Author Archives: beth

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About beth

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

a grownup is a child with layers on. ~ woody harrelson

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all ages, all genders, all comers kickball

we brought

the shades

the kids

the headbands

the colors

the kicks

the neighbors

the knee socks

the diapers

the power

can’t touch this

time for a rematch

bring it

—

the playing adult steps sideward into another reality;

the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery. 

~ erik h. erikson



“if we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” ― robert frost

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10527670_781783088509436_8722114083465655258_nmy friend

 kind

 funny

 energetic

and

mother of

five wonderful

small children

including

a set of twins

posted this picture

today

along with this message:

“Yep, So, this just happened. Another adventure for the M family!! So much for the other chores that have been piling up.  I got this beautiful heart from my scout troop as a thank you at the end of this year. I had it on a shelf above the toilet. I think a cat knocked it off and into the toilet. I guess the heart is made of concrete, because it is completely unscathed . The toilet on the other hand….” – n.m.

i have to admit

i laughed until i cried

when i saw this

 she was okay with that

 i’m so happy

to know her

and

i blame

the girl scouts

—-

“i love people who make me laugh. i honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh.

it cures a multitude of ills. it’s probably the most important thing in a person.” 

― audrey hepburn

 

 

 

thinking isn’t agreeing or disagreeing. that’s voting. – robert frost

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getty images

primary election here yesterday

just me and a few thinkers of all kinds

not too long a wait in line

though i wish there had been one

stretching all around the building

and way down the street

humanesociety.org

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote

except the American people themselves

and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

 – Franklin D. Roosevelt

—

image credits: getty images, humanesociety.org

“now let it work. mischief, thou art afoot. take thou what course thou wilt.” ― william shakespeare

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someone stopped by

for a bit of mischief

fairy dust

roses

glue

glitter paint

not a clue

who could have done this

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luckily

these three

baby r, baby v, nacho the cat

all had gone inside

the cottage

just

minutes before

i wonder

if they saw anyone

or

know anything

—

“they were becoming like a little mafia. if one committed a mischief, the others would not tell.”
– franco diligenti

rivers know this: there is no hurry. we shall get there some day. — winnie the pooh

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 sunny sunday

spent

kayaking

and

floating

and

sharing

the water

with

blue herons

ducks

geese

swallows

bass

lily pads

and

a quiet breeze

on

a lazy river

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a river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure — oliver wendell holmes

i predict one of these two teams will win. – gilbert gottfried

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10517470_10152223705097073_4856220088527864659_ninternational futball took over the city for the weekend

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it started with a lively party on main street the night before

with rockers like flint eastwood entertaining the masses

IMG_1520and  became more sedate when the sun came up

with ornamatik

an acoustic balkan band

IMG_1521and the outdoor outfitters got into the fun

IMG_1522and even the young tailgaters enjoyed the excitement

-92d35105e0d2cd5aand it was a good weekend

to be on foot.

oh, and there was a match at the stadium.

what we do is less than a drop in the ocean. but if it were missing, the ocean would lack something. – mother teresa

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Iliohoos Yoga Meditation Pilion Greece Drop Of Water 3

in search of my mother’s garden, i found my own. – alice walker

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she called it

her butterfly dress

my mother

 a young girl

in italy

twirling

carefree

spreading her wings

all the world before her

and

at her

happiest

before life

got challenging

and things

were

never the same

for her

and she

lost her wish to fly

and this is how

i want

to remember her

on this date

that was

both

the day

she was born

and

the day

 that she died

and

i still want

to think of her

twirling

and

carefree

at her happiest

in her

butterfly dress

—

the thing that interests me most about family history is the gap

between the things we think we know about our families and the realities.

– jeremy hardy

onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time – erma bombeck

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123rf.com

today

it was

finally time

for

my car

the red devil

to move on

to a new owner

 strong

and steady

but not

a very hearty

long distance

winter companion

like

a friendly and loyal gorilla

who just can’t quite

make it up a hill

momar

bought my shiny silver car

saleswoman said

i knew

you were the perfect person

for this car

when you asked me

to program in

the npr station

npr-worldwide-avatar-89f7471e9b5fe09395735500345700d2dba0d24a-s6-c30

and i sang

all the way home

like

a silver canary

who was just a bit off-key.

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zazzle.com

“gossip is the devil’s radio.”

 – george harrison

wherever you go, go with all your heart. – confucius

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solarsystem.nasa.gov

by day’s end

my three daughters

will be

on three different continents

africa, australia, america (north)

and i

will be

like the moon

quietly

looking over

each of them

with light

and pride.

—

You teach your daughters the diameters of the planets

and wonder when you are done that they do not delight in your company.

– Samuel Johnson

—

image credit: nasa.gov