Tag Archives: observation

Jul16

when you can’t find your hundred or so cars.

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rolling sculpture car show 
walked downtown to have lunch with my daughter and granddaughter
noticing a few cool cars
were slowly coming into town and parking on main street
interesting to see the mix
some new, some old, some not sure what they were
we guessed that more cars would arrive later for the show
imagine my surprise as i walked a different route home
just one street over
to see cars lined up as far as  the eye could see on both sides
ah, there they are
right behind us
 nothing gets by me
just another reason
why i chose to be a teacher
rather than a professional witness, detective, or spy.
—
‘i know a lot about cars, man. i can look at any car’s headlights and tell you exactly which way it’s coming.’
-mitch hedberg

Mar5

the passing parade.

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the diag at center of the university of michgan campus

on a beautiful day

 a good people watching place to be.

—

“i’m still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to.

for me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent.”

-garry trudeau

 

-Garry is an american satirist whose comic strip, doonesbury,

reflected social and political life in the united states during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Sep8

seeing magic.

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and, the magic has begun.

the kinder find an extended family of roly-poly’s in the trunk of a tree

everyone runs over to see them. 

 

 

 

—

“children can see magic because they look for it.”

-christopher moore

Oct10

hawk.

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today at school

we looked up

way up

on top

of the carved art pole

covered in languages

all saying one thing

‘peace’

   a hopeful sign

 the kinder

could not stop watching

this beautiful bird

as it flew up to the tree

and off into the sky. 

—

we may be losing the ability

to understand animals who are not pets or horses.

we have less contact with them.

we don’t (most of us) tend to know even cows or pigs,

let alone bears or wolverines or red tailed hawks. 

*-marge piercy

*Marge Piercy (1936) is an American poet, novelist, and social activist. Her work includes Woman on the Edge of Time; He, She and It, which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Gone to Soldiers, a New York Times Best Seller, a sweeping historical novel set during World War II. Piercy’s work is rooted in her Jewish heritage, social and political activism, and her feminist ideals. She influenced the Women’s Movement through both her writing and her unconventional life.

Nov29

gator.

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“i see an alligator down there.”

and who would doubt that on a freezing day in michigan

on the cusp of winter, with a hint of autumn still remaining

and you are wearing your unicorn hat and sparkly skirt?

not me. 

—

Oct18

time sings.

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kinders watch closely as the sand slips away.

—

‘the sand in the hourglass runs from one compartment to the other,

marking the passage of moments with something constant and tangible.

if you watch the flowing sand,

you might see time itself riding the granules.

contrary to popular opinion,

time is not an old white-haired man,

but a laughing child.

and time sings.’      

-vera nazarian

Dec31

observer.

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duck

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—

credits: terry gross – fresh air/npr radio, google images

 

 

Mar12

it seems the older you get, the more life comes into focus. – john c. maxwell

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(not me, but we share a similar hair color, glasses and attitude)

—

asked to be

in

a focus group

for the company

i bought

my car from

and

had to complete

a series

of  ‘tasks’

in two cars

using

two

new

prototype

technology/navigation

systems

uh-oh

my two

greatest challenges

1. technology

2. navigation

the whole operation

was run

 by two

very serious

engineer/researcher/designer types

armed with

laptops

data

video cameras

poker faces

said they wouldn’t

judge me

but i had to

complete the tasks

asked of me

all on my own

without

any of

their help

very challenging

until

finally

one snapped

and

pushed a button

to get me out of

what i couldn’t

get out of

the other

actually

laughed

out loud

in response to

one of my moves

and

i loved

that they

broke character

and

they loved

that i was

the perfect subject

to test the limits

of their systems

someone who

had no clue

in this area

but could fumble

her way through

without

doing

too much damage

and

trying everything

to solve

the problems

while laughing

all the way

whichever way that was

and

then i got lost

using my own

navigation system

while trying

to get home.

—

clarity affords focus.

– thomas leonard

Mar1

if you ice it, they will skate.

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 ‘Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, I’m going to snow.

If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes,that’s tough. I am going to snow anyway.’ – Maya Angelou

Image

 

how some of us are getting around this week in ann arbor

 Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance. – Yoko Ono

—–

image credit: susannah b.

Feb17

waiting patiently with good company

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i ran into this cheerful couple while waiting my turn in an insurance office. they seemed well-matched and quite happy. i think i overheard one of them say to the other: ‘You got a past, I do too. We’re perfect for each other.’ 

 Image

We have lasted this long close together, so we must have something going for each other.

 Linda McCartney to Paul