evening looking across glen lake
no sand dunes to be seen
perfectly quiet and still
—
the further north we headed
toward the lake
the more smoke was in the air
canada
our neighbors to the north
were suffering from big fires
the sunset tried to shine through
it’s sparkles made it to the water
—
‘flame is very near to smoke.’
-Plautus
—
glen lake, michigan, usa – july 2026
waiting in baggage claim
at the airport
kind of quiet
nothing much happening
the mood
suddenly changes
all i can hear is
‘ooh, ooh, ooh!’
someone
has arrived
someone else
has been waiting
both are
so so so happy
to see each other
they run
they start
hugging
jumping
ooooooing
and
walk by smiling
it’s impossible
not be happy
right along with them
their unbridled joy
spills over
and is infectious.
—
‘do you ever get secondhand happiness?
like when someone is happy
so you’re happy
because they’re happy.’
-soul in ink
a very creative parking spot
the sign said stop, she he did
—
‘the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.’
-will rogers
that feeling when your sibling takes up way too much space in the bed
today’s dramatic moment
starring:
olive and pete the cat
—
”i’d learned a long time ago that of the finest weapons in my arsenal
was my ability to invade personal space.’
-maggie stiefvater
*Maggie Stiefvater is a #1 New York Times bestselling American author, artist, and musician best known for her atmospheric young adult fantasy novels. Her work spans across multiple genres, blending magical realism, folklore, and lyrical prose. Before committing to writing full-time, Stiefvater worked as a professional portrait artist and a wedding musician. She brings these creative backgrounds into her storytelling and frequently composes custom musical soundtracks for her book releases.
who doesn’t remember these?
the school treat
vanilla
with
chocolate or strawberry swirl
ice cream sundae
in a little cup
after finishing off
your slice of school pizza
but the best part
wasn’t
the icy crystals on top
after being
frozen and refrozen
in the old school fridge
or
the little lid
you had to pry off
to reveal the treat
or
the pockets of flavor
running through it like a river
no
the best part
was
the little wooden spoon
that came with it
tearing open
the wrapper
using it to scoop out
every drop of ice cream
the flavor ribbons
right on
the inside curve
of the little cup
something
about it
didn’t taste
the same
without
that little wood spoon
it
added to the flavor
made it perfect
i can still
taste
that spoon
even now.
—
‘i was eating some candy and looked on the wrapper,
and it said:
made from natural and artificial flavors.
you could just say flavors.’
-demitri martin
the river at the end of my street
—
“i would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.”
– john o’ donohue
—
*John O’Donohue, an Irishman from County Clare, was a priest and writer, philosopher and poet, environmental activist, life teacher, speaker and humanist. With Anam Cara, Eternal Echoes and Divine Beauty he wrote world bestsellers. He loved human existence in all its facets. His most important topic was to live life to the fullest without fear. To him, the maximum transgression of being human was the unlived life. -irland news, markus bauchle
—
huron river, ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer
after reading a funny mosquito battle story
posted by my blogging friend, mark from ‘Mark My Words’
https://markpetruska.com/2026/07/09/nobody-meshes-around-with-mark/
i was reminded of an epic insect battle i once had
when i was visiting and staying in the middle of a rain forest in costa rica
posted in july, three years ago
—
in all of the my recent time spent in the various forests and habitats
and all of my encounters with flora and fauna
(with each of them having powers much stronger than mine)
i never once had a situation where they were aggressive
or when i had to defend myself against any of them
until
one night in a rain forest hotel
with screened windows for an open cross breeze
perfect for sleeping
after hiking around all day
i at last laid down exhausted on my bed
only to feel something flying near my face
jumping up and turning on a light
i noticed quite a few flying ants
buzzing around my room
and some walking ants marching around
who i strongly tried to encourage to leave my space
and then every time i would feel like i was in charge
i’d see a couple more casually strolling or flying by
from the corner of my eye
so i tried to figure out how they had gotten in
to find the source
i remembered the humans telling us
not to leave our doors open for more than a minute
as all of the bugs, and perhaps a mammal, would feel free to visit
i remembered talking to a fellow traveler
with my door open
just before going in to sleep
so perhaps the ant leaders and their minions had taken that as a welcome
as i looked around the room
i noticed some of the flying ones stuck inside of my lampshade
no doubt waylaid when trying to ‘go to the light’
and the marching ants seemed to be heading to my extra pillow
to join others who got there early to hang out in its case
knew i had to take drastic measures
my survival skills kicked in
i took the entire ant nightclub/pillow, case and all
threw it in the shower
turned the water on high for a bit
(was i trying to drown them?)
then tried to close them in the bathroom
by haphazardly/half-assedly (if it was a word)
closing the door and using bath towels to fill in the cracks
with a small crack to let a bit of light out to watch for others
not the best plan
(was i trying to imprison them?)
finally went to sleep
with one last solo flyer buzzing by
just to make his point
when i woke up in the morning
none were to be found marching around or flying by
all quiet on the rainforest front
i’m sure they were resting after all of their late night hijinks
i’m guessing whoever came to clean my room later
might wonder why
i had a drenched bed pillow in a case hanging to dry in the shower
with the door closed and towels all used
why my lampshade was filled with dried flyers
if i get a bill for a replacement pillow
one day when i least expect it
perhaps in 3 years and a day
i will happily pay the bill
it would be a small price to pay
for winning my battle
the ants are probably laughing it off somewhere
taking showers
marching and flying as they please
knowing they actually won the battle
with only a few downed soldiers left behind
they’d find a new place to party the next night.
no doubt with replacements.
and the howler monkeys screeched out ‘good morning’ as only they can do.
“bugs are not going to inherit the earth. they own it now. so we might as well make peace with the landlord.”
– thomas eisner
measured my super long receipt after a visit to CVS
they are so known for them
that people have come up with jokes and uses for them
i bought 2 items and mine was the size of a typical 2 -year old
*average toddler heights generally range from 32 to 39 inches (81 to 99 cm) between the ages of 1 and 3
By 2 years, the typical toddler is about 34 inches (86 cm) tall.
—
CVS receipts are the punchline to endless jokes and viral internet memes about their absurd, over-the-top lengths.
here are some of the memorable quotes, tweets, and jokes about those legendary CVS receipts:
CVS blames their “love of savings” for the insanely long receipts, which have reached new heights, according to customers who are sharing images of the monster-sized strips of paper on social media sites.
—
image credits: reddit, instagram, facebook, twitter
does this ever happen to you? i’ve been there. more than once.
—
“i hate when people accuse me of lollygagging when I’m quite clearly dilly-dallying.”
—
while both mean to waste time, Dictionary.com highlights a slight nuance.
Lollygagging is the act of idly wandering or goofing off while fully aware you are avoiding a task.
Dilly-dallying usually involves a bit of distraction or indecisiveness where you delay productivity
by moving slowly or finding smaller, unimportant tasks to do.
Japanese artist Akie Nakata (known as Akie) turns found rocks into realistic animal paintings
Akie has a unique way of looking at the world. While many would simply pass over a rock or a stone, Akie is able to see their potential. For the past nine years, she’s taken ordinary stones and transformed them into something magical using paint. Under her watchful eye, these rocks become highly realistic animals that fit into the palm of your hand.
Using only acrylic gouache—no pen—and working with tiny brushes, Akie carefully brings each animal to life. In reality, the creative process begins from the moment she spots a rock. Its natural shape helps inspire what animal it will become. “Stones have their own intentions, and I consider my encounters with them as cues to go ahead and paint what I see on them.”
From cuddly dogs and curious cats to various frogs, birds, and mice, there is no animal that Akie can’t make magically appear before our eyes. Her talent has garnered her a huge following on Instagram and Facebook, where the stones she makes available for purchase are usually snapped up quickly.
Occasionally, Akie will also post before and after photographs of her rock art. When viewed side by side, Akie’s work is even more impressive. Natural markings might become eyes and a pointed edge may transform into a nose -with Akie, anything is possible. For the artist, it’s all about bringing the animal to life and hoping that its future owner will enjoy it as much as she does.
“To me, completing a piece of work is not about how much detail I draw, but whether I feel the life in the stone.”
—
“0ne eye sees, the other feels.”
― Paul Klee, pioneering Swiss/German artist
—
source credits: my modern met, j. stewart, facebook, instagram
I didn't have my glasses on.... 