Signs

Posted on by gracesmuggler
Two people holding hands. They’ve written “You are” and “not alone” on their hands. Public domain.


I was biking through a neighborhood, when I saw a yard sign. In all caps, it says,

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Later, when returning to my house, I passed the yard sign again. The other side says,

YOU CAN DO IT

Those are simple statements of encouragement, but I imagine as people have passed them in cars, on bikes, and on foot, they’ve spoken into a lot of particular, complex situations. The person who put the sign out will never know those particular stories, but that person has cast encouragement in a lot of important places.

—Renee Roederer

Dahlia Dottie

Posted on by gracesmuggler
A photo of me, holding a yellow dahlia.

I’d love to tell you about the sweetest part of yesterday.

Though she isn’t pictured, I want to tell you about Dahlia Dottie. That’s not her real name, but hers is alliterative in the same way.

I was riding my bike today through my local park, and I stopped where these gorgeous dahlias were. Dottie was there, and she told me that her sister is the gardener of these beautiful flowers. I asked if I could take a few photos of them.

Then she asked, “Can I take a photo of you with them?”

“Sure,” I said. I thought it was going to be one photo.

And what followed was a ten minute photo shoot of poses she wanted me to take with the flowers. I think I have 14 pictures of me on my phone with these dahlias.

“Look over your shoulder like this.”

“Ooh, let’s get one with your bike.”

“Let’s get rid of that yellow flower for a second. Get in close to these red ones. Wouldn’t that be a great photo to send at Christmas?”

Obviously, I expected none of this, and the whole interaction was so delightful. I’m only posting a few pictures from my Dahlia photo shoot, but I’m really grateful for the ways Dahlia Dottie uplifted my day.

Anything for Bear

Posted on by gracesmuggler
Bear, the beloved Golden Doodle, lying on my foot.

This is Bear. We adore each other.

We really do. Any time I head over to the house where he typically is, he has such a visceral, full-bodied display of joy upon seeing me and greeting me. Full of smiles externally, and full of oxytocin internally, I am also full of pets and boops for this sweet boy.

Last night, I was standing near a table in conversation with people in my community, when I noticed this furry muppet come near and place himself on my foot. Sometimes, he just wants to touch me while snoozing.

My foot fell asleep and it was the best my-foot-is-asleep possible. I just let this happen, of course.

Anything for Bear.

—Renee Roederer

You Will Find Me Giggling Around Town on a Bike

Posted on by gracesmuggler

I bought an e-bike on clearance, and I am obsessed with it.

It’s only been one week, but my daily bike rides have been the highlight of each day. It feels wonderful to go exploring, and hills are now much easier. 🙂 I don’t turn the booster up high. It’s usually just the first setting, and there is still a full amount of peddling involved (which I enjoy). But that setting actually does make the big hills much less daunting.

I enjoy that very free feeling I get while zooming along. Alongside that, I’ve enjoyed seeing my town with a new perspective. As I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve lived in my town for a whole decade. I wouldn’t say I’m bored, but I have felt a need for novelty. My bike rides are giving me this. Even though I’m zipping through, I’m slower than driving, and I notice new things. I’m also learning in new ways which streets are connected to other streets, as well as best pathways to move well through them. This is fun.

So you’ll find me giggling through town on a bike. I am truly delighted with it.

—Renee Roederer

Do Bees Remember… Collectively?

Posted on by gracesmuggler
A honey bee on a New England Aster wildflower.

I’m a fan of curiosity questions — the kinds of questions we might ask and never answer fully. These are the same the kinds of questions that take us on fun information quests.

I was biking around town yesterday when I saw a bunch of bees flying around and landing upon some wildflowers. That’s a sight I see often while exploring my town. I wondered, “Do bees remember routes?” and “If many of these wildflowers are perennials, returning each year to this very spot, do they have some way of sharing that memory across their generations — after all, they have rather short lives — so that wildflower locations don’t have to be rediscovered each year?”

I’m grateful to live in an era of Google and YouTube.

And like a good curiosity question, I haven’t yet answered this fully. But I’ve learned some neato things.

— I already knew about the waggle dance (it blows my mind that this works). Watch a video about how bees share the locations of food sources with one another.

— I also learned about bee cultures, and how they teach one another. Here’s a Wikipedia article about that.

Nature is fascinating, and it’s fun to explore these questions.

—Renee Roederer