– john hartford
*John Hartford was an American original. He was a musician, songwriter, steamboat pilot, author, artist, disc jockey, calligrapher, dancer, folklorist, father, and historian.
—
source credit: cast-light.com
a boy, his dog, his mom, and a bulldozer
—
“we make our lives by what we love.”
-john cage, american composer and music theorist
‘There are a finite number of times we get to do anything and after the first time it’s a count. We only get to look at the sky so many times in a life. There are a finite number of rainstorms and seasons that we’ll witness, and the number seems so big until it doesn’t. We never know when will be the last time we taste something or see someone or do anything at all. And for all the money in the world, time is not for sale no matter what the doctors say when we beg for more of it toward the end, finally seeing that we forgot to count the raindrops.’
-Cory Richards, The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within
(Random House)
—
Art credit: David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020
at the Art Institute of Chicago
Flow (Straume, in Latvian)
this film is a thing of beauty
as the story unfolds before your eyes
a cat trying to survive
along with other animals
some from
across the earth, the air, the sea
the animation is flawless
filled with details
offering clues to the story
becoming clearer over time
while some of it remains ambiguous
there is no dialogue
its mesmerizing score
colors, light, mood, magical quality
all draw you in to
this ethereal vision
the ebb and flow of life, death, renewal
choices made by the individual
and those of the collective community
accepting differences
learning from each other
caring for each other
impacting each other
there are scenes
that will break your heart
that will bring you joy
an ongoing thread of reflection shines through
reminding each
they are still here
who they are
who stands with them
the universal need
for connection and community.
this film is a poem.
—
(Make sure to watch the credits to see a final scene)
—
Flow was the first Latvian production to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. The film’s Golden Globe Award was featured at the Latvian National Museum of Art. It was also the first independent film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
The film’s budget was around €3.5 million, which translates to roughly $3.7 million USD.
Production for this film took 5 1/2 years to complete.
No storyboards were used for the production and there are no deleted scenes.
—
‘each of us is a living system within a greater living system,
connected to each other in more ways than we can fathom. ‘
-Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson
a week filled with celebrations of all kinds
a birthday for my cousin/uncle
(we can’t figure it out exactly)
my grandfather and his father were brothers
76 is a number too big for just one cake
a breakfast get together
with my retired colleagues
at a wonderful coney island
I promise I did not order
this hot fudge cream puff
(but not to say I won’t next time)
a candle lit for a a friend’s new grand baby arriving tonight or tomorrow
(hopefully by the time you read this)
who will be the brightest, shiny-est, youngest member
of a longtime group of friends
life is full of life.
—
‘don’t save anything for a special occasion, being alive is a special occasion.’
-mary engelbreit
we were a formidable team
my two sisters
one friend
and i
an ad-hoc agency
fashioning ourselves
the finest of sleuths
solving crimes
righting wrongs
all around
our neighborhood
it was our job
our destiny
the four crows
walked the streets
the fields
the woods
went in old abandoned houses
from another time
looking for clues
to
crack puzzles
solve problems
imagined
and
created
as we
dreamed up
our cases
reading bits of discarded notes and lists
finding an empty pill bottle
asking a neighbor
where his wife was
as we hadn’t seen her recently
left a note
for a woman
who yelled at her adopted children
telling her she was too mean
we clearly
way overstepped our bounds
as detectives
sometimes
tend to do
all
in the pursuit of justice
in an attempt
to right wrongs
to restore balance
to keep peace
protect people
in a community
that didn’t know
they needed us
or that we were on the case
always looking out for them
in the most secret of ways
plainclothes
and
undercover
as a
murder of four crows
all under the age of 8
—
“the case called for plain, old-fashioned police leg work!”
― donald j. sobol, encyclopedia brown, boy detective
for the second time
i’ve had the honor of volunteering
with local law enforcement officers, firefighters, marines,
first responders, heroes of all kinds,
community members
athletes from university sports teams
all there to host children from across the area
from families who are underserved in our surrounding community
the parents receive a stocking filled with gift cards
for gas, food, things for home, other things they want or need
the children stay with us
for an afternoon/evening of fun, food, activities, a santa visit,
and holiday shopping
for loved ones,
for warm outdoor winter wear for themselves,
holiday pajamas, cuddlies,
for things on their dream wish list,
(we find some things to pass on to a parent to give them from santa for holiday gifts)
along with some other things they’ve been hoping for or need
so joyful to see
most children wanted to buy things for those they loved first
we had to steer them back to also choosing some things for themselves
these are children who struggle
yet still understand the joy found in giving to others
j, the little guy who was trusted with myself and a young sherriff’s officer
said his mom’s very favorite thing in the world was mountain dew
he chose this as the first thing to put in our cart
he also bought some toys for his two cats
but just wrote ‘to: cats’ on the tag
so they would both share them
for ‘papa-grandpa’, some chicken noodle soup
j is an only child, raised by a single parent
he’s not had an easy life
yet, he has a gentle spirit
watched the fish in the tanks for a long while
wanted to take them home and let them go
‘because they are prisoners in there’
loves nature, being outside, running,
catching minnows and letting them go,
fishing and letting them go,
and everything at recess
he played hide and seek in the store with us
laughed with no filter
seemed to love every minute where his role
was to just be a child, enjoy all the fun, he certainly deserves it all
even the giant sugar cookie he decorated
with all of the five colors of frosting on it
and every kind of sprinkle.
—-
“the greatness of a community is most accurately measured
by the compassionate actions of its members.’
-coretta scott king
—-
i was so hoping that olive and pete the cat would bond
two cats rescued at different times
both in dubious circumstances
couldn’t be more different
each with their quirks and gifts
now home together.
—
‘home is not a place, it’s a feeling.’
-cecilia ahern
many of us learn by trial and error
myself included
—
“the problem with people is that they’re only human.”
— hobbes, from “Calvin & Hobbes,” on the limitations of humanity
– bill waterson
—
image credit: gary larson, the far side
the courtship is on for pete and olive
‘the need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.’
-dean ornish
I didn't have my glasses on.... 