NANCY LOEWEN
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Catwings, Joy, & a Birthday Balloon

7/31/2016

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Dog Walk Discoveries (July 2016)
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​In July I continued my habit of taking very long walks early in the morning, and I was amply rewarded! More flowers, more sidewalk poetry, more amusing lawn ornaments, and more stories.
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Doesn't this flower look like it's lit from within?
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Some mushrooms are really flowers at heart.
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​I don't know what I like better—the soaring flowers that have completely overtaken a light pole; or the tangled, gnarly trunk. 
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Through the trees, a glimpse of a pond I didn't know was there. 

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​Here's an albino squirrel I see frequently on my walks. (Or maybe it's not the same one?!)
​I would like to believe this little guy brings me good luck.
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On a beautiful Sunday morning, this squirrel was enjoying his breakfast—an entire bagel. Maybe he's got the New York Times stashed away somewhere too. 

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A birthday balloon determined to celebrate until the last possible moment.

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Not much to look at here...but wait, isn't that a word on the garage?​
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No joy here...
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​No joy here, either...
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But here the joy has been given permanent status.



​Now for some lawn ornaments...
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I have to believe that this homeowner is a fan of Ursula Le Guin's CATWINGS series. (Makes me feel quite nostalgic. I remember reading these to my kids when they were little.)
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​This yard is a story in itself!

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What made these leaf patterns? 

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​Do you get the feeling the shrub is reaching
with all its might toward the broken branch?

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A food or water dish for a stray cat. Acts of kindness are all around.

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​A shattered TV on the sidewalk...
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...but how lovely, the shattered bits of sky!

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Old box springs ready to be picked up.
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More sidewalk poetry! 
Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk
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​Advice for Gardeners

Accept brevity.
Celebrate decay.
Emancipate failed growth, hope
it'll just keep living. Mulch
near odd places.
Quit raking.
Sleep.
Read unlimited variegated words.
​Xerox your zucchini.

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Autumn winds drag leaves from the trees,
clog the streets in dreary finale.
Bare branches crisscross the heavy sky.
Icy rain spatters, ink-blots the pavement.
I settle at the window, stare into the black flannel,
​search the woolly lining of the night for winter.

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​What hurt you today
was taken out of your heart
by the meadowlark
who slipped the silver needle
of her song
in and out of the grey day
​and mended what was torn.

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Steal It

​Go.
Feel the rush.
Speed.
Take off.
The throw.
The catch.
The slide..
...Safe.

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In closing, here's another flower. Always reach for the light.
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Birthday Bath & a Silver Giraffe

7/28/2016

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This is a Weird Revered post.
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Over the Fourth of July weekend I visited my son (Louis, 21) in Iowa City. (He had a summer research job at the University of Iowa.) We went on several hikes and toured
​the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library—and just before I left, we struck gold at the Salvation Army. (Louis was very patient with me. Some moms spend hours shopping for the just-right pair of shoes or draperies or lamps or whatever. I'm not one of of those moms.) Here are some of my big finds:
Birthday Bath! It's a snow globe AND a music box. It's a clown in a tub with a rubber duck, a boat, lots of bubbles, and a faithful dog companion. ​
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​​I'm not making the "Birthday Bath" part up. 
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Here is another inexplicable music box. This one didn't come with a name, but when I look at this mysterious couple I hear "Androgynous" by the Replacements. 
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I'm not sure what bothers me most about this earnest gal. Is it the missing piece of arm? Or is it the idea that if she were standing up, her arms would probably hang well past her knees?

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​I don't know what this is. But I do know it was carved by hand in Norway. If you're familiar with Norwegian folklore and can tell me the story behind this guy, give me a shout!

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A rooster/polar bear that was NOT hand carved by anyone in any particular country. Which makes it all the more confusing.
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That does it for the Iowa City thrift store adventure, at least for now. (I'm saving a few special seasonal treats for later.) But here is a local find:
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​Remember that episode of 
Friends when Phoebe wants to give Rachel and Monica this 3-D wall art gem named Gladys?

At least my fancy girl comes with a useful box!

I promised you a silver giraffe, didn't I...
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On a super-hot day in early July, I discovered a menagerie across from the Shopko in Windom (MN). 
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Of course I had to take a closer look.
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​And there you go. A silver giraffe.
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    Nancy Loewen author photo

    Nancy Loewen

    is a children's book author, editor, tutor, mom of two adult children and one feisty cat, and collector of weird things.  
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"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road.
They are the destination, ​and the journey. They are home."
​   ​~ Anna Quindlen
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