I live in a very white state. Walking into Costco, my kid declared, with relief and joy, "Costco is the most diverse place we ever go." We will fuel the revolution with $1.50 hot dogs.
It snowed earlier in the week and it was coming down in the most deliciously fat flakes - I think I described it as “tufts” of snow. Instead of being cranky about my commute I decided to revel in the beauty of nature.
Our youngest teacher directed our high school musical this year; using wheelies for the underwater scenes made the students look like they were floating.
She has so much talent; I hope we get to keep her.
I met a lady who works with DCS who claimed not to be creative but showed me tiktoks of bros using upholstery guns to make rugs & said that she wants to try it.
I just love watching my kids and their friends grow up. They are all 11 now and starting to look for independence but are still kids and it is beautiful.
Near my work is the local animal shelter, in the mornings I see volunteers taking dogs out on their walks. Cutest scraggly terrier mix and a big dude had multiple walks this week. They looked happy. 😊
I saw this beautiful quilt on display at the Phoenix airport. It all makes me so happy: the very detailed quilting, the colors, and the skill and love that went into making it.
Saw a young punk clearing old posters off the phone poles in the neighbourhood. Not so he could put some up, but just to clear out the past events so new stuff would be easier to see/read.
While shoveling the new snow from the path I'd previously dug, I saw footprints of a fox that had followed the path, but turned and went back, perhaps disappointed that it only went to the side of the house, and not down into the woods.
There is a bigass wild turkey that struts along the side of a busy thoroughfare called Red Bank Road in Cincinnati. Often in front of the BMV. I love to see the Turkey of Red Bank Road. That turkey gives no fucks!
People on campus imitating squirrels and the squirrels, seeming to enjoy it, playing along(we are having a gorgeous false spring here in south Alabama).
a kid riding in a racing car shopping cart leaves the grocery store, yelling:
GOODBYE MR. _____!
GOODBYE MRS. _____!
to no less than 5 employees between the register and customer service desk.
On our family walk this week we saw a pair of bluebirds, a pair of Barred owls hunting together and we heard a very happy pack of coyotes across the field from us in the woods as the sun was casting a lovely sunset of blues pinks and purples
went for a walk at sunrise, watched the progression of light as i walked, and had the bonus of some spectacular colors. it really lifted me up for a while
Old friends running into each other at my grocery store. Hands on each other’s arms, laughter crinkling their elderly eyes. Kindness and gladness, still.
there are bluebirds singing in the belfry and even though the trees are dead, I notice that some have pink blossoms, and the sea is calm, and there's a clear shot of the sun through a hole in the clouds, and the air is warm and not clammy.
I was walking past two big burly dudes on the street and overheard one tell the other, “it’s like Sheryl Crow said, if it makes you happy it can’t be that bad.” Absolutely did not expect that and it delighted me.
Flight from ORD to ATL and the row behind me was a dad and his three YOUNG kids (mom was on another flight). He was clearly exhausted, the kids were fussy, and he was so patient and awesome with them for the entire flight. I love to see excellent parenting.
I kinda feel silly saying this. But it has been warm enough to finally walk outside and I was entranced noticing that the snow/ice was melting closest to the ground first. So many tiny rivers and waterfalls. Made me so happy
A corgi in a nail salon and then a giant Saint Bernard out for a walk with his owner. The corgi came and sat by me while I picked my nail color and insisted on chin scratches.
went to look at fossils because we’re learning the names of different parts of the skeletons and my three year old kept pronouncing orbital bone “boba da bone”
We haven't seen any new bird types yet [midcoast], but we enjoy a full mix all winter. Their songs have switched to full mating mode in the past week. It is heavenly, indeed.
I saw a big flock of wild turkeys hanging out on a hillside where the snow had melted away. There were two in the middle of the group with their chests puffed out and tail feathers displayed, making turkey noises while the others watched attentively.
I saw three American dippers singing/chasing each other along the Yukon River. Their song is beautiful and they are insanely energetic, ridiculous little birds. They SWIM down to the bottom of icy, moving water all year long, including at -40C to catch underwater creepies. Epic survivors.
For anyone who has never seen an American dipper, and is interested. And, for those of who who HAVE seen them, but would enjoy more detail. This is a video taken in Whitehorse, just below our dam. This is the stretch where I watch them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_TCfrilINI
I met a couple at the pub last night who own a nursery that they started to give their autistic son and other people on the spectrum a place to work and feel accepted. They started with hydroponic lettuce and now it's a full-blown non-profit with half-a-dozen or more workers.
Ive been planning on doing this with my neurodivergent children. One specifically wants to have a flower nursery. Is there any way I can get in touch with them? I would love to know how they got started. I also want to work in supportive housing for those who need it as part of it
Did you find their facebook page? That might be the best way to get in touch with them. As I said we only just met and I talked to them for 15 minutes at the bar. But they were lovely people. I'm sure they would be happy to answer any questions.
On a sunny day I saw an older guy riding his cruiser bike down the sidewalk, his hair flowing in the wind. On the front of the bike was a large basket. Inside the basket was a small fluffy dog standing up with its front paws on the edge of the basket, its fur and ears flopping in the wind.
A tiny fluff ball puppy making friends with every single person, dog, and leaf it passed by in the park. Also, a squirrel digging furiously for a buried nut and then finding it!
Watching other creatures be so easily delighted is delightful!
I went to my local indie bookstore and was sitting next to a weekly meeting of local seniors where they check in with each other and give updates. The big topic of the convo however was Trump, and how angry they are. One woman was also VERY mad Joy-Ann Reid was fired.
Outside the western WA federal district court house, while waiting for the conclusion of a hearing on the EO to ban gender-affirming care for trans kids. 🌈
Watching an American dipper doing its thing, hopping from the ice into the Yukon River, disappearing for seconds before emerging downstream and hopping back onto the ice.
I went to an independent bookstore and read poetry and listened to poetry being read and everyone in the audience listened and enjoyed the time together.
I drove by a house in the country that had added a realistic but huge cardinal statue to their mailbox post and there was a hawk of equal size sitting atop the next utility pole
This sign at the door of a local brewery I’d never been to. Turns out they’re also the most kid-friendly place I’ve ever seen, short of handing out crayons. Nearly every table of adults had a kid or three, mostly under 6ish, and there was lots of beer but nobody was drunk or seemed to want to be.
While out on errands I was at a place I used to work at, and though we were all in a hurry/too busy to talk, we managed to at least wave and smile. That perked me up for a few hours.
Five older women, including a nun, sitting silently for 4 hours at a long and boring city council meeting to advocate for "Know Your Rights" workshops for our vulnerable immigrant neighbors. Lovely local heroes.
I watched my 7-year-old sneak a handful of cheese-its out of his coat pocket at the bus stop this morning, and it reminded me that he's the son of his mother.
And not random: I took a day trip to SF from Portland to see Amy Sherald’s exhibit at SF MOMA. Phenomenal. Exhibit closes March 9th. Go see it if you can.
Wandering in Super Nintendo World with my teen, he noticed a random, unmarked staircase & started heading up. "That's prob for staff; we shouldn't go," I warned. "Let me just check," he said. I followed him up to a whole new park level with a hidden mini-game...b/c the park is designed for plumbers.
Every morning when I leave for work, I drive over a hill and get a great view of San Francisco stretched out before me and the sun coming up. I always slow down for a moment to take it in. Some days it's too foggy to see the city, which is almost more beautiful.
Last night as I came home, I stopped at a stop sign and saw that four different people were walking across the same intersection at the same time, one on each side, all walking big, adorable, sweet-looking dogs. Perfectly timed.
I was another person who saw daffodils! truly the sign of spring. also saw the last bunch of roses clinging on to a bush. the weather is warming up and it makes me want to spend all day outside
An utterly precious little girl on my bus was singing different songs to herself happily without a care in the world. Two ladies in front of her looked at her and then smiled at one another.
When the ice thawed on my street, it revealed strata in the mud beneath it, which had carved out what were effectively gutters on the sides of a dirt road. It's cool how the higher pressures that the center experiences from traffic compacts that section, leading to a natural yet useful pattern.
Driving home from dropping a kid off and a sudden flash and crash of lightning followed by about five minutes of hail dense enough to make me pull over and marvel at the weirdness
My four-year old has noticed this too. Mostly because he thinks I’m picking him up from daycare too early because “I’m supposed to pick him up in the darkness”. :)
That is my favorite smell in the whole world. On an August night I once stayed awake for hours with the window open because I couldn't get enough of it.
Yes! I feel this way about planes too. In a small town sometimes I feel so far away from other places but planes passing overhead, curving in the sky, remind me it's possible to go anywhere.
Went to my public library to pick up some holds, and there were three giggling toddlers in the lobby chasing each other in circles waiting for a program. I came down the stairs to leave, casually joined trotting behind them until I circled to the door, and went on my way. Their adults all chuckled.
I spotted a mourning dove pair in my yard today, after not seeing any for a few years. Hopefully they are nesting somewhere near and I’ll see more of them.
bluebirds are busy at a nesting box, goldfinches have taken over the other box, and house sparrows are living up to their name and rebuilding a nest in the gas fireplace vent-thingy (the pilot light is off and there's no risk of injury). All this with ~12" of snow still on the ground.
At an exhibit opening at my library, an art teacher pointing out to her students in a whisper, how much people were enjoying and learning from their soil paintings of tree rings. And how they should be proud of that.
The squirrels on my campus are all coming out of winter hibernation and tearing around looking for all their buried snacks. They're so happy and lively, and they make me laugh.
tonight a Muslim neighbor putting a large Ramadan Mubarak banner on her front porch. the white non-Muslim house around the corner with a watermelon flag. in Kentucky (Lex, but still)
I found some pretty sparklies in a bureau no one's opened in over twenty-five years at my family's farmhouse. I feel like a treasure hunter. Or a crow. Or both.
It's warming up here so our little driveway lizards have started to show up again. They sun themselves all over the driveway and then dive off the side like synchronized swimmers when we walk by with the dog
I went to the library but it was still closed for lunch. So I sat in the war memorial garden with my dog and looked across the Ings (open wetland); grazing geese in an expanse of shallow waters reflecting the cold, blue-grey sky. No raptors this time but I can see them in my mind, soaring above.
Today at work the ladies who live there had craft project where they painted terra cotta pots like faces and they gave them headbands and nose rings and earrings and sunglasses. it was so pure and cute. Lots of glitter and gold. One was tiger print everything.
I was hauling butt to get to the bank and looked up and there was a cloud that resembled a clam shell. And not just the shape, but the streaky clouds looked like the indentions.
Comments
I wonder if you saw my snail fun fact
She has so much talent; I hope we get to keep her.
This was after quite a lot of excellent vintage jazz.
Not sure if it was the same show/DJ; I was in and out of the car doing errands and stuff.
GOODBYE MR. _____!
GOODBYE MRS. _____!
to no less than 5 employees between the register and customer service desk.
(It's unusual to see them this early, but they should be okay as long as the weather keeps getting warmer)
Every time I hear a Prince song, I am reminded of the lasting beauty he left for us 🎶
The ecstatic crunchy noise the neighbour kid made as she broke every last crust of ice on a puddle in the parking lot this afternoon.
Watching other creatures be so easily delighted is delightful!
And a baby being loved on by her whole family as they waited for a table at a restaurant ❤️
It was random, and sweet, and it took me five seconds to dig my phone out and pause my podcast to pay attention.
And not random: I took a day trip to SF from Portland to see Amy Sherald’s exhibit at SF MOMA. Phenomenal. Exhibit closes March 9th. Go see it if you can.
A little kid fell down. Dad looked down mildly and said, “oh. Boom.”
Kid dusted themself off and did little jazz hands. “Ta da.”
Elderly guy went up to his wife in the grocery store and handed her a pack of candy. “Those are my favorite!”
“I know.”
My only out and about is inside, but still.
1. They make me stop and wait.
2. I think about where they are going/what they are carrying.
3. It was such an important mode of transportation/transport.
In DC for a protest, I noticed the lights are longer in front of the Capitol so that people can stand in the road to take pictures
(I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.)
And maybe she did. Cats, at least, know they're beautiful. Maybe cows do too.
Toddler squealed and obliged.
Both Moms bellowed.