that moment when you understand
that a little thing like a snowstorm
won’t stop you from getting where you need to go.
—
“determination gives you the resolve to keep going
in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.”
-denis waitley
Nov12
Nov11
for the veterans.
Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
-henry wadsworth longfellow
(from decoration day)
—
He has a way with words and reminds us
that while our soldiers may have suffered and paid the ultimate price,
it is our duty to remember them.
credit: elkmoundwildflowers.com
Nov10
a little kindness.
in our after-school art club
the children painted kindness stones
and hid them in the garden
for other children to find
knowing it would make them smile
when they discovered these secret stones
hoping they would do the same for others
passing on their surprise and joy
upon finding a bit of kindness
left just to make them happy
and then hiding them again
for others to discover.
—
“a little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.”
-john ruskin
Nov9
a phoenix rises.
sit down with a cup of something and read this book from cover to cover.
—
“In the end, what matters is this: I survived.”
–Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
—
photo credit: Harper Collins
thank you dk
Nov8
my summer of the beatles, chains, and lots of gum.
way back in the day (1964)
I was six and 3/4, not yet seven
my sister and best friend and i
spent much of our entire summer
‘working’ for free for our friend’s teenage sister
who had plans to go to see the beatles
at olympia arena
when they landed in detroit.
we were recruited by her
to spend our time creating
‘the world’s longest gum wrapper chain’
that she planned to present with her fan club
to the beatles at the concert.
she funded our gum and provided us each with a cigar box
and we sat in the yard for hours upon hours
just talking and laughing
and listening to music on her transistor radio
and creating the chain
until we’d get called home.
we never questioned the project
as were we caught up
in the whirlwind of her excitement
when the time came
she went to the show and presented the chain
later regaling us with the stories and craziness of the concert
and suddenly it was over
our summer of working for free had ended
and I looked forward to my own concerts ahead
wondering who I could recruit to make my paper chains.
—
what you’ll need:
- Gum Wrappers: You’ll need a ton of these. We made our dress using paper wrappers, but you can use foil too. The process is the same!
- Patience: You’ll also need a lot of this.
1. Fold It in Half
Take a single wrapper and fold it longways, or hot-dog style. Do this three times. Try to fold the jagged edge inside because it can get in the way when making the chains.
2. Fold It Through the Middle
Fold the wrapper in half the other way, right through the middle. It should make a “V” shape. Next, fold the sides into the middle, making a little “v.” This little guy will be one link on your chain.
3.. Repeat
Before you proceed, you’ll have to repeat these steps to make another chain link. Once you have two, you’re ready to connect them!
4. Connect the Pieces
Just take the two ends of one and push it through the two holes in the other. This is why you’ll want your gum wrappers to be folded neatly—if the jagged ends stick out, it can get difficult to see what you’re doing or where to push the wrappers through and connect them. Keep it neat!
5. Keep Going
Keep on going forever and ever this same way. Eventually, you’ll have a long and fairly sturdy chain!
credits: ‘The Beatles’ Patrick Julian – Beyond Olympia Stadium, Pinterest, felt magnet
Nov7
softly.
and
as
the
first
few
flakes
fell
from
the
sky
joy ruled the day in kinder-land.
—
“the snow fell as softly as a poet’s tears.”
Nov6
outburst.
a great night with wilco.
—
“music is an outburst of the soul.”
– f
—
hill auditorium, Ann Arbor, mi, usa – November 2019
Nov5
courage.
‘courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.’
-mark twain
—
image credit: National Trust, British Medieval History
Nov4
the pumpkin march.
and it is time for the pumpkins to return to the garden…
—
‘the preciousness of life and the changes of weather and the beauty of seasons –
all those things have always sort of dazzled me.’
-anthony doerr
—
art credit: “The Pumpkin March” – Guinevere von Sneeden
Nov3
the day of the bread.
’tis the season…
—
“accidentally consumed five biscuits when I wasn’t paying attention.
those biscuits are wily fellows – they leap in like sugary ninjas.”
-charles dickens
—
at the cork and gabel restaurant, corktown, detroit, michigan, usa. fall 2019
cork and Gabel
The Beatles
“It was like hearing the future.”
–Tom Hanks
“They blew the walls down for everybody else.”
–Barack Obama
“We’ve never seen anything like this before, ever. Never. Not even for kings and queens.”
–Unnamed airport official