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What motivates FridayMusings:

We can't only define Livonia as taking small steps toward maintaining the way things were. That will give us mediocre outcomes. Our goal needs to be innovative and transformative.

FridayMusings Monday, November 21, 2022    Helping define Livonia Quality of Life

On the Road Again. Off to Canton Georgia for Thanksgiving.

Off to Aurora Colorado for Christmas.

Enjoying December in Livonia in between.

Stir crazy. A little. No lifting. No stretching. No bending. Golly, for a guy that is 19 this is not what I wanted as I leave my teen years behind. So now that the Dr. says I can drive to Atlanta as long as I stop every hour and walk for 10 minutes I should be okay. Should be. Oh, and no swimming for another 3-4 weeks, and only after I see him on December 15 for my second follow-up. Sounds good. Let's go.

So I am off with the bodyguard with plans to drive 1/2 way with a stop in Richmond Kentucky at a motel without a swimming pool but with one winery and one brewhouse nearby. As long as I am not taking the pain meds, which I can't take while driving, I should be okay to sample the wine and local beer. Sounds good, let's see the sites.

Looking forward to southern dining, seeing the bodyguard with a smile on her face as she spends time with her sister Terri, brother-in-law Joe, and all the nephews and nieces. Bring on the downloaded books as this is reading time, maybe a trip to the world-famous Varsity across the street from Georgia Tech. Maybe, Decatur, to see the town I was raised in, attended elementary school, the same school attended by Jack Kirksey, and was Baptized at the Methodist Church. Or maybe sit and read. Sounds good. Real good.

Home on November 29 for three weeks and then Southwest for a direct flight to Denver. Looking forward to seeing Paul and Raquel, 1-year-old Maya, and 4-year-old Leo. Plus or minus a few months on the age but close enough and easier to remember. Watching Leo practice soccer, get excited for Christmas. Watching Maya trying to figure out what is going on. Sounds good. Miss the Colorado family.

I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Look in your inbox on November 30 for a return of FridayMusings as we all get ready for a great holiday month in the only city that counts. The city we all are engaged in. Where we enjoy what we have and celebrate with our friends and neighbors. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Look forward to seeing you at so many hometown gatherings.

A creative Roast and Toast for the birthday of the

Dean of the Livonia City Council--Laura Toy.

Last Thursday Burton Manor was the host for a Roast and Toast Birthday Celebration for Laura Toy, a combination of friends gathering, political fundraising, and lighthearted roasting by a number of her friends and council colleagues.

It was a casual evening with plenty of stories and one original limerick provided by Mayor Maureen Brosnan. Bentley classmate Terry Marecki introduced the elected officials, and there were plenty on hand. Councilman Scott Bahr, a Stevenson graduate, wore a Bentley Bulldog varsity jacket as he offered up a prayer. Council President Jim Jolly shared that the fate of philosopher Jeremy Bentham whose body was preserved so that he could be wheeled out at parties if his friends missed him, could perhaps be an option one day for Toy.

You get the gist of the evening. The typewriter shared that when he appointed Toy as an intern in her senior year at the University of Michigan-Dearborn she headed up the Livonia Environmental Center with a goal of eliminating fossil fuels.

Brandon McCullough and Garrett Wheat kept the roast moving along, McCullough even at one point putting on the Toy for State Representative t-shirt.

This was a fun, creative fundraiser and a great way to celebrate the birthday of Laura Toy. People gathered together in a celebration of community--certainly a community that is indebted to a woman who has spent much of her adult life providing leadership and mentorship to so many.

December Holiday Schedule in Livonia is filling up. Great.