7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #650: Featuring Carson Ellis’s Pin
August 11th, 2019 by jules
I’m doing something a little bit different today and sharing this pin that author-illustrator Carson Ellis created. For obvious reasons. I know that merely sharing a post like this does little for my part (compared to a force like the NRA), so I’ll say this: If you’re angry and sad and fed up, as so many of us are, I recommend you contact your elected officials to tell them how you feel.
Carson shared this at Instagram and told me it was fine with her if I posted it here today. If I understand it correctly, she is not producing and selling these pins. In fact, she’d probably encourage you to make your own! DO IT UP.
Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.
1) This New York Times piece by Margaret Renkl, who lives in my neck of the woods.
2) I have always loved Elliott Smith’s Figure 8 and have been wearing it out lately (and playing it for my daughters), so I was happy to read this.
3) My picture book grad course ended this past week. One of my students wrote this, which makes me happy to see.
4) A smooth start to the school year for my daughters, though they are sad to say goodbye to summer.
5) Daniel Miyares’s new poster.
6) My mother-in-law passed away this past Thursday. It’s kind of crazy around here (one reason this post is shorter than normal). Not kicky news. But the kick is: the way she’d get excited every spring about the first jonquil appearing in her yard.
7) The kindness of friends.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
Good afternoon, Imps! Thank you, Jules and Carson.
Jules: I’m so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with your family. Congratulations on the completion of your course.
My kicks for the past week:
1) Reaching out
2) Support
3) Laughter
4) Opportunities
5) Spontaneous singalong
6) Sharing
7) Caring
What a wonderful button! I also really really love the poster by Daniel Mirayes and am sharing it far and wide – especially to some teachers of little ones that I know.
Jules – so sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. Thank you for sharing the lovely memory of her excitement over the first spring jonquil – may her memory be a blessing.
Little Willow – great kicks this week, and I love the most kicks 1 & 2 and then kicks 6 & 7 and how they bookend the rest.
My kicks this week:
1) This was a rough week to be a human in the world. It is so very nice to have a soft place to land here and to look for the good.
2) Demanding and challenging week workwise culminating with a very long day Friday. The kick is having gotten through it.
3) Calling my elected representatives in Congress to let them know how I feel about the issues.
4) Hearing from an old friend who reached out to talk.
5) Taking Daisy swimming – she still doesn’t totally love it – but she’s awfully cute in her lifevest and when dogpaddles.
6) It was Burger Week in Portland so I managed to try 5 of the many many $5 burgers that were available. Yum.
7) Movie buff that I am, had never seen Pretty Woman, so Friday night got Daisy settled on the sofa and finally took it all in. I still have my objections to the story, but it is a delicious puff pastry of a movie and Julia Roberts and Richard Gere were so young and beautiful with such great chemistry, I can understand why it was such a cultural moment.
have a good week everyone!
Ah, Jules, I send you my deepest sympathy on the loss of your mother-in-law. Your memory of her seems as though she was a person always looking for sunshine. It reminds me of Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! which I just read this week. I love Daniel Miyares’ work and this poster is super.
Little Willow: I will constantly look for laughter; specifically the laughter of children.
Rachel: I am glad to read you survived the week and shared a movie with Daisy on Friday.
My kicks:
1. Dinner with former students and their mother, a collegue
2. Cooler temperatures
3. Water
4. Breezes to blow away the bugs
5. Met author Kate Hannigan
6. Planting trees
7. Walks with Mulan
Have a wonderful week.
Little Willow, we should have a kickers gathering one day and have our own spontaneous sing-along. Wait … I’m planning it, so it can’t be spontaneous. (p.s. We have TWO episodes left of season two of Dark.)
Rachel: I’m glad this site can be a soft place to land. Love your fourth kick. And Burger Week? I’ve never heard of such a thing. It is an annual event in Portland?
Margie, those are good, well-rounded kicks. Love that first one. Hugs to Mulan.
Have a good week, you all …
Jules – Burger Week happens every year in Portland – its sponsored by one of our weekly papers, the Portland Mercury. All the participating local restaurants create a special burger they sell for $5, some have special drinks or fries etc for add-ons. I try to use it to get to local places I haven’t tried yet, and sometimes a favorite place will have a burger that looks awesome. Its always a fun way to be a part of the local community and eat good food.