It's "Penguin Awareness Day!"

Celebrate as you see fit! Where's your tuxedo?

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

May 2017 exceed your expectations.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

International Pi Day!

It's International Pi Day! Here's the link to the official website (good luck, though, it's BUSY today): http://www.piday.org

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Happy Birthday, George!

In case you were thinking of sending him a birthday card, don't bother . . . It's the thought that counts.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

National Library Week

As you all undoubtedly know, this is National Library Week (April 12-18, 2015).

I remember waiting excitedly for the bookmobile to come by while we were living in Hawaii. Not quite the same as a brick-and-mortar building, but a treat nevertheless.

And I worked at the Cal State Long Beach library for awhile. You know those cards in the old card catalog files? Yup, some of that is my work!

But what I especially liked about libraries were the possibilities. You could go in and look up anything. If you couldn’t find it, the reference librarian certainly could (bless them).

Because we moved so much during my first 18 years, a library was a place I could go and not stand out as the new kid in school, where I could read and be quiet and go unnoticed. They were a safe haven.

So here’s to libraries, librarians, and all the possibilities they have given us, and continue to give.

“We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone.” — Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you a happy and GREEN St. Patrick's Day . . .

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

International Letter-Writing Week

Yes, it's that time of year again, the holiday none of us should ignore: International Letter-Writing Week (January 8-14). Since I am way too busy to write a letter, I created a postcard instead. (Oh, the irony!) Interestingly, I already had a Japanese stamp commemorating the holiday, so I built the card around that stamp.

But what I also want to tell you is that I now have a friend in Japan, who sent me a delightful letter last week.

While in Kyoto, Rich, CJ and I were in a calligraphy shop and were approached by a young Japanese woman (her name is Nao), who spoke quite a bit of English. An art student from Hiroshima, she was visiting family and looking for some inexpensive watercolors.

We all must have talked for about half an hour. We talked about calligraphy and brushes and so Rich showed her a quick iPhone video he had made of a famous Kyoto calligraphy artist we had visited. She said she wanted to write to us, so we gave her our business cards and were on our way. A delightful experience.

And then I received this charming letter (Rich and CJ received one, too) in an envelope that contained a color picture of her work (the goldfish) and a few other things. It was great! It reminded me of when I was 12 and living in Japan and how I helped a Japanese serviceman practice his English, the carved bear sculpture he gave me as a thank-you, and how we corresponded for quite some time afterwards. Japanese enthusiasm for learning English, their gratitude for your time, their small appreciations, and then a letter like this -- well, what can I say? My life has been enriched. Again.

Anyway, just thought you would like to be reminded that International Letter-Writing Week is right around the corner. Don't you just love getting letters? Well, pass the love next week and send an actual, physical, letter. You'll be enriching someone's life as well as your own.

Postally yours . . .
PO Box 1269, Waldport, OR 97394

©Carol Leigh
 All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

July 4 . . .

Happy Independence Day!

©Carol Leigh

National Postcard Week May 4-10, 2014

"Undeliverable: Too Messy"

Yes, it's that time of year again. And how will YOU be celebrating? Come on, you know you want to . . . send out a few! Don't have anyone to send a card to? Well, my address is PO Box 1269, Waldport, OR 97394 . . . just in case you get the urge!

©Carol Leigh

National Postcard Week

It's a good day to . . .

. . . celebrate our diversity! You probably aren't aware that May 3 is National Two Different Colored Shoes Day®, a day created by Dr. Arlene Kaiser to express our individuality and to honor all the sorts of people who are in our lives. So today, put your best foot forward and stride with pride! ©Carol Leigh

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

©Carol Legh

February. Are you ready?

February. You wouldn't think such a short month would have much impact. You go to bed January 31, all tucked in, warm and snug. You've made your Valentine's Day plans, got the card, you're feeling quite smug.

February 1 arrives the next morning. Quiet as a mouse. A mouse that rapidly morphs into a giant groundhog waving a calendar in your face and you realize that Valentine's Day is just the tip of the Titanic iceberg, and you, Captain Edward John Smith, are steaming straight for it!

We celebrate three different fruits this month. Throw in an entire week devoted to an all-American dessert, one day celebrating a particular candy, and you and your stomach thank god February lasts but 28 days.

With so few days available for all the festivities packed into February, I suggest bundling some festivals together.

Multitask!

We've got Jell-O Week from the 9th through the 15th. That's a long time to celebrate one dessert. But because February is also Grapefruit Month, Avocado Month, and Banana Month, multitaskers might want to make up a big bowl of cherry-flavored Jell-O packed with bananas, avocado bits, and grapefruit slices!

And since National Gumdrop Day pops up on the 15th, what better way to decorate your festive Jell-O mould than with a healthy sprinkling of colorful gumdrops on top?

You've packed four holidays into one, you clever thing.

Just don't take your Jell-O to the library (February is Library Lovers Month) and strum a little tune on your ukulele (World Play Your Ukulele Day is on the second). Eat in a library? Play music? Librarians worldwide frown on that sort of thing. But I hear groundhogs love it!

P.S. The picture? Well, I don't have any photos of gumdrops. And I didn't want to buy any because I'd just eat them. So here's a rudimentary drawing of gumdrops I did in Photoshop. Not too professional, but at least they're colorful!

©Carol Leigh

Universal Letter Writing Week

©Carol Leigh

International Programmers' Day!

Thank a geek today! A vintage typewriter and a sweep of binary code grace this faux postcard/stamp. January 7 is the unofficial date. September 13 (or the 12th in Leap Years) is the official date. Bonus! A holiday we can celebrate twice a year! ©Carol Leigh

It's National Bird Day . . .

. . . how will you celebrate? ©Carol Leigh

Kohaku chameleonii

I was lucky to photograph this rare form of koi, which changes color to blend in with its background. This red and white koi, known as "kohaku," has almost finished its transformation. Without the last remaining spot of red, you'd never know the koi was there. ©Carol Leigh

Map to My Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!

©Carol Leigh

National Hot Tea Month

You have just 8 more days this month to celebrate National Hot Tea Month, so get drinking! It's also the patriotic thing to do. According to the United States Census, "There are 360 tea and coffee manufacturing firms in the U.S., employing nearly 13,000 workers, and doing over $7.8 billion of business annually." KEEP AMERICA STRONG! DRINK TEA! SAVE JOBS!   :-)

©Carol Leigh

It's National Drinking Straw Day . . .

Because sucking a mint julep through a piece of rye grass made the drink taste, well, grassy, on this date in 1888 Marvin C. Stone invented the drinking straw. He wound paper around a pencil, slid the pencil out, and voila!

So today, raise a glass to Mr. Stone, inventor of the drinking straw. ©Carol Leigh

Thankful for a New Year . . .

From my journal . . . Happy New Year, everyone! ©Carol Leigh