May8

come fly (and glide) with me.

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before i went to sleep

i was working out transportation details

involving getting to the airport 

for an upcoming trip.

as i slept

my brain was continuing to work on the solution

luckily, my dream showed me exactly what to do:

i decided to just take a snowmobile 

 drive it right to the airport

but alas

i had left a bit too late

so i drove it my daughter’s friends’ house

which must have been verrrrrrrrry close to the airport

parked it in their front yard 

 quickly 

jumped off

made my way to the plane and took off 

upon my return 

i went to their house 

 snowmobile had been moved

 they were hosting a lively party outside

 drinks and bbq and games and music

everyone in shorts, chatty and happy

when i saw them, i asked about it

 they’d moved it to the side yard 

 having no idea whose it was

why it was parked there

i’d been in such a hurry i didn’t leave a note 

people at the party were asking about it too

explained that i came on my snowmobile

to go the airport, of course

 i got on it and headed home

thinking my solution had been quite simple, really.

when i woke up i remembered all of the details: 

yet

as the morning unfolded

i found a less action-packed solution

while taking a snowmoblle

would have been fun transport

it might be a challenge because it is spring

 it’s a bit of a distance

plus

i’m not sure it would be welcome on the tarmac

so close to that friend’s front yard.

—

‘making the simple complicated is commonplace;

making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.’

-charles mingus

 

*Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, with a career spanning three decades and collaborations with other jazz greats, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Max Roach.

—

image credit: arctic edge

May7

landsgemeinde.

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in a small Swiss canton, residents vote with a show of hands

 

You’re looking at a form of direct democracy. Recently, thousands of citizens gathered in the small Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden to cast their votes, not by filling in bubbles on paper ballots or using curtained booths, but by a simple show of hands.

For hours, questions boomed over loudspeakers about constitutional, legislative, and financial issues, in addition to elections for local leaders. Residents of the canton — home to roughly 17,000 – either raised their hands for “yes” or kept them down for “no.” From a wooden podium, the chief magistrate visually assessed the crowd to determine each outcome.

 The tradition, known as the Landsgemeinde, dates back over 600 years and survives in only two of Switzerland’s 26 cantons due to concerns over privacy and practicality in areas with larger populations. But locals note that thetransparency can be a strength. “I think it’s nice to have it direct and to talk with people about it and to hear arguments directly,” Ursulina, a 31-year-old voter, told Agence France-Presse.

Angela Koller, the head of the cantonal government, added: “Standing together with other people, you can experience politics with all your senses.” She noted that the system “isn’t perfect,”but “we have a culture here where people can tolerate that, where they know they have different opinions.”

 

—

“what people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change.”

–madeleine k. albright

 

 

—

source credits: france 24, fabrice coffrinni, AFP

May6

in poetry.

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in english we say

‘one day at a time.’

in poetry we say

‘i can hold no more than the breath i am breathing right now.

i am not thinking about tomorrow because i am still living in today.

anything beyond this very moment does not ease my troubles, it disrupts my peace.’

-ullie-kaye

 

 

—

image credit jefferson township, michigan, usa – spring

May5

¡Feliz cumpleaños y feliz Cinco de Mayo to Pete the Cat.

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it’s my pete the cat’s 2nd birthday

 still very sweet and full o’ mischief

best friends with olive 

steals and tucks his loot away like a pirate

darts around like he’s on a mission

hides in plain sight

today is also

cinco de mayo 

let the festivities begin

a kitty treat is on its way

we’ll also be reading this sweet tale

—

pete and his friends solve the mystery of the missing cupcake

(they are true crime solvers, just like me)

along the way

they learn about mistakes, forgiveness and that it’s cool to be kind.

 

—

‘there are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.’

-robert brault

 

 

—

source credits: pete the cat and the missing cupcakes, james and kimberly dean, harper collins, 2016

May4

sue yourself.

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as a true crime fan, i was fascinated by his creative case

 

In 1993, Robert Lee Brock was arrested and sentenced to prison for breaking, entering, and grand larceny. Two years later, while incarcerated at the Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake, Virginia, he brought a lawsuit against himself for the events on the night of his arrest. He sued himself over claims that he’d gotten drunk and violated his own civil rights.

Brock stated, “I partook of alcoholic beverages in 1993, July 1st, as a result I caused myself to violate my religious beliefs … by my going out and getting arrested.” He sought $5 million, though Brock never expected to pay the money himself. Instead, he requested the state pay those damages on his behalf, arguing that he couldn’t afford to do so since he couldn’t earn an income while in prison.

The case didn’t make it far, and Judge Rebecca Beach Smith ultimately dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous.

 

—

‘ i busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.’

-steven wright

 

 

 

—

source credits interesting facts, bennett kleinman, adam, adobe photo

May3

spun.

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one of my favorite stores

to walk into

and

walk around and around in

is called Spun

big open lots of light high ceilings old polished wood floors

yarn threads creative needlework whatnots spread throughout

filled with people happy about creating things

woven together with their hands

while not my practiced arts

i sure do love the energy 

 

—

‘when it comes to life,

we spin our own yarn,

and where end up is really,

in fact, where we always intended to be.’

-julia glass

 

May2

manual transmission.

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this car owner is definitely invested 

in transmitting 

what they think is a very important message/warning

let this be a lesson.

it’s from ‘the ‘MGPS’ after all. 

 

note: (manuals don’t often help me but they do help the person i hire to help me)

 

—

‘everyone is flailing through this life without an owner’s manul,

with whatever modicum of grace and good humor we can manage.’ 

-anne lamott

american novelist, nonfiction writer, and memoirist. a bestselling author and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient

May1

may day.

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‘what radicalized you?’

‘nothing, i was born with basic empathy.

‘the world decided that was radical.’

-the h.h.

 

 

 

 

—

art credit: leah jo canix

Apr30

oubaitori.

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none of the flowering fruit trees in the ancient idiom 

are in this photo

 but some of my native plants are doing as they please

blooming and flourishing at their own rate

 

 “Oubaitori” comes from the kanji,  (Japanese characters), that symbolize four flowering trees: cherry blossom, plum, peach, and apricot. It’s an ancient idiom meaning that people, like the flowers on those trees, bloom and flourish at their own rate and in their own way. The overall takeaway: Don’t compare yourself to others, instead, celebrating your inherent uniqueness.

I’m on it.

 

Apr29

Murrow, honesty and integrity.

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‘no one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.’

Edward R. Murrow, who died in april of 1965 

—

Edward R. Murrow ( 1908 – 1965) was an American journalist and television and radio figure who reported for CBS. Noted for honesty and integrity in delivering the news, he is considered among journalism’s greatest figures. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada. Murrow hired a top-flight cadre of war correspondents and his broadcasts were both detailed and dramatic. As an American, he spoke clearly to the American public, who could readily identify with him.

A pioneer of television news broadcasting, Murrow’s work continued to bring information to the public in candid yet accurate reports. He is especially well-known for his series of television news reports that helped lead to the censure of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Murrow’s exemplary career remains one of the cornerstones of broadcast journalism, and his widely-agreed status as broadcasting’s greatest journalist has not waned in the decades since his death.

source credit New World Encyclopedia