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Looking at and Listening to Bugs. My Daughter doesn't like it when the bugs make it into our house. Particularly into her room. But we both find it fun to view them up close outside. And who doesn't like the sound of crickets on a cool summer evening? I like that Simon and Schuster has picture books about bugs that include a magnifying glass. One of my daughter's favorite things to do was to capture a critter and put it in her magnifying box to check out it's many legs. I think I was just … [Read more...] about Picture Books about Bugs and Insects

Baby or Old man? Look back on many classic paintings of Madonna and child. The babies often look like miniature adults. And some would say that babies in medieval paintings look like ugly old men. I often wondered why this was, and this linked article has an explanation with a little humor in it. Baby or Blob? Recently I've read where some artists say they find it very difficult to draw babies. They say their attempts end up looking like blobs. I'm sure some wonder why this is as well. … [Read more...] about Baby Faces

Getting out. The first thing to do after having been cooped up in our homes for so long was to get out. For many it was done with baby steps. When weather permitted, those in my house always went for a walk. It felt like we were connecting with our neighborhood. Even if we rarely saw anyone. Now that spring has arrived we are seeing more people. And I've observed that generally people are keeping a distance when they meet each other on the sidewalk or street. It's nice to have considerate … [Read more...] about Road Trips. Getting Out Again

A Balancing Act. Working on poetry, I tried to think of repeating patterns. This made me think of Paul Simons' lyrics to Patterns. He stated our lives were full of patterns we had little control over. Having control, a characteristic that makes us feel more comfortable. Having control of one's words or medium is a delicate balance to play with. Words written can come across different than words spoken. Sometimes we need reference points. A facial expression. Historical reference. … [Read more...] about Patterns

Family Station Wagon. With the exception of a limo, you couldn't stretch the family car further than the station wagon. Growing and expanding, our family had several different cars back in the day. The greatest percentage of them were family station wagons. The last, before the elder kids started moving away from home, was the Country Squire. Almost as snazzy as the family truckster in the Vacation movies. Being one of the younger kids there was no doubt about where I'd get to … [Read more...] about Family Togetherness