Monthly Archives: March 2025

Mar11

big park, little park, and the people who share them with all of us.

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Grand Canyon National Park

Polly Mead Patraw was the first woman park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park in 1929. She was the second woman ranger-naturalist in the entire park service. 

With a botany degree from the University of Chicago, she first applied to the Forest Service but was denied. Undaunted, she was accepted shortly after to be the first woman ranger-naturalist at Grand Canyon National Park. 

Her uniform consisted of the standard National Park Service uniform and a soft-brim hat. Women’s uniforms were not available.  Her job as a ranger-naturalist included lectures, auto tours, nature hikes, and writing about her findings. She served two summer terms and continued on through the spring of 1931. Today, her legacy as a trailblazing ranger-naturalist lives on.

 

 

Shizuoka, the world’s smallest park in Nagaizumi, Japan.

If you want to take a stroll around this park in Japan, you will have to be very nimble on your toes.A park roughly the size of four sheets of paper in Japan’s central prefecture of Shizuoka was recently crowned the world’s smallest, according to Guinness World Records. Despite measuring just 2.6 square feet, the recreational space offers a stool made up of a block of wood held up by a rock, with a little bush encircling it.

From afar, it could easily be mistaken for a bonsai, an example of the Japanese art of manicuring miniature trees.The park is a short walk from the town hall of Nagaizumi, about 68 miles southwest of the capital Tokyo.

When a Nagaizumi local was on vacation in the US, “they found the previous record holder for the smallest park,” Shuji Koyama, a team leader of the town’s construction division, told Guinness. “So they wanted to create an even smaller park.”

To qualify for the Guinness title, Shizuoka officials brought in a certified surveyor to measure the park. Koyama told Guinness World Records he was relieved that the park was finally recognized.

“We want to continue maintaining the park with the community, as well as creating a landscape that is more social media friendly, so that even more people will find attractions of our town,” he said.

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‘for some people, a park is the only place in their entire world where they can see something beautiful.’

-bette midler

 

 

 

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source credits: U.S. National Park Service, Chris Lau,CNN

 

Mar10

searching.

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on a recent visit to see my family in northern Michigan 
i was excited to wake up early
enjoy my usual vacation routine
have some quiet morning time
easing into the day
reading, writing
looking out over the beautiful lake
while enjoying a delicious cup of fresh morning coffee
 I was staying upstairs 
with its own tiny kitchen
 had everything set up to brew the coffee
ready to go 
the only thing missing
was the actual coffee
but could not find it anywhere
even after checking every cupboard, drawer, and shelf
I quietly ventured downstairs
searched the big kitchen
in the heart of the house
no luck 
just decaf, not real coffee at all
now that I couldn’t find the coffee
I so wanted it even more
I opened every drawer and every cupboard
checked high shelves
checked low shelves
looked where the teas were
looked on the countertops
checked the refrigerator and freezer
nothing
tried to figure out
their organizational/logical system for where they kept things
went in the laundry room checked all of the cupboards high and low
now I was even more determined to find it
went into the garage in my pajamas with bare feet
opened the extra refrigerator
the extra freezer
nothing resembling coffee in either of them
finally decided to brew myself a cup of decaf
to at least have a morning coffee-ish experience
when my family woke up
the secret location I hadn’t considered was quickly revealed
it was on a shelf at the bottom of the basement stairs
aha!
the basement
who knew?
I forget they had a basement
even if I had thought of it
it wasn’t a place I expected to find the coffee
but no worries
I was now fully awake
even without the caffeine 
powered by adrenaline 
and almost sweating
after my whirlwind of a treasure hunt
 now if anyone needs to find anything in their house
I can help
having learned what’s in every cupboard, drawer, or on a shelf. 
 
—
‘searching is half the fun:
life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.’
 

-jimmy buffett

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photo image: zoe coffee company

Mar9

time changes again, on daylight saving day.

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50/50 sunset over Plant City.dark half is a shadow from clouds on horizon blocking light from setting sun.

-photo by mike valdes

 

—

‘they always say time changes things but you actually have to change them yourself.’

-andy warhol

 

Mar8

a powerful woman on woman’s day and every day.

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What started as a vision to heal and rebuild

has become one of Detroit’s most inspiring grassroots projects.

 The Avalon Village, founded by Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, is transforming *Highland Park into a safe, sustainable, and thriving neighborhood. After losing her young son, Jakobi RA, to a hit-and-run in 2007, Mama Shu turned her pain into purpose, turning blight into beauty and creating opportunities for the community. In 2021, Mamu Shu lost another son to violence.

Now spanning 45 lots across three blocks, Avalon Village features:

The Homework House – A solar-powered after-school center

The Healing House – A space for holistic wellness

The Goddess Marketplace – Supporting women entrepreneurs

A community farm with fresh produce & eggs

A Basketball Court, honoring her late sons

And she’s not stopping – with plans for affordable housing, a healthy restaurant, and workshops to help others revitalize their communities.

—

‘there is nothing stronger than a  broken woman who has rebuilt herself.’

-Hannah Gadsby

—

*Highland Park is in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Highland Park is located roughly 6 miles north of Downtown Detroit, and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/43aKF7b

source credit: detroitisit

Mar7

money for nothing.

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someone has paid $87,000 for a Pokemon-shaped flaming’ hot Cheeto dubbed Cheetozard

—

as many of you may know by now,

flamin’ hot Cheetos are my favorite snack in the world

I wish i had looked more closely at mine 

before devouring them

it could have really paid off.

—

You gotta catch them all, and one person just caught a hot Cheeto shaped like an iconic Pokemon character for a hefty price.

Shaped like the character Charizard, and nicknamed Cheetozard, the uniquely shaped hot snack was sold for $87,840 by Goldin Auctions.

The item auctioned off was a 3-inch long “Flamin’ Hot Cheeto in the shape of the Pokémon Charizard.” Charizard was part of the first generation of Pokemon released in the 1990s and is one of the most iconic and beloved Pokemon, only behind Pikachu.

The unique Cheeto was sold affixed to a customized Pokemon card with its name, Cheetozard. According to Goldin Auctions, the hot Cheeto was discovered and preserved “sometime between 2018-2022 by 1st & Goal Collectibles.”

According to the listing, 60 bids were received on the Pokemon-shaped hot Cheeto and the winning bid was $72,000. The final price came to be higher than $87,000 due to a “buyer’s premium.”

—

‘money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it by experience.’

-p.t. barnum

 

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source credit: Fernando Cervantes Jr. USA Today

Mar6

‘great children’s books are wisdom dipped in words and art.’ – Peter H. Reynolds

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The Kind Wolf, by Jozef Wilson

Bunny and Tree, by Balaint Zsako

And So To Bed, by Molly Brett

—

in celebration of children’s literature on world book day and every day

—

‘children’s books remind us in uncertain times that there is still much we do know.

kindness matters.

laughter is essential.

caring for each other is everything.’ 

-The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Mar5

food for love.

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pink and pretty princess cupcakes with edible glitter
for sweet little Nova as requested
(living in foster care)
two giant lasagnas with lots and lots of sauce
 for a 3-generation Vietnamese family of 10
recently arrived and all living in one home
—
with all of the challenges going on around us right now
it’s nice to have the opportunity
to work with these grassroots organizations (below)
(both started by one person in their kitchen, spreading across the nation)
to bring a warm home cooked meal or first ever birthday cake
to people who suffer from food insecurity for a variety of reasons and circumstance
making their day a little easier, letting them know that someone cares, and bringing a bit of unexpected joy.
—
https://lasagnalove.org

for families who need a home cooked meal hand-delivered to them for a variety of reasons
(begun 5  years ago and 2.3 million now served)
(the sprinkle squad)
For Goodness Cakes matches volunteers to make and hand-deliver birthday & graduation cakes
to children in foster care and youth overcoming adversity on their special day
many who have never been celebrated
(begun 9 years ago)
—
‘the older I get, the greater power i seem to have to help the world.’
*susan b. anthony
*Susan B. Anthony was a prominent leader of the women’s suffrage movement and social reformer. Her work helped pave the way for the 1920 Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Inspired by their belief that everyone was equal under God, she became an abolitionist and agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. She was known for her passionate anti-slavery speeches, a rare activity for women at the time.
Mar4

sitzfleisch.

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‘

sitzfleisch

noun:

1. a person’s buttocks

2. power to endure or to persevere in an activity; staying power

example sentences:

‘there was no intermission in the play, and by the fifth act I was feeling the long running time in my sitzfleisch.’

‘eunice’s grandson is a piano prodigy with the sitzfleisch to practice his instrument for four hours every day.’

‘after a few bad grades his freshman year, quentin developed the sitzfleisch to develop study plans for each class and stick to it.’

—

now is the time we really need to live the second meaning of this word – staying  power

word origin: German, late 19th century

why this word?

While the literal definition for “sitzfleisch” is “buttocks,” the metaphorical definition is more evocative — it refers to the power to persevere through an activity all the way to the end. In this usage, the buttocks are not merely the flesh upon which one sits, but rather a demonstration of the power and endurance required to sit for a long time when others might sooner have given up. “Sitzfleisch” is taken from the same word in German, which is based on the Yiddish “zitsfleysh.” In German, it is formed by combining “sitzen” (meaning “to sit”) and “Fleisch” (meaning “flesh”).

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source credit: word daily

Mar3

oscars.

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if you watched, didn’t watch, or sort of watched off and on

the oscars/academy awards aired last night.

i’m a huge fan of films of all kinds

and I thought

if they were really made out of chocolate

 if I were to ever win an oscar

it might be a very fleeting moment of fame for me

a challenge for the paparazzi 

as it would no longer exist after a few minutes

i’m a huge fan of chocolate of all kinds as well

but every nibble so worth it.

here is the only Oscar to have ever won an Oscar

Oscar Hammerstein II for his song, 

‘The Last Time I Saw Paris,’ in the movie, ‘Lady Be Good’ in 1941

 

—

‘there’s a lot of great movies that have won the Academy Award,

and a lot movies that haven’t.

you just do the best you can.

-clint eastwood

Mar2

stepping on fresh snow.

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‘Stepping on fresh snow’,  embroidery by Japanese artist, Narumi 

‘stepping on fresh snow’  found in park near my house

-human and dog artists unknown

—

‘there’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on.’

-carol rifka brunt