I usually ignore the account suggestions that Instagram offers me; however, I’m glad I chose to act on one of them. I was instantly captivated by Morning Do . Morgan Sayers uses her face to unofficially collaborate with artists who have public art in place. What a clever and fun concept! I didn’t waste any time beginning my search for her portraits. It started on a rather disappointing note, as the first two I was after had been removed. It’s common knowledge that public art can be short-lived, so you adapt and move on to a new area. Morgan told me the two in Wicker Park were still there, so I jumped on the blue line train. I found both of these near the Damen stop (one at the Violet Hour and the other across the street). I love the mix of urban decay and various street art techniques. I find this project so fascinating that I asked Morgan to share some insight into how it came about. Here’s what she had to say. “This project has been developing for several years since my introduction ...

Mural by Amy Zaremba  in Madison, WI Cheers to Mother Earth! What would we do without her? There is SO much beauty on this planet. It's the only one we have, so we need to do better. Much better. The pollution and litter are enough to make me want to scream daily. Are you living as sustainably as possible? While there is always room for improvement, here are the ways I contribute: I don't have a car. I use public transportation, bike, and walk. I carry reusable bags. I try not to buy food wrapped in plastic. If I do, such as a loaf of bread, I reuse the bag. I don't buy plastic water bottles. I have reusable bottles and recycle my Kombucha glass bottles for to-go beverages. If I'm traveling and I end up needing to buy water, I buy the boxed style. I recycle pretty much everything including the tins that mints come in. They make great little travel containers. I consume a vegan diet. I buy organic. I do just about everything online including paying bills and buying gift ...

Seeing the war unfold in Ukraine has brought horror, disbelief, anger, and sadness. Like many others around the world, I have felt depressed and helpless. What is happening to innocent people is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.  I have been a couchsurfer for more than a decade with ties to Europe, including Ukraine. This is one of the reasons it's so upsetting. I hosted one of the most delightful humans from Kyiv. Thankfully, he and his family are safely living in the Netherlands. They are working with their local government to house refugees, and he will be hosting a Ukrainian family.  There are many organizations providing assistance and I am sharing some of them here. Please do what you can to help the people of Ukraine. Shelly Tygielski ( @mindfulskatergirl ) is heading to the Ukraine/Poland border to provide emergency aid to the fighters and families. She and her team are looking for donations (I easily donated via Venmo) and volunteers. Razom  is a non-prof...