Monthly Archives: January 2021

unbroken unity.

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nothing like the feel of

walking on a lake of solid ice

remembering how it felt

swimming in its warm water

pure magic

“in the arctic, the inuit say water and land are the same;

they’re an unbroken unity.

in the winter, you travel on the ice because it’s the linkage and the easiest way,

and in the summer, you move around on the water.”

*-john ralston saul

 

 

*John Ralston Saul (born 1947) is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual. His work is known for being thought-provoking and ahead of its time, leading him to be called a “prophet” by Time and to be included in Utne Reader’s list of the world’s leading thinkers and visionaries.

snowball.

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our class has been taking a close look at snow and ice

after reading them

the first book i ever read all by myself 

‘snow’ by p.d. eastman

 brought a snowball in from outside

named it ned

popped it in our freezer

 check on it every now and then

take ned out for just a little bit

see if it’s still cold and in the shape of a snowball and if it’s drippy

 hope that ned will be with us throughout the season

even if he goes away in the spring

 we’re pretty sure he’ll be back next winter.

more about boxes – joy edition.

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after my recent post about those who ‘keep boxes’

my longtime friend, a brilliant apple systems engineer

texted this mind-blowing response to me:

“thought you might like to know that the apple engineers designed the iphone box

so that the amount of time it takes to lift the top off is 4 seconds –

just because their research showed

that it was the amount of anticipation that gave the recipient the most joy”

“i have drunken deep of joy, and I will taste no other wine tonight.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

 

the genius of each.

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as i worked on report cards over the last week

putting together my notes

gathering my thoughts

sharing my stories

telling their stories

i was reminded

that each child

has

their own gifts

their own challenges

yet each shares

without fail

a curiosity

a sense of wonder about the world

a desire to learn

and does so

in their own way.

 

“Do not train children to learn by force and harshness,

but direct them to it by what amuses their minds,

so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy

the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”     

-Plato

 

 

image credit: Radhusets Julkalender 2012 – Arte del libro, Arte dell’illusrazione

writing desk.

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what you might imagine it to be vs. what it might quite possibly be.

 

i recently listened to this book written and read by stephen king, and loved every minute of it-

a mix of his personal story and very straight shooting practical advice.

“It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write,

remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room.

Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.”

Stephen King

Amazon book review summary: Short and snappy as it is, Stephen King’s On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists.

 

image credits: tom gauld, simon and schuster

boxes.

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j.l. hudson department store – detroit, michigan

i have always loved boxes

some for nostalgia or beauty

others for their material or design

as my children know

sometimes a box is my favorite part of a present

yes, i have a kept a few or so.

apple – macbook air

“thanks to my mother, not a single cardboard box has found its way back into society.

we receive gifts in boxes from stores that went out of business twenty years ago.”

-erma bombeck

 

one specialized group are those who save the boxes created by apple and the used boxes are actually for sale on ebay.

 i only recently gave a gift in my macbook air box that i had saved for no reason other than i loved its amazing design.

see the link below for a look into this apple phenomenon:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5bw3b/why-people-keep-empty-apple-iphone-macbook-boxes

slice of life.

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pie eating contest at the jefferson school, washington, d.c. 1923

in honor of national pie day

i am proud to announce that 

once

on one fine summer’s day

i was declared

the women’s speed pie eating contest winner

at the local fire department’s picnic

no hands

just a chocolate pie and a competitive spirit

“things that really matter are the things that gold can’t buy,

so let’s have another cup o’ coffee and let’s have another piece o’ pie.”

– irving berlin

image credit: united states library of congress, prints and photographs division

do you remember?

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who remembers this?

sitting backwards

making faces

rolling around on turns

cigarette smoke-filled air

fighting over who could sit there

the door that swung open

back window down

best seat ever.

 

“like all great travelers, i have seen more than i remember, and remember more than i have seen.”

-benjamin disraeli

 

 

 

 

 

image credit: doyouremember.com