It works

Children really only need one exploit strategy: Be as cute as you possibly can be and get people to love you and take care of you. Fortunately, they are extremely effective at that. – Alison Gopnik (H/T to Austin Kleon)

Happy (U.S.) Mother’s Day

This photo of my dad and mom (before she was a mom), captures my mother’s fun and sparkle perfectly (and Dad’s kindness, too).

“Childness”

" … there are these rules that we think of with literature, but in picture books they’re all broken. The main character can be eaten in the middle.”

“What Adults Lose When They Put Down Children’s Books” by Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, May 9, 2026

Good Question

The pope tried to put an end to this craziness several times. He insisted that he did not speak on world affairs as a politician (and still less a global umpire) but as a witness to gospel truths. He made quite clear that he would not be cowed by the Trump administration, even as he reminded the scribes and influencers that he did not pick a fight with the president. And in doing so, he suggested, if subtly, that there was something a bit awry about the endless media obsession with the president. Did everything and everyone in the world have to be parsed by reference to Donald J. Trump?

George Weigel, “The First Leonine Year” - Dispatch Faith newsletter, May 3, 2026

Listening to Kate and Anna McGarrigle in the backyard on a beautiful May Sunday afternoon after Tottenham actually play well and win. Pretty damn good, mama. “We were like interlocking pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of life.”

Another Anole

Babies!

Prickly Pear

Pretty simple, no?

Before, the Straits of Hormuz were open to international shipping. A good thing, generally speaking. Now President Trump has successfully given Iran sovereignty over the Straits and they’re closed. Unequivocally, not good. The Art of the Deal!

Tottenham Hotspur:  118  0 Days Since a Premier League Win

Will wonders never cease. Still in the relegation zone, though.

Perfect Days

Moment by moment by moment, lived gracefully and honorably, makes a life.