Author Archives: beth

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About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.
Apr9

‘don’t plan it all, let life surprise you a little.’ – julia alvarez

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fifteen of us met in a parking lot

at the appointed time

boarded an unmarked rock ‘n roll party bus

equipped with a very patient driver

70-80’s style

disco lights, music, coolers, bevs, decor, ice

drove to our unsuspecting, just-retired friend’s house

got him on the bus and surprised him

then we were sixteen strong

drove him to detroit

to celebrate him

played games

had an axe throwing competition

(we were all unscathed)

followed by

a long delicious japanese dinner

rock ‘n roll bussed back

 laughing singing dancing storytelling hugging

 a day turned into a night to remember

he stood to speak

 said he could not believe it

he was overflowing with joy and tears

he was so happy.

—

‘the chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.’

-Kevin Kelly

Apr8

woven together.

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This drawing is by Anja Rozen, a 13-year-old primary school student in Slovenia.

She was chosen from 600,000 children around the world

to create a piece of art to show what peace looks like.

She is the winner of the international Plakat Miru competition.

“My drawing represents the land that binds us and unites us.”

“Humans are woven together.

If someone gives up, others fall.

We are all connected to our planet and to each other,

but unfortunately we are little aware of it.

We are woven together.

Other people weave alongside me my own story; and I weave theirs,”

said the young designer.

—

‘the cause of freedom and the cause of peace are bound together.’

-Leon Blum, three-time Prime Minister of France

 

Apr7

message.

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this shirt, worn by a man in front of me in our recent march,

had a very simple message that really moved me

—

‘to become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered.’

-oscar wilde

Apr6

detroit in the streets.

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thank you to my fellow michiganders for showing up

on the streets of detroit with me

and to all those who showed up anywhere

to make our voices heard

—

 ‘words empowered by justice can never be silenced.’

-Isabel Ibanez, author

Apr5

“get a bicycle. you will certainly not regret it, if you live.” ~ mark twain 


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i was

so excited

to buy

my brand new

townie bike

it was

cream-colored

and fancy

and

i imagined myself

riding on a beautiful sunny day

into town

carrying spring flowers in my basket

looking at all the sights

along the way

waving to neighbors

i named it

‘white lightning’

because

of it’s beautiful color

and

because

i would ride fast on it

with the

wind at my back

i rode it out of the store

and

because

i’d been in spin class

for a while

and

feeling free

and confident

i took off like a rocket

into the parking lot

and quickly

lost control

and

slammed into

my daughter’s shopping cart

i’d forgotten about

the

‘balance factor’

and

I laid in the parking lot

laughing our

baskets off

as

people walked by

probably

thinking we were drunk

in the middle of the day

but we knew

it was only

the beginning

of

many

bike adventures

to come.

—–

image credits: schwinn.com, flikr.com

(this is a repost, but was triggered by my blogging friends recent post about the challenge of learning to ride a bike and my current bike riding spring fever)

Apr4

enter the penguins.

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and somehow

unbeknownst to them

the penguins

living their happy lives

being their best selves

in a place far, far away

have absurdly entered the fray

of american politics

my apologies

but i’m not worried

knowing they look out for each other

and can hold their own

I stand with the penguins.

—

because they aren’t used to danger from animals on solid ground,

wild penguins exhibit no particular fear of humans.- mentalfloss.com

—

‘the answer to every problem involved penguins’

-rick riordan, american author, percy jackson and the olympians series

Apr3

raindrops.

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‘There are a finite number of times we get to do anything and after the first time it’s a count. We only get to look at the sky so many times in a life. There are a finite number of rainstorms and seasons that we’ll witness, and the number seems so big until it doesn’t. We never know when will be the last time we taste something or see someone or do anything at all. And for all the money in the world, time is not for sale no matter what the doctors say when we beg for more of it toward the end, finally seeing that we forgot to count the raindrops.’

-Cory Richards, The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within

(Random House)

—

Art credit: David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020

 at the Art Institute of Chicago

Apr2

“If America hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.”

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thank you, senator booker

for speaking for 25+ hours in the senate

while standing with no breaks

breaking the previous record

standing for our country

for inspiring all of us

for what is right

for democracy.

 

 

Apr1

avril.

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April  1st

Happy April Fools’ Day and April Fish Day!

(vintage French postcard)

 

—

‘April fool.n. The March fool with another month added to his folly.’

-ambrose bierce

Mar31

color?

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 thinking back to the first couple of times

that i saw ‘the wizard of oz’ on the big screen

it never consciously occurred to me that the film

changed from black and white to color

until suddenly later

when watching it again

it hit me

aha!

it was clear as day

it had changed into color in the middle of the film!

why did I not notice this before?

my mind just accepted it without question

I must have been so into it

as i traveled with dorothy from kansas to oz and back.

and fought off the flying monkeys

that I didn’t even notice this dramatic change

no other explanation.

—

In the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” the transition from black-and-white to color occurs when Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz. 

While color films were becoming more common in the late 1930s, many movies were still primarily shot in black-and-white. The use of color in “The Wizard of Oz” was a significant and innovative choice that added to the film’s magical quality. The vibrant colors of Oz contrasted sharply with the sepia tones of Kansas, enhancing the thematic elements of the story.

For many viewers, the transition served as a stunning visual surprise, symbolizing Dorothy’s escape from the mundane world into a fantastical realm. The moment has since become iconic in film history, but at the time, it was a creative risk that paid off, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.

—

I do clearly remember the very first time I ever saw color on our tv. It was 1961 and I was 4 years old. We just bought a color tv for the first time and turned on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, which opened with full color fireworks! Wowwwwww!!!!! 

 

 

—

“colour is a power which directly influences the soul.”

– wassily kandinksy

 

 

—

source credits: MGM studios, NBC tv