we had our first ever
kinder triathlon
what a blast
running,
tricycling,
‘swimming’ in a pool of plastic bubbles with goggles on
everyone did all three events
*no kinder injuries or tears
*(full disclosure: i did fly off of my tricycle at one point
but my boss was kind enough to push
me all the way around the track on it to the finish line)
everyone had so much fun
and that is a win.
—
“pump your arms and your legs will follow”
– *karen parnell
(this method did not work for me.)
it began
with a look around the science room
taking a closer glance
at amazing natural treasures
honeycombs, footprints, nests
when suddenly
someone discovered
a hidden hole in the rug
everyone rushed to see this
very rare and incredible curiosity!
‘the biggest quest to learn anything is curiosity. if you are curious about something, you will go and dig.’
-rakesh jhunjhunwala
it’s official
before the summer is over
i’ll be traveling
on my first trip as a retired person
to visit portugal, the oldest nation-state in europe.
tchau.
—
‘if there is one portion of europe which was made by the sea more than another,
portugal is that slice, that portion, that belt. portugal was made by the atlantic.”
– hilaire belloc, french/english historian and writer.
—
*And the award for oldest nation-state in Europe goes to… Portugal. In 1139, Portugal appointed King Afonso Henriques as its king. Lisbon is said to be four centuries older than Rome. Due to its excellent trading location, the Phoenicians settled in Lisbon around 1200 BC.
—
photo credit: planetware, the perched village of azenhas do mar at sunset, sintra, portugal
“heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory.
sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.”
–mary roach
—
there are very few families in this country who have not been touched in some way by the military conflicts, both current and past. thank you for your sacrifice. “LEST WE FORGET” is so very important for a reason. it implores us to be wary as a nation, because a nation that forgets runs the risk of losing freedom or repeating mistakes of the past.
while ringing up my groceries at a self-checkout machine
another register finally opened up
a friendly store employee waved over
the gentleman who had been waiting behind me in line
directing him to the machine
but at the last second
he balked
saying that he wanted to wait for register #2
to become open
as that was his lucky register.
he turned with his cart
went back in line
and waited.
—
once again
i have questions.
why does he feel that one is lucky?
is he thinking that he is in a casino?
what kind of luck can one have at a check out register?
did he get cash back, a deal, freebies, extra coupons, better bags, spend less?
why don’t i have a lucky register?
—
“luck is believing you’re lucky.”
-tennessee williams
—
photo credit: google images
gruntled on this long weekend.
—
‘gruntled’
adjective: pleased, satisfied, and contented
examples:
1. after a long walk and a few treats, the dog was gruntled.
2. despite tom sawyer annoying those around him,
he always managed to keep his guardians gruntled.
—
art credit: ‘roaming cat” – etsy
when we walked into a store
filled with nothing but cuckoo clocks
i really had to wonder
how long would it take before this made the workers a bit cuckoo?
who has to reset them all and keep them running?
do they dream of the little birds popping out, and little people dancing in a circle?
do they hear the sounds every 15 minutes even when not working?
do they use their employee discount to buy clocks for their homes?
do they have any long term employees?
do they give you a cuckoo clock when you retire?
—
‘since both of its national products, snow and chocolate, melt,
the cuckoo clock was invented
solely in order to give tourists something solid to remember it by.’
-alan coren
if i had to be a sheriff
i would like to be the kind
who rescues people
who fall in the water
run out of gas
get lost
need help
love sticker badges for their kids
i would not like to be the kind
who pulled us over one summer on a lake
because we were guilty of:
dancing.
i would rather be one
who throws frisbees to people on the beach
like the one we met on the weekend
who likes music and smiling and dancing.
—
‘if time were the wicked sheriff in a horse opera,
i’d play for riding lessons and take his gun away.’
-w.h. auden
I didn't have my glasses on.... 