Day 4879: Sentimental/Blessed & Serbia has ducks in potholes.

 

"about face": collage, photo, digital, sketches. (j.long)

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Tevin Campbell, Can We Talk?

2GN2S

Feeling sentimental. And blessed. Bear with me. I am home from spending the day with the Nomura family. Over the years, I taught twelve Nomura's, and then some years back I petitioned to be adopted into their family. Because it is such a good place to be. So now I join them each New Year's day for ozoni, endless foods, laughter, games, visits, 4 dogs and 2 babies this year. A heart-warming day to start 2026.

Craig with grand-daughter, Raiden Storm

Ronin, Auntie Courtney, Uncle Brandon and Sister, Raiden.

I've been retired (but still busy) for fourteen years. I still hear from many former students at this time of year. 

Some are still in school, working or in college. Some have graduated from college, several with master degrees. Several CPA's out there. A professional baseball coach, a music creator for film, a lawyer, my dentist, my hairdresser, a chef, a crime analyst for Irving Police Department and more. Many are married, many have families and pets to show me. Just a few are retired and also busy.  

I smile as I read every word. Wonderful memories surface. I smile again as I think of their futures. Life is so good.

In Serbia, a man began placing rubber ducks inside potholes — not as protest, but as playful bait for attention. Soon, children started posing with the ducks. Selfies spread online. City workers noticed.

What started as a local joke became a quiet pressure tool. Municipal crews, wary of viral embarrassment, began patching up duck-filled potholes faster than usual. Parents even reported smoother roads near schools where duck photos had gained traction.

The man behind the idea, a quiet resident from Novi Sad, says he never blamed the workers — he just wanted visibility. “People avoid potholes,” he explained, “but they don’t ignore a yellow duck.” Some ducks wore sunglasses. Others sat on mini inflatable rings. The fun disarmed anger, while spotlighting real infrastructure issues.

Soon, neighbors joined in. Toy animals appeared in other street gaps. One corner even had a plastic giraffe poking from a crack. The media picked it up. A journalist called it “the friendliest protest in Europe.”

Officials didn’t ban it. In fact, a few praised the creativity. The city's repair crew unofficially began referring to duck locations as “quack zones.” For residents, what mattered most wasn’t just the potholes getting fixed — it was how an ordinary citizen used humor and visibility to quietly speed up change, without confrontation.

 

  

 

A 2 minute video, "Peck-pocketed", here

 

  

 

Just because ...

Eastern Cattle Egret

 

Friday's Smiles ... 

   

  Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.