“don’t call the world dirty because you forgot to clean your glasses.”
-aaron hil
Oct27
Category Archives: Life
Oct26
welcome.
‘the rock’ at george washington park
on central campus at the university of michigan
painted by volunteers with the michigan refugee assistance program
—
“seeking asylum is a human right.”
amnesty international
george washington park, ann arbor, mi, usa
Oct25
teach it to dance.
==
image credit: vintage halloween
Oct24
night deposits.
“hutchins office – night deposits”
—
“i find if you are in an office, the crisis finds you.
if you’re not in the office, the crisis finds somebody else. “
-jeremy corbyn
—
*city of ann arbor tree nursery, ann arbor, mi, usa
provides and nurtures saplings for city parks and streets
along with mulch, logs, and all things to do with trees.
—
*when i visited the parks’ nursery, there was no one there, and i loved happening upon this unusual ‘office’ setting. it looks like it could have been a staff meeting day, as there were 2 chairs sitting together. as i continue my walk through the parks, i now have 9 left to go, and i’m quite sure that i will be finished by my goal of halloween.
Oct23
postman’s rest.
A Little Wild Spot. The ramshackle old house pictured above, unoccupied for two years at the time this photo was taken in 1966, was Anne Mueller’s “rough box.” After her death at the age of 85, her wildflower garden on the corner was deeded to the city for a park. The house now gone, Postman’s Rest Park, was named as a tribute to Norm Kern and Bob Schlupe, the mail carriers who stopped each day to see that “Annie” was all right when she was widowed and left without family in her later years. (ann arbor news, 1972)
1972 postman’s rest park
2017 postman’s rest park
during my visit to this tiny park
situated on a quiet and peaceful corner
in a tree-lined neighborhood
filled with old bungalows, gardens, and lawns
i sat in the swing for a while
taking it all in
looking around
at the greenery and wildflowers
there was a very special
warm and welcoming feeling
i wanted to know more about this lovely space
and was so pleasantly surprised
to discover its touching story
a pioneering newspaperwoman, ann mueller
left this beautiful space
where her wildflower garden had once bloomed
as a tribute to those who cared.
—
“take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”
-ovid
—
credits: news photo and caption – 1966 ann arbor news, jack stubbs – 1972 ann arbor news
Oct22
directions.
when looking for me
directions will lead you here
right to my doorstep.
—
“fate pulls you in different directions.”
-clint eastwood
Oct21
moving target.
“a creative project is a moving target.
You never end up where you start.’
-evangeline lilly
—
the kinders remind me of this each and every day.
Oct20
return to sender.
i recently made halloween cards
for all of my grandies and nieces
and sent them out early
to make sure they arrived in time
imagine my surprise
when i opened my mailbox
and found a letter
that i had sent out
a day earlier
only to have the post office
deliver it back to me
instead of sending it on ahead
somehow they had managed
to process it on the back of the envelope
and decided that my return address sticker
was where it should be delivered
i often wonder about their logic
and am pleasantly surprised
when things actually get
to where i had intended them to go
i will try again tomorrow
and tell them that it should go
to where the mailing address is
on the front of the letter.
“you know you’re a fool when what you’re doing
makes even the post office seem efficient.”
-joshua cohen
Oct19
look closer.
look closely.
closer.
there it is, right in front of you.
—
“home is where your people are.”
― richie norton
—
sugarbush park, ann arbor, mi, usa
Oct18
wheelbarrow.
andrew killawee is a canadian tv producer who recently had his wheelbarrow stolen and he announced this with a sign outside of his home: “BRING BACK MY WHEELBARROW.”
a few days later, the sign had changed: “THANK YOU FOR BRINGING BACK MY WHEELBARROW.” apparently tersely worded demands for stolen property, in rural canada, lead to results. and results lead to politely worded replies.
all of this might have gone forgotten—a brief, humorous tale of small-town crime, one among many brief, humorous tales of small-town crime that happen in small towns across the world—if it hadn’t been for twitter, where an acquaintance of killawee combined the hand-painted signs into a single tweet.
her tweet went viral, and he later noted his regret at not being more fluent with the service. “well it took a lot of hard work, but I think I can now retire. thanks to my friend for really making the big push here … i’ll learn twitter one of these days.”
—
“i mean if we even had a wheelbarrow,
that would be something.”
-william goldman
—
credits: erik shilling, atlas obscura, andrew killawee -photo
I didn't have my glasses on.... 