21 Wits, by Karen

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

240 Candles

America is 240 years old!
1776 to 2016

We really could compare this quote by Robin Sloan

"Walking the stacks in a library
dragging your fingers across the spines
it's hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits."

with the thoughts and dreams of our Founding Fathers

"How little do our countrymen know
what precious blessings
they are in possession of
and which no other people on earth enjoy."
Thomas Jefferson

Happy 240th!

We can't really put 240 candles on a cake or it would look like this photo below
when blowing out the candles!

"America is a tune. It must be sung together."

Gerald Stanley Lee

song by Ray Charles

(I am so thankful my family took and shared photos of their day)

The Red, White and Blue boys!

Three things cannot be long hidden:

the sun, the moon, and the truth.

"One flag, one land, one heart,

One Nation Evermore."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

We celebrate with

Fireworks
and

Parades

Say hello to my son!

American Flag and the Statue of Liberty Mural from Bay Minette, Alabama

of course it's always another reason to have a bonfire!

A great thought for any day

"Your life must be an open city
with all sorts of ways to wander in."
Robin Sloan

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Freeze-Frame for Critters

Animal moments this Saturday for

Say hello to Sparkle!

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

On my visit to Alabama as soon as I reached my daughter's house-

"...and there to greet me as I walked through the door-

Miss Sparkle of course."

"Animals are such agreeable

friends, they ask no questions,

they pass no criticisms."

George Eliot

Riding the Tiger!
(can you spot me in this picture?)

Imagine that, the Alabama #Targetdog looks much like ours here in Minnesota. Have you visited a #Targetdog in your neighborhood?

Once upon a time there was a dog with black spots until

somebody turned on the fan.

Life is always better riding animals!

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
Helen Keller

Friday, July 1, 2016

Rocking Inside Good Fences

"Thought for the day: we have far too many of them. And we prize them too highly; more so then we do for the power of silence, mindfulness and pure kindness." Rasheed Ogunlaru

GOOD FENCES

"If you listen quietly enough life will whisper its secrets to you."

Rasheed Ogunlaru

In the next photo

You have to look real close, but there is a fence right behind me!

Artsy subject discovers fence!

So of course while I was in Alabama Lyra and I had to revisit all the fun playgrounds and we saw many of her school classmates hanging out there too!

"So what is it that makes life good?"

The answer is lots of things!

and especially a Very Cherry snow cone

following a hot day at the park!

Having fun

enjoying the love of family and friends

doing things that you love to do

becoming all that YOU can BE

helping others

enjoying each moment.

Thanks for stopping by to rock and roll with me today!

Take good care of you.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Light bulb - TP

We're turning up the lights with Carmi's lightbulb
( a most Eureka experience) as this week's theme for

THEMATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC

"You have to find what sparks a light

in you so that you
in your own way

can illuminate the world."

Oprah

The light bulb commands an important duty, inconspicuously.

Yes, light bulbs are usually unnoticeable in all their shining glory-

What did the light bulb say to the work of art?

Let me light your way.

Are light bulbs really so unremarkable?

(about 8:30 at night sometime in December)
Do you think anyone noticed us? asked the light bulbs.

Grouped together they're a bit showy.

and stunningly bold.

Thank goodness for lighting right?

Just maybe these light bulbs will receive more attention-
but we all know the chandelier will take all the credit!

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven't."
Thomas A. Edison

Enjoy your day and remember to notice the light bulbs in your world, okay?

Monday, June 20, 2016

Bandages

Bringing out our bandages
it's what we do.

No matter where you are
that's where you're shaking the world.

We all carry useful, honorable and compassionate
bandages -
together we
make things better.

Hey cousin!
Karina sees Danny giving out candy at the Dew Days Parade

"Next to the wound, what women make best is the bandage."
Barbey d' Aureuilly

Our body heals with play

our mind heals with laughter

and the spirit heals with joy.

Of course after every good ride sometimes

a whole lot of

healing/fixing is necessary.

I believe growing up in the Girl and Boy Scouts of America

is key

for everyone involved.

On the left is Danny and Mason with their Cub Scout troop.

This weekend's parade on Saturday
for Farmington Dew Days

Wait a minute. I didn't know Jack Sparrow lived in Farmington?!

He sure gets around doesn't he?

Best bandage ever, share more face to face conversations!

Band Aid Jingle

In the end
you realize the best thing in life
is not something you can touch,
but something you can feel.

Thanks for stopping by to say hello!
Take good care of you!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

In The Metal

Living life

"In the Metal"

Want to hear my story?

(Read more!)

"Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive"

our week's theme for

THEMATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC
is "In the metal."
goes well with

GOOD FENCES

(plant seeds)

Look into my mirror and see

Vintage Brass Lady Bells
and
Fence

"Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?"
Charles Bukowski

Eliminate the negative

(smile)

Latch on to the affirmative

(swing)

Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
and the accent on the positive
and gather 'round me children if you're willin'
and sit tight while
WE START REVIEWING
the
POSITIVE
and
Don't mess with Mister In-Between.

Somebody changed the wording on this metal sign!

(love more)

For the better I'd say.

"There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
or wise man can decide
What's right for you--just listen to
The voice that speaks inside."
-Shel Silverstein

"There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
You know what to do!

Where I work we're deep in the United Way project and posted
at every turn are words reminding us to carry out
random acts of kindness.

"You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for stopping in
take good care of you!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Words

I'm linking with Wednesday Words on Sunday.

To me

A list of -
Random words tumble across
the open page of my thoughts
much like tennis balls
in all their glory
scrambled across an open court
all joining in their own simple untold story
waiting to be heard-
by you.