deep within the winter forest
among the snowdrift wide
you can find a magic place
where all the fairies hide.
-author unknown
—
nichols arboretum, ann arbor, michigan, usa – winter 2025
Jan23
Jan22
go to a library.
whenever and wherever you need a library
look closely
you may find one in the most unlikely of places
whether deep in the woods, alongside a curb,
or myriad other places
they are all around you just waiting to be discovered.
—
‘when all else fails, give up and go to a library’
-stephen king
Jan21
maze!
When the cold hits, why not just embrace it in a crazy-mazy way?
This year’s ice maze at the Minnesota Ice Festival is more than just the perfect way to freeze your buns off while getting lost — it’s officially the largest ice maze in the world, per Guinness World Records. Boasting over 18,000 square feet of twists and turns, the maze uses 3,452 blocks of ice, each weighing around 425 pounds. Watch a video of the icy labyrinth.
—
‘it’s a lot easier to complete a maze if you start at the end.’
-dale watson, american musician
—
source credits: Minnesota Ice Festival, Nice News
Jan20
“what’s going on” – on mlk day.
Gem/Redfern – Getty Images
January 20, 1971
Marvin Gaye releases hit single, “What’s Going On.”
In early 1971, on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement and in the midst of the Vietnam War, soul singer Marvin Gaye first crooned the words “Mother, mother, there’s far too many of you crying / Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying” — heartbreaking lines that would resonate with millions of listeners, then and now. The powerful protest ballad “What’s Going On” skyrocketed to No. 2 on the Billboard charts, the first tune of Gaye’s to overtly tackle political themes and a far cry from his earlier love songs. Produced by the singer himself, the track paved the way for other Motown artists to claim more agency in their careers and helped reinforce the genre’s potential to be a mouthpiece for social justice issues. Listen to the song and learn more about its making.
Jan19
‘whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.’ albert einstein
‘it is not what a lawyer tells me I may do;
but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.’
-edmund burke
Jan18
surprise me.
in the same day
an good fortune landed in my hand at lunch
with a bit of a dash
later at another restaurant
a table-available beeper was in my hand
with a warning
not the kind of adventure I was looking for
is this my bold adventure?
I thought about it.
would I boldly go on the lam with this?
what would I do with it anyway?
I think there must be something else ahead.
‘do not know yourself. i want to continue to surprise me.’
-arielle dombasle, rench actress
Jan17
holy toledo!
i absolutely love
the toledo (ohio, usa) museum of art’s
creative announcement of their good news:
Cheers to the new year—and free parking!
Parking at TMA is now completely free.
Plan your next visit today: https://toledomuseum.org/visit
Man with a Wine Glass, Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660). c. 1630. Oil on canvas.
Lotus Lamp (shade), Tiffany Studios (American, 1902-1932). about 1905. Glass, and bronze.
—
‘creativity is contagious. pass it on.’
-albert einstein
Jan16
bagels.
‘i’ve said this before, and i’ll say it again.
bagels can be an enormous power for good or evil.
it is up to us to decide how we will use them.’
-daniel pinkwater
—
in honor of national bagel day
which i somehow missed yesterday
but am happy to celebrate today
—
art credit: bagel sunflowers by laurel greenfield art
—
fun fact: the first printed mention of bagels is found
in the community regulations of kracow, poland, for the year 1610
stating that bagels would be given as a gift to any woman in childbirth.
-leo rosten
Jan15
‘bring your peace to the table.’ – n. hoffman
i finally tiptoed my way back into doing jigsaw puzzles at home
with a planned delay after having pete the cat come to live with me
he’s a rowdy teenaged cat who loves to jump and play
i started out by trying a 100 piece puzzle sent by my friend
i could work quickly and cover it if needed
that went pretty well
he jumped up on the table
laid down on it and grabbed a piece but put it back when i ‘suggested it’
this was the gateway opening wide for me
i knew a 1,000 piece puzzle
would take up too much space and time
so i went for a 500 piece
quietly got it out
sorted, made the frame
he jumped up to check it out
suddenly i had an idea
he loves to play, especially laser chase games
i love to solve puzzles, especially jigsaw and crosswords
so i armed myself with a laser pointer in my left hand
while i worked on the puzzle with my right hand
each time he jumped up
i aimed that pointer across the room and he took off running
i had a couple of minutes to work on the puzzle again
then he would jump back up and we did this all over again
i assumed he’d tire after 5 or 6 jumps
but no
pete the cat had energy to burn
we must have repeated this close to 20 times
finally i finished by puzzle
he went to take a nap
a win for both of us
while my team may have come in very last
in our recent jigsaw puzzle competition
i have taken it to a new challenge level
two-fisted gaming
‘jig-laser-tag-puzzling.’
—
“let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel.”
—j. jackson brown, jr.
.
Jan14
reading on the fly.
what an utterly brilliant idea
—
‘adventure is worthwhile, starting right from the airport.’
– insta quote
I didn't have my glasses on.... 