Monthly Archives: July 2021

Jul21

11.

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(in honor of all the recent space activity and a soon to arrive full moon – a repost from 2 years ago)

50th anniversary of the week of the Apollo 11 moon landing

I was 11

on the cusp of everything 

we went over

to my parents’ friends’ house

everyone was transfixed

air was electric

all gathered around the tv

watching

silent and awestruck

gobsmacked

as the first man walked on the moon

spoke his first words on the moon

 lots of emotion in the house

I ran to the window to look at the moon 

hoping I would see him up there

right in the middle of all of this

the hostess

left to go to the hospital

to have her baby

she named him neil

after that man on the moon.

—

“we ran as if to meet the moon.” 

― robert frost

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image credit: Ann Arbor district library archives

Jul20

short story.

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this blue door with the round window never loses its magic.

 

—

“a short story is what you see when you look out of the window.”

-mavis gallant

 

 

 

 

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oakland county, michigan, usa

Jul19

simple kindness.

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a surprise gift to the neighborhood dogs

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“the simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.”

-mahatma gandhi

Jul18

know what?

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“I only know that I know nothing” 

― Socrates

 

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source credit: bbc

Jul17

public.

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alley filled with public creative expression 

ever-evolving

ever-powerful

 

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“i’m a great believer in poetry out of the classroom, in public places,

on subways, trains, on cocktail napkins.

i’d rather have my poems on the subway than around the seminar table at an mfa program.”

-billy collins

 

 

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ann arbor, michigan, usa

summer 2021

 

Jul16

slurpee.

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7-ELEVEN HAD TO MANDATE CUSTOMERS NOT FILL TOILET BOWLS OR KIDDIE POOLS WITH SLURPEES.

3 Ways Your Dog Asks

For Help

Dr Marty

For nearly a century, popular convenience store chain 7-eleven has been quenching consumer thirsts with Slurpees, and other refreshments. (It got the name 7-Eleven owing to its original operating hours—from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.—starting in 1946.)

With success comes the occasional hiccup, and not just from one too many Slurpees. As the world once again celebrated Slurpee 7-Eleven Day on July 11, it was not without some historical issues. Beginning in 2015, on this special day, 7-Eleven offered to fill up containers brought in by customers for just $1.50. The problem? Some decided to drag in kiddie pools, toilet bowls, and sleds to game the system. The following year, the store mandated that any container had to fit in a 10-inch cutout set up in stores.

 

p.s. for some inexplicable reason, the detroit market is the Slurpee capital of our nation

 

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“had I known I was going to face down death today, I totally would’ve bought myself the Slurpee.”

-laura thalassa

 

 

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 credits: pinterest, google

Jul15

toys.

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what a charming little cottage

i never stop smiling

in moments spent wandering through a toy store

such a lucky find –

a good humor man golden book 

and what better hosts to greet us?

 “i have a lot of growing up to do. i realized that the other day inside my fort.”

– zach galifianakis

 

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the dollhouse and toy cottage, plymouth, michigan, usa

summer 2021

Jul14

Mac ‘n Cheese – Summer Style!

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I scream, you scream, we all scream for … mac and cheese ice cream?
 If you thought this summer was only about hard seltzer and boozy pops, think again. Kraft, that longtime purveyor of mac & cheese, is ready to introduce to you something that’s really guaranteed to blow your mind: Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream. 

Beginning July 14, lovers of both ice cream and Kraft macaroni & cheese can get a two-for-one deal with the release of what could possibly be your new favorite after-dinner snack. Partnering with Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the new release combines the year-round comfort foods to create a…sure-to-be unforgettable and…definitely flavorful treat! There are no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes here, so this minimal ingredient creation is sure to be the conversation starter at all of your summertime events. Interesting!

If you’re looking to give this a limited-edition scoop a try, you can get the concoction online at vanleeuwenicecream.com for $12 per pint or—if you’re in the NYC area, LA, or Houston—at all Van Leeuwen stores. For New Yorkers looking to try it before buying it, you can stop by the ice cream truck found in Union Square on July 14 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to get a free sample while supplies last.

I guess this puts an entirely new spin on being able to eat your dessert for dinner! Look at me now, mom!

Happy Macaroni and Cheese Day to all!
—
“all i want is mac and cheese.”
-kurt cobain
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credits: -Ni’kesia Pannell, Delish.com, Vanleeuwen Ice Cream, Kraft
Jul13

when books fly.

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thanks to artist david zinn, for his lovely sidewalk chalk ode to the library 

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the day has arrived at last

the library has reopened

after what seemed like such a long, long time

our community couldn’t be happier

it has been so greatly missed by so many. 

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‘Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul.’

—Library at Thebes, inscription over the door

Jul12

stop moving.

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JMW Turner’s depiction of a stormy sea, painted c1831.
JMW Turner’s depiction of a stormy sea, painted -1831
Late in September 1836, a five-year voyage came to an end, and a young naturalist stepped ashore at Falmouth on 2 October and looked back in rueful contemplation of the severe privations that he – unlike Captain Cook’s men – never faced: “I speak from experience: it is no trifling evil which may be cured in a week”

-Charles Darwin, on discovering seasickness

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having always been prone to motion sickness

from most any mode of travel or spinning movement

vertigo from a pilates class

spinning on any ride known to mankind

cruising on the water after a hurricane

twirling

watching hand-held camera shots on film

riding on and in planes, trains, buses, and automobiles

(not when riding on horses or camels, at least)

i should not have been surprised

watching richard branson fly off into space

listening to the play-by-play

of speed, g-force, lack of gravity, the woozy view from the window seat, the up, the down

when i began to feel motion sick

sitting on solid ground

in my living room

on earth.

one of many reasons i am not an astronaut.

 

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sources: the guardian, tim radford, bbc, almay photo, virgin air photo