‘mothers can look through a child’s eyes and see tomorrow.’
-reed b. markham
—
art credit: Lincoln Seligman, Highland Dunes, Marti Mother and Child painting
May11
Monthly Archives: May 2025
May10
happy guy muffins.
i felt so lucky
to visit the bakery
with special treats
made by the class
i taught last year
some new children
some i knew from before
including this little one
one of the happiest guys you’ll ever meet
even last year when he was three
at first too shy to speak out loud
but said everything he needed to say
with his huge smile
now here he was
selling his homemade
sprinkle lemon happy guy muffins
each one for a penny
smiling wide and chattering up a storm
still the happiest guy around
on a warm and sunny day.
—
“what sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.
these are but trifles, to be sure;
but scattered along life’s pathway,
the good they do is inconceivable.”
-joseph addison
May9
‘learning never exhausts the mind.’-leonardo da Vinci
when I stopped by my daughter’s house
one of my grandsons
was working on some stuff
how did he know how to do this?
just turned my head for a minute
he learned how to do so many things.
—
‘we can learn something new anytime we believe we can.’
-virginia satir
May8
rock pockets.
I so love this!
there are a variety of reasons they do this
they use them as tools to break the shells of food they’ll eat
they like to play with and juggle them
they become attached to them
we should all have a pocket for our favorite rocks
I do tend to collect rocks wherever I go
and have my clear favorites
but don’t always have a pocket
how lucky the otters are.
—
‘you have to create little pockets of joy in your life to take care of yourself.’
-jonathan van ness
—
photo credit: humane canada
May7
handsy.
in a meeting with a group organizing a series of upcoming events
I was casually chatting with a friend sitting next to me
my hands were part of our conversation
as is my habit
(being half Italian after all)
the leader called on me
thinking I had raised my hand
to volunteer for something
(no idea what it was)
so i quickly blurted out:
” sorry, I was talking and tend to talk with my hands,
but I don’t want to actually volunteer for that, am I in trouble?”
which got a good laugh, as they are all quite good-spirited
(sudden flashback to my student days, not sure why I blurted that out?)
he took mercy on me and let me off the hook but it was a bit awkward.
I pictured myself accidentally volunteering
to be sent to the moon or enlisted in the army or?
‘i often find myself in situations where it seems to me
like everyone else has read the instruction book.’
-jeff lindsay
—
photo credit warner brothers, private benjamin 1980, goldie hawn
May6
cora’s quest.
a lovely children’s book from my friend, fellow blogger, poet, & writer
Cora’s Quest
Written by Lauren Scott
Illustrated by Chris Mendez
(you can read Lauren’s blog here)
Cora’s Quest is a delightful tale about the wonder and curiosity that comes with being young and the confidence that comes with time. Told through the eyes of a sweet fawn named Cora, and illustrated beautifully in natural colors, you’ll follow along throughout her quest.
On her journey, Cora learns that along with the joys come challenges, as she begins to navigate the world around her, remembering the lessons her family has taught her, and gaining confidence along the way, finding a final happy resolution. What a wonderful book to read to your child and what great discussions could follow. This is told in such a gentle way that children will not be scared and will see a way out of what could be a scary situation.
As someone who got lost as a child, and remembering how scary it was, I could so identify with Cora’s character and I’ll bet that many other children can as well. As someone who continues to get lost as an adult, but who now has GPS, I could not recommend this book more highly.
—
“If children feel safe, they can take risks, ask questions,
make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings, and grow.”
~ Alfie Kohn
—
Cora’s Quest is available for purchase at the links below:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DMQFFCYS
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coras-quest-lauren-scott/1146540878
May5
taco cat.
happy first birthday to Pete the Cat on Cinco De Mayo!!
he’s grown from a tiny crazy rescue kitten
who never stopped
jumping, climbing, standing UP, running, exploring, playing
and most of all
hugging and loving
olive the slow and gentle cat and me
I was worried
when he suddenly
mellowed out
in the last few weeks
thought he might be
plotting something
was he going to change the locks while I was gone?
was he going to somehow find a way to get outside
and be standing tall on the roof waving
when I got home?
was he going to lock his best friend olive
in the closet while playing hide and seek?
what was he planning?
then I remembered
he was born on cinco de mayo
his very first birthday was coming soon
he had somehow
grown into a teenager right before our eyes
while always mellow olive
had grown into a mid-lifer
both are still who they are
they had found a happy medium
with Pete the Cat running the taco stand
and Olive and I lined up to buy what he’s selling
(his tacos are made with jelly beans, marshmallow fluff and maple syrup)
happy to all be sharing our space.
—
TACO CAT IS TACO CAT SPELLED BACKWARDS.
May4
small victory.
I spent a couple of hours
capturing a year of memories
to make into a photo book
uploading the photos into one place
creating a cover
putting things in some sort of order
making them make sense
telling the story of the year
spacing them to be pleasing to the eye
letting it be less than perfect
just like real life
happy to have the year
remembered and represented
all in one book
the special price was great
a bonus
happy with it all
i pushed the order button
and bam!
imagine my surprise
when it was double the price!
they had added in some special metallic effects
some colorization., etc. that I hadn’t asked for
i quickly contacted the company
who I’ve made books with before
and our ‘conversation’ began with a chatbot
who gave me options that didn’t apply
after a few back and forths
it passed me on to a human
after a few more back and forths
and yet a few more
then a few more after that
suddenly
they had a change of heart
and miraculously
they could solve it
it was almost free at that point
i feel like we were at the point
where they were going to actually pay me
for the honor of buying the book from them
and they sent me the message above.
kind of funny and over the top
but problem solved.
I appreciate them.
—
‘celebrate even small victories.’
-h. jackson brown jr.
May3
the voice of truth.
today, may 3rd is world press freedom day
on this day, in 2025, 361 journalists worldwide are in prison
—
The One Free Press Coalition (#OneFreePress) uses the collective audiences of member organizations to stand up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth worldwide.
With journalist freedoms under assault worldwide, the One Free Press Coalition was conceived during a meeting of the International Media Council at the World Economic Forum. Top editors from leading media organizations committed to use their collective muscle—by working together, they could shine a massive light on the plight of threatened journalists all over the world.
Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd), global media outlets unite as One Free Press Coalition to publish this annual “10 Most Urgent” list, bringing attention to fellow journalists who are being imprisoned for seeking to tell the truth. These ten cases illuminate governments’ efforts at criminalizing journalism, silencing the media, and withholding information from the public.
The list is compiled in collaboration with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). According to CPJ data, 361 journalists were behind bars worldwide at the end of 2024 (up from 320 in 2023).
In August 2024, the One Free Press Coalition celebrated the release of two American journalists—Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva—from Russian detention after their cases topped the May 2024 list of “10 Most Urgent” press freedom cases.
Given the increasing number of journalists detained for simply doing their jobs and seeking to tell the truth, and given the successful 2024 campaign to free Gershkovich and Kurmasheva, the One Free Press Coalition crucially and emphatically unites our collective voices in support of the following individuals and their urgent cases of press persecution.
https://www.onefreepresscoalition.com/list
World Press Freedom Day 2025 is a powerful reminder that journalism is more than just reporting—it’s a lifeline for democracy, justice, and the environment. As we face global crises like climate change, the need for fearless, ethical, and free journalism has never been more critical.
Let’s celebrate, support, and protect the voice of truth — today and every day.
“In every country in which there has been a loss of freedom, where does it begin? It begins in news media, in public print, in books, and on the proscenium. That’s where they attack you first right there. That’s the bread basket.” – Rod Serling
—
image credit: unesco
May2
on the day after May Day.
this post
a day late
may day
yesterday
a day spent
walking
for the workers
for the immigrants
for all people
for their rights
human rights
in the park
on the streets
to city hall
I feel lucky to be able to say
I’m home again
not everyone can say that tonight.
—
‘if folks can’t imagine you as human, all the policy in the world is irrelevant.’
-Ta-Nehisi Coates
*Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates is an American author, journalist, and activist
I didn't have my glasses on.... 