Feb8

I have questions.

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I have questions.

  1. why is this on an exterior door?
  2. does that mean it is an entrance, then?
  3. why doesn’t it say not ‘an’ exit?
  4. is it maybe because it is ‘B’ exit?
  5. is there another reason I haven’t considered?
  6. is it me?

—

‘ i never learn anything talking. i only learn things when 1 ask questions.’

-lou holtz

*The only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games, Coach Lou Holtz was a fixture in the college football coaching landscape for more than three decades. Best known for his tenure at Notre Dame, Holtz led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 National Championship and 100 wins. He won conference championships at William & Mary, North Carolina State and Arkansas and is the only coach to guide four different programs to final Top 20 rankings.

Feb7

simple humanity.

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“human beings must involve themselves in the anguish of other human beings. this, i submit to you, is not a political thesis at all. it is simply an expression of what i would hope might be ultimately a simple humanity for humanity’s sake.”   ~ rod serling

Feb6

potato flood.

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When life gave a German farm 5 million pounds of potatoes, it shared the spuds for free. Named the Kartoffel-Flut (potato flood), after the highest yield in 25 years,This German farm’s potato harvest surplus prompted a massive giveaway last month. Truckloads of spuds were donated to soup kitchens, schools, zoos, churches, Ukrainian aid efforts, and distribution sites for Berlin residents.
​
Dubbed “the great potato rescue,” the bonanza aimed to prevent food waste after Germany’s largest potato crop in 25 years overwhelmed markets and sent costs down. So the farm, Osterland Agrar, teamed up with a Berlin newspaper and the nonprofit search engine Ecosia to set up 174 sites around the city, where people could stock up on tubers.
​
“At first I thought it was some AI-generated fake news when I saw it on social media,” Astrid Marz, a teacher, told The Guardian. “There were pictures of huge mountains of ‘earth apples’ with the instruction to come and get them for free!” Another local described one of the sites as having “a really party-like atmosphere,” with people helping one another haul their freebies while swapping cooking tips.
​
If reading this is making you hungry, check out this thorough list of potato recipes, including how to boil ’em, mash ’em, and stick ’em in a stew.

 

‘what I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes,

he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.’

– A. A. Milne

 

 

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source credits: the guardian, nicenews, photo credit: john woitas

Feb5

a show of hands.

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you know you’re a michigander/michiganian

when you use your hands as a map

to show where

you live, are going, or something is located

yep

two hands

two peninsulas.

 

—

‘i have an existential map. it has ‘you are here’ written all over it.’

-steven wright

 

 

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image credit: michigan field guide
Feb4

end of the line.

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the cobbler’s

been here forever

or as long as I can remember

coming here

  end of long narrow hallway

in the mall

half empty half full

making a comeback

reimagined

 in new ways

good news for the space

shoes still need fixing

that’s never changed

cobbler’s still here

ready to help

people know where to find him

right where he’s always been

at the end of the line

 

—

“i’m with you ’til the end of the line.”

-captain america, marvel comics

Feb3

grandsons blooming.

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grandie j, gets his big role after working  hard

in lots of roles in the chorus

singing and dancing on stage in ‘newsies’

 

grandie f, finally gets his first place win in the velodrome

where he’s been training and racing so hard!

(wonky photo from his YouTube video on race night)

 

—

here’s to all my grandies

taking their own paths

not giving up

doing things they love

 

—

“life begins when you start something, and blooms when you keep doing it.” 

― michael bassey johnson,  author

Feb2

who knows really?

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even though there is usually a bit more suspense and fanfare

on Groundhog Day

leading up to the prediction of when spring will arrive

this groundhog gets right to the point:

winter will continue just a bit longer

—

‘a blunt statement can be as false as any other.’ 

-mason cooley

 

*Mason Cooley  (1927–2002) was an American academic and renowned aphorist, celebrated for his witty, concise, and cynical observations on life. He served as a professor of English and French literature at Columbia University  and the College of Staten Island.

 

 

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image credit: pinterest

Feb1

brave new world.

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 Eva Jospin creates magical forests out of cardboard

 

A few panels from the Forest series–

there are 50 panels that slot together to create a maze. Tar on plywood.

 

‘creativity takes courage.’

-henri matisse

 

—

Eva Jospin, born in 1975 in Paris, is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. For the past fifteen years, she has been creating meticulous forests and architectural landscapes, which she explores through various media. Whether drawn in ink or embroidered, carved from cardboard or sculpted in bronze, her works evoke Italian Baroque gardens, the rocaille decorations of the 18th century, and artificial grottos.

link to her full bio:

https://www.galleriacontinua.com/artists/eva-jospin-320/biography

 

 

 

—

source credit: art, artists, artwork, ann klefstad

Jan31

involved.

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on a cold and bright morning

at january’s end

the students organized

the townies arrived

 we stood together 

marched as one

—

2,000+ students and local residents gathered on the university of michigan diag in ann arbor and marched across campus and through the city to protest the administration’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in michigan and across the nation.

 

 

—

‘at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, i don’t think you can help but be involved.’

-nina simone, jazz singer, pianist, and civil rights activist 

 

 

—

image credit Marcin Szczepański

 

Jan30

mall moms.

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happy quad of moms

babies in tow

meet at the mall

to workout

dance, laugh, chant, count, sing

most of all 

to enjoy time spent

in each other’s company

away from the world

outside those automatic doors

 

—

 “friendship is a wildly underrated medication.”

—anna deavere smith

 

*Anna Deavere Smith (born 1950) is an American actress, playwright, and professor.