Author Archives: beth

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About beth

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

bimble.

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not me, a south african ground squirrel, but we both tend to bimble at times.

kind of like a saunter or an amble, but cooler.

bimble:

english (verb)

to walk without purpose

to stroll leisurely

“i have an important appointment in thirty minutes. this is not the time to bimble about.”

 

 

 

image credit: pinterest

the final conference.

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after many years

yesterday

was my very last experience

sitting at a table

sharing stories with families

listening to their stories

 connecting over something unique and wonderful

their child

at parent teacher conferences

in priceless conversations.

“conversations are the most direct way to connect with people.”

-padgett powell, american novelist 

gifts?

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not mine, but a step up

from the ashtrays we used to make in art class at school

as a christmas gift for our parents. 

anyone else?

“because, kids.”
-author unknown

 

 

 

 

image credit: reddit

party babies.

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when a baby goes rogue looking for cracker crumbs in our classroom

at a class shower for my teaching partner’s soon to arrive first baby

roaming baby’s mom said not to worry,

she is just building up her immunity. 

clearly not her first child.

 

“babies are such a nice way to start people.”
― don herold

the passing parade.

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the diag at center of the university of michgan campus

on a beautiful day

 a good people watching place to be.

“i’m still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to.

for me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent.”

-garry trudeau

 

-Garry is an american satirist whose comic strip, doonesbury,

reflected social and political life in the united states during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

the whole world gets bigger.

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“oh how I love to read, she thought. ihe whole world gets bigger.”

— Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet The Spy (1964)

i always was interested in detectives and spies, and books were a way for me to feel a part of it.

without any real danger, but just enough suspense…

on international book day

tangerine dreams.

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wh0 wouldn’t love to have a tangerine cat?

“our holiday food splurge was a small crate of tangerines, which we found ridiculously thrilling after an eight-month abstinence from citrus. lily hugged each one to her chest before undressing it as gently as a doll. watching her do that as she sat cross-legged on the floor one morning in pink pajamas, with bliss lighting her cheeks, i thought; lucky is the world, to receive this grateful child. value is not made of money, but a tender balance of expectation and longing.”

-Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, essayist, and poet. Her widely known works include The Poisonwood Bible, the tale of a missionary family in the Congo, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a nonfiction account of her family’s attempts to eat locally. Lily, mentioned above, is her daughter, now also an author and an environmental scientist.

 

 

image credit: pinterest

wrist-twist.

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not sure i would have wanted this in my car

the wrist-twist isn’t my thing

i would have preferred

one of those big old round steering wheels

you could turn with one hand

but the hair is amazing

like judy jetson

in the cockpit

piloting a speeding jet

can’t say that i’m totally surprised

this concept never got off the ground. 

Ford introduced the “Wrist-Twist” steering system for cars in 1965. Despite better visibility, a roomier cabin and allowing you to drive with your arms on armrests it never went beyond the testing stage. You can see a two-minute promotional film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWWYkxQCFfQ

 

 

 

source credits: ford motor company, midcentury fashion

 

 

kids watching kids.

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where are those kids going and what are they up to?

today we went back to the farm

to see how it has changed since our fall visit

there were no leaves

there were no pumpkins

there were lots of new babies

there was not a lot of green

but the animals were as sweet as ever

and that never changes.

‘to teach children that animals have certain rights

creates in their minds a respect and regard for life.’

*-caroline earle white

*Caroline Earle White founded the first animal shelter in the United States in 1869. Born on September 28, 1833 in Philadelphia, Penn., White became an influential figure not only in animal welfare, but also fought for women’s suffrage and equality. White and a group of 30 women activists created the Women’s Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WPSPCA), America’s first official animal shelter. Later known as the Women’s Humane Society, the organization pioneered programs that helped save homeless animals and employed animal cruelty officers to prevent and punish animal abuse. The organization still operates today as the Women’s Animal Center.

on leap day, heed the gap.

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Zanzibar – Kirks Red Colobus Monkey, leaping from tree canopy
photo: Bernard Castelein

toads, rabbits, certain bird species, kangaroos and wallabies hop and jump.

by contrast frogs, hares and jackrabbits and monkeys leap,

the latter

routinely covering the distance from one large tree to another in a single leap.

“the most dangerous thing in the world is to try to leap a chasm in two jumps.”
*david lloyd george
*uk prime minister, 1916-1922,
one of the 20th century’s most famous radicals.
the first any only welshman to this office