Spent a day in Detroit. So much to see in this Motor City. Promised myself that I’d return in the future; maybe the Grand Prix of Detroit on Belle Isle in the spring; or the Heidelberg Project, a neighborhood rising from the ruins of American politics as usual. The day was spent at the…
A mid summer visit to Kraklauer Creek. Wildflowers and everything else is at the apogee of life. At that point does a plant pass from the everyday mundane into the realm of sculpture? Sculpture is made to touch. And this is but a sliver of life that simultaneously “happens.” A friend recently…
So, which plant would you designate as cultivated, and which a randomly growing, “volunteer” weed? Would either plant “know,” have any sensibility of the distinction? Is it a matter of beauty? Though distinct in vegetative form, and shape of blossom, each is beautiful in it’s own way. Where is the dividing line of…
Ahh, Summerfest, the annual music festival on the Milwaukee lakefront. Anticipation of Summerfest keeps me going in the dark and often bitter Midwestern winters. It’s all about the music, –nine performance venues! Music and beer. Ok, non-alcoholic libation is for sale too. I thought of the ancient god of wine, of ritual madness, fertility,…
Everything is context. The severe weather missed us. A gentle rain had fallen over night. I walked over to the garden. The dark wet earth framed the lush, soft green of the young tomato plants. I noticed some weeds that survived the hoe, making their come back. I pulled a few, throwing them to…
For the past 5 or 6 years I have put in a small vegetable garden. It’s a month to month process of work, and I have the help of multitudes. What I mean is the presence of the botanists who developed the “Better Boy” hybrid tomato plant, the chemists who worked out the method…
There is a park in Mundelein. A creek runs through the park, providing sanctuary for finches, red wing black birds, and more that I do not recognize. Wild flowers in abundance crowd the opposing banks. Children find adventure descending the stone faced banks to peer into the shallow, slow flowing stream. The more daring…
“attacked me like some fucking ninja” May 19, 2016 5. i had to buy a wristwatch – well, wanted to – since i was sick of digging my fob watch out, and feel a reluctance to rely on mobile phones for the time. i bought a Seiko 5 after watching a great video on the…
Wow! What a Tuesday evening at Beans & Leaves. The house was full and we commenced to “do philosophy” sparked by the lyrics of Bob Dylan. Dylan is iconic of a time, and of a generation. We all pass, but our work lives on if we are lucky. Peter, a serious fan of…
