Monthly Archives: April 2026

Apr20

fighting for democracy.

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at the Michigan Democratic Party State Convention in Detroit 

Joe Louis has our back

one of the greatest fighters of all time

lots of passion and energy as the party works for endorsements

 the delegates react

 standing up for strong candidates on the ballot

7, 252 delegates attended this year, the most in history

people are interested, informed, and involved 

–

update:

after a long day

of

 pitches, glitches

cheers, jeers

stickers, buttons

clipboards, billboards

indoor parades

after all of the final

signatures, tallies, and votes

were counted, recounted, and certified

candidates have officially

 been selected for the primary ballot

 happy results

on a very successful day

—

‘in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.’

-barack 0bama

 

 

 

—

photo credits: andrew roth, michigan chronicle, detroit news

Apr19

open the schools.

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an important message from the dictionary in response to this query.

 

 

—

‘the investigation of the meaning of words is the beginning of education.’

-antisthenes

Apr18

‘mistakes are the portals of discovery.’ – james joyce

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(a repost of mine from April 30th, 2014 – in honor of Record Store Day)
—
so excited

saved up my change

69 cents

to buy my very first record

was a young beatles fan

 got a ride to the store

found ‘lady madonna’

ran to the counter

counted out my change

 skipped out of the store.

—

 put the record on

 moment i got home

 quickly discovered

 in my rush and excitement

i’d actually purchased

 the fats domino version

of the same song

so not the same

so different

 new to me

but wow

whiplash

didn’t know

there was such a thing

as cover versions.

–

do you ever get that excited that you lose sight of the mission?

do you ever discover something wonderful and new,  quite by accident?

‘the four building blocks of the universe

are fire, water, gravel and vinyl.’

-dave barry

 

—–
image credits: captiol records, reprise records

Apr17

it’s a new day. after the storm.

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a new day in ann arbor 

—

‘it’s a privilege just to wake up to a new day.’

-*keith richards, the rolling stones

(*if anyone knows this to be true, it’s keith)

 

Apr16

“the only way out is through.” -robert frost

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late night/very early morning april in ann arbor

waking up to sirens/alarms

the storm came quickly

a tornado touched us

 for a few moments

leaving its mark

blew through

much to fix

lots of mess

none hurt

a win.

 

—

‘there are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.’

 – willa cather

 

 

—

photo credit: kai pertainen, ann arbor, mi, usa, april 15, 2026

Apr15

the table.

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  group cooking class/lunch

vietnam spring roll making

oodles of fresh spring vegetables

sauces, wraps, spices, citrus

20 people, mostly unknown to each other

a long table set to share our meal

photo above was the goal

photo below was more accurate

for our early attempts

we got somewhat better

by our third and fourth tries

 had a good time together

no matter the shape of things

made it more fun

no longer unknown to each other

and very full.

‘i went to culinary school to eat.’

-christina tosi

*Christina Tosi (born 1981) is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofoku of Milk Barand serves as its chef and chief executive officer. Food and Wine magazine included her in their 2014 list of “Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink”.

 

 

 

—

image credits: pinterest

Apr14

miss d.

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was this cute dog’s fairygodmother/minder

for a little while at an outdoor event

we swapped stories and had snacks

 quite a sweetheart, but man

she never stopped scanning the horizon for her dad

ever on the lookout

 not about to be abandoned with me

must have heard about those two cats at my house

word spreads.

—

‘no one appreciates the very special genius

of your conversation as the dog does.’

-christopher morley

 

 

 

Apr13

as cheesy as it looks.

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 a behind the scenes very close-up look

at how a grilled cheese sandwich really comes together

it takes a village

to achieve this perfection.

—

in honor of this week’s ‘grilled cheese day’

—

‘i gut check every show.

i say, “gut, gut, does that feel true to you?’

and gut says, ‘yes, it does, stephen,

let’s get a grilled cheese sandwich.’

-stephen colbert, the late show

 

 

 

—

image credit: etsy.com

Apr12

celebration.

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University of Michigan basketball celebrated its national championship victory with a huge downtown parade yesterday

thousands lined up on the sidewalks of downtown Ann Arbor

to watch as the players rolled through

Coach Dusty May and his wife, Anna, rode by

in a vintage fire truck from the Michigan Firehouse Museum.

the marching band hitched a ride on another fire truck
the wolverines/basketball players had a blast waving to the crowd,
riding in the back of a line of ford pickup trucks,
throwing out balls to the kids and signing autographs
so many smiles all around.
—
go blue!
townies, fans, students, families, grads, police, and everyone who happened by,
had a great time celebrating their big accomplishment
—
‘celebrations infuse life with passion and purpose.
they summon the human spirit.’
-terrence e. deal
Apr11

compliment.

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i recently read something from a woman

 writing about her life online

 having a really tough day

 who got the best compliment she has ever received

from a reader who she didn’t know –

 ‘if we were in kindergarten together,

i would have hung my coat up on the hook next to yours.’

she said it brought her to tears,

and then, great joy.

wow, i loved this compliment too.

what is the best compliment you have ever received?

—

‘a compliment is verbal sunshine.’

-robert orben, american comedy writer and magician