-A book should grab you by the lapels and kiss you into tomorrow. (Author Kevin Ansbro)
-Death Valley National Park - a diverse wonder - defied its doomsday name when experienced in February's 70-degree temps.
-Viewing a solar eclipse in the zone of totality became a life imperative. Visiting Vermont for the first time was a bonus.
-Switching between two phones while using a laptop to track cloud cover percentages for total-eclipse-day fried almost every one of my brain cells.
-Welcome back to Spotify Joni Mitchell. (and Neil Young)
-Watching my 5-year-old grandniece skip down the street as she blew kisses to the sun, the beach, the sand dunes, the flowers, and the sky informed my definition of seashore bliss.
-After 34 years, the deer have found our meager summer garden. Curses!
-Palmyra, Samm Henshaw, Molly Tuttle, Hermanos Guitierrez, and New Dangerfield were some of the 'new-to-me' performers at this year's Newport Folk Fest whose music now resides in my Spotify playlists.
-The clean-up icon in the iPhone Photos app is a platinum-level addiction.
-First visit to LasVegas + Super Bowl weekend = Wowza!
-Never say never. Joni Mitchell's weekend concerts at the Hollywood Bowl were as far-fetched a dream as any. And yet, there we were in October listening both nights to a 27-song set that dove into her rich catalog.
-Sharing that weekend with my music-loving eldest child quenched all thirst.
-Spoiler alert - we are lucky to live in the time of Joni Mitchell.
-My reading skills met their match with 100 Years of Solitude.
-We could have had an intelligent woman and competent Congress leading the country. But, you know, the price of those darn eggs. 😐
-No matter where we go, sharing time away with my college friends fuels my soul and tickles my funny bone.
-The magic created when a couple chooses to marry on the 15th anniversary of their first date softens the toughest among us.
-My youngest daughter's varied travels in Southeast Asia have unlocked little-known wonders inside my Pennsylvania brain.
-Attempting to sign into any accounts via phone or computer when I am away from home seems equal to trying to steal the nuclear codes.
-Visiting Christmas markets in Strasbourg, France, and Basel, Switzerland along with seeing the refurbished Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris amped up holiday magic.
-Strolling out onto the Ocean City NJ Fishing Club's 748 ft. long pier this summer when it was open to the public for one night almost made me want to fish.
-When swarm, cluster, colony, or loveliness are the synonym options for naming a group of ladybugs - loveliness will always get my vote.
-Giving a solo standing ovation at the end of the film Wicked tracks for me.
-My unscientific observations made while traveling in Europe this month confirmed that European footwear easily out-styles US footwear by a very wide margin.
-Spotting W. Kamau Bell at an airport gate challenged my fan-girl sensibilities. I praised his work, lauded his activism, and asked for a selfie. No shame.
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| W. Kamau Bell & a fan |
Dearest Reader,
Another spin around the sun - another reminder of the ticking clock.
Thanks for taking your precious time to read this vanity project post.
Peace and good health to you and to those in your heart.
And now, a poem for you.
a wish for the new year
by Megan Failey
because I cannot wish anyone a year
where nothing hard happens, I wish
you a year where you meet what is
hard with softness. where you know
softness is an impeccable strength. I
wish you a heart like a neon sign that
blinks: OPEN 24 HOURS. I wish you an
advent calendar of a year behind
the door of each day: a small gift,
a surprise sweetness, an unexpected
bliss. I wish you a life like a crowbar,
prying your chest open, letting more
love in
Joni Mitchell - Hollywood Bowl -10/20/24
Below is the link to the December 2024 podcast by NYTimes critic-at-large Wesley Morris along with his editor Sasha Weiss as they share thoughts on attending Joni Mitchell's return to performance at the Hollywood Bowl concerts in October.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/podcasts/the-daily/joni-mitchell-blue.html
And lastly, I learned the word for this airborne ballet
is murmuration.
It's something I could watch for a very long time!
(seen in Ocean City NJ)
