kinders weave all the threads together.
—
“we don’t accomplish anything alone
and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life
and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another
that creates something.”
-sandra day o’connor
“One day you finally knew what you had to do,
and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice —
though the whole house began to tremble
and you felt the old tug at your ankles.
“Mend my life!” each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do, though the wind
pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations
though their melancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left your voice behind,
the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds
and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own,
that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,
determined to do the only thing you could do —
determined to save the only life that you could save.”
—
credits: papercut by annie howe papercuts, poetry by Mary Oliver – ‘Journey.’
it began with the arrival of a letter when i was seven years old
with stamp on it that looked different from any i had ever seen
so beautiful and very exotic
and it came from my nana
who lived far away from michigan, in the exotic land of florida.
i thought that it was beautiful
and i decided then and there to become a stamp collector.
i cut that stamp from the envelope and glued it into a notebook.
not long after
i saw an offer to join a monthly stamp collecting club
in my archie comic book
and i noticed, as i went to send in the offer
that a parent had to sign it
so i asked my dad to give me his autograph on a piece of scrap paper
cut it out and glued it onto the form
(an early foray into my ill-fated attempts at a criminal career)
added in 99 cents from my piggy bank
and i was off to the races.
i eagerly awaited the day my first stamps would arrive
i had chosen some beauties and i ran home every day
hoping to find them in the mail
and on one glorious day – they were waiting for me!
i tore open the envelope
excitedly looked through them
licked them and placed them in my book
already looking forward to the next month’s arrival.
no one in my family was a collector
so i was taken by surprise when i showed them off to my friend’s older sister
who told me that real collectors only put them in cases
never touch them, and would never, ever lick them
– or they would instantly be made worthless!
i was quite taken aback
as it had never occurred to me that
this would be the reason people collected them
i had thought of them more as a collection of tiny beautiful pictures,
pieces of art, from places far away –
new guinea, finland, new zealand and even the legendary land of canada
i had chosen flowers, and children, and animals, and pretty designs
with no interest at all in old president’s heads, history, nor with any regard for value.
my version of ‘stamp collecting’ was simply collecting my favorites
and keeping them all in one place, in my special notebook.
i have always loved a mix of patterns and colors and collages of things.
the other thing i had not considered at all
was that i had no income
and would have to continue to pay in order to continue to receive stamps
the next month, when my new set arrived
i gathered more change together, put it in an envelope,
and of course it was never received.
they sent a new batch of stamps along with a due bill and i was panicked
still without any source of income
always waiting for them to show up at the door to tell my parents and to collect.
by the third month,
i simply collected envelopes that came from them
affixed with boring american stamps,
filled with letters, asking me to pay up
and my stamp collecting hobby fell by the wayside.
though i still have a great appreciation for beautiful stamps
and love licking them to put on handwritten letters that i send to places all over the world.
—
“synonyms for collectable postage stamps: “sticky treasures,”
“collection of paper heads,” “pretty bits of paper,” and “colorful scraps.”
-alan brandley – The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
curbside museum
a small and quirky museum hidden is inside a fence
in canmore, alberta, canada
curbside museum is an unassuming curiosity in the mountain town of canmore, canada. the tiny museum is always packed with intricate little exhibits that rotate every so often. each exhibit is incredibly detailed, their contents all stuffing the glass showcase to the brim with a delightfully unexpected assortment of items.
this tiny museum is hidden within a hole in a fence that lines a busy street. the gilded frame is the only hint that this particular stretch of fence holds more than first meets the eye. you could easily walk right past it if you weren’t paying attention.
you’ll find subjects ranging from common scenes to those that transcend into the realm of fantasy. some of the showcases take on a more serious, factual tone, though many exhibits do indeed have an element of whimsy and charm.
the museum is a fun addition to the town and adds a moment of joy for any pedestrians who stop and take a peek. it’s a reward for eagled-eyed passersby who take the time to notice their surroundings. the museum is free and is open day and night.
“a museum should not just be a place for fancy paintings
but should be a place where we can
communicate our lives through our everyday objects.”
-orhan pamuk
—
credits: curbside museum, atlas obscura.com, city of canmore, alberta
kinders experience the world hands-on.
—
“the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
-anne frank
“write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
-ralph waldo emerson
happy valentine’s day
—
-‘dried reeds’ created by roadsworth, montreal, canada
“february, a form pale-vestured, wildly fair,
one of the north wind’s daughters, with icicles in her hair.
~Edgar Fawcett, “The Masque of Months,” -1878
—
image credits: teodora paintings , magic onions
(yet another underpaid re-enactor)
when at the salon recently
my stylist was combing out my hair and asked:
“why do you have glitter in your hair?”
now, there are many possible scenarios
some more accepted than others
but i suppose in my case
it most likely has to do with
my being
a kindy teacher
a creator of mixed-media collage art
and
a fan of glitter
and i see
that a pattern
has begun to emerge
when family and friends and colleagues
and even my cat
quite often have glitter on them
after spending time with me
and my grandson mentions
that he always finds glitter stuck to him
after we’ve been hanging out together
and people sometimes
brush glitter off of their legs
after getting out of my car
but
some people leave footprints
and
some people leave glitter
and that’s how you know
they’ve been there.
—
“when you’re around me, you’re going to get glitter on you.”
-kesha
—
photo credits: fx hair studio, all things hair
The Grocery List Sketched by Michelangelo
You can’t sculpt like Michelangelo, but you can eat like him.
In March 1518, Michelangelo feasted on fish and bread.
ACCORDING TO MICHELANGELO’S SHOPPING LIST, genius thrives on a diet of fish, bread, and lots of wine.
Owned by the Casa Buonarroti museum in Florence, Italy, this 500-year-old list was written and illustrated by the sculptor/painter/poet/personality on the back of a letter. Michelangelo’s servant was likely illiterate, so Michelangelo sketched out what he wanted to eat.
And Michelangelo wanted a feast, spread out over three meals. He depicted bread rolls as quickly-drawn circles, and for one meal, Michelangelo wanted two rolls. For another, he wanted six. On the page, an elegant herring floats in the air, while bowls overflow with salad and anchovies. Two dishes of stewed fennel are sketched side by side, and when asking for a smaller amount of dry wine, Michelangelo carefully drew a small wine jug next to a larger one. Sadly, he did not draw two plates of tortelli—he only asked for the ravioli-like pasta pouches in writing.
The menu consists mostly of vegetables, fish, wine, and bread. This might seem particularly healthy, but the letter on the other side of the list is dated March 18, 1518, around the time of Lent. Since eating meat was frowned upon, Michelangelo ate the requisite vegetables. However, Gillian Riley writes in The Oxford Guide to Italian Food that this was definitely an upscale menu. Despite his frugal reputation, the artist was probably used to dining with nobility.
By 1518, Michelangelo had already finished many of his most famous works, including the Pietà, the David, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But among all his work, this rough list is perhaps the most down-to-earth glimpse of the artist himself. It’s interesting to imagine the famously mercurial Michelangelo taking the time to illustrate for his servant what he wanted for dinner.
The survival of this list is remarkable, too. Only around 600 of Michelangelo’s sketches still exist. 1518 marked the year that Michelangelo burned many of his early drawings, and 46 years later, he ordered many of his papers to be torched in anticipation of his death. Maybe he wanted to preserve the aura of divine genius that surrounded his art. A list showing his sketched takeout order might not have given the right impression.
—
“all writing is an act of self-exploration.
even a grocery list says something about you;
how much more does a novel say?”
-steven saylor
—
credits: atlas obscura/gastro obscura, anne ewebank,Casa Buonarroti- Florence, Italy
I didn't have my glasses on.... 