Category Archives: holidays

Lift every voice

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Earlier today, I visited Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl, and all of the kindergarten classes as they participated in the “King Sing,” led by their amazing music teacher. A former principal was visiting the class today to read from Martin’s … Continue reading →

Posted in children, education, holidays, rituals, singing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Irish soda bread

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

We’re still eating the soda bread — and despite the warning that it would harden like the Blarney Stone, it has remained fairly moist and certainly tasty. Maybe it’s the humidity here in Chicago during this global warming-induced heat wave. … Continue reading →

Posted in bread, family, food, holidays | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Super sunday?

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

What if, instead of spending millions on advertising, the corporate greed-mongers donated all of that money to schools, hospitals, and unions?  What if instead of spending millions of money to fly super rich folk to the Superbowl, for a super … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, corporate greed, fraud, holidays | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kin in the kitchen

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Thanks to Hanna for the inspiration — her A to Z holiday photo montage kicked my brain into gear. My cousin and his mom (that makes her my aunt) visited us today, and as we sat around the dinner table, … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, community, connection, family, holidays, memory, nostalgia, tradition | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas at dusk

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Posted in holidays, inspiration, photography, winter | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Blueberry trifecta: labor day weekend in Michigan

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

By chance, luck or the randomness of the universe, I scored three pints of the last blueberries of the season at the farmers’ market (hello fall squash and apples, goodbye berries).  In my eagerness make use of the berries,  I … Continue reading →

Posted in autumn, biking, community, corn, endless summer, family, food, holidays, ice cream, neighbors, summer | Tagged , , , , , , | 74 Comments

Trying harder at Inside Out

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Three Oaks hosted Inside Out on Saturday, July 30th.  The festival consisted of many of the Elm Street proprietors showing their wares, plus spaces for games, creative outlets for the kids, and live music. Three Oaks makes an effort to … Continue reading →

Posted in community, experience, holidays, neighbors, summer, tradition | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mother’s Day: several pictures, no words

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Posted in experience, holidays, motherhood, photography, spring, tradition, tranquility, unexpected gifts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

But my mommy said, “No cats.”

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Gorilla Girl and Monkey Man don’t have school tomorrow, so when I visited their classroom today for lunch, I was treated to a surprise — my first, probably of many, homemade Mother’s Day gifts. I greet Mother’s day with a … Continue reading →

Posted in family, holidays, motherhood, tradition, unexpected gifts | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The eye of the beholder

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

We spent the weekend with Ed’s family at our house in Michigan.  It was beautiful not only because the evidence of spring was in our bones, but also because Ed’s mom, Joyce, seemed happy and content to be surrounded by … Continue reading →

Posted in collecting, experience, family, growth, holidays, inspiration, lessons, motherhood, photography, spring, unexpected gifts | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments