Category Archives: Life

cachinnate.

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not me, but very similar.

at times,

(sometimes at the most inappropriate of times),

i have been known to cachinnate.

 

 

 

credits: google images, merriam-webster dictionary

first class.

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USPS 2018 Mister Rogers stamp

  mister rogers will get his own stamp in 2018 

in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, fred rogers’s groundbreaking PBS series that the USPS says “inspired and educated young viewers with warmth, sensitivity, and honesty,” the mail service shared a mockup of what the final stamp may look like. on it, rogers—decked out in one of his trademark colorful cardigans (all of which were  hand-knitted by his mom, smiles for the camera alongside king friday XIII, ruler of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

though no official release date for fred’s forever stamp has been given, mister rogers is just one of many legendary figures who will grace a piece of postage in 2018.

singer/activist Lena Horne will be the 41st figure to appear as part of the USPS’s Black Heritage series, while former Beatle John Lennon will be the face of the newest Music Icons collection. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, will also be honored.

“every man bears the whole stamp of the human condition.”

-michel de montaigne

 

 

credits: usps, mental floss, jennifer wood

special quality.

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“even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality.”

-andy goldsworthy

stop time.

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two of my grandies at the detroit zoo

experiencing the butterfly house

firsthand

and finding 

just who exactly

is patiently sitting with them

waiting for his identity to be discovered. 

“wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table.

even a tiny fleck of it stops time.”

― Diane Ackerman

melt.

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littlest hands

with

careful touch

make soft-rolled fluffy snowmen

 of whitest peppermint dough.

something’s lost

and

something’s gained

 each time someone new arrives

rising from the sparkly snow.

“we build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt.”

-walter scott

copycats.

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my daughter’s two cats

copy her two art cats

all four posed and looking out her window

perhaps watching for two birds

who might be copying two art birds. 

“as long as you’re being a copycat, you will never be the best copycat.”

-eric thomas

laughter is the sun.

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as the snowfall arrives

there is a soft quiet

a world of white outside

while inside

 the cottage is filled with color 

 the center of the snow globe

 i’m clearly drawn to whimsical animal art

and yes,

that is the wing of a  peacock kite you see in the upper left corner.

“laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”

-victor hugo

just room enough.

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In order to be considered an island in this region, land must be larger than one square foot, it must remain above the water level year round, and it must sustain at least one tree. Welcome to Just Room Enough Island.

Part of the 2,000-isle-strong Thousand Islands chain in New York, this tiny land mass meets the official criteria. It was purchased in the 1950s by the Sizeland family who were looking to create a holiday getaway.

They built the walls right up to the edges of the island, giving the island its quirky name. A pair of bench chairs were placed in front of the home and there was also a tree growing on one side. And that is all the room the island had.

While the Sizelands had hoped for their quirky little getaway to be a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of city life, it soon attracted hordes of sightseers and tourists who broke their placid solitude.

When islands get really small they sometimes barely even count as islands, and so some places actually have criteria that the landforms must meet to be officially considered islands, and not just crappy little scraps of land. Just Room Enough Island meets these standards just barely, but really it’s more house than island.

“just when i thought there wasn’t room enough

for another thought in my head,

i had this great idea -“

-john ashberry

 

credit: atlas obscura

circadian.

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“i’m envious of people who can sleep as long as they want.

i have the circadian rhythm of a farmer.”

-moby

 

 

image credit: bored panda

heavy.

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helped my daughter

to pull a dollhouse kit down from the store shelf above

 quite surprised to find

 how heavy it actually was 

just before it crowned me

more surprised than anything

all was well

but as we picked it up

with an alarmed store employee

i happened to notice

a little sticker on the underside that said

‘heavy’

 too little, too late. too heavy. 

“heavy is the head that wears the crown”
― wiiliam shakespeare