5-9 April 2025, Norwich, CT

Alanis Obomsawin : “When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.” source
"Be where your feet are." 🥰 Happy Sunday! thank you, Lynne Grigelevich
Chappell Roan "Coffee" listen here
D
"Everyday" by Buddy Holly 
F
"Greenpeace believes that after the last tree is cut, the last river poisoned and the last fish dead, you will find you can’t eat your money." source
I had to crop it - their faces make me physically ill!
Janice Swab has worn the GreenPeace t-shirt for many years
Kansas "Dust in the Wind" on the way to work Monday morning
Logan's sign
Mark's Celebration of Life
"Never Be the Same without you here..." Christopher Cross lyrics
"Only when... the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.” Cree Indian Prophecy
Priorities: Puddles and Presence - was a blog post from 2011 I recently read again and incorporate into the digital "book" I am writing for my son xo
Quote Investigator attributes the origin of this quote here
 Roseate Spoonbill
  thank you Cullen xo
"Shelter From the Storm" ~ Bob Dylan
"Time in a Bottle " ~ Jim Croce
Under the weather this week
Video for Chelsea Groton's Annual Report is in draft now
"You don't need a sign, you just need to keep me safe" ~ LB 4/5/25

The Phraos Gate March 28 - April 5, 2025

Alexandria, Egypt
"Breathtakingly Beautiful" 
"Cacophonous Cloud the obliterated the lamplights and choked the surrounding air."
"Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?" very first words of this book
Egypt... finally!
"Functional family... a concept of perfection that doesn't exist..." 
Griffin's second letter to Sabine 
"...How can I accept myself when...
I feel internally divided?"
Kindred spirits
"Lost Correspondence"
"My faerie Queen, you appear to be right..."
"Never mind that it is held firm in heaven's ellipse, circling beyond mortal reach. If it be you will, I shall take down the moon and place it before you feet."
Quantum metaphysical entanglement
"Rejoices in the book as physical object, weaving together word and image in beautifully illustrated postcards and removable letters that reveal a...
"...Sensual and metaphysical romance, one full of mystery and intrigue." GoodReads
"When two close kindred meet, what better than call a dance?" very last words on the page after Francesca' letter to Maud
"eXtraordinary Tale About Art, Beauty, Madness, and Kindred Spirits" source

28 March 25 The Bear by Andrew Krivak

"A pink dawn flushed across the morning snow as the girl emerged from the cave in her fur and skins with her bow and arrows..." p. 187
"Be hungry for what you have yet to do while you're awake." p. 178
"Cambium bark from a white pine" p. 179
Drupe, n. In Botany a drupe is a simple fleshy fruit with a single pit or stone that contains the seed. A simple fruit is formed from a pollinated ovary of a single flower.
Eagle brought her a goose, whose
Feather she used to make better arrows
"... Gift her father had given her... pointed north no matter [what or who] p. 111
"Her father told her once that all animals were creatures of habit...she could choose to change her habits... change before fear has had a chance to overcome you... or after you have overcome it and like a storm it has moved on." p. 187
".... In the verge of sunlight and shade stood an apple tree..." p 117
Journey of father and daughter as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been wiped out. source
"Knowing she could not have survived the winter without what she had been given, regardless of what she had made." p. 202
"Lyrical and evocative, painting a vivid and atmospheric picture of the wilderness through which the characters journey...
Meditation on the fragility of life, the enduring power of love, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable challenges." source
"...Nodded, and the two walked into the forest as though on a path already marked and trod." p. 118
"Over her shoulder and Oaken bow." p. 191
Puma had rescued her when she tried to cross the thin ice and nearly drowned. p. 201
Quiver of arrows on her back p. 191
"Ravenous attention" p. 200
Susurrant [softly murmuring; whispering] voice of trees" p. 218 Samaras of maple trees p. 113
"... Teeming in the thawed and pulpy sapwood, and these, too, the bear and the girl enjoyed with their supper." p. 203
"Until this autumn, yes, said the bear... But I miss whom I once could touch, as we all must do when we make our way through whatever forest or wood it is in which we travel or are raised..." p.131
"Valley sleeping..." p.211
"Whatever havoc the humans bring upon it, the natural world will make it through." source

Play Day!! September 24, 2011

Austen’s Oughts: Judgment after Locke and Shaftesbury by Karen Valihora [saw this title the other day and thought it was funny] more here - just looked it up (27 March 2025)
Ball for playing with Misty
Consignments shops
Delectable
Evinces: displays clearly (National Treasure from Declaration of Independence)
Forboding: Espero...
Gram's Gingerbread cookies
Halloween costume Hunt
In search of... Items to create Terra from TeanTitans and...
Jeans for you
Kickball with you  and Misty
Labyrinthian
Movies with... yep... YOU!
Nemo is Next
Order most recent favorite pics from Walgreens
Play!!
Rite Aid: Red kickball
Scrapbook
Tenacity: persistent determination.
Upload favorite pics
Whole Foods
Yum!
Zen tea

Retail therapy helped us through the month since Misty's passing

Ashes will be saved And scattered 
Bookcase and Bureaus adorned with photos. Birthday 
Celebration for Logan's 29th (21 March 25) and this store:
  
Dropped Logan off at his friend Jade's in Deep River
Enjoyed an afternoon and Evening of adventuring
Frames for Misty photos and this Fish bottle
   Found at Maria's Treasures
Game X Change in Norwich 2x makes the perfect "x" (see below)
Home Depot for paint colors and now... 🤷‍♀️I can't remember what else
I'm not usually a fan of retail therapy,  but we just couldn't be where Misty used to be with us on weekend afternoons, so it has been helpful these last few weeks. Now 1 month and 1 day
with Mom after her appointment
Kohl's / Sephora for Logan 
Lisbon CT - and then Lowe's for a rug for the Living room
Misty, March 22, 2021 popped up on my FB feed yesterday :(
New Haven for Ben's birthday gifts from Strange Ways
Olde Mistick Village
Pink Basil  
 insearch of "good" protein bars
Rug is just Right for our living Room
Sherwin Williams for and paint for bathroom and front door "Forget-me-not" purple
  for Ben's birthday gifts
Tea Kettle for Brunch on the way to New Haven
Uploaded 1st of many misty videos to a brand new playlist just now 23 March 2025
Video playist of our pup video : click here
 3.21.25
 3.22.25
Zut! French, "zut" is an interjection meaning "damn," "shoot," or "darn," often used to express mild annoyance or frustration, and is generally considered polite. [was in a book I decided not to continue reading]

ABCs of re-reading The Morning Star by Nick Bantock

Attitude adjustment: "A gentler pace will give you time to evolve." ~ Griffin to Isabella 1st postcard of The Morning Star by Nick Bantock
"By insulating myself from the elements, I failed my innate need to know exactly where I was." ~ Griffin to Isabella 1st postcard of The Morning Star by Nick Bantock 
Carry out this masque with Conviction, we may reap a significant reward...
Do not underestimate your own courage. You are part of an
Elite. Not of power, position and wealth, but an Elite of the sensitive, the considerate and the tenacious...
Few gain notoriety. They are sensitive to others as well as themselves,  their consideration is without Frills, their tenacity is not braggartly but has the power to endure, and above all they can accept the irony of their own Fate."
Sabine's long letter to Matthew 
Griffin's cat, Minnaloushe, is from William Butler Yeats' poem "The Cat and the Moon" a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeats. In the poem, Minnaloushe is a cat that stares at the moon and lifts its eyes to its changing phases. more here 
"However, before your hunger for Matthew can be satisfied thege are certain precautions to be observed. " ~ Griffin's first postcard to Isabella
"In the desert, The Great Lion rose up, lifting upon its head the Morning Star... 
... its hour come around at last." ~ The very last words of The Morning Star by Nick Bantock.  If only I could find Pharos Gate at a reasonable price... "Published simultaneously with the 25th-anniversary edition of Griffin & Sabine, The Pharos Gate finally shares what happened to the lovers in a gorgeous volume that will surely delight Griffin and Sabine's longtime fans and a new generation of readers."
Jess, have you ever heard of these fabulous books by Nick Bantock? I will  email today!  BTW, what was that app we did during the pandemic? Miss you
"Keep up your guard" ~ Matthew to Isabella
Laundry : Later... perhaps
Note: "M" was "Mow lawn" but was years ago in NC. Now it is 3.9.25 and we are in Norwich, CT
Our forever home yard will be wildflowers instead, once it's warmer enough!
"Pharos Lighthouse guiding you safely into port" ~ Matthew's post card to Isabella
"...Quiet precognition, waiting for a glimpse of the future, unsure whether my instincts were to be confirmed. Eventually all doubt receded..." ~ Sabine's letter to Matthew
Reading:
"Stop to listen to the wind as it whispers your whereabouts." ~ Griffin to Isabella 1st postcard of The Morning Star by Nick Bantock
Trim along the fence [our forever Home yard doesn't need this, in fact, perhaps we'll remove the fence completely!
"Unleash your wings and fly swiftly as you are able..." ~ Griffin's postcard to Isabella 
"Victor Fralatti is the embodiment of deception, the Lord of Somnambulists..."
"When my thrist for reminiscence was slaked I visited the oracular waterfalls on ta Fin...
eXceptionally soft, almost metallic,  and trance inducing. Traditionhas it that its spray clears away cobwebs of deceit." ~ Sabine to Matthew 
"Your body must reflect a quiet singularity... your limitations [are] your fears" ~ Sabine's postcard to Matthew
"Z" by John Kincheloe... do you see it?

Re-reading Griffin and Sabine

"An Extraordinary Correspondence"
Book #3
Cott Cottages
Darlington Devon, England
Elation. Euphoria ... "my search for my "Equal opposite." ~ The Golden Mean: In Which The Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
"Figure whose reflection is seen in the shop had an aura of absolute self-belief
...he is on my side." ~ Griffin 
"How strange to have paper love." ~  Griffin's second letter to Sabine
"Idiosyncratic vision of the universe. " ~ Griffin's first letter to Sabine Griffin & Sabine
"If you're reading this, then you exist...
also by Nick Bantock
"Keep strong" Sabine
"Like Ariadne holding the string for Perseus while he enters the Minotaur's labyrinth,  your words might keep me from going hopelessly astray." ~ Griffin's first letter. Sabine's Notebook: In Which The Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
"Make sure you look after yourself."  Griffin's second letter to Sabine
"Navigate their land by songs and stories."
"Open richly decorated envelopes and draw forth intricately illustrated letters, to decipher quirky handwritten postcards with their macabre and magical artwork,  to indulge..." 
"Paper love" ~ Griffin's second letter to Sabine
"Remember to be gentle with yourself." ~ Sabine's 5th postcard "Remember,  I'm holding the string end, and I won't allow you to dissappear into oblivion."
"Test of our Tenacity" ~ Sabine's second post card to Griffin in The Golden Mean
Unseen adversary 
Villain: Victor Frolatti
"With potent, dreamlike art and compelling prose, the first two volumes of this extraordinary trilogy have captured the creative imaginations readers..."
"How eXasperating you can be."
"Yet neither can continue without the prsence of the other."
Zen of reading a few pages at a time and sharing with others

Keep Going --> by Austin Kleon

 "A Paper Prayer" 🙏 see "T" below "Build a Bliss Station" Chapter 2
"Creativity is about Connection... but it is also about disconnetion... You must play hide-and-seek in ordered to produce something worth being found." p. 39
"Decline for secret reasons. " ~ E. B. White qtd p. 56
Every Day is Groundhog Day is Chapter 1 I opened to it on 2/2/2025
"Finish every day and be done with it... ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson p. 30
Gifts: pp. 92-97
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~ Annie Dillard
"I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process – an integral function of the universe." ~ R. Buckminster Fuller qtd p. 67
JOMO: The Joy Of Missing Out... a blissful, serene enjoyment in knowing,  and celebrating ... but are simply skipping." qtd Anil Dash p. 61
Learn How to Say "no." p. 57
"My time is gone and my brains are scattered." p. 45
Nina Katchadourian's Seat Assignment check her art out here
"Opportunity to reconnect with yourself and your [art]." p. 55
"Play hide-and-seek in ordered to produce something worth being found." p. 39
Quasi-dream state p. 45 Quincy Jones: "God walks out of the 
room when you're thinking about money." p. 78
Richard Walker: "Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the battles of those two awful eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives us mad. It is the remorse or bitterness for something that happened yesterday or the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore do our best to live but one day at a time." Source
"Silence and Solitude are crucial." p. 39 "Sister Mary Corita Kent... would lead her students... to 'See for the Sake of Seeing, and discover all the things that [we] nevered bothered to notice.'" p. 102
Upon waking, when [my] mind is fresh p. 45
"Volunteer your time and teach someone else how to make what you make and do what you do." p.95
"We got rid of the day as well as we could." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne qtd. p. 32
Ordinary + eXtra attention  = eXtraordinary - Chapter 5 pp.98-119
"You go diving for pearls, but sometimes you end up with clams." ~ Jerry Garcia p. 31
Zine: King-Cat John Porcellino check it out here

A Collect of moments : late Jan early Feb 2025

Beef stew - impromptu - yum!! 2/2/25
"...Dignity of being loyal to something you believe in, of holding on to it. Above all else, of believing, without question, that it will carry you home." ~ Robert Downey,  Jr. as Steve Lopez in The Soloist
"Everything was so... alive, making it feel impossible that anything could ever die here. But maybe,in a way, nothing did." p. 121


"Give teeth to the pain already writhing inside of me." p.118 A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

 I felt compelled to change the word from "being" to "feeling," because I remember feeling that way, but it is an Illusion (see this blog posts' "x"

Margo "ABC : Always Be Coloring" by Tracy 
Olivia Lane "Who I  Thought You Were"  listen here 

Pre-dawn Puddles 🤷‍♀️ inside 🤷‍♀️

Thank you Lynne 
"Remember You Young" Thomas Rhett watch and listen here
"Snow is gently falling..." ~ Gordon Lightfoot 
"Unsettled instinct, he'd pulled away even farther." p. 10 "Unraveling seam in the Universe, a portal to a new realm where nothing else existed." p. 119  A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
"Vastly unknowable and enduringly steady. A persistent force at the center of my world." p. 258  A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
EXtricating herself from the hungry forest after years of [feeling] trapped." p. 11  A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young I felt compelled to change the word from "being" to "feeling," because I remember feeling that way, but it is an illusion
Zagarenski art 🎨 ✨️ does it again 😍
Source Perfect timing