Tag Archives: life

Dec30

the four crows.

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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

Dec4

shop with a cop II – holiday edition.

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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

 

Dec2

Love is love.

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these two.

—-

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

Nov29

only human.

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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

Oct25

connection.

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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

Oct20

milkweed.

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“the milkweed pods are breaking,

and the bits of silken down

float off upon the autumn breeze

across the meadows brown.”

– cecil cavendish .

Oct14

action on behalf of life transforms.

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 Group portrait of Potawatomi Indians, including men, women, and children, gathered for a special occasion

at Rush Lake Mission near Watervliet, Michigan, on Sept. 4, 1906.

Library of Congress image attributed to T.R. Hamilton

—

‘action on behalf of life transforms.

because the relationship between self and world is reciprocal…

as we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.’

-robin wall kimmerer

robin is a mother, plant ecologist, decorated professor, author, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In her books, she blends scientific understanding with the traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous Peoples. The above quote is from her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, and I had the great honor to hear her speak last year.

—

on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

 

—

u.s. presidential proclamation:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/10/08/a-proclamation-indigenous-peoples-day-2021/

Sep30

golden carpet.

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my favorite tree, the ginkgo. especially beautiful in autumn

—

Mikiko Noji (Japan, b.1978-)

At the Bottom of the Tree, 2023

ink and color on paper

—

“and all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves…”

-virginia woolf, to the lighthouse

 

Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, and also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. It is found in fossils dating back 270-million years. Native to China, the ginkgo tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history. Ginkgo trees have beautiful green leaves that turn a luminous gold-yellow in fall. And on one day, after the hard frost, the ginkgo drops its leaves to the ground leaving a gorgeous carpet of color below.

Sep19

‘when a match has equal partners then i fear not.’ – aeschylus

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it’s a match!!

i’ve recently been getting

‘match alerts’

with increasing frequency.

in response to my online quests.

there’s a parallel

between three very different things

i’m engaged in simultaneously:

finding a new car for my parking space

finding a new companion for olive the cat

finding a new companion for me.

interesting that the process is somewhat the same:

select the features i am most interested in

state what i am looking for

describe myself, my cat, my driving style

reach out to some that seem interesting

 seem to be a potential good fit

watch to see what matches come back.

in all three areas i’m looking for:

a bit of life experience,

maybe a few rough spots, but made it through,

with somewhat low miles,

a few dings here and there,

but not in need of imminent major repairs.

easy going, intuitive, playful, bright, makes life better

some things the same, some different

to keep it interesting.

hopefully by the end of all this

i’ll be sitting on the couch with someone

the cats sitting in the window

the car parked

sitting at a bit of an angle in my straight-lined parking spot.

i’m open to the possibilities.

—

our similarities bring us to a common ground; 

our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.

-tom robbins

—

image credit: etsy.com

Sep16

tempting, but….

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darn it!
i was going to park here until i saw this sign.
it looked like the perfect space.
—
‘the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.’
-will rogers