cat math.

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olive and glenn frey

insist on helping me

with the process of

sorting paperwork and doing bills.

they have been training for years

and clearly feel they are financial wizards.

“cats can work out mathematically

the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.”

-pam brown

leg.

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it’s the perfect day to follow a rogue leg down the road.

 

“if you don’t have a leg to stand on, you can’t put your foot down.”

-robert altman

tiny houses.

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if i were really, really, ridiculously wealthy,

i wouldn’t buy a mansion,

just tiny apartments in every city i love. 

-mara wilson

 

 

 

 

ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer 2018

 

 

 

 

waking up.

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getting used to being back on a school schedule.

kinders arrive today!

 

 

the crossing.

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word has it the littles are headed to england.

hopefully they’re back in the states

in time for the first day of school today.

“you can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

-rabindranath tagore

glen lake, empire, michigan – summer 2018

ghosts.

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littles

playing, creeping, tiptoeing

ghosts in the graveyard

scaring themselves to death

screaming, spooky, squealing, shrieking

so much fun.

“while it’s cool to think ghosts exist, i don’t want to see one.”

-dean ambrose

snacks.

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and we are off!

road trip to the north!

and we have stopped.

snacks!

 

 

 

image credit: vintage and classic cars – 1966

shared humanity.

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in yet another amazing case of serendipity

i was recently at school (in the united states)

attending a professional development session

with colleagues who were describing a wonderful project

they had undertaken with their students.

during the last school year they had worked on design thinking projects

intended to help our world’s environment in some way.

throughout the process

the teachers provided the students

with a wide range of sources of information having to do with their area of interest.

during our seminar, they passed around some of the sample articles they had used.

imagine my surprise when reading the random article that i was handed

and i saw the photographic credit on the back page

realizing that i had a connection to it.

it read:

‘michel porro – getty images.’ 

michel porro is a long time friend of mine who i happened to meet

when we were both working at the world cup in my city 24 years ago.

michel, at the time was a photojournalist from the netherlands, stationed in hong kong, working for reuters, and covering events all over the world. i was in advertising, taking time off to working in the media tent for the duration of the event. we met there and continued to run into each other in a variety of places, though we never had the chance to meet up outside of a working situation, try as we might.

we finally had the chance, and it was the last night before he was to leave. unfortunately brazil won, causing a chain of unusual events, that led to our last chance to meet not ever happening.

since that time, (24 years ago), we’ve stayed pen pals, and followed what’s happened in each other’s lives. i wrote an earlier blog about our long distance unlikely long term friendship and the link is below, but i’ve somehow lost the photo part of the post.

https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/2014/06/22/what-a-wonderful-thing-is-the-mail-capable-of-conveying-across-continents-a-warm-human-hand-clasp-author-unknown/

upon seeing his name again last week, i texted to tell him about my surprise. he texted back surprised as well. our paths continue to cross in the most interesting ways.

B Kennedy
to Michel pastedGraphic.png

small world, Michel 

Sent from my iPhone

——–

Michel Porro

to me pastedGraphic.png

Wow Beth, that is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. Boyat (the subject in the photo) is a quiet man with a big mission.  I met him twice for 2 photoshoots.

How are you doing? I’m in Italy at the moment. The world is a turbulent place isn’t it?

You do good work.

Best

Michel

“this idea of shared humanity and the connections that we make with one another – that’s what, in fact, makes life worth living.”

-clint smith

marshmallow.

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it’s national toasted marshmallow day

and all i can think of

is my very favorite dessert –

s’mores.

introduced in the united states years ago

by the scouts of america

the s’more

is still much loved by so many.

actual marshmallow health and safety tips from the boy scouts of america guidebook:

When roasting your marshmallows, a light brown skin is sufficient. Having the marshmallow engulfed in flames may cause panic and flinging of hot marshmallow onto someone.

Have a properly stocked first-aid kit available (and have trained first-aid Scouts and adults on hand).

Roasting marshmallows can be fun, but care should be taken so that participants do not become injured by burns or punctures.

If you are on a campout, thoroughly clean your hands and face before hitting the sleeping bag. The smell of marshmallows and chocolate are known to attract various animals.

S’mores are great for an evening snack or cracker barrel, just before bedtime. On campouts, the sugar rush is just enough so that the youth will sleep soundly through the night.

 —

“my favorite vegetable is the marshmallow.”

-jim gaffigan

photo and tips credits: scouting magazine

significant.

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silence on a hot summer night in ann arbor

“the most significant conversations of our lives occur in silence.” 

-simon van boy