled out.
my votes are in.
exercised my right to vote
let’s go, america!
Sep28
never the answer.
War Is Never The Answer – Kana Handel, acrylic, dry pigment, on canvas
—
“all war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
—
I’ve long admired Kana’s art and have had the pleasure of meeting her when she was in town for an art fair. I’m drawn to her whimsical style, the colors she chooses, and the moving messages/stories that she shares through her paintings. I have her prints on my walls and it is always hard to choose which to buy.
—
Originally from Japan, Kana is an artist who incorporates a variety of mixed media—including traditional sumi ink, gansai watercolors, mineral pigments, oils, acrylics, acrylic gouache, colored pencils, and even LEDs. She integrates these with handmade washi paper, which she often tears, collages, and sculpts in her pursuit of a “moment.”
Her work is often figurative and narrative in style; she enjoys telling a story on a blank canvas, inviting the viewer along in the process. The many things “on their heads” is an outward expression of the emotions hidden within us all.
Both original paintings and prints can be purchased in galleries, online at her website, through Etsy, and throughout the country at various art festivals, To find out more, visit kanasarts.com.
here’s a link to an earlier post i wrote about her, and our serendipitous connection –
Sep27
humans without borders.
yes, this.
—
“humans without borders, that’s what the world needs –
beings of conscience and courage, with no rigidity of religion, gender, nationality, or any other.”
– abhijit naskar, ain’t enough to look human
—
(reposted from 2020 and still, yes.)
