“august of another summer,
and once again I am drinking the sun
and the lilies again are spread across the water.”
-mary oliver
—
gallup park, ann arbor, mi, usa – august 2022
Aug1
Author Archives: beth
Jul31
strawberry shampoo does not taste as good as it smells.
i had asked my daughter
to pick out a nice shampoo and conditioner for me
was excited to get these
loved reading the labels
here are just some of the words/phrases on the packaging:
Resurrection
For weak, brittle hair that needs an intervention!
Damage Level – 3
Micro shields boost strength and stamina
Great results may cause your hair’s ego to inflate to astronomical proportions.
what?! ‘damage level -3’?!
i love the descriptors
who could resist even one of these?
and also there is so much little writing on the label
the shampoo and conditioner bottles look exactly the same
once i’m in the shower i have no idea which is which
and i always forget to look before i get in
and i’m not getting out to get my glasses on
so i have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, a roll of the dice
and sometimes i lose
this is what i call an ‘x-treme’ hair care experience.
—
“sorry I can’t hear you over the volume of my hair.”
-author unknown
Jul30
mega.
last night
was the drawing for
the 2nd highest mega-millions prize in u.s. history:
$1.28 billion
$747.2 million cash option
i had ticket in hand and plans in mind
i’m not going to spoil the outcome
but…
—
“i won $2.00 in the mega millions lottery.
please respect our privacy as our family decides
how to move forward in this exciting and pivotal moment in time. “
-author unknown
Jul29
partings.
Born in 1960 to a Sicilian family living in Morocco and raised in France, Catalano became a sailor in his twenties. This nomadic lifestyle was a major inspiration for his work as an artist. The sculptures of Bruno Catalano, especially, Les Voyageurs show this influence. They delve into themes of travel, migration and journeying. Themes extend into exploring the ideas of home, belonging, loss and the experiences of a “world citizen”. Each statue carries a single suitcase, weighing them down, but also serving as their only means of support. Fascinating technically, artistically, and in its symbolism, the large omissions in the statues leave much to the imagination. Some figures appear to be fading away, while others materialize before our eyes. Contrary to the opinion that travel broadens and enriches, Catalano lamented that all his travels left him feeling that a part of [him] was gone and will never come back. ‘Fragments’ makes full use of this ethereal effect with three sculptures broken down to create one unit. The man looks fragile and delicately held together, losing more and more of himself till only his feet and bag remain.
—
“life is made of so many partings welded together.
-charles dickens
—
credits: Daily Art Magazine
Jul28
lucky six!
the six-pack is back
hard to get
the grandies all in place at one time
bigger and better than ever
along with sweet dog, nia
now one of the pack.
“one who doesn’t roll the dice can never expect to score a six.”
naviot singh sidhu
Jul27
it is today.
midsummer
—
“i saw the sea put on her dress of midsummer loveliness…
i heard the wind call out and say,
get up my dear, it is today!”
-rachel field
Jul26
glitter not bitter.
remove glitter with play dough!
—
i have been told, more than once, but less than a million times
that people in my presence
inexplicably end up with glitter
stuck to them or on their food or in unexpectedly odd places
or see traces of it stuck to my face or hair or feet
while it is true that i do enjoy a great love
of the sparkling wonder that is glitter
i know there are those of you
who may need an easy way
to rid yourself, or your things, or your cake, or your abode
of all that remains
i have a fine gift for you
an easy and magical method to clean it up
you are welcome.
—
clearing up glitter can be tough. it turns out that there’s one easy way to get rid of those sparkles that spread everywhere. just grab some play dough and press it over the affected areas. that’s pretty much it.
—
“she who leaves a trail of glitter will never be forgotten.”
-some wise person
Jul25
a sort of spirit.
all celebrated and welcome
young punks
older one-man bands
all ageless in years
music to our ears.
“music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.”
-edward bullwar lytton
Jul24
lost in translation.
reminiscing about my visit
to beautiful ireland
six years back, in july
how we found our way around the country
oh, we did a few turn-arounds here and there
as you can see above
but somehow we always ended up where we were going
eventually.
even with directions asked and kind answers given
regional accents, local advice, and lore
thrown in for good measure
it could be a challenge at best
‘”oh, just go over the hill for a bit, turn at the old barn, you’ll see a huge green field with hills, and some sheep, and then a pub, they don’t have the best sandwiches but stop in for a pint, say hi to seamus for me if you see him, he’s a good lad, he just had that one thing that wasn’t really his fault, and all is forgiven, and oh, don’t turn by the church, go past it, there’s no sign, but you’ll see a big rock where john’s shed used to be before it burnt down in that fire in ’79 when everything was so dry, and take a sharp turn there….” – and so on.
whether bumping along on a sheep path, sharing a two-way road with one lane, or driving half in a hedgerow
we found all the places we wanted to be
and discovered so many surprising and magical places along the way.
“going in the wrong direction, but making really good time.”
-cheri huber
Jul23
“photography is telling stories.” – jim spillane
attending the annual ann arbor art fair
i had great luck and the honor of meeting
photographer/human rights advocate, jim spillane.
i happened by his stall
drawn in by the beauty and subjects of his photographs
especially taken with his pictures of children
after much thought
finally decided on one
a young tibetan child
tiny hands held together in hello.
i asked jim his story
how he had come to take these stunning pictures all over the world.
once a criminal defense attorney in the gerald ford white house
representing vietnam war draft resisters seeking amnesty
he got sick, had a horrible experience
changed his life
trained with an ansel adams associate
began traveling the world
taking photographs of people
his subject is the human condition and the connections and responsibilities we have for each other.
using his pictures as a way to create interest, open discussion, communicate, call attention to a cause
he has worked taking photographs of workers at a nepalese brick factory for many years
created a photo book of the workers
to speak out and to tell their stories with his photographs
still seeking to help those in need and to be an effective advocate for them.
he is a natural artist, storyteller, teacher, advocate, and man.
—
“in recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
-thurgood marshall, former justice of supreme court of the united states
—
link to his website: jimspillane.com
link to his book, ‘the face of bricks’: https://www.blurb.com/b/9897011-the-face-of-bricks
