Pick Up Truck Swimming Pool
What it is: A pool made from a pickup truck bed
What You’ll Need: A pool liner
Estimated Cost to Make: $20
Paddling pools are great, but they often pop or get misshapen. If you happen to be the proud owner of a pickup truck, then consider investing in some pool liner. In no time at all, you could have a sturdy metal pool right there in your truck bed that can hold the whole family. Of course, you can’t let the kids get too crazy or they might get a bruise or two, but it’s a wonderful idea. There are even companies out there that sell liners, especially for trucks. It’s a great way to customize your Ford for the summer!
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“start where you are
use what you have
do what you can”
-arthur ashe
who knew? enjoy your holiday weekend.
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source:pickuppools.com
what an honor to receive a homemade chocolate cupcake donut pancake cake!
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“we only have so long to play in the dirt and ask questions of rivers.”
A bookshop owner in Southampton, England asked for help to move his library due to high rent and wanted to move the books to the new location. He was surprised by the presence of more than 250 young people, elderly and special needs people who were also involved. They formed a human chain where they took thousands of books and transferred them hand in hand from the old place to the new place at a distance of 500 feet. The job was done in just an hour.
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“make it simple but significant.”
-don draper (mad men)
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source credit: kalin velkov krasimirov
(enjoying a perfect day at a detroit tigers game – not a care in the world)
it was the perfect day
back in the day
nice sun, warm, no rain, not a cloud in the sky
perfect day to be outside that is
not the perfect day to be stuck inside waiting on people
we took a chance
both called in sick
went to see the detroit tigers play
under a brilliant sky
with just a wisp of a breeze
feet up, popcorn, cool beverages
doing the wave, singing the songs
figured what are the odds we’d get caught
slim to none using our baseball calculus
all was well
until a ball was hit
pretty close to where we were sitting
in our great seats
still not a care in the world
(ferris bueller, not us, but caught in a similar situation enjoying a perfect day at a cubs game)
until the tv camera was trained on us
and we wondered
what are the odds
that anyone who knew us would have seen us
how quickly the odds turned against us
when we went into our restaurant the next day
tan and quite relaxed
until our manager
asked us how we had enjoyed the game
mentioned that he had seen us on the little kitchen tv
so close to catching that wayward ball
(similar to our overworked manager watching the game where we were enjoying our day,
though he was working hard in a kitchen and watching it on a tiny tv, in between expediting orders)
while he had to work extra hard
and told us
that we would be spending today
another beautiful day
at home suspended from work for the day
and could return on the day after that
on another beautiful day
the perfect day we realized
we were lucky to still have a job.
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*”great determination can overcome most odds.”
-aesop
*(key word here is ‘most’ – note to self)
-beth
(supposed to be here)
back in the day
when i was a waitress
going to school
training to be in the travel industry
i was on call for my restaurant in michigan
but i also had to be at an airline travel class in dallas
my restaurant had very recently said
absolutely no more days off for anyone
too many people were calling in sick or with excuses
so
according to my optimistic rationalization style math and logic
knowing the staff
having no other plan
odds were 50/50 at best
i said nothing to my restaurant
crossed my fingers
flew to dallas
made the fateful call-in from the lone star state
amazingly
the staff had all shown up that day
for the win!
p.s. don’t try this if you are a doctor
(actually was here)
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“never tell me the odds.”
-han solo
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Bees Love Caffeine, Too
Even the busiest bees need a little pick-me-up in the morning. A study by researchers at the University of Sussex finds that bees love a little caffeine, and prefer nectar that gives them a little extra buzz.
The paper, published in the journal Current Biology tested bees’ preferences for caffeinated nectar and an equal-quality but non-caffeinated alternative. As many as 55 percent of plants have low concentrations of caffeine in their nectar, and previous research has found that caffeinated nectar can increase bees’ memory of a flower’s scent.
When presented with a pair of sugary nectars in the lab, one with caffeine and one without, bees foraged for food more when they ate the caffeinated nectar, and directed their fellow bees to that food source more often. They directed other bees to the caffeinated nectar four times more than when they had eaten non-caffeinated nectar, and would return to the source of caffeine even after that feeder had run dry. After eating caffeinated nectar, they were less likely to seek out other sources of food. In short, they got sort of addicted.
Plants “may be tricking the honey bee by securing loyal and faithful foraging and recruitment behaviors, perhaps without providing the best quality forage,” University of Sussex researcher Margaret Couvillon explains. The bees get tricked into thinking the caffeinated nectar is a higher quality food source than it really is, and aren’t too interested in diversifying their nectar sources.
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celebrate the bees
today on world bee day
and every day
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“if we die, we’re taking you with us.”
-The Bees
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credits: mental floss, shaunacy ferro, entomology today
“peace is not the end of the mundane, troublesome, and painful moments of life.
peace is created in the midst of the mundane, troublesome, and painful moments
as we look for the good in all things,
grasp tiny moments of joy,
glittering in the darkness,
and gather hope into a soft place to rest when life grows hard.”
-l.r. knost
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oakland county, michigan, usa – may 2021
after one final close look
at the butterflies we raised
it’s time to release them back into nature
where they quickly find their wings.
“the butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
-rabindranath tagore
everything is growing and changing
all in their own time
each in their own way
we watch and care for them
soon they will all be something new.
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“and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
― Anais Nin
I didn't have my glasses on.... 