my name is up in lights
and alas, it tis’nt me
borders no longer
and
dog’s not my partner
but oh, what fun to see
such a name upon
the marquis.
—
i’ll never be mistaken for pat boone.
sal mineo
Jul10
Tag Archives: life
Jul9
appreciation
Jul8
i owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. – g. k. chesterton
on a walk
by the detroit river
one cousin
two years older
and wiser
offers the other
a show of support
and perhaps
a small bit of advice.
—
Whatever advice you give, be short.
Horace
Jul7
a well-spent day brings happy sleep. leonardo da vinci
and at last
the family
is all tucked in
and
tuckered out
from another day
spent together
and it is good.
Jul2
love is when you meet someone who tells you something new about yourself. – andre breton
all of the
grand babies
cousins
from
near
and
so far
meet in one box.
all on one continent together
for the very first time.
and it is a summit meeting
of the highest order
where they
talk about
important things
like
should we go climb in something else?
do you have squirrels or kangaroos where you live?
can you read?
how old will you be when it’s your birthday?
can you ride a bike?
does anyone know where my sippy cup is?
and
in an instant
they know
they are
all
one family.
I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars. E. M. Forster
Jun30
if i could be doing anything, i’d be laying on the floor in my birthday suit eating junk food and watching something dumb on tv. – anita baker
waking up on their first morning here,
the aussie joeys begin their day,
amidst
junk food,
stuffed animals,
blankets
and
cartoons.
and
in the cottage
of their grandmother,
peaches
who loves them.
—
life would be perfect if:
Mondays were fun, junk food was healthy, drama didn’t exist,
and goodbyes were only until tomorrow.
– author unknown
Jun29
the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. – e.e. cummings
children and the young at heart
are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty
in honor of International Mud Day.
a man is getting old when he walks around a puddle instead of through it. ~R.C. Ferguson
—
image credits: letthechildrenplay.com, firefliesandmudpuppies,g2goutside.org
Jun28
naked? with gravy? with ketchup?
the more time i spend in the “always interesting” world of online dating, the more i’m amazed by the many options and specialized sites that appear. npr recently featured the latest in michigan dating sites: yooper. singles.com.
for those of you not familiar with the state of michigan, it’s made up of two peninsulas. the lower peninsula, and the more remote and rustic, upper peninsula. the upper peninsula (u.p.), is where the ‘yoopers’ live. originally settled by the native americans, and later the cornish and finns who came to work in the mining and logging industry, they have their own dialect, and have tried off and on to become their own state. much to their dismay, they are still a part of our state as of this posting.
one of the food mainstays for these hardy working people were pocket sandwiches/pies known as pasties. filled with root veggies, and with or without meat or fish, a pasty is considered an art form in the u.p., with recipes passed on through generations.
and just like people from every culture all over the world, yoopers are on the universal quest for love. thus, their site was born, and just like every other dating site, it has its own slant, target demographic, and set of parameters. to register you’re required to answer a series of questions only a yooper would love:
a) how do you prefer your pasty served?
naked, with ketchup, with gravy
b) favorite color?
carharrt tan, real tree camo, duct tape grey
c) interests?
wearing plaid, bear wrestling, outdoor snow activities, chopping wood, home brewing
d) favorite great lake?
and then there’s the pitch:
At Yooper Singles we will match you with a quality Yooper. Each of our members is looking for a long lasting connection, that’s deeper than Lake Superior. Every year, dozens of single Yoopers seek love in the vast forests of the Upper Peninsula and along the beaches of the Great Lakes. Yooper Steez pioneered the dating industry in the Upper Peninsula by launching Yooper Singles and within days, YS has served as many as eighteen Yoopers, across all fifteen Upper Peninsula counties. We continue to redefine the way single Yoopers meet, flirt, date and share pasties, proving time and again that you can make love happen in the Upper Peninsula and that lasting relationships are possible. Our members aren’t only serious about finding flannel, saunas, and pasties, they also seek love. Yooper Singles puts you in control of your love life; meeting that special Yooper and forming a lasting relationship, where you can live happily ever after … in a log cabin. Whether you’re interested in Lumberjack Dating, Fisherman Dating, Finnish Dating, Native American Dating, or just finding someone to share your venison with, we can help you find the date or relationship that fits you best. Search free through all of our online personals. Literally, dozens of single Yoopers in your area have posted their dating profiles on Yooper Singles. Young and old alike, bearded and not, from everywhere around the world, there is a Yooper waiting for you. Find your Yooper today!
and the reviews:
I have finally found my lifetime sauna partner — Toivo
Thanks, for helping me find my lumberjack— Jane
love, eh?
maybe i’ve been looking on the wrong peninsula?
i do really love the great lakes and pasties and accents.
still not sure about the bear wrestling though.
Right now, I’m as single as a slice of American cheese.
Nick Cannon
credits: npr/stateside, yooper.singles.com, michigan pasties
Jun26
good news! i have a plan for my senior years – red wine. and lots of it. thank you science.
Red wine compound improves memory
The antioxidant resveratrol, most often associated with red wine, improves memory and brain function in elderly people, though it is also found in peanuts, chocolate, and other fruits in addition to grapes. It has been linked to better heart health, anti-aging effects and even (in limited laboratory studies) cancer-fighting properties. A study published this month in the Journal of Neuroscience has released the first evidence that resveratrol improves memory and brain function in elderly people.
The improvement in memory occurred in parallel with an improvement in glucose metabolism—the way the body breaks down sugar. Researchers compared 46 people between 50 and 75 years old, who were given either a resveratrol supplement or a placebo pill for 26 weeks. Before and after the 26-week intervention, they tested the participants’ memory (by measuring their recollection of words they had been told 30 minutes earlier) and used brain imaging to measure the size and connectivity of a brain area called the hippocampus, which is critical for our ability to form memories. They also did blood tests to measure participants’ metabolism and markers of inflammation. The participants who took resveratrol lost body fat, showed an improvement in glucose control (poor glucose control is linked to type 2 diabetes), and scored better on the memory test compared to participants who were given a placebo.
Brain imaging also revealed that the connectivity between memory centers in their brains (hippocampus and frontal cortex) had increased. This trial is small and preliminary, but its results are promising—resveratrol might represent a new strategy to prevent brain aging.
The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.
~Doug Larson
—
credits: emilie croisier, intelligent optimist magazine
(Source: Journal of Neuroscience June 2014, doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0385-14.2014, Pubmed)
http://theoptimist.com/red-wine-compound-improves-memory/#!30z39
Jun25
a two-year old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it. – jerry seinfeld
happy birthday sweet baby girl
you are the last
of the grandbabies
six under six
to turn two
little r.
and your beloved dog, baron
and the rest of our family
will always watch over you
and look up to you
even if you are the youngest.
One of the virtues of being very young
is that you don’t let the facts get in the way of your imagination.
~Sam Levenson
I didn't have my glasses on.... 