Author Archives: beth

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About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.

dalmatian.

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waiting for the kids again and yet again

his day jobs

are driving the fire truck and acting in movies

but when the weekend comes

he’s manning the wheel of the minivan

doing errands and chauffeuring the pups around

to all their social events and games

just like every other dalmation.

“i’m the one with the spots.”

-anonymous dalmatian author

 

mothering.

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 happy mother’s day to my daughters, now mothers
and to all who help to mother others.
“being a mom has made me really tired and so happy”
-tina fey
image credit: google images

fantastical.

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one of the best parts of spending my days teaching

is hearing all the fantastical tales

that spring from the kinder

with their open eyes and open hearts. 

 

image credit: nicolette sowder, wilderchild

in the wild.

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imagine my delight

 when discovering this spring baby giraffe 

in the woods near my home

i had no idea that they were native to michigan.

 

“however much you know giraffes, to see one in the wild for the first time feels prehistoric.”

-jane goodall

 

 

left turns.

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do i follow the go left turn sign on the left or the do not go left turn sign on the right?

 

“do i turn left, when nothing is right or do i turn right, when nothing is left?”

-author unknown

 

spring chickens.

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the kinder, who are spring chickens, check out the other spring chickens

and the other spring chickens check out the kinder. 

“the sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken!”

-bob dylan

be the guy with the bic.

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pandora cued up a classic ccr song for me on the way home

windows down sun shining warm spring air

 thinking of this quote that i just love:

“We were ready to rock out and we waited and waited and finally it was our turn … there were a half million people asleep. These people were out. It was sort of like a painting of a Dante scene, just bodies from hell, all intertwined and asleep, covered with mud. And this is the moment I will never forget as long as I live: A quarter mile away in the darkness, on the other edge of this bowl, there was some guy flicking his Bic, and in the night I hear, “Don’t worry about it, John. We’re with you.” I played the rest of the show for that guy.

—John Fogerty recalling Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 3:30 a.m. start time at Woodstock.” 

-hank bordowitz, bad moon rising: the unofficial history of credence clearwater revival

 

bread.

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the kinder work together to bake loaves of sweet lemon bread

to sell to their older learning partners

 practicing for the big bakery the next day

when there will be many different breads 

 their families will be the customers

everything will cost 1 cent

 if someone is hungry and doesn’t have any money

they will give them a penny and a piece of bread for free.

everyone eats bread.

“cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking.

it’s about harnessing, imagination, environment, and creativity.”

-guy fieri

completely pointless.

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(painting of a talented model who is not me,

but could be a close match

if i only knew how to play the piano, read music, and was cheeky monkey.)

sunday is my very favorite day for doing something pointless or absolutely nothing.

“weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.”
— bill watterson

 

art credit: litus gallery

long distance connection.

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how exciting for the class (and for me)

to receive a beautiful poster and message

from our penpal friends

led by a blogging friend/teacher i admire, jennie fitzkee

all the way from the aqua room in massachusetts

connections can be made in so many wonderful ways.

jennie with  the letter we sent back to our friends in massachusetts

https://jenniefitzkee.com/2023/05/03/thank-you-letters/

“with a little paper and ink –

and some help from the postal service –

friendship can span many years and many miles.”

-caroline rose kraft