so,
after working on
a few holiday projects last night
i noticed at breakfast
that i may still have a bit of collateral glitter around the house.
—
“take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!”
— Ms. Frizzle, “The Magic School Bus”
Dec17
Category Archives: Life
Dec16
make way for the answer.
when you
arrive at work in the dark
leave work in the light
go to get in your car
noticing that you’ve parked
in front of a cool old rusty thing and a bone
and you wonder what the story is.
—
“to respect a mystery is to make way for the answer.”
― c
Dec15
unicorn license.
A girl named Madeline, with a vivid imagination and remarkable awareness of how bureaucracy can dash dreams, got her wish when she asked Los Angeles animal control authorities for a license to own a unicorn — if she’s able to find one.
The first-of-its-kind permit came with strings attached, however: The mythical creature must be provided ample exposure to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows and have its horn polished at least once a month with a soft cloth.
Director Marcia Mayeda of the county Department of Animal Care and Control sent the girl a heart-shaped, rose-colored metal tag with “Permanent Unicorn License” emblazoned on it, along with a white fuzzy unicorn doll with pink ears, purple hooves and a silver horn.
The department’s response came after the girl wrote it a brief letter last month: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one.”
Mayeda commended the girl for her “sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance” and for thoughtfully considering “the requirements of providing a loving home to animals.”
Its five conditions for unicorn ownership also require that any sparkles or glitter sprinkled on the animal be nontoxic and biodegradable, and that it be fed watermelon at least once a week.
—
“reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
-C. S. Lewis
—
credits: los angeles county animal care and control, AP
Dec14
a day.
it was a 2 ice-pack kind of day
a bandaid, temperature check, coughing kind of day
but all in all a great day
we learned about the winter solstice
saw part of the big kids’ play
danced and sang in spanish
shared books
had an outdoor adventure
(add in a couple of scratches, a few sticky burrs,a clothing change, and lots of bravery)
but at the end of the day
we all had both mittens
and headed on home.
—
“there is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”
-alexander woollcott
Dec13
most just happen.
this is pretty much me on any given day
for the next few weeks
as we head into the new year
all activities and adventures are on the table
some planned and most just happen.
—
“it’s the mishaps that make if fun, and brings you the surprise.”
-anna wintour
Dec12
left behind.
what a wonderfully kind gesture
for someone to leave a gallon of milk and bread behind
to be discovered by someone else who may need it more.
—
“let us temper our criticism with kindness. none of us comes fully equipped.”
-carl sagan
Dec10
glowing.
with my tiny home
loaded up
with bushels of nuts and piles of books
ready for the coming season
you’ll often find me sitting
in the quiet of the early morning
with a steaming cup of coffee
tapping away at my blog
telling the day’s story
reading others’ stories
smiling by the light of the screen.
—
“i blog because i’m not a good rapper.”
-gerry l’crow
Dec7
hunters and gatherers.
they quite naturally
are always busy
little hands
hunting and gathering
collecting, counting, carrying
organizing, sorting,
moving, lining up
until it feels and looks just right.
or until recess ends.
whichever comes first.
and then there is a mad rush
to fill pockets, and mittens, and hands
with as much as they can hold
treasure to be transported home
to go through the whole process again.
—
“we used to be hunter-gatherers, now we’re shopper-borrowers.”
-robin williams
Dec3
the fixer.
the tiny drinking fountain in our room
had been shut off for over 2 years
as a precautionary measure due to covid.
this year
one kinder, a young 3
decided he was going to fix it
fidgeting with it every day
without any tools
looking under it and all around it
pushing the button
day after day
he never stopped trying
nothing happened
until
one day we came in
noticed it was working
(perhaps a building elf had stopped by after school)
i took our little fixer over to see it
showed him the water coming out
told him he must have finally fixed it!
hard to imagine
the look of shock and joy on his face
to see it working
after all of his hard work
and refusal to give up
the class now celebrates him as a hero
and use the fountain every day
he proudly checks on it often
his face still amazed every time.
—
“i’m good at figuring out how things work, but I don’t know how this happened.”
-nora roberts, the collector
Dec1
to raisin, or not to raisin? that is the question.
on the very first day
of my new and improved
healthy eating and exercise initiative
a rogue chocolate-covered raisin
emerged from hiding
under a blanket on my sofa
where it had quietly sat
lying in wait
for me to discover it
i stopped
breathless
knowing this tiny temptation
was a test
oh, what a test
who would know
just one
practically a fruit and coffee/cacao product
dark chocolate and fruit are both good for my heart
who cares if there’s a bit of blanket fuzz on it
that’s just added fiber
could this be the gateway
to a slice of triple-layer chocolate cake or velveta-laden nachos?
not today, fuzzy amazing hidden chocolate-covered raisin, not today.
the struggle is real.
—
i looked to the writers to seek their wisdom
they have a difference of opinion on this.
are you on team wilde or team emerson when it comes to temptation?
“i can resist everything except temptation.”
-oscar wilde
“we gain the strength of the temptation we resist.”
-ralph waldo emerson
I didn't have my glasses on.... 