Author Archives: beth

About beth

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

Aug24

goodnight, good sir.

Posted on August 24, 2020 by beth

RIP to *Sir Ken Robinson, an eloquent and indefatigable defender of the role of the arts and creativity in education. His TED talks made him world-famous—his presentation called “Do schools kill creativity?” remains the most popular TED talk of all time, and he wrote widely, including major books on creativity in 2001 and 2015. Robinson was knighted in 2003 for his distinguished career in service to the arts. He was a staunch critic of standardized tests and compliance-based classrooms, and an unapologetic champion of every kind of creative endeavor—from theater, to music, film, painting, dance, and everything in between. He died peacefully yesterday at the age of 70, after a brief battle with cancer, surrounded by his family. His voice will be greatly missed. – Edutopia

“the answer is not to standardize education,

but to personalize and customize it to the needs of each child and community.

there is no alternative. there never was.”

-Sir Ken Robinson, (one of my heroes in the field of education)

*Sir Ken Robinson was an author, speaker and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education and arts bodies.

—

credits: edutopia, pbs.org

Aug23

post office.

Posted on August 23, 2020 by beth

Standard

Ochopee has one 131-mile mail route that serves more than 900 residents. The mail route covers deliveries in three counties and includes delivery on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation. The tiny building used to serve as a storage shed for irrigation pipes for a tomato farm but was pressed into service as post office after the Ochopee general store/post office was destroyed in a fire in 1953.

—

“another success is the post office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentiment in mankind; so that the power fo a wafer or a drop of wax or gluten to guard a letter, as it flies over sea, over land, and comes to its address as if a battalion of artillery brought it, i look upon as a fine meter of civilization.”

-ralph waldo emerson

—

stand up for the u.s.p.s

—

credits: patrick riley, naples daily news, luke franke, orlando sentinel

Aug22

coconut.

Posted on August 22, 2020 by beth

Standard

when walking downtown

this just sitting on a corner

no palm trees to be found

i wonder

if you are missing your coconut

did you leave it behind

did you lose it

and not notice?

—

“in the garden of gentle sanity, may you be bombarded by coconuts of wakefulness.”

-chogyam trungpa

Aug21

aloha.

Posted on August 21, 2020 by beth

Standard

herbert smith lived in hawaii in the 1890s

120+ years ago he took pictures of this bay surrounded by palm trees and small shipping huts

here is the bay many years later

–

on this date in 1959, hawaii became a state

i have yet to visit

but plan to spend time

in a hut

under a palm tree

in hawaii

on a bay

one day.

—

“coming to Hawaii is like going from black and white to color.”
-john richard stephens

—

Image credits: Bonhams/BNPS, IPTCDaily Mail, Matt Hunter, Herbert Smith

Aug20

karate.

Posted on August 20, 2020 by beth

Standard

a family afternoon spent

practicing karate skills, self defense, getting a good workout

socially distant, outside, under a very hot sun

at beacon park, in detroit

lots of sweat, lots of water, lots of fun

“karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can,

using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world.”

-dave barry

Aug19

sheepish.

Posted on August 19, 2020 by beth

Standard

art from discarded loose parts – recycled phones and cords

—

“it’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

-jean-luc godard

—

image credit: *telephone sheep by jean luc cornec, artists without borders

*ArtistJean Luc has put old landline telephones to good use with his sculptures titled “Telephone Sheep”. The series explores how fast technology is moving and how we can put old things to good use. The sculptures use the hand dialing base as the head, the cords as their wool and the earpiece as their feet. The “Telephone Sheep” exhibit was displayed at the Museum of Telecommunication in Frankfurt.

Aug18

the best time is now.

Posted on August 18, 2020 by beth

Standard

what impeccable timing

as soon as i had finished working on puzzles

on my favorite old table

putting pen to my journal instead

olive also changed hobbies

from puzzling to journaling

at exactly

the same time and place

simpatico.

—

“the best time to begin keeping a journal is whenever you decide to.”
― Hannah Hinchman, A Life in Hand

—

“i’ve decided that the best time is now.

the puzzles are gone, there are no open spaces in a puzzle to fill in by laying on them with my body,

no pieces to quietly and slowly push off the table with my paw, and no frame to snag and break apart with my claw.

perfect time to begin a journal.”

-olive

Aug17

bear with me.

Posted on August 17, 2020 by beth

Standard

National Park Service Notice –

READ: Please don’t run from bears or push your slower friends down in attempts of saving yourself.

As a follow-up to a previous post, if you come upon a stationary bear, move away slowly and sideways; this allows you to keep an eye on the bear and avoid tripping. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears. Do NOT run, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground. Like dogs, they will chase ﬂeeing animals. Do NOT climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees. Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course).

Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Don’t we all? Identify yourself by making noise so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal. Help the bear recognize you as a human. We recommend using your voice. (Waving and showing off your opposable thumb means nothing to the bear) The bear may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening.

P.S. We apologize to any “friends” who were brought on a hike as the “bait” or were sacrificed to save the group. You will be missed.

#FindYourPark #RecreateResponsibly

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/index.htm

—

“i’d rather write about polar bears than people”

-mary oliver

—

image credit: Bear resting on a log thinking bear things at Katmai National Park & Preserve, NPS/ J. Ehrlenbach