Jonathan Shipley

Yellowstone remains the only place in the Lower 48 where every native wild animal present before European arrival still exists.

On this day, in 1872, the world's first national park was founded.

This community festival embraces the joys of a frozen lake — while it still has one As climate change accelerates, local experts say the date Wisconsin's Lake Mendota freezes over is getting later, making safe conditions for activities that rely on snow and ice harder to predict.

I live in a cool town. www.npr.org/sections/the...

"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." Happy birthday, John Steinbeck (1902-1968). #BookSky

"I am proud to know you. Proud to be seen with you. Proud and happy while watching you swim, ride, and play tennis; and in each of our activities together: the baseball games, the Races, every day at Greenhorn Ranch, the Malls; Everything; Everywhere. I am admiring of, and deeply affected by, your manner, your kindness, and each new accomplishment. I respect your quiet loyalty to your friends and to each of your parents. You may have noticed that most of the previous sentences begin with “I”. Yet they could not begin with “I” if it weren’t for YOU. You are the dearest daughter a man could have. You have never caused me a moment’s anguish or disappointment. Your qualities are of the best, and if you persist in those qualities throughout life, you will enjoy ever-growing happiness and, by so doing, understand the happiness you bring to others who know you. Especially to me, your father, who loves you." Cary Grant to his daughter, Jennifer, 26th February 1977

On this day in 1977, Cary Grant wrote to his daughter as she turned eleven.

(From 'Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best', by Nancy Nelson. With a foreword by Barbara and Jennifer Grant.)

On this day, in 1964, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston to become World Heavyweight Champion. He would soon become Muhammad Ali.

Some of the Most Amazing Trees From Around the World | Moss and Fog From twisted olives to cathedral redwoods, these extraordinary specimens remind us just how wild and beautiful the natural world can be.

Tree-mendous (c/o @mossandfog.bsky.social). mossandfog.com/some-of-the-...

Neuroscientists confirm this common bedtime routine greatly improves sleep Reading at night activates unique areas of the brain and improves memory, sleep, and cognitive abilities in adults.

Having trouble sleeping? Bedtime stories work. #BookSky www.earth.com/news/scienti...

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against." On this day, in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. I recommend watching the docu-series "Who Killed Malcolm X?"

Thursday Thought:

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” –Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

RIP, Jesse. Here he was in Madison, Wisconsin, circa 1975 (photo c/o Wisconsin Historical Society).

RIP Robert Duvall. You made for a good Boo Radley.

She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live. – Annie Dillard

Happy Birthday to one of the funniest guys ever, Chris Farley, seen here before a show at the Ark Improv Theatre in Madison, WI in ‘87.

Happy birthday, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). Douglass chose February 14th as his birthday because, having been born into slavery, he never knew his exact birth date. He selected Valentine's Day to honor the memory of his mother, who used to call him her "little Valentine."

I seek and desire,
Even as the wind
That travels the plain
And stirs in the bloom
Of the apple-tree.

I wander through life,
With the searching mind
That is never at rest,
Till I reach the shade
Of my lover’s door.

- Sappho

Happy Valentine's Day #booksky #poetrysky

walgreens sign that says algreens

let's stay together

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Happy birthday, Abraham Lincoln

The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders At our quaint spirits.

William Shakespeare

Minnesota Goddam In the Twin Cities, the hand of a polluted country reaches to choke the future out of us.

The great poet Danez Smith about the miserable goings-on in Minnesota. jewishcurrents.org/minnesota-go...

The only thing more powerful than hate is love. Bad Bunny could not have done better. I barely understood a word. I didn't have to.

What Langston Hughes’ Powerful Poem “I, Too" Tells Us About America's Past and Present Smithsonian historian David Ward reflects on the work of Langston Hughes

It's Black History Month, word nerds. The time Langston Hughes wrote a response to Walt Whitman. (Story c/o @smithsonianmag.bsky.social): www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...

Back to the Land A growing number of African Americans want to reclaim their farming roots. But Black farmers face many of the same racist hurdles of the past.

While decades of oppression and systemic racism have kept Black farmers from owning and cultivating lands, small community farms are empowering reconnection and reclamation.

During Black History Month, enjoy this feature by @shipleywriter.bsky.social from the EIJ archives. #BlackHistoryMonth

You Can Buy Jack Kerouac's Early Draft of 'On the Road,' Which He Typed on a 121-Foot-Long Scroll The author taped pages together so he wouldn't need to load paper into his typewriter. The original scroll of the Beat Generation classic is expected to fetch up to $4 million at auction

If any of you book nerds have $4 million laying around. #BookSky www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/y...

Wisconsin's Gerard the Poodle, owner win big at Westminster Dog Show Eight-year-old Gerard and Pittman won the Masters Agility Competition in the 24-inch category, completing the final course in just 36.55 seconds.

Congratulations, Gerard. #WisconsinSky www.wpr.org/animals/pets...

The AJC to cut staff as it continues digital transformation The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Tuesday it will lay off staffers in the newsroom and other segments of the business.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution cuts 15% of its staff. It's last print edition was December 31 (after 157 years). The death of journalism continues. www.ajc.com/business/202...

“I went around the corner to see if spring was there.”

“Did you find it?” asked Toad.

“No,” said Frog. “There was only an old worm asleep on a tree stump.”

ASALH - The Founders of Black History Month | About Black History Month

"I, too, sing America." It is Langston Hughes's birthday today. It is also the first day of Black History Month. Learn more: asalh.org/about-us/abo...

Muskrat Love It’s not yet time, on Valentine’s Day, for the marsh’s muskrats. They pair up around April. Males compete for real estate and mates. Monogamous muskrat couples establish territories that can be around...

It's another month, so another little scribbling from me about the walk I like to take along Madison's Cherokee Marsh. www.cherokeemarsh.org/post/muskrat...

❤️

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

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