how sweet the corn.

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four generations in one place at one time with one common purpose.

dinner.

—
a family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, 

an occasional animal, and the common cold 

– ogden nash

we can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness. ~ author unknown

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the view out of my window

this morning in glen arbor,  michigan

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one hour after we left

the storms began

every kind of bad weather

rolled in

and

left this beautiful little town

by the lakes

isolated

and

damaged

my family members

who are still there

 are all okay

hoping that all the others are too

tomorrow

the sun will rise once again

and the cleanup

will begin

with gratitude.

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Staff report from the Glen Arbor Sun:
Glen Arbor was hit by a very severe storm on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 2. Winds of 93 miles per hour reportedly pummeled the town next to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the height of the summer tourism season. As of Sunday night, the Glen Lake Fire Department was reporting that all roads into Glen Arbor, and around the Glen Lakes, are impassible.

the bee whisperer.

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f visits the garden

by the lake

kneels down

to talk to the bumblebees

 to see them up close

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then befriends them

as they

learn more about each other

full of calm and peace

without fear

and after they make

a short visit to his place

gently

puts them back

where he found them

and says

goodbye for now.

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the garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.

Michael Pollan

climbing up high, right into the sky.

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look at your feet. you are standing in the sky. 

when we think of the sky, we tend to look up,

but the sky actually begins at the earth.

~diane ackerman

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family climb at the sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore –  empire, michigan

whole lotta’ love.

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and with the return of the aussies

my band of grandies are back together

all on one continent

in one time and one place

sharing some mischief and one tiny space.

—

Jake: We’re putting the band back together.
Mr. Fabulous: Forget it. No way.
Elwood: We’re on a mission from God.

(The Blues Brothers)

—

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last summer’s tiny space

the first time 

they were ever all together 

meeting in one big box.

—

hopscotch.

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came upon

what seemed to be

the world’s longest hopscotch

must have been

‘cuz it just kept on going

even when the one who drew it

counted as high as they could

and they

had no more numbers

so it ended at 82

but the boxes just kept on going.

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irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom. – anatole france

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and with this

quietly brilliant sign,

i accept your apology

with a smile.

 

house connector.

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the aussies have moved back

and the family is reunited

little f

has decided that it would be a good idea

to  connect our houses

so that we will always be close by

and never lose our attachment

so he made up a master plan

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we’ll need the following stuff:

a couple packs of big nails
a couple of pieces of wood
1 new tree plus the tree that’s already there
2 microphones with tubes attached to the end
1 zip line
1 cubby tree house
1 new house and 1 house that’s already here
2 cans of green paint and 1 can of yellow paint (our favorite colors)

1 tube of silicone stuff
2 key rings (keep in the secret key hole)
2 glass squirrel doors for the holes so they don’t steal the keys
1 saw to cut the wood
1 box of bandaids
1 extra first aid kit
2 bags each of nuts and worms and seeds to feed the tree animals
a couple of packs of kit-kats and carmello bars and cadbury chocolates for us

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this is the secret hole where we’ll leave our keys

and always have open access to our houses and hearts.

“it’s better to die laughing than to live each moment in fear.” ― michael crichton

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after glancing over his shoulder

baby j is not sure

if he should

laugh, cry, scream or run.