May 26
All we have to do is to wake up and change. ~ Greta Thunberg
I hope you’ve all been marvelling at the ongoing debates regarding the relative merits of living in Minnesota versus Florida. Apparently some are fleeing the Land of 10,000 Lakes for the sunshine state allegedly for lower tax and crime rates. While this is a discussion for another time and place, for the record, the facts actually are Minnesota has lower cost of living than Florida as well as lower crime rates. I would not mind as much if those moving to Florida would just cite their obvious reason – they prefer warm weather to cold. As a reminder, however, you can dress for cold weather; you cannot undress enough for hot weather. We are now, unfortunately, heading into the hot and muggies in the Gopher state – and I’m within a month of getting caught up in this blog . . . ~ Me
Fiction is where I go to tell the truth. ~ Pat Conroy
America has everything, why should they want us? ~ George Harrison
April 22
The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard. ~ Gaylord Nelson
We haven’t yet learnt to take care of Earth, yet we are now headed for Mars as colonizer. With the money it’ll take to get to Mars, we can literally end world hunger. ~ Abhijit Naskar
Earth has plenty resources to suffice our need, but no planet has enough resources to suffice our greed. ~ Abhijit Naskar
[Van Gooch discusses his EV car with John Huseth . . . ]
Earth was such a little, vulnerable thing in the grand scope of the universe. ~ Laura Lam
There is only one way to keep ourselves alive and that is to keep the earth alive! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan
[The guardians at the door: Ken and Jeanne Howell . . . ]
What you do matters. Like a stone tossed into a lake, your actions have ripples that carry far and wide. ~ Jeffrey Blander
You are an indispensable and irreplaceable asset to the human family. ~ Ilchi Lee
It is a privilege to exist, it is a privilege to live and all this made possible by our Earth, our beautiful warm home in this cold universe! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan
When we look at the space at night, the deep emptiness and the frightening darkness in the universe motivate us to love our Earth even more! ~ Mehmet Murat ildan
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. ~ Robert Swan
If every day were Earth Day we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
[Our neighbor . . . ]
I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use. ~ Mother Teresa
We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it. ~ Barack Obama
You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you. ~ Vandana Shiva
Land really is the best art. ~ Andy Warhol
The Earth is what we all have in common. ~ Wendell Berry
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~ Albert Einstein
To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash. ~ Bill Nye
It looks big, Earth. But there are lots of us on here (7,523,458,567 and counting) so be kind. ~ Oliver Jeffers
The wanting was a wilderness and I had to find my own way out of the woods. ~ Cheryl Strayed
What about naming trees?…if we have a tree in our name, we want that tree to live. ~ Jane Goodall
Every day is Earth Day, and I vote we start investing in a secure climate future right now. ~ Jackie Speier
The miracle is not to fly in the air or to walk on water, but to walk on the earth. ~ Chinese proverb
No one comes from the earth like grass. We come like trees. We all have roots. ~ Maya Angelou
Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known. ~ Carl Sagan
You can never see a plant grow, but they do. ~ Carol Plum-Ucci
We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. ~ Albert Einstein
For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
[Keepers of the flame: Gene Rose and Steve Henry . . . ]
You don’t live on earth, you are passing through. ~ Rumi
The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy. ~ Joshua Becker
[The proposed Alexandria Nature Trail . . . ]
It is a blessing to be the color of the earth; do you know how often flowers confuse me for home? ~ rupi kaur
If the environment is happy, people will laugh and your grief will go away. ~ Srinivas Mishra
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the centre is everywhere and the circumference nowhere. ~ Blaise Pascal
[Fearless leader Jon Koll . . . ]
If you can’t be in awe of Nature, there’s something wrong with you. ~ Alex Trebek
An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment. ~ David Attenborough
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and my soul. ~ John Muir
[The aforementioned Van Gooch talking the science of climate change . . . ]
The sun does not forget a village just because it is small. ~ African Proverb
Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished. ~ Lao Tzu
Look after the land and the land will look after you, destroy the land and it will destroy you. ~ Aboriginal Proverb
The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. ~ E. E. Cummings
Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do. ~ Michel de Montaigne
[Bryan Van Gorp discussed the necessity of reducing our carbon footprints . . . ]
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. ~ Robert Swan
I really thought love would save us all. ~ John Lennon
[And then it was on to the winery for an afternoon with Jeff James . . . ]
We’re just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that’s all. ~ Paul McCartney
When I feel my head start to swell, I look at Ringo and know perfectly well we’re not supermen. ~ John Lennon
We just get together and whoever knows most of the words sings the lead. ~ John Lennon
We don’t set examples. We smoke because we’ve always smoked. ~ George Harrison
[Ruthie and Karin rush up to put bread in the jar during “Piano Man” . . . ]
We’re more popular than Jesus now. ~ John Lennon
If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or my music, then in that respect you can call me that…I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it. ~ John Lennon
When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps. ~ John Lennon
April 23
Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush. ~ Doug Larson
April 24
Despite the forecast, live like it’s Spring. ~ Lilly Pulitzer
[For those keeping track at home, yesterday was ice out on Lake H2Obert . . . ]
In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. ~ Mark Twain
In those days, though, the spring always came finally but it was frightening that it had nearly failed. ~ Ernest Hemingway
I’ve never been to a class reunion or anything because I’m always afraid of that one – there’s going to be some ‘Carrie’- like incident.” ~ Paul Feig
[The Boys of ’65 had had only one lunch together in the last 6 months. A combination of COVID, a long and icy winter, and personal health issues (for all of us) were at fault. Bradley was still indisposed this week, but Mayo and I decided to give it a shot anyway. Do not ask about his beverage. I don’t recall its name. And even after it arrived, we googled the ingredients and still couldn’t figure it out. He wasn’t even sure if it contained alcohol, but if it did we presumed it would be Tequila. He liked it. We visited for the usual 2 & a half hours, during which I learned he had traced his family tree back to 300 B.C., and then we went home for late afternoon naps . . . ]
Thank you Facebook for making a class reunion entirely unnecessary. ~ Anonymous
What’s the point of a high school reunion? I have Facebook. I already know you got fat. ~ Anonymous
If you went back to your reunion from school, you would probably find that if you ranked everyone in your class into terms of levels of introversion and extroversion, you’d still be the same rank. ~ Susan Cain
Never go to your high school reunion pregnant or they will think that is all you have done since you graduated. ~ Erma Bombeck
April 25
Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art. ~ Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
[Senior College of West Central Minnesota: “10,000 Lakes and More: Minnesota’s Aquatic Ecosystems” ~ Miriam Gieske, University of Minnesota]
The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
[“Minnesota has over 14,000 lakes and innumerable wetlands . . . “]
You can live to be a hundred if you give up all things that make you want to live to be a hundred. ~ Woody Allen
[“Come learn about the force that created these bodies of water, the plants and animals that call them home today – the threats they face, and what we can do to preserve them into the future . . . “]
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been. ~ David Bowie
It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone. ~ Andy Rooney
[After Senior College, we went to D. Michael B’s for dinner – as we have been doing for years. Lest you didn’t know, D. Michael B’s is a 37-year old iconic restaurant in Alexandria that is closing soon to make way for a mall makeover. And since yesterday was a beautiful sunshiny day (though temps in the 40’s, with wind), all of Alexandria went “out” for dinner. The wait at D. Michael B’s was an hour and a half; the wait the neighboring Pike & Pint was 45 minutes; we ultimately ended up at Willy T’s where a good time was had by all . . . ]
April 26
Some guy said to me: ‘Don’t you think you’re too old to sing rock n roll?’ I said: ‘You’d better check with Mick Jagger.’ ~ Cher
[The last meeting of the Wednesday night fine dining group at Lure Lakebar for the season. We will move on to the Alexandria Golf Club until the cold winds blow again . . . ]
Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
We don’t grow older, we grow riper. ~ Pablo Picasso
April 29
There are always going to be bad things. But you can write it down and make a song out of it. ~ Billie Eilish
[Robb Justice at the winery . . . ]
A goal is just a dream with a deadline. ~ Drake
May 3
My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&M’s and a chocolate cake. I feel better already. ~ Dave Barry
[Ruthie abandoned me and the babies for 6 days. She redeemed herself on return with a loaf of peasant bread from Cossetta’s in St. Paul . . . ]
Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche. ~ Lewis Grizzard
[This is the first of the aforementioned Wednesday fine dining nights at the golf club . . . ]
I would like to find a stew that will give me heartburn immediately, instead of at three o’clock in the morning. ~ John Barrymore
Vegetarians are cowards. They just kill things that can’t move. ~ Anonymous
[A table is reserved for canes and walkers . . . ]
If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased. ~ Katharine Hepburn
Why should I care about posterity? What has it ever done for me? ~ Groucho Marx
Every life is a novel for those who are curious enough to look into it. ~ Anne Berest
Up Next: Same ole, same ole . . .
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