Learning

All children have preparedness, potential, curiosity and interest in constructing their learning, in engaging in social interaction and in negotiating with everything the environment brings to them.

~ Lella Gandini

- - - - -

I like to see when children learn things. I like to see how they connect action and words and how they learn they have some control over their environments. But not too much control. Back of kid, you're just a child. You're not the boss of me.

Actually, probably not true. Kids are kind of the bosses of us. Well, not me. But they are the bosses of you.

Autumn

Now autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.

~ William Allingham

- - - - -

I love autumn.

Is it interesting that at the end is when leaves show their true colors?

No. 

But they sure are pretty.

Gourds

When a gourd is hollowed out it becomes empty and is of great use to world because of its emptiness.

~ Dorothy Gilman

- - - - -

I hadn't thought about the value of emptiness until I read this quote. Why is empty considered negative? Or is it just me who has that negative connotation about emptiness? Could be. Sometimes it's just me a lot of the times.

But emptiness has room to accept, right? It has space to be flexible. It can be receptive. 

When one is full there isn't space for those things. Full is closed. Full is refusal. Full is complete.

I prefer to be incomplete. And I prefer to be a work in progress. I prefer to have room to receive new ways of thinking and seeing and being.

And present. I prefer to have room to get more presents. 

Gate

Trust in dreams for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

~ Khalil Gibran

- - - - -

A closed gate - even a locked gate - without a fence is nothing more than a slight inconvenience. You can walk around a locked gate. 

Maybe ultimately nothing is more than a locked gate. There are ways through-around-over. Always. All ways. 

Now, might there be a rabid dog behind that gate? Yes. There might be.

Of course there also might be a rabid raccoon behind you. So there's that.

Also, you should move away from here. There's too much rabies here.

Grow

If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you've made, if they don't realize that you are not your mistakes, they have to go.

~ Steve Maraboli

- - - - -

I don't think it should be that surprising that some people have narrow minds. There's a reason for that, right? Don't the narrow things fit more easily in cupboards and suitcases? Aren't they lighter? Aren't they simpler? 

Who would want to be encumbered with an open, growing, changing, evolving, new mind? That's a lot of work. 

Of course, one might argue that most great things are the result of a lot of hard work.

Or one might not argue at all. One might just know.

Maddie

Photography is the story I fail to put into words.

~ Destin Sparks

- - - - -

Maddie sent me that photo. I have it in my office. It was from her adventures.

Maddie and I used to not get along so well. We do now. Is it because she is growing up?

Nope. I think it's because I am growing up.

Happy birthday, Maddie.

Thinking

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

~ Plutarch

- - - - -

I think that good thinkers don't keep their thoughts to themselves. Instead, they give and share their thoughts with others. Then others have thoughts to think about. By thinking and sharing you give others things to think about.

That said, there are exceptions. Some people won't think no matter what you give them. They have already stopped thinking. They just speak.

I prefer quiet thinkers and sharers. 

The louder speaker people get more attention. But that's about all they get. 

Wait. Not true.

They also get annoying.

Stories

You get old and you realize there are no answers, just stories.

~ Garrison Keillor

- - - - -

I would have done a lot better in school if people had given me a quiz to tell stories instead of a quiz to give answers. Also, if I had done the reading I would have done better. And if I wasn't such a know-it-all. And if -- well, I actually did fine in school.

It just would have been more fun if I had gotten to tell more stories instead of having to listen to more answers. Guess what teachers? I got older and found out a lot of the answers you gave me were either wrong or only part of the stories I didn't get told.

Except in Professor Mack's classes. Because I'm still a little scared of her. 

Beach

Don't grow up too quickly lest you forget how much you love the beach.

~ Michelle Held

- - - - -

How could one ever forget how much she loves the beach? 

(pause)

By getting busy. 

Which is kind of the same as getting old. 

Little kids are doing things, but not busy. They don't complain about being busy. They just have lots to do and excitedly pursue those things. Organizing stuffed animals for school or banging on pots and pans or seeing how high they can climb.

Maybe the difference is in the compulsion to DO. Are we DOING for our own enjoyment and fulfillment or are we DOING because doing is what doers do?

I would say be careful about the now-now and the gotta-gotta and the do-do, but that could be misinterpreted.

Of course the truth is one ought to be careful to avoid do-do and doo-doo. They are both pretty crappy things.

Roof

The roof might fall in; anything could happen.

Dashiell Hammett

- - - - -

Part of the fun of life is the unpredictability of it. Right? I mean, if we knew what was going to happen - what's the fun in that? That's like opening all of your Christmas presents before Christmas. That's not fun. And then you have to pretend that you are surprised by everything. That's not fun.

Allegedly.

Matching

Matching shoes and bags immediately age you by ten years.

~ Ines de la Fressange

- - - - -

"Dammit," Giselle thought. "She's wearing the same socks I have on."

Giselle wasn't one to catch all the details.

Also, apparently 11 year olds who want to get into bars just need matching shoes and handbags. Thanks for corrupting the youth Ines de la Fressange

Scared

It's as much fun to scare as to be scared.
~ Vincent Price
- - - - -

Do you think this witch is a mannequin? Frozen and staring and creepy? Nope, she is alive. And real. And so is the woman on the left in the costume.

BWAAA HA HA HA HA.

Yes, kids you can use that joke on trick or treating night. The thing is, it won't make any sense without the photo and you really don't need to be carrying the photo as a prop on trick or treat night. You need to be carrying your candy bag and a flashlight. Also, look both ways before your cross the street. And leave the rotten eggs at home.

Dang. Kids can be jerks.

Live

To defend what you have written is a sign that you are alive.

~ William Zinsser

- - - - -

I would love to believe that this was written by someone who is dyslexic and hates someone named "Stel."

Mail

I get mail; therefore I am.

~ Scott Adams

- - - - -

Someone is sending me a LOT of Nicolas Cage pillow covers. A lot. And one Nicolas Cage activity book. This is disturbing to some of those around me. I am strangely immune to it. I am just one of those people people send random things to. It's part of my lived experience. So far no one has sent me anything that was too disturbing. Unless you considered parts of Barbie dolls disturbing. But if you do, that's on you.

Today I was thinking about all the items I've gotten. I don't have a particular affinity of Nicolas Cage. I don't have a particular dislike of him. He did bump into me once in a souvenir store in Las Vegas, but I think he was leaving. 

(pause)

Get it?

Anyway, this morning I thought, "I wonder if he is getting a bunch of pillowcases with pictures of me on them?"

(pause)

Probably not, but if he is I bet HE is weirded out by that.

Sugar

The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than any other under the sun.

~ John D. Rockefeller

- - - - -

A few weeks ago Leslie and I were at a park. I swear that I heard someone calling to one of the little girls there. I swear that the name they called to the little girl was "Splenda."

I guess I know what that little girl was made of.

Unicorns

There is no such thing as a great man or a great woman. People believe in them just as they used to believe in unicorns and dragons. The greatest man or woman is 99% just like yourself.

~ George Bernard Shaw

- - - - -

What would a horn of plenty of unicorns look like? And how many unicorns would be in it? I'm guessing only one or two. Unicorns look all nice and sparkly and rainbowy from a distance, but I bet they're a handful. 

Hey. Also this:

Why don't they call unicorns "hornses" instead?

Why? I'll tell you why, because unicorns are high maintenance and too fancy to just be called hornses, that's why.

Rhymes

The pig, if I am not mistaken,

Gives us ham and pork and bacon.

Let others think his heart is big.

I think it stupid of the pig.

~ Ogden Nash

- - - - -

What do you use to cover a hogback? Easy. A blanket. Pigs in a blanket. Or maybe a cloak? Pork in a cloak? 

Pork and cloak don't rhyme but they almost sorta do. That's called a slant rhyme. It's also called a "those words don't rhyme."

Graffiti

Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.

~ Bansky

- - - - -

I like this quote. I like this picture.

(pause)

Just for the record, graffiti can make you smile even when you're not urinating.

Roads

Walk on your own yellow brick road. If you can't find one, spray paint your way into happiness. If that doesn't work, buy yellow shoes.

~ Sadique Hamdan

- - - - -

I think that sometimes if you friend suggests you follow complete strangers down a yellow brick path with floaties zip tied together to make a rainbow, you should do just that.

NOTE: This does not apply to children. You need to stay away from strangers. 

NOTE: It probably should also not apply to adults if you really think about it.

Comfort

Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.

~ Hippocrates

- - - - -

Dogs are comforting. My friend Wayne got to meet the official comfort dog on his campus. But here's the thing... Wayne kind of weirded out the comfort dog. Wayne is one of the kindest, friendliest people I know. He could get a job as "comfort guy" on a campus. Well, except "comfort guy" is a somewhat creepy job title.

Falls

Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral.

~ John Burroughs

- - - - -

But you can get a morel out of the woods.  How about that, John Burroughs?!  Whatcha got to say now, sir?!  I realize a morel and a moral are not the same and wood and stone aren't the same.  My point is that you can get some stuff out of nature.  

I won't be waiting on an actual response since you died in 1921.

Leisure

Leisure only means a chance to do other jobs that demand attention.

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

- - - - -

I really do believe that it is important to take time to relax. I think we can't do our work or our lives well if we don't step back and relax. There are lots of ways you might choose to relax. You might read. You might write. You might sit and look at the ocean. You might go for a walk to be with nature. I'm not the boss of you.

Some people relax by doing -- doing something like gardening or knitting. Or crossword puzzles.

Some people relax by doing other things that might purge their systems -- doing things like running or swimming, or cussword puzzles. 

I actually don't know if cussword puzzles are a thing, but they should be. Lots of people would find them helpful for leisure, I think. I mean, I elfin' think.

And I think it's funny that spellcheck corrects effin' to elfin'.  I've never really elfin thought anything. Well, that's not exactly true. I do have some questions about those Keebler elves.

Wait.  What was I talking about?

Treasure

It really takes growing up to treasure the specialness of being different.

~ Justice Sonia Sotomayor

- - - - -

One time when I was a kid, I got in trouble for playing in the barn at my grandpa and grandma's house. Allegedly it was because if I had fallen through the floor of the corncrib in that barn where I was playing, I would have landed on the concrete floor several feet below and been hurt. 

I think I got in trouble because there was treasure in the barn they didn't want me to find.

(pause)

Man, I wish I had that treasure.

(pause)

Of course, maybe the real treasure is the memory of that day.

(pause)

Who am I kidding?

Natural

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever direction they like.

~ Lao Tzu

- - - - -

Nothing in nature is unnatural. I think we should remind ourselves of that sometimes. We are in nature. We are. We need to remind ourselves of the naturalness of nature. Not all the time, though. Some of the things you do are unnatural. Knock that stuff off. it freaks out the rest of us.

Glasses

Words, like glasses, obscure everything which they do not make clear.

~ Joseph Joubert

- - - - -

I think it is evident that Aurora and Leslie are related. It's not so much that they both sometimes wear glasses. Rather, it's that they both sometimes make spectacles of themselves.

Spam

I don't eat vegetables. I only eat food like cheeseburgers, Spam, hot dogs, and pizza.

~ Art Donovan

- - - - -

Leslie's mom is an interesting person. She leaves notes and has ideas and knows lots and lots of people. She is friendly and nice but she doesn't like Spam. I found this out by talking about Spam with her. She said it was gross. Well, I doubt she said, "gross." She probably said disgusting. Or repulsive. Or maybe she just said, "I don't care for Spam."

Anyway, we now have a Spam connection of some kind. 

Leslie: (texting)  "Granny: This is something you and Michelle and I should do together!"  Can you guess what it is?

Me: Croquet?  Refinish the bathroom?  Learn to juggle fire?

LL: Go to SPAMALOT.

So we did.

But not because she's the boss of us or anything. Because she isn't. 

(pause)

Well, she's sorta the boss of Leslie.

Nest

Anger is as a stone cast into a wasp's nest.

~ Pope Paul VI

- - - - -

I think that they call a wasp's home a nest so it isn't as threatening. If they called it a "Wasp's Stinger Swarm Encampment Center" that's a little scarier, isn't it? 

(pause)

Why do we want to make people less scared of wasps to begin with? I think fear of them is okay. Just like fear of clowns. 

You know what would be super-scary? Wasp clowns. 

(pause)

If you need anything, give me a call. I won't be sleeping again.

Knot

We all have an old knot in the heart we wish to untie.

~ Michael Ondaatje

- - - - -

I saw this sign in SC and took a photo.  I never really watched the show Knots Landing when it was on between 1979 and 1993, but I thought it was funny to see a place called this now.

Then I wondered, what if they had a Knotts landing named after Don Knotts.  I bet that would be a wacky place to live.  But I wouldn't have 100% confidence in the law enforcement there.

Steer

The lessons of the past should steer us towards ensuring lasting legacies for generations yet to be born.

~ Hun Sen

- - - - -

There is a restaurant near my mom's house called The Big Steer. I believe it is called that because they serve steaks and it has a big steer out front. I don't believe it is called that because of anything related to driving.

A movie called The Big Steer could be about a person driving down the road and they see a big steer in the road and steer their car and end up taking road they hadn't intended to take. And then they learn important life lessons or meet important teachers they wouldn't have otherwise encountered. And then, at the end of the movie, they turn to their grandchildren (because by now they are very old and recounting the story to their grandchildren) and say, "That big steer changed my life - and that's no bull."

And everyone would laugh and hug and then the old protagonist would peacefully pass away. The person would be happy to have left their grandchildren with such a nice memory and important laugh lesson.

Only the grandchildren would be scarred because they would be hugging a dead person.

Kids these days. You can't teach them anything.

Bubbles

We live in a strange bubble.

~ Brian Molko

- - - - -

When Aurora was playing with the bubbles with Leslie, she accidentally got a little bit in her mouth. She didn't like that. Then I offered her some of the bubbles from my root beer float and she didn'tt want those. 

Kids make no sense. It's ROOT BEER, Aurora!

Sheesh.  

Silos

Why is it a good thing to break silos? All that happens when you break a silo is that the grain spills out. Or the missile falls over.

~ Frankie Bow

- - - - -

A lot of people talk about working in silos like it's a bad thing. You know who doesn't do that? Farmers. Is it because they keep their grain in silos? Yes. And because they want you to stay out of their business.

There should be a movie about that. A musical. And one of the songs I will write for it is, "There's No Business Like Agribusiness." Another song I will write for it is, "It's Been a Croppy Day." And the featured song I will write for it is called, "Hay, Good Looking'!"

I fully expect to be sued for copyright infringement on that last one. And that's okay because that will make for some interesting scenes in my biopic.

Also another movie I am going to make is about livestock farming. I will call it "Silos of the Lambs." "Wool you please go see it?" she asked sheepishly.

Tenses

Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead.

~ Ma Jian

- - - - -

I don't know why some things happen. I don't know why some things don't happen. I know that if you try to be kind life is better than if you settle for being unkind. I didn't say easier. I said better. Sometimes it is very, very difficult to be kind.

Because some people are idiots.

But that's not kind, so I keep that to myself.

In summary, I don't think in past tense, or present tense, or future tense. Mainly because I don't like to be tense.

Knob

I opened the door for a lot of people, and they just ran through and left me holding the knob.

~ Bo Diddley

- - - - -

I think that you should be careful not to trip over floorknobs. If there are doorknobs on doors and then there is a trapdoor in the floor, I suppose you could call it a trapdoorknob, but I'd argue it's a floorknob. Okay, I probably wouldn't argue it. There are more important matters in the world.

One example of a more important matter is why you're in a room with trapdoors to begin with.

Power

The power to question is the basis of all human progress.

~ Indira Gandhi

- - - - -

I often encourage people to use their power for good, not evil. Now that I think about it, that's a pretty subjective assessment, isn't it? What I think is good, you might think is evil.

But you'd be wrong.

Food

Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.

~ Quintilian

- - - - -

If a vegan ever went to the store and accidentally bought humus instead of hummus, that vegan would be pretty unhappy after dinner when they realized what they ate. And also, what kind of store is the vegan shopping in, anyway??

Hydrant

A fire hydrant is not something you want to lose, especially in an emergency.

~ Shannon Wiersbitzky

- - - - -

A fire hydrant is also not something you want to find - especially accidentally by kicking it in your bare feet.

So there's that.

Laundry

It's better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week.

~ Dr. Laurence J. Peters

- - - - -

I love laundromats. I don't go very often now, but there were times when I have frequented them. I like them because they smell clean (mostly). I like them because you can go and be with people without really having to interact with them. I like them because they are real life. I like them because it's easy to eavesdrop without looking creepy (even if eavesdropping still makes you creepy).

I like real life. I like to hear how people navigate their lives and their dramas (petty or major). I like to get a tiny snapshot of who they are and then imagine what the rest of their lives look like. It's kind of like reality TV only not on TV. It's kind of like...  reality.

Deposits

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.

~ Charles R. Swindle

- - - - -

When we were kids, we weren't allowed to cross the street. I am not exaggeration when I tell you that Mom used to say if we did cross the street and tried to run away that, "A truck driver will pick you up and take you to California and cut you up and mail you home in a shoe box."

I know I've posted about that before. Every time I type it, I realize how messed up that is. And how effective. At least for me. Erik probably ignored it, and Kirk had totally different rules growing up so he probably just wasn't allowed to leave the state...  on school nights...  unless he left a note...

I'm not bitter about the inequitable treatment we got as children. I am just painfully aware of it.

Of course, it could be that I was far more precious to my parents than Kirk. Or maybe they just were aware of my love of semi trucks. 

It's so hard to understand parents sometimes.

Children

If your parents never had children, chances are... neither will you.

~ Dick Cavet

- - - - - 

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. Today is not, but it's close to her birthday.

I think my mom might have challenged the sign in this photo. It implies drivers should look out for kids in this neighborhood. I think if my mom designed a sign for her neighborhood it would read, "If you love your children, don't let them play in the street."

Mom

Perhaps it takes courage to raise children.

~ John Steinbeck

- - - - -

My mom's favorite Looney Tunes character is the Tasmanian Devil. I think it's because she's a satanist.

I'm just kidding. 

It's probably more than just that.

Nature

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

~ Henry David Thoreau

- - - - -

So, when someone says, "This is God's country" it confuses me. If your faith and religious traditions lead you to believe in God, isn't everywhere God's country?

Also, this is not the only thing that confuses me.

Barn

Architecture is the very mirror of life. You only have to cast your eyes on buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of a place; they are the reflection of society.

~ I. M. Pei

- - - - -

I bet if barns could talk, they would talk about how communities come together to build them -- or at least communities used to do that. Barns would speak about how when everyone failed to work together, there were no barns. 

Like this barn might say that without lots of people it wouldn't exist. I think of barns as not only holders of animals and hay, but holders of history and wisdom. Some buildings don't look wise - like parking ramps or casinos, but they still might be wise. But I think barns look wise and are probably stuffed full of wisdom. Barns are like the grandparents of the family of buildings. 

In fact, on the very day that this barn was completed it probably said something like, "I wasn't barn yesterday."

Rest

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal and we don't allow our hearts and minds to heal.

~ Thich Nhat Hahn

- - - - -

When Leslie was in the hospital a while ago, she got tired of being in the hospital. I don't think this is uncommon for people in hospitals. Anyway, Rachel helped me out with a couple of things while we were out of town because Leslie wanted to spend time in a hospital away from where we live. 

I texted Rachel to thank her for her help. She asked how Leslie was. I shared that Leslie was - as previously mentioned in this blog post - tired of being in the hospital. To be honest, I don't know why Leslie chose a hospital for this little vacation for us, but she did. I would have rather gone to the beach.

Anyway, Rachel suggested I write haikus to cheer her up. Rachel suggested that because Rachel is brilliant. With her suggestion in mind, I wrote the following:

"Advice for the Next Time You Need a Break Sans Gall Bladder"

Need some rest? Instead
Of the hospital - next time
Let's use Rachel's pool!

I texted it to Rachel and asked if she liked it. Rachel responded, "I like the length of the title."

(pause)

Rachel is brilliant, but she doesn't exactly know how to stoke my haiku ego.

Leslie is feeling better now. So that's the point, I guess.

Grow

Out of difficulties grow miracles.

~ Jean de la Bruyere

- - - - -

I bet carrot parents, even when they are completely frustrated, don't tell their children to grow up. Sure there is a stalk up there and everything, but any carrot of substance is all about the orange-y part. They probably tell their kids to "dig deep" or "take root" or something like that. Or maybe they tell them scary stories about what happens to "bad baby carrots." And I bet the carrot's natural enemy is hummus - which is ironic because the carrot and the hummus have a common enemy. If they would only use their powers to fight together instead of fighting each other... But they never do.

Also, this is not a picture of a carrot stem.

Cagey

Everything we do impacts someone else's life.

~ Nicolas Cage

- - - - -

I got this pillow cover from China in the mail Monday. I got another Nicolas Cage-themed pillow cover in the mail yesterday. I don't know who is sending these to me. 

I am so lucky to have so many people in my life who might do this. There have been allegations made by several people accusing others. I have had at least four or five of them write some version of, "It's not me, but I wish I'd thought of it."

As I said to Rachel when that was her response, "I have the best friends in the world or - if these are from my enemies - I have the gentlest enemies in the world."

And, really, who can hope for more than that?

Camper

A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them to summer camp.

~ Raymond Duncan

- - - - -

I would love to have one of these. It would be fun to travel around the country in it, but also dangerous. I don't think they have brakes. Or seatbelts. Or steering wheels. I think it would be smart to travel in a car or truck PULLING the trailer and just use the trailer for resting at night.

Yes. Yes, that's what I think would be fun to do.

Also, I would not name it "Happy Camper" because I'm not the boss of it's emotions. And also my mom says inanimate objects don't have emotions. Actually, she says you can't love inanimate objects, but tell that to people about money.

Doors

The doors of wisdom are never shut.

~ Benjamin Franklin

- - - - - -

I'm thinking of making a movie about doors called "The Doors." It's about Jim Morrison and The Doors. And  it's a remake of a previous film. Except this time it's going to be a musical.

(pause)

Apparently, I thought this post was so clever I posted it two days in a row. Some people will like both of these. People are strange.

Doors

The doors of wisdom are never shut.

~ Benjamin Franklin

- - - - - -

I'm thinking of making a movie about doors called "The Doors." It's about Jim Morrison and The Doors. And  it's a remake of a previous film. Except this time it's going to be a musical.

Fairness

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.

~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

- - - - -

So this is the skateboard I had as a kid. My dad used his soldering iron to carve my name into it. It's because Erik and I had the same skateboards. He did the same to Erik's only he put "Erik" instead of "Chelle" so we could tell them apart.

Then I broke my leg while riding the skateboard. I may have hit a crack in the sidewalk. I might have been trying to do a wheelie on it. It could have been anything. My parents used to call me "Grace" when I was growing up. They did that ironically.

Anyway, we got our skateboards taken away after that. Both of us. Erik didn't think that was fair.

He fell out of a tree and broke his arm. They didn't take away all of our trees after that.

I guess he was probably right.

Also, my parents used to say, "Life isn't fair." I guess this is one example of a way they tried to teach us that. Well done, parents. Well done.

(Much later...)
Um. So this posted and I re-read it. I didn't break my leg. I broke my arm. I guess that compromises my integrity. Oh well.