A bright white blob in the woods on a winter morning

Fine white hair-like strands

Most mornings, and Boxing Day was no exception, I enjoy a mug of tea in the kitchen window seat where the woods behind our house provide a simple and soothing view. This time of year there’s little color, but the backdrop is varied browns of fallen leaves, and branches coated with moss and lichens. Against those muted Winter tones, the bright white object on the ground at the edge of the woods stood out – not a pale stone or mushroom cap, but something aggressively and purely white. I worried it was a small animal – an owl or coyote’s prey – and thought I should take a look.

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When your shower door “explodes”!

The aftermath

In 2015 we remodeled a number of rooms in our home and have been enjoying the results in the four years since. I had no idea that tempered glass – used in both bathrooms – had a party trick reminiscent of spontaneous combustion, but I’m now wiser. And thankfully unhurt by the experience. You can compare the original bathroom look here, and the other bathroom’s glass looks like this. Safety glass was a term I thought I understood – in an “I know what that’s for” sort of way, versus really having a clue how it was made, what its risks vs. benefits were or anything else specific. Silly human! If you want to read a very brief overview, see what the Glass Doctor has to say.

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The home on Liberal Avenue, Detroit

Bob Sznarwakowski and his family had a tough few years in the 1930s, but things were looking up by the time Bob turned 18 in March 1944 and registered for the draft. The family had recently moved into a new home at 16076 Liberal Avenue and Bob had a good job at Gar Wood Industries. In scanning and restoring some old photos recently, I found one of Bob, home on leave from the Army – he enlisted in July 1944 – sitting on the front steps of the home on Liberal Avenue.

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