what a charming little cottage
i never stop smiling
in moments spent wandering through a toy store
such a lucky find –
a good humor man golden book
and what better hosts to greet us?
“i have a lot of growing up to do. i realized that the other day inside my fort.”
– zach galifianakis
—
the dollhouse and toy cottage, plymouth, michigan, usa
summer 2021
thanks to artist david zinn, for his lovely sidewalk chalk ode to the library
—
the day has arrived at last
the library has reopened
after what seemed like such a long, long time
our community couldn’t be happier
it has been so greatly missed by so many.
—
‘Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul.’
—Library at Thebes, inscription over the door
-Charles Darwin, on discovering seasickness
—
having always been prone to motion sickness
from most any mode of travel or spinning movement
vertigo from a pilates class
spinning on any ride known to mankind
cruising on the water after a hurricane
twirling
watching hand-held camera shots on film
riding on and in planes, trains, buses, and automobiles
(not when riding on horses or camels, at least)
i should not have been surprised
watching richard branson fly off into space
listening to the play-by-play
of speed, g-force, lack of gravity, the woozy view from the window seat, the up, the down
when i began to feel motion sick
sitting on solid ground
in my living room
on earth.
one of many reasons i am not an astronaut.
sources: the guardian, tim radford, bbc, almay photo, virgin air photo
seemingly overnight
baby yeti
has transformed from a crazy toddler with mini claws and fuzzy fur
into an awkward, gawky teenager
who’s not quite sure what to do
with his newly stretched out body and all his parts
can’t wait for the
sassiness
storming off to his room
eye-rolling
questionable choices
acting like he doesn’t know who i am
mercurial emotions
and the puberty talks.
—
“no matter where you are or where you grow up,
you always go through the same awkward moments of being a teenager
and growing up trying to figure out who you are.”
-aimee teegarden
now this is what i call a room with a view.
—
“when you chop wood, chips fly”
-nikolai yezhov
i have always loved alphabets
when i was young
one of my favorite days ever
was when i could finally
decode the letters and read words
i love alphabets created out of every imaginable material, and alpha art and images of all kinds
today i tried to look up the word for someone who loves alphabets
and there was nothing to be found
the closest i could come was for someone who loves words:
“human society, the world, and the whole of mankind is to be found in the alphabet.”
-victor hugo
The Old Village of Lawers, currently for sale in Scotland, comes with some baggage. In addition to its centuries-old ruins, the property purportedly comes with the ghost of a seer whose famous for her accurate predictions. If this sounds like your dream listing, the historic village can be yours for $173,000, CNBC reports.
The sale of the Old Village of Lawers in Perthshire, Scotland, is being managed by the Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group. The settlement dates back to the 17th century, and it includes the ruins of the Old Lawers Church, a kiln, and mill, and the House of Lawers. The latter site housed the Lady of Lawers in the late 1600s.
The seer put forth various prophecies in her lifetime, including visions of “fire-coaches” and ships powered by smoke. These have since been interpreted as predictions of trains and steamships. She also proclaimed that the ridging stones for the church would never be laid—a prediction that came true when a storm washed them away. Today, the ghost of the Lady of Lawers is said to haunt the village she once called home.
The 3-acre property offers more than dilapidated buildings and supernatural legends. It also comes with a private beach, semi-ancient woodland, and the rights to fish for trout and launch a boat in Loch Tay. The village, which has been unoccupied since the early 20th century, is perfect for someone looking for a truly secluded getaway in central Scotland. The Old Village of Lawers is listed for £125,000, or roughly $172,859 USD.
who’s in?
—
“the village is coming back, like it or not.”
-david brin
—
source credits: mental floss, michele debczak, cnbc
met my dear friend at a recently reopened local diner
for breakfast and a long overdue catch-up
mid-breakfast she noticed the variety of cups they used
all from other sources
mine was covered with the logo of an alcoholic beverage
hers bore the name of a blood pressure/heart medication
luck of the draw, kind of like a fortune cookie
can make or break your whole day
we had a great laugh and talked about
how we both choose our morning mugs for coffee depending on our moods and needs
each morning we seek out and grab, without much conscious thought, the mug we need to start that day
do we reach for –
the inspirational-phrased mug, the heavy mug, the ego-boosting mug, the gift mug, sentimental mug, the deep thought mug, the light as a feather delicate china mug with the flora or fauna, art mug, clean mug, favorite place mug, photo mug, travel mug, joke mug, big mug, little mug, ironic mug, two-hands needed mug, favorite color – shape – size, ceramic, plastic, paper, metal, glass, unbreakable mug?
i knew we were friends for a reason.
—
“i have a mug that actually verifies that i’m the world’s best dad.
that’s a mug. that’s not me talking.
you can’t just buy those.”
-stephen colbert
rereading one of my favorite books
well-worn/well-loved
dr. zhivago
sweeping epic set in russian history
extraordinary characters
extraordinary times
pasternak a poet
i would love for it to have
a different ending
for just one reading
yet know
it would not be
the story it was meant to be.
—
“literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people,
and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.”
-boris pasternak
I didn't have my glasses on.... 