Thank you, on veteran’s day

—

‘when the world makes you cynical,

wherever you seek true humility and selflessness,

look for a veteran.’

-barack obama

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photo credit: New York Times

don’t even try to sneak two out of here!

—

‘it was difficult to get into my friends’ rock bands when i was a teenager. they somehow didn’t see the need for an accordion player. that’s when i realized that i had to find my own path in life.’

-Al yankovich

—

inspirations: pete for the photo, and rosalia, musician and master accordionist

—

‘what is Santa’s favorite fruit?’

sugarplums!

-parade magazine

my new adventure

an on-call teacher

a couple of mornings a week

at the university of michigan child care center

children from 12 weeks to age 5 spend their days here

while their parents research or teach or take care of others at the hospital

i’m working with the multi-age outdoor class

‘the apple blossoms’

3s, 4s, and a couple of young 5s

getting a hands-on education

all outdoors

learning by doing 

drinking milky tea on a chilly morning

imagination, exploration, discovery, building, caring for nature

trying new things, failing at times, and trying again

gardening, cooking in the mud kitchen, finding animals 

working with others, working alone

we are the guides

we are all learning

eating, sleeping, growing, weeping

laughing, yelling, whispering, hiking, finding

the apple blossoms thrive in the outdoors

this is what we see when we look up 

sleeping under the pines

soft needles below 

tarp and mat and comfy blankets and cuddlies

all tucked in 

hearing stories read aloud

looking to the sky as we drift off to dream. 

—

‘children grow up hearing how broken the environment is,

how broken beyond repair.

plant strawberries together, make wild medicines, paint the sunrise.

show them proof, that for every act of destruction,

they can sow a seed, however small, of beauty.’

-nicolette sowder

‘i walk to love the world.’

-mary oliver

 

ann arbor, michigan, usa – november 2024

today is the day.

—

“may your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

~ nelson mandela

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image credit: smithsonian magazine photo contest, the american experience,

freedom..american flag at pictured rocks, lake superior, michigan, usa, amie nola

vote your conscience.

—

art credit: susan sawyer

and it’s daylight saving time yet again….

—

‘change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up.

what was is not and never again will be; what is, is change.’

-edwin way teale

 

—

image credit: morris day and the time, what time is it?, warner brothers records, 1982

 the beer depot is cozied up to the funeral home

making me wonder

about this sort of mixed use

certainly an interesting juxtaposition

both have a long history

does one lead to the other or vice versa?

 both owned by the same family way back when?

 early days urban planning of some sort?

—

‘mixed use is what cities are all about. If you don’t have mixed use, you don’t have cities.’

-joseph rykwert