This may be the final post that I get chance to write for the Silent Eye… that decision has been taken out of my hands. I spent much of last week in hospital, having, as many of you know, been diagnosed with incurable small cell lung cancer last September. It has been an interesting and […]
The Last Post? — Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo
how sweet to find this book
sitting outside on the window ledge of a downtown store
on a sunny saturday
just waiting for someone
to pick it up and take it home to read.
gratitude to the book fairies.
—
“books are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. books are humanity in print.”
-barbara w. tuchman
almost time to awaken to spring.
—
“there is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
-homer
—
image credit: Wintersleep (giclee print) by Marjolein Caljouw
today we took the dinos
out of their safety zone and into the snow
they went
in the playhouse
down the slide
in the hollow log
in the sandbox
climbed up
jumped down
made footprints and snow angels
roamed on dinosaur island
played tag
went to a party
loved the snow
they all had a such a good time and were worn out.
“my son’s always showing me pictures of dinosaurs and asking me what their names are.
i don’t know, so i make stuff up:
that, son is a thesaurus.”
-craig ferguson
last night’s walk in the park
—
“it is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam.
this crisp winter air is full of it.”
-john burroughs
—
argo park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – february 2021
my class has recently become enamored with a giant box of dinos
they play with them every day
create wildly imaginative scenarios
ask questions about real dinos
reassure me that the ones in our room are not real
one day when playing, a child asked
“would they wear masks if they were alive now?”
another jumped up to say
“never, ever, ever, ever, try to put a mask on a t-rex!!!!”
and an instant class book was born
what a brilliant title
others jumped in to offer reasons why you shouldn’t try to mask one
brainstorming was in full swing
some became illustrators
it is a fascinating and funny work in progress.
dinos may have left the earth forever, but books will never die.
—
“stories are the common ground that allow people to connect, despite all our defenses and all our differences.”
-kate forsyth
i’ll never forget that wonderful yellow cake with the warm apple topping
my mom would sometimes serve us after dinner
years later when i was a mom
i thought of it again
asking her for the very fancy recipe
she was surprised
oh that? it wasn’t fancy at all
i bought a pre-made pound cake, cut it into slices,
heated up a can of apple pie filling, and poured it on top.
then i was the one who was surprised.
—
What secret family recipe is in your lineage?
—
“don’t let the secret recipe die with the inventor.”
-nathan myhrvold
i have exactly one blog follower
in the micro country of liectenstein
with so many interesting things about this amazing tiny place
here are just a couple of examples:
in 1886 liectenstein had an army of 80 men who fought during the austro-prussian war
they suffered no injuries or deaths
and returned with 81 men because they made a new italian friend from the opposition army.
the army was disbanded soon after and they haven’t had an army since.
—
and then there was the accidental invasion which didn’t cause much of a stir:
i really love their approach to life
and i’m guessing my one reader is a pretty laid-back person
and with such a tiny country
perhaps a descendent of that new italian friend they brought back from the war?
here’s to liectenstien!
—
“be so good they can’t ignore you.”
-steve martin
—
image credit: expat.com
Gastro Obscura tell us what it’s it – This classic San Franciscan ice cream sandwich is it, isn’t it?
What’s so delicious that everyone exclaims it’s “IT!”? It’s an It’s It, of course. These ice cream sandwiches, featuring two old-fashioned oatmeal cookies dipped in dark chocolate, have been a San Francisco Bay Area classic since 1928.
George Whitney, inventor of the It’s It, was known as “The P.T. Barnum of the Golden Gate.” Whitney managed and later owned, a seaside amusement park called Playland-at-the-Beach, located on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It was at Playland that Whitney first began peddling the original It’s It, using vanilla ice cream.
The frozen goodness became an instant hit at Playland, where it was sold exclusively for more than 40 years. After the amusement park closed down in 1972, a man named George Mavros continued selling It’s Its on Ocean Beach. Eventually, It’s Its found new ownership and an urban home in SoMa in San Francisco, where they steadily gained traction as a popular treat, on or off the beach.
In 1976, a larger factory opened nearby to accommodate the increasing demand for It’s Its. This location is still operational, and now reportedly makes 100,000 treats per day. It is also home to a factory store, where visitors can try all seven varieties of It’s Its, including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint, cappuccino, pumpkin spice, and, most recently, green tea.
Today, It’s Its are sold in 8 states. Clearly, the classic confection’s reputation precedes itself: In 2011, It’s Its sold a reported 14 million sandwiches, despite spending no money on advertising.
what’s your favorite treat that makes you say ‘it’s it?’
“it is what it is, it is what you make it.”
-james durbin
I have my glasses on.... 