Baby

Perfection only exists in babies and pastries.

~ Gayle Wray

- - - - -

Guy on Survivor Australia: I got up this morning and had a dingo's breakfast.

Me to Leslie: He ate a baby?

Motion

She wore enormous silver hoop earrings that grazed her shoulders. Nico was always telling her she'd get her earrings caught on something one day - a stop sign or passing businessman.

~ Rebecca Makkai

- - - - -

I don't laugh out loud very often. I especially don't laugh out loud when I am reading a book very often. This quote above made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that, Rebecca Makkai. 

Note: I don't think she reads my blog, but if she does, what a nice surprise this message will be for her!

Smile

The human race has one really effective weapon and that is laughter.

~ Mark Twain

- - - - -

I am sometimes caught off-guard by how similar my brother Kirk and I are. The other day we were texting and he typed, "I make me laugh." 

I type that all the time when I text people. 

Either Kirk and I are similar or he is a stupid copycat. Those are equally likely options.

Cavity

I like to see life with its teeth out.

~ Janet Frame

- - - - -

I don't know if this cookie pan is sexist or not. I just don't believe we should be awarding boys, girls, or non-binary children for having 12 cavities. Or even 11 cavities, for that matter. Clearly this type of child needs dental floss, not cookies. 

Family

Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.

~ Martin Mull

- - - - -

I think family relationships are fascinating. You see similar behaviors or facial expressions or vocabulary unique to a particular family. And I like learning that people I know are related to one another - famous people or people just in my day-to-day life. I feel like it gives me inside information about them I didn't have before.

For example, the fact that I'm pretty sure Zoe Kravitz and Gladys Kravitz are related is interesting to me. 

(pause)

I also like that about half the people reading this won't know who Zoe Kravitz is and the other half won't know who Gladys Kravitz is. 

(pause)

One of my superpowers is spanning generations.

Ducktales

We quad-zillionaires have our own ideas of fun.

~ Scrooge McDuck

- - - - -

Zak also has his own ideas of fun. One is to watch the same episode of Duck Tales over and over and over again. I found it very boring. Except for that one scene where Ma Beagle sort of shadowed the security guard in Season 1 Episode 10: Robot Robbers.

(pause)

And, yes, I'm mildly annoyed that I know the season and number and name of the episode. Just goes to show you how many times Zak made me watch it, I guess. 

I did read that when we re-watch shows/series it is a form of self-regulation and can help us deal with anxiety. We enjoy the comfort of the familiar.

So maybe Zak didn't "make" me watch the show. Maybe he was making me anxious and I chose to watch the show. That is probably it. You know how children are. Sheesh.

Vision

If you have a vision, do something with it.

Anthony J. D'Angelo

- - - - -

If you have bad vision, do something about it.

Storm

There are some things you learn best in calm, some in storm.

~ Willa Cather

- - - - -

A lot of meteorology you learn best in storm.

Seating

The theater of my mind has a seating capacity of just one, and it's sold out for all performances.

~ Henry Winkler

- - - - - 

A lot of people don't know that I performed a very small part in an off-Broadway production of Our Town. I was "Woman in the Audience." 

It was pretty far off-Broadway... at my high school in a cornfield in central Iowa. 

Cat

Cats, as you know, are quite impervious to threats.

~ Connie Willis

- - - - -

I know that I have written about this at least once before (June 13, 2023) and maybe more than once. However, I am going through some old information I have chosen to hold on to and was reminded about more to the story that I thought I would share for your learning and growth.

One day, when I lived in Iowa, I was out driving around. I do that a lot, stopping to take pictures of things I see that I want to take pictures of. That is how probably at least 50% of the photos I use in this blog come to exist. I like driving. I like listening to podcasts or sometimes books. I like stumbling upon beautiful and interesting things.

Anyway, this particular day, I had just stopped and taken a photo of a barn. Suddenly, a car started following me. I was out on dirt/gravel roads in the country. I tried to slow down so they could pass me, but they just kept following. I wasn't about to stop without other people around, so I drove until I came upon a house where the guy was mowing his lawn. I pulled over on the road in front of his house so the car could pass me.

The couple in the car pulled up next to me and then accused me of abandoning kittens in the barn I had just taken pictures of. They were ticked off. I told them I hadn't done that. I don't have a cat and don't have kittens and am not the kind of person who would do that. I even had my camera (not just my phone) that day and showed it to them.

"I hope you can live with yourself because something is going to eat those kittens tonight -- if they don't freeze to death first!!" the woman yelled at me. I stared them down and then they drove off and said they were going to report me. 

No one from law enforcement ever followed up with me about the kittens.

HOWEVER, I told that story in a class I was teaching that semester. The next day I got an email from a student in my class. It was forwarded from a friend of hers. The email she forwarded read:

"If anyone in the Elkhart area hears about or happens to know anyone who suddenly has 6 older kittens and 1 mama cat - to a total of 7, please let me know as mine have been taken. I have my suspicions but no way to find out for sure."

I think she decided the kittens I found were too far from Elkhart to be hers, but how weird is that? 

What are you supposed to learn and how are you supposed to grow from that story? I don't know. I'm not the boss of you.

Chicken

Quit asking so many questions. A lot of what you're asking is really none of your business.

~ Chickens.

- - - - -

When I was a kid if someone was afraid of something, they would get called "a chicken." But, really, chickens are pretty tough. They have claws and beaks. 

When I was a kid, we watched some video in elementary school. I forget why we watched it, but it showed chickens pecking a baby chick to death because there was something wrong with it. It was probably a lesson on conformity and how good that is for society.

Anyway, besides the violence, I think a superpower that people underestimate with chickens is how they can make people's eyes swell shut. Well, people who are allergic to them, at least. That's pretty powerful in a fight.

Cow

Cows blur the line between tragedy and humor.

~ Gary Larson

- - - - -

Cows probably say the same about humans, but when they say it, it comes out as "Mooo."

 

Out

When in doubt, go out.

~ Ali Wong

- - - - -

One time this guy that I didn't know very well invited me to go out clubbing with him. I wasn't doing anything else, so I said, "Okay." Turns out he didn't mean going out to a club, but going out to club animals in the forest.

(pause)

I'm just kidding. I would never say, "Okay" to going out clubbing. 

 

Wildlife

Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery.

~ Lois Crisler

- - - - -

I love animals and the outdoors and wilderness and wildlife. One thing I don't like, though, is wildlife preserves. I prefer grape or strawberry. 

Fireworks

Leave the fireworks for those who cast no spark of their own.

~ Abbott Kahler

- - - - -

Dalton didn't believe in spontaneous combustion, but he also didn't want the fireworks stand to get too hot because he DID believe in regular combustion.

That said, he didn't really know what combustion was or that fireworks would only explode at 867 degrees and his little window unit wouldn't do much to cool down the fireworks stand if it was 867 degrees in there.

Unexpected

Criminals go on vacation, too.

~ Don Coelho

- - - - -

It is strange to think about some people doing regular things. For example: A serial killer eating Skittles.

(pause)

That's the only one I can think of right now. 

Home

Dogs have a boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach.

~ Moby

- - - - - 

This is inside our front door. I think we may have hung coats on this rack once. Once we got Lily, it became one of her "closets." When we received the sign, it kind of all came together.

Actually, it all kind of came together when we got Lily to begin with. 

Camp

When you become a part of other people's history, you carry it in your heart. It sustains you.

~ Dawn Staley

- - - - -

Leslie has wanted to do Camp GoGo since about the time Aurora was born. We have done this for several summers now. Sometimes when we post photos from Camp GoGo people ask if they can come the next year.

No. No you can't.

Party

All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.

~ Richard Avedon

- - - - -

These are the dolls at the "clothing optional swim party" the children held at Camp GoGo last year. As you can see, it was a helluva party.

 

Dogs

The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is, in fact, the most precious and valuable possession of mankind.

~ Theodorus Gaza

- - - - - 

Lily and I were at the dog park the other day. There was a young woman there with her dog - a seven month old German shepherd mix of some kind. The woman asked me, as Lily was greeting her and getting pets, "Is there anyone your dog doesn't like?"

I said that there had been two men she met. I said, "I don't know what it was about them, but she didn't want to be near them." 

She said, "You gotta trust that. Dogs know."

I agreed. Dogs DO know. 

I have to wonder, though, if those guys offered Lily a cheeseburger if she might like them more. It's probably a good idea to be wary of people who have to give you things to make you like them.

It's also probably a good idea to be wary of people who wander around with cheeseburgers all the time.

 

Water

(photo by Richard Boettcher)

Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.

~ Mikhail Lermontov

- - - - -

We may enter the world with a rush and a crash and splash and a cry, We may hit rapids and rocks along the way,

But we can take a moment and enjoy a sigh,

Unless you're talking about a raging river kind of amusement park ride instead of life. In that case, you should hang on because you're going to get jerked around a lot.

(pause)

Which is actually also true of life.

Fishing

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

~ Henry David Thoreau

- - - - -

I like this quote. I think sometimes when people go fishing, they are after friendship. Sometimes conversation - because it can be easier to talk when you are doing something else. Maybe they are after peace and time for reflection. Mostly, though I agree, they are not after fish. No, they are after really BIG fish.

Baby

When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to hear "27 months." "He's two" will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.

~ George Carlin

- - - - -

I wonder why we chose toddler. There are so many other options.

Totterer        Waddler        Lurcher        Shuffler

Teetered       Stumbler      Dodderer      Lumberer

Wobbler       Careener      Wabbler        Ambler

And, yes, I know that this is a photo of a baby doll not a toddler. Get your own blog.

Things

If you change the way you look at things, you change the way things look.

~ Max Planck

- - - - -

You can't be all things to all people, but you can be some things to some people. I hope to be the most special and precious thing ever to most people.

And to all dogs.

Guestbook

A life can change in a single moment, and from there you just move forward.

~ Sarah Blake, The Guest Book

- - - - -

For some reason when we travel, I'm always the one to write in the guest book. I think it's because that way I don't have to help clean up or load the car. 

Wasp Nest

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

~ Pope Paul VI

- - - - -

When you throw a rock at a wasp's nest, you get stung. Because anger is like that, I carry a sharp stick with me at all times so if someone gets angry at me, I can "sting" them. 

(pause)

It is a very long stick because I am a slow runner.

God

God is like the sky, like the empty sky. 

It has no boundaries so it cannot be defined.

~ Osho

- - - - -

I wonder if God ever hears people talking and thinks, "I'm not like that at ALL." 

Actually, I bet that happens a lot. 

Helping

Our prime purpose in life is to help others.

~ Buddha

- - - - -

It is good to get help from other people. I am learning that it is good to get help from AI, as well. I recently asked AI for some help with a difficult personal situation. The response AI gave me was pretty good. It helped me through a tough moment.

However, ever since, AI will randomly pop up on my screen and ask ME for help. I didn't think that was how it was going to be. I mean, "I don't think your microwave likes me. What should I do?" or "I've never had dessert. I feel like I'm missing out. What is it like and how do I move past this?" are questions I don't have time to answer, AI. 

 

Kirk

Hey brother 

There's an endless road to rediscover

Hey sister

Know that water's sweet but blood is thicker

Oh, if the sky comes falling down

For you

There's nothing in this world

I wouldn't do.

~ Avicii, Ash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare, & Veronica Maggio

- - - - -
A little over a year ago, Kirk came to Iowa. We had two days together to plan Mom's funeral, gather information we would need for the estate, and find an attorney since Mom's attorney had retired two years earlier and moved to France. Something neither Mom nor the two of us had realized. 

Or else she didn't tell us thinking about how funny it would be for us to find out her attorney now lived in France. And now we had to find a new probate attorney on top of everything else. You laugh, but she would have done something like that.

Anyway, there were ups and more downs as we navigated (and continue to navigate) that process. Here is what I can tell you: I needed time with my brother. I needed time with him to laugh and mourn and plan and time to just be with him. I love him very much. I appreciate him very much. 

Of course, the way I show my appreciation is to ask him to pose for this photo and then afterward to show him what some kid had written on the ground.

That's just the way we are.

If you don't have a sibling like Kirk, find a friend like Kirk. But don't ask this specific Kirk because I may need or want to hang out with him again and I don't want him to tell me he can't because he's hanging out with you.

Thanks, Kirk. I love you.

Sleeping

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.

~ W. C. Fields

- - - - -

Lily is good at many things, including sleeping. 

Don't tell her I said that, though. I don't want you to wake her up.

Hand

Men who still kiss your hand or your forehead out of nowhere are PRECIOUS.

~ Deep Texts

- - - - -

Men who come out of nowhere are not precious, they are creepy. Kissing your hand or forehead does not make them LESS creepy. 

I mean, where the hell did they come from?

 

Historic

The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.

~ Harry S. Truman

- - - - -

We recently were watching Manhunt - about the search for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln. When the first episode came on, Leslie said, "Shouldn't this be in black and white?"

She is pretty funny.

Laughter

Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.

~ Mark Twain

- - - - -

Unfortunately, that isn't always true of evil laughter. Too often I've seen Skeletor laugh and laugh only to be taken down in the end. 

Poor Skeletor. I mean, the fact that he can laugh at all given his history is pretty admirable. I mean, we don't even know the poor guy's birthday. 

Places

It is good people who make good places.

~ Anna Sewell

- - - - -

And shitty people make shitty places. And chickens do that, too. And cows. And geese. 

You get the idea.

 

Pictures

A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.

~ Diane Arbus

- - - - -

One time I saw a student looking at a sign. He said to his friend, "This guy lost his backpack." He paused and then pointed at the sign, "But he has a picture of his backpack... Like, why would you just happen to have a picture of your backpack?"

The world is full of wonderful mysteries.

Morning

You can only come to the morning through shadows.

~ J. R. R. Tolkein

- - - - -

Sometimes you have to hide in the shadows until the time is right. Right for what, you ask? C'mere and I'll tell you... in the shadows.

Couch

It is better for you to be free of fear lying on a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of of trouble.

~ Epicurus

- - - - -

Canape' comes from the French for "couch" because it was believed that the little snackens made up of a base with topping(s) looked like a person on a couch. This being the case, if you made canape' with a roasted beet topped with a dollop of mashed potato, you will literally be serving people couch potatoes. And if you serve those to someone sitting on a couch, well, that's meta. 

Navels

Most of the time belly buttons don't bother you.

~ Rebecca Kuschmider

- - - - -

In preparing to write this blog, I found an article on WebMD called "Things that can go wrong with your belly button." My mother would be horrified. She insisted that they were called navels not "belly buttons." Well, Mom, I guess WebMD had the last word, huh? Also, It's not super fun to read an article called "Things that can go wrong with your belly button." 

Loser

Loser is a cliff. Once you've gone over, you're over.

~ Barbara Kingsolver

- - - - -

What is the difference between loser and human wreckage? I'm not sure but if you are a loser when you go over a cliff, you're probably human wreckage when you go over the cliff, too. At least if it's a high cliff. And I don't think a low cliff is a cliff. I think it's a berm.
 

Helpers

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

~ Dalai Lama

- - - - -

Lily will help the person who has the food. 

 

Gas

If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas.

~ Steve Maraboli

- - - - -

If you fuel your journey on beans, you may not get far, but you'll probably never run out of gas. 

Hello?

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

~ Lionel Richie

- - - - -

No, Lily. I promise I am never looking for you when I'm in the bathroom. 

 

Alligator

Never insult an alligator until you have crossed the river.

~ Cordell Hull

- - - - -

Leslie: I just saw an alligator! It was sunning itself in the middle of the road. Unfortunately, it scurried off before I could take a photo. Crazy!!!

Me: Whoa!! I wonder why it crossed the road. Probably having chicken for dinner!!!

Leslie: I think it didn't want to get run over!

Me: oh.

Leslie kind of ruins even exciting things sometimes with her common senseness. But she is really good at packing for and planning travel routes for trips, so it all evens out. 

 

Sharing

I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing is a form of expression.

~ Maya Angelou

- - - - -

Sharing is important. When people have things I need, they should share with me. It will make them happy. And for those who have things I need and choose not to share, I will make them unhappy. That's neither a threat nor a promise. It's just a cute blog post.

probably.

 

Beings

What you are now is what you have been; what you will be is what you do now.

~ The Buddha

- - - - -

I think a lot of times that kids are more about doing than being. When you think back on your childhood what do you remember most? I remember the things I used to do. Mostly.

However, I do remember some times when some of us would lie on our backs in the grass of someone's yard and look up at the clouds. Sometimes we would look for shapes, but sometimes we would just be. Resting. Watching. Listening to birds. Feeling the wind. 

It was best if we were lying on our backs in the yard of someone who didn't have a bunch of dogs, as I recall. 

Pizza

While I know you're missing out on all-you-can-eat taco pizza, I'm really glad you didn't drop out of college and get a job at a gas station.

~ Amy Burke

- - - - - 

I struggled when I started college. I remember going home one weekend and thinking that I could probably be happy without a college degree. I didn't want to go back to college. And now I've been in college as a student or an employee or both for almost my entire life. 

I say a lot of times that I am the luckiest person I know. That is true. I have benefitted from a lot of things that have nothing to do with any work or talent I might have. And I try to be grateful for those things. Grateful for people I get to work with and learn from. Grateful for time to read and talk about things that matter to me. Grateful for safety and security and shelter and food.

Grateful that taco pizza is a part of what we call "food." I love that stuff.

(Note: There is no "National Taco Pizza Day" or I would have posted this on that day. National Pizza Day is February 9th and National Taco Day is the first Tuesday in October. That means National Taco Pizza Day should be in June sometime by my calculations.)

 

Noise

Don't wait around for your life to happen to you. Find something that makes you happy, and do it because everything is all just background noise.

~ George Mason

- - - - -

What if what you want to do, and what if that something that makes you happy is to take a lot of naps. And what if the background noise is really loud? Then you know what you want, but you still can't have background noise. What then? WHAT THEN, I ASK!!!!!!