Life got loud enough that both Layla and Levi could hear.
And it was hard to hear. Levi got good at catching Layla's tears and wiping them away.
Levi the Leopard #6
All in all, Levi lived in the bliss of Layla's embrace and Layla was comforted by his company...
All in all, Levi lived in the bliss of Layla’s embrace and Layla was comforted by his company. But his alert leopard ears and his eyes that never closed saw and heard everything. And it was not all good…
Levi the Leopard #5
They were best of friends...
They were best of friends. They had tea parties every day and Layla would tell Levi the Leopard all her secrets. He was a good listener. Layla would read to him and he learned about a world outside the toy store. He didn't realize that these would be memories that would keep him alive.
Levi the Leopard #4
Here he is as I found him.
Levi was a broken and torn stuffed animal I found when they bull dozed what I knew as Hobo Jungle on West Commercial Street a few years ago. Here he is as I found him.
On Layla's seventh birthday...
On Layla's seventh birthday she was given the rare opportunity to choose any toy at all from the toy store. Any toy at all. Instead she chose Levi, the Leopard. It was love at first sight.
Levi the Leopard #3
Levi the Leopard began his journey at a local toy store.
Levi the Leopard began his journey at a local toy store. He stood out with his distinct markings and long spotted tail. Even though his fur was soft as a pussywillow his legs were strong as springs. His body stuffed with just the right amount of filling to be strong but huggable. His ears stood up and were alert to every sound. Levi was a good listener.
All seemed well enough in his world in the company of his toy shelf friends.
Then one day a little girl named Layla walked in on her seventh birthday...and Levi's life was about to begin again.
Levi the Leopard #2
This is Levi the Leopard. He wasn't always like this...
This is Levi the Leopard. He wasn't always like this. He didn't always have a torn off ear. Or fur scraped down to nothing leaving patches of bald spots. At one time he had two handsome black eyes. His filling wasn't always sprouting out and the stitches that created his mouth once held a shiny nose in place. That's long gone. His spots have faded and his tail shortened and drooped. But here he is. He remains.
And how he got here is the story....
Levi the Leopard #1
Thank you Starbuck's Commercial Street!
Thank you Starbuck's Commercial Street!
Signs of the Time.
Signs of the Time. Thank you to all the health workers, and the essential janitorial crews, the food preparation folks, the trash teams. Thank you.
This was seen in Falmouth at Falmouth By the Sea, an elderly care and rehabilitation facility.
So 2020. Pandemic of trash meets another.
So 2020. Pandemic of trash meets another.
The Language of Triangles
The Language of Triangles
Memory from April 4th 2014
The Age of Spiritual Intimacy in the Age of Social Distancing.
The Age of Spiritual Intimacy in the Age of Social Distancing. Left to our own devices. That could go poorly. That could go really well.
This is a parking lot I sort of adopt in terms of stewardship...It is now a Covid19 Testing Site for Martin's Point Health.
This is a parking lot I sort of adopt in terms of stewardship...removing bags and bags of trash from it year round. A saint like friend even arrived to remove a couch and overstuffed arm chair someone had tossed over the river bank last year. It is now a Covid19 Testing Site for Martin's Point Health.
This morning I see all the signs. The directions. Stop. Go. Keep right. Do not enter.
I gaze at the river with the tide rising and listen to the wind howling.
Even the elephants in the room wore masks.
Even the elephants in the room wore masks.
It was dreary this morning. Heavy. Grey. Chilly. Stopped by Skillin's Greenhouse...
It was dreary this morning. Heavy. Grey. Chilly.
Stopped by Skillin's Greenhouse parking lot and was revived by their collection of spring bulbs racing toward their spring blossom.
Skillin's is open for curbside pick up. If my pockets were deeper I would have purchased the entire stock to surround myself with these beauties. And hand them out on people's doorsteps like candy. Place them outside the windows of those that cannot leave.
They are great folks at Skillin's who will help with your orders.
Imagine. Seeds and seed starting materials. Spring bulbs ready to blossom and more. See their facebook page for more details.
https://www.facebook.com/SkillinsGreenhouses/
I remember when I had three young children. I relied on the morning sessions at nursery school and montesorri school for my sanity.
I remember when I had three young children. I relied on the morning sessions at nursery school and montesorri school for my sanity. Just sayin'. I needed that head space to carry on as a good mom. Likely my children needed the same. I also know it is a privilege to afford child care in this country and I don't know how young families manage. And now with the pandemic to boot. Hang in there young moms and dads. If you are worried about what your children reveal to their psychiatrists later on it just may be some tender recollection of when their mom and dad read that story at bedtime or when they saw you comforting one another.
This was seen this morning in Falmouth, Maine.
I have been enjoying microgreens from Sprout House Microgreens...
I have been enjoying microgreens from Sprout House Microgreens, a business created by a neighbor of mine who grows these in his backyard greenhouse. Order by email weekly. Bursting sprouts, ridiculously fresh and uplifting. Great side or embellishment to those fresh scallops and fish you can get off the boats these days...and wonderfully nutritious.
Find Sprout House Microgreens on Facebook. Falmouth based business.
https://www.facebook.com/sprouthousemicrogreens/
Third face mask I’ve seen trashed today on my socially distant walks.
Third face mask I’ve seen trashed today on my socially distant walks.
Amy Stacey Curtis preparing for more photos during a recent collaboration.
Amy Stacey Curtis preparing for more photos during a recent collaboration. I include this one because of the tenderness of her assistant helping with the cape attachment. Also,I had asked that her beloved and talented assistants wave the 100 foot Cape of Gratitude to create some folds and shadow and they are prepared at the end of the cape to do so. They were on it and suddenly we had a lovely purple river flowing down this corridor at Bates Mill...billowing and rippling...only the action of 100 feet of satin almost pulled Amy off her feet. She was so graceful about it but we took a moment to recover.
No Amy Stacey Curtis's were harmed in the filming of this : )
And Happy Birthday Amy, today March 31...and thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Please see Amy's full blog post at www.theartistplan.com
Assistants preparing the 100 foot long Cape of Gratitude for superhero artist Amy Stacey Curtis.
Assistants preparing the 100 foot long Cape of Gratitude for superhero artist Amy Stacey Curtis.
This is another photo from our recent collaboration.
Please see Amy's full blog post at www.theartistplan.com