Monthly Archives: January 2025

Jan31

what wisdom.

Posted on January 31, 2025 by beth

BBC A triangular roadworks sign which normally features a man digging has been changed to show a man helping up another from the ground, with the words "Be Kind" replacing the word "Roadworks".

Kindness has been chosen as Children’s Word of the Year for 2024 after a survey of thousands of young people.

Oxford University Press (OUP) said “artificial intelligence” and “conflict” were also among the most common suggestions.

It follows 2023’s winning phrase “climate change”, and “Queen”, which was the winner in 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

More than 3,000 children aged six to 14 were asked for their suggestions, with the top three then put to vote by a further 2,000 children.

Andrea Quincey, a director at OUP, said the choice was “encouraging” and reflected children’s increasing awareness of mental health. “We know from previous years that young people are very conscious of the big issues that can divide us as a society and attuned to the important role which language can play in bringing people together.”

“It tells us that empathy and tolerance and the language we use matter, and that kindness is not only a solution to so many problems but is something everyone and anyone can do to make a difference.”

The final vote kindness had been chosen by 61% of children.

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‘what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

– Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jan30

all things become possible.

Posted on January 30, 2025 by beth

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on a crisp and bright morning walk, we find a great blue heron waiting

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‘creativity is the blue heron within us waiting to fly;

through her imagination, all things become possible.’

-nadia janice brown

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art credit: john goss, great blue heron

mill creek park north, huron river, dexter, mi, usa

winter 2025

Jan29

the year of the snake.

Posted on January 29, 2025 by beth

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Year of the snake 2025 – limeyts – Etsy
Materials: archival ink, cotton paper, linoleum block print

happy lunar new year to all who celebrate

Year of the Snake: Personality Traits

Snake babies are often described as wise beyond their years. They’re the deep thinkers of the zodiac, known for their calm demeanor, resourcefulness, and ability to analyze situations before taking action.

“On the second new moon after the winter solstice, millions around the world celebrate a holiday known as the Lunar New Year. This year, the momentous occasion falls on January 29th when we say goodbye to the fierce Dragon and usher in the energy of the Yin Wood Snake. The Lunar New Year symbolizes transitions, fresh, new beginnings, and reminds us that even within the coldest, darkest depths of winter, there is the promise of spring. It’s an invitation to look at the cycle. There are cycles in our natural world such as the seasonal cycles, cycle to be found in each day, or the moon cycle. It’s just another larger cycle that we look at to give us some insight on how to navigate and also embrace the transition. It’s also a celebration to invite in something new, like that energy of a seed bursting through a shell and unfurling into new growth. That’s what Lunar New Year is about.”

~Anjie Cho

Jan28

hamtramck disneyland.

Posted on January 28, 2025 by beth

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after a wonderful lunch with friends at the polish village restaurant

a bakery visit, and trip to the local grocery

in hamtramck, michigan

(a small city on the edge or detroit

now filled with a mix of polish and yemini people)

we stopped to visit the famous

hamtramck disneyland

located in the middle of an old neighborhood

a one-man folk art display

created over 30 years

in his backyard

it’s really a lot to take in

ao incredibly creative and wonderful

see the story below:

Hamtramck Disneyland Is A Site-Specific Folk Art Installation Created By Artist Dmytro Szylak

Dmytro Szylak grew up in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States with his wife in the 1950s. Mr. Szylak worked for General Motors for 30 years; after retiring in the mid-1980s, he began building Hamtramck Disneyland atop the two garages on the properties he owned. The project took nearly 30 years to construct, and was constantly being updated and modified by Mr. Szylak until his death in 2015, at the age of 92.

In its heyday, the installation filled the air with whimsical kinetic structures that rattled and whirred as they spun in the wind. The garages were painted in bright stripes, and the space in between was filled with found photographs, posters, and classic Americana images mixed with those of the Europe of Mr. Szylak’s past. It is one of Michigan’s most significant works of folk art; thousands of visitors from all over the world have made Hamtramck Disneyland one of their stops.

After Mr. Szylak passed away, his estate was in limbo, with no plan to protect or keep the art. Driven by the energy and support of the community, a group of residents and artists formed to save this great local treasure. Hatch Art, which operates an art gallery and studios in the former Hamtramck police station, took ownership of Hamtramck Disneyland in May of 2016.

Hatch Art repairs and maintains the installation, preserving the core components of the artwork while proceeding with gradual updates as materials succumb to the elements. The intention is to honor Dmytro Szylak’s work by keeping the future of the installation as lively as he did in the past.

“Hamtramck Disneyland” has been the subject of two documentaries and is one of the top tourist attractions to Hamtramck, a city located within the boundaries of Detroit. It is one of Michigan’s most significant artist-built environments, along with the Heidelberg Project and MBAD African Bead Museum, among others. Thousands of visitors a year from all over the world have made “Hamtramck Disneyland” one of their stops. In 2006, famed photographer Bruce Weber did a photo shoot with Kate Moss at this location.—

‘art is life seeking itself. It is our intractable expressions of love

for the beauties, ideas, and epiphanies we regularly find.’

— vincent van gogh

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text source credit: hatch art, detroit

Jan27

michigan penguins.

Posted on January 27, 2025 by beth

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saw this group hanging out on the ice on the river

my first thought was,

‘michigan penguins’

“plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. they prepare. they adapt. they perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.”

-Katherine May – Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, 2020.

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huron river, argo park, ann arbor, michigan, usa, winter 2025

Jan26

more fun.

Posted on January 26, 2025 by beth

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(not me, but we both have glasses and enjoy candles, coffee, and blogging)

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‘blogging is different from both journal-writing and writing for print.

it’s more fun than either of those.

the freedom to write whatever I want

and the unmediated connection with readers are the payoff.’

*kate christensen

* Kate Christensen is an American novelist. Her essays, articles, reviews, and stories have appeared in many anthologies and periodicals, including The New York Times Book Review, Bookforum, Elle, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Food & Wine, Cherry Bombe, and The Jewish Daily Forward.