Monthly Archives: June 2015

An abundance of raspberries

Posted on June 30, 2015 by jyourist

The raspberries are ripening this week and with all the rain we have had so far this season, there is an abundance of them. For the past few days, each morning I have gone into the garden to gather the … Continue reading →

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“Design” by Billy Collins

Posted on June 29, 2015 by jyourist

I pour a coating of salt on the table and make a circle in it with my finger. This is the cycle of life I say to no one. This is the wheel of fortune, the Arctic Circle. This is … Continue reading →

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Amazing Grace

Posted on June 28, 2015 by jyourist

President Obama’s eulogy for the Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine killed during Bible study at the AME church in Charleston, was a powerfully put perspective on race, love, spirituality, justice, and activism. Obama even broke into singing “Amazing … Continue reading →

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You know how it is with adventures

Posted on June 27, 2015 by jyourist

My son left early this morning for the airport, on his way to Japan, his third trip there. This time the trip will last for at least three months but may be as long as two years or more, depending … Continue reading →

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An historic day!

Posted on June 26, 2015 by jyourist

Obama’s powerful and compassionate response to the Supreme Court decision today legalizing gay marriage. And the final poetic and heartfelt paragraph of Justice Kennedy’s Opinion for the majority: No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals … Continue reading →

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Clamorous chorus of adolescent pandemonium

Posted on June 25, 2015 by jyourist

Today I drove the school mini bus to help a friend out who had recently had some surgery on her foot. She is teaching a summer school class on Chicago and today was a field trip to the Chicago History … Continue reading →

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Urging the outside in

Posted on June 23, 2015 by jyourist

On our back porch, which is enclosed, one of the windows has cracked. We haven’t paid too much attention to it because the crack is behind some cloth we have hanging over the windows. Today I noticed that the ivy … Continue reading →

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Nidaa Badwan

Posted on June 22, 2015 by jyourist

Nidaa Badwan is a Palestinian artist from Gaza. In November 2013, she was harassed by some Hamas officers when she was working with some youth in an arts program and was questioned about why she was hanging out with males and why she … Continue reading →

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Father’s Day and Solstice Dinner

Posted on June 21, 2015 by jyourist

Father’s Day and Summer Solstice dinner prepared by me and my son for JB: Grilled Rainbow Trout, grilled mushrooms and asparagus, Japanese cole slaw, rice. Not pictured: grilled onions and Japanese sweet potatoes; Negronis, Sake, Aberlour; turtle torte, mango custard, … Continue reading →

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…nothing to do with miles

Posted on June 19, 2015 by jyourist

Very early this morning JB and I went to the Botanical Gardens. It was a cool, crisp, sunny day, 58 degrees, an unusual June morning. As we walked through the Japanese Gardens, I couldn’t help but think of my son’s imminent … Continue reading →

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