Saturday Serenade

If you would like to learn more about the great Anita O'Day, go here.  Her fascinating story Anita O'Day: Life of a Jazz Singer is available on Amazon, Netflix, and on The Documentary Channel, Monday, August 9, at 6:00 PM. If you love jazz, you'll love Anita.


I did it! I did a whole week's worth of posts! In case you were wondering why the frequency. Just a little mini-challenge for myself.


Comments are not required for this post...it's only for your listening and learning pleasure.

Friday Funnies

This is for amusement purposes only, so no comments are required, unless you are compelled to do so.

Purging my bookshelves

It's painful for me, but I really need to give away some of my books to make room for the many, many, many that I have bought over the last six months. Most of the new-to-me books have been found at Goodwill and the library's discard shelf and they're stacked fifteen deep on top of my desk. I don't have room for more bookshelves, so some of the old ones have to go.

 

So, I'm stealing borrowing an idea from Stacy at Stacy's Books. This stack of books is the first to go, and it's a first-come, first-serve basis. So let me know which one you want and I will get it to you. One per customer, please!

 

 

From the top:

 

1. The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer. This is actually a NTM book, but I forgot that I already had a hardback. How much loyalty do we owe the ones we love? Would you stay or walk away if your fiance' was suddenly rendered helpless. What if you were only twenty-three?

2. Coastliners by Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat, which I also bought. After living in Paris for ten years, a woman returns to the island where her estranged father lives in hopes of reconciling with him.

3. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Sorry, couldn't get into it.

4. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. I've read four or five of his books, including The Midwives which was made into a TV movie starring Sissy Spacek. This novel is about a woman who is attacked while riding her bicycle through Vermont's back roads. Her life is forever changed. This story is very twisty-turny and totally captivating.

5. Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama. Young women who work in the silk factories in China in the mid-1920's. Fascinating.

6. "And So It Goes" by Linda Ellerbee. The story of Linda's life and career in the news bidness, up to 1986, that is. Had this one a while.

7. Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked. In his ongoing quest to retell every fairytale in a skewed way, he relates the real story of Snow White who hooks up with the Borgias. Fractured Fairytales, for sure.

8. Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food and Baseball by Molly O'Neill, former food columnist for the New York Times Magazine. She also happens to be the sister of Paul O'Neill, retired right-fielder for the New York Yankees. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio in the fifties and sixties. I loved it.

9. Clear Springs by Bobbie Ann Mason. Memoir of her life growing up in central Kentucky. She's the author of In Country, about a wacky, messed-up Vietnam vet which was made into a movie starring Bruce Willis. Good movie, great book.

10. The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman. Ever wonder what happened to Peter van Pels after World War II and his incarceration in a Nazi concentration camp? This is his supposed life.

11. Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler. I've read 8 or 9 of her books and never been disappointed. This one, not so much. I only made it to Chapter 3, but maybe it will be your cup of tea.

The days go by...

13,870 of them, to be exact, not taking into account Leap Year days. Thirty-eight years since we said "I will", not "I do". Most of the days were happy ones, or just ho-hum. Some of them were heartbreaking and sad beyond belief. It's easy to get through the happy and ho-hum ones. The real test is getting through the not-so-happy ones. We've passed the test and the glue we've spun is holding fast.

Happy Anniversary to my love

The leaves will bow down

I love a good thunderstorm. It's a love that was fostered by my dad when I was a small child. He would set me on his lap on the front porch of the old farmhouse. There were two huge maples, probably more than a hundred years old, in the front yard not twenty feet from the house. I remember squealing with fear and delight when an ear-splitting crack of thunder and the following lightning would be so close you could almost feel the electrical charge and smell the sulphur in the air. Daddy would hold me tight and tell me to not be afraid...that it was only noise.

One day we were enjoying the unleashed forces, when the inevitable happened. The maple tree to the left of us was struck by a huge bolt of lightning and crrrrackkkk half of the tree was gone...split right down the middle. Lucky for us, the falling half of the tree fell away from the house. Daddy rushed inside with me, fearful that the rest of it could go any second. It didn't and all was well, except for a power outage that seemed to last for days in a little girl's mind, but in reality was probably only five or six hours. Daddy cut down the rest of the tree, and that was the last time we sat on the porch to watch a storm. Oh, we still liked watching them, but from the relative safety through the window.

When my children were little, we would kneel on the couch in front of the big windows and watch the trees thrash and the rain blow hard against the panes. Hail always made it extra exciting. They never feared storms and always looked forward to the show. If the power went out (which it often did because our electricity was from a rural co-op), we played word games and read by candlelight. One of my favorite games was to name all the states and their capitols. I'm still pretty good at it.

I can think of only two times when I was really frightened by a storm. The first was when Aimee and I were home alone and a storm came up that was so fast and furious, it made me a little nervous. When lightning struck the deck after a thunderclap so loud it hurt our ears, we both clung to each other until it was over. That storm gave me a lot more respect for them, especially as a mother protecting her children.

The second time was on our famous trip out west in the camper. We were camping in a private campground on the edge of Glacier National Park. In the summer, the sun doesn't set until ten or later. After supper, David wanted to take another short hike, but I was pooped and decided to stay in camp. He took the kids and was gone and gone and gone some more. You are warned when you're in the mountains that storms can come up very quickly and it can get freezing cold just as quickly, but when they left, the sky had been completely clear with no sign of impending weather and they hadn't taken any rain gear or jackets to keep warm.

Of course, a vicious thunderstorm blew up around 9:00. I was huddled in the camper, hoping for a sign that they had arrived safely back at the site. At ten o'clock, the storm had blown over, but they still weren't back and it was nearly dark and I was getting hysterical, so I headed to the camp office to have them call a park ranger to get a search party together. About the time the campground manager located the ranger and was explaining the details, I saw our mini-van come rolling into the parking lot. I didn't know whether to cry with relief or to give David a good tongue lashing about endangering the kids' lives and his own. I think I did both. He explained that it hadn't even rained where they were and had no idea I would be so worried. This was long before cell phones, and they probably wouldn't have worked there, if we had owned one.

We could use a good thunderstorm in our area. The weather has been nearly unbearable and everything is drying up. We did get a little break when one danced all around us a couple of days ago which made it a little cooler. We heard some thunder off in the distance, but we only got a quarter-inch of rain and I'm having to water the garden. So, hats off to thunderstorms...may they bring you entertainment, relief from the heat and a thirst-quenching rain, but not any harm to you and your loved ones.

This song reminds me of my dad and me.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/peter-paul-mary/tracks/for-baby-for-bobbie--23428798

Gone is just another word....Magpie Tale #24

I sit in the chair facing the last scene of our entanglement. You're gone now, but the scent of you lingers in the linens. I can't bear to sleep there even though my eyes are heavy with the want of slumber....and I can't bear to freshen the bed with line-dried sheets and pillow coverings with not a trace of that wantonness that lingers still in the back of my mind.

My head lolls with the supreme effort of staying awake. Why can't I just let myself fall into sleep? Am I afraid that when I wake, the nothingness will no longer be a hazy unreality....but harsh clarity in the glaring light of the noonday sun?

This is my first attempt at Magpie Tales. Visit here to see all the entries. Photo supplied by Willow at Life at Willow Manor.

"Tin Can Trust"

For fans of Los Lobos, the Grammy-winning American-Chicano rock band, NPR has a special treat for you. Until the release on August 3, you can listen to their new album, "Tin Can Trust", in its entirety.



Enjoy!

Six Word Sunday

In the tradition of Ernest Hemingway, who was once challenged to write a short story in six words.

His six-word story was:  "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Each week I will choose a theme. It is your mission, if you choose to accept it, to meet that challenge in six words, no more, no less.

If you like, you may illustrate with a photo, or not.

Punctuation will be your biggest ally.

If you decide to play, please link back to this post, and leave the link to your post in comments here.
If you don't want to create your own post, you can write your six-word story in my comments.

The Theme:

Justice

1999 White House Christmas Ornament

The Scales:  slowly grinding into balance.

Thank you for playing.

I'm not one to brag, but....

Hey! Guess what? A few months ago, a representative from Mother Earth News contacted me about some photos I posted on their website photo uploading page. She was interested in seeing more, so I submitted four or five pictures for her consideration. In a few weeks she contacted me again saying that a couple of them might be published in one of the summer issues. Honestly, it was so long ago that I had forgotten about it.

This morning I went out to the mailbox and in there was an envelope with three Aug/Sept issues of Mother. I was puzzled as to why there were three...did they mess up my recent renewal by sending me extras instead of extending the subscription?

It didn't dawn on me until I turned to the CU pages. I looked at the featured pictures and thought "Gee, that one looks familiar, and...WHAT!!!" There they were, one on each page, with my name underneath.  AAAAAHHHHHH!  You would have thought I had won the lottery! Too bad I didn't get any money for them, but it was really fun seeing them in a national magazine.

The first photo is one I shot for LensUsTogether... the theme was 'abandoned' and I think it was the second week.

The second one you will probably remember as one of my headers last year. I also used it in my post 'The Bridges of Union County'.

I'm thinking of submitting a few to the magazine 'Country'. I think I'm hooked!

Six Word Sunday

In the tradition of Ernest Hemingway, who was once challenged to write a short story in six words.

His six-word story was:  "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Each week I will choose a theme. It is your mission, if you choose to accept it, to meet that challenge in six words, no more, no less.

If you like, you may illustrate with a photo, or not.

Punctuation will be your biggest ally.

If you decide to play, please link back to this post, and leave the link to your post in comments here.
If you don't want to create your own post, you can write your six-word story in my comments.

The Theme:

Red or White

Red ones give me a headache.

Thank you for playing.

Because I'm desperate....

....I'm glomming onto Char's 7-link challenge. Of course, she borrowed it from Susannah, who borrowed it from Darren at problogger, so maybe I'm not such a thieving wretch after all. And here we go.....

Your first post...Here I Am...where I introduce myself as a chicken farmer, Grammy and potential writer.

A post you enjoyed writing the most...was actually a series I call "Mystery Ladies" and it begins with Bon Voyage, Ladies. The subject is a photo album which I found at an antique store of three women who embark on a Trans-Atlantic journey. There are seven posts and they are photo heavy. There's a ringer in the middle called 'Let's Play Tag'. You can just move on past that one, if you decide to check them out.

A post which had a great discussion...my post about birth order called Youngest, Oldest, Middle, Only. I loved the give and take on this one.

A post on someone else's blog you wish you had written...well, that would have to be my pal Ruth at synch-ro-ni-zing. While it was difficult to pinpoint one out of the hundreds of eloquent, deep, thought-provoking, and gorgeous posts that she writes, her recent offering of "Wheat" put her in the realm of short-story writer extraordinaire. If you look at just one of the links I've cited here, you should look at this one. Of course, most of my friend followers are already hooked on Ruthie.

A small disclaimer has to be added here that all of my blog friends are wonderfully talented women who write and photograph with great skill and creativity.


Your most helpful post...I guess that would have to be Susan's Helpful Hints and Susan's HH II...kinda obvious, huh?

A post with the title you are most proud of...was the post about our camping vacation in the '80s with our kids called "Are you crazy? Three weeks in a pop-up camper and...". That was a fun post. First runner-up:  He floored me. Second runner-up:  1-800-JENNY-20. You knew I could never pick JUST one!

A post you wish more people had read...one that tells a little about my growing-up years called Random thoughts from my childhood. My writing and photography skills have made progress since then, but this one is dear to my heart.

I would love to see your own answers to this challenge. Want to join the party?

And, just because the post feels naked without a picture...

Six Word Sunday

In the tradition of Ernest Hemingway, who was once challenged to write a short story in six words.

His six-word story was:  "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Each week I will choose a theme. It is your mission, if you choose to accept it, to meet that challenge in six words, no more, no less.

If you like, you may illustrate with a photo, or not.

Punctuation will be your biggest ally.

If you decide to play, please link back to this post, and leave the link to your post in comments here.
If you don't want to create your own post, you can write your six-word story in my comments.

The Theme:

Bridges

(Mississippi River crossing into Missouri from Illinois, courtesy repowers, Flickr)

 

Steel spans above water terrify me.

Thank you for playing.

This & That...Happy Birthday, Matt!

Last Friday, the day before the big reunion, our grandson Matthew had his second birthday. We celebrated at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

Matt was sleepy and a wee bit bemused that all the attention was focused on him.

Sister Lauren got everyone going by telling us what we should do.

Cousin Kaitlyn kept things peaceful and on an even keel.

Cousin Gaige thoroughly enjoyed the many buffet offerings.

Cousin Nathan provided the evening's entertainment.

Finally, it was time to get down to business!

There was even singing by a lovely duo.

The very exciting finale!

Lauren was giving more help than was actually needed very helpful.

Happy Birthday, dear Matthew! Happy Birthday to you!

Randomness...

too small for a post, too good to pass up.

Been braiding some garlic.

Picking blackberries and making pies and cobblers.

Little Feather has decided the best place to lay her eggs is on a chair in my 3-season room. I leave Lucy the dog out there with the door slightly propped open when I'm away for more than a few hours, and twice I've come home and found an egg lying in the chair.

Well, it's one I don't have to bring in from the coop, I guess.

Hart Family Reunion

The Hart family reunion is always held on the first Saturday of July. This year's reunion was extra special because my Aunt Marie was able to attend. She gave us quite a scare in the early spring with a bout of pneumonia and we thought we would lose her. But she is a tough woman who has survived many obstacles in her long, rich life. After being in a near-coma, she bounced back and is "feeling pretty good". Good enough to make us all happy that she is still with us and able to commune with us over good food and good talk. She is my mother's youngest sister and the only surviving sibling of that Schaffer/Hart clan.

(On the left is Aunt Marie holding Everett in the mid-1930's. On the right is the house as it appears today. It doesn't actually tilt...that would be the photographer's fault.)

We always have the reunion at my brother Everett's house which happens to be the Schaffer/Hart homestead and was also my home until I was eight. It was built in 1887 by my great-grandfather Peter Schaffer; and has always been owned and lived in by our family. And it always will be. That is a pact that will never be broken.

Aunt Marie telling me to take a pretty picture. And here it is.

My brother Everett is standing to my left with his wife, Gloria. They were married when I was three. My cousin, Earlene Hart Townsend, is on the left with her husband Jim.

With my youngest niece, Melissa, who is Everett's youngest. She is a sweetheart and so are her two sisters and three brothers.

The barn where I spent many hours playing as a child with my cousins and sometimes by myself. It was actually built before the house, so it may be closer to two hundred years old. The American chestnut posts and beams show no signs of age. Chestnut is impervious to insects and rot.

Jaye and Matthew in front of the small stream that runs between the house and driveway. It was a much more adventurous ride down the sidewalk when I was a child...no handrails!  The stream flows into a creek across the road which almost always flash floods when there is heavy rain. The house has never flooded because it sits on a high bank.

Lauren and Melissa's two boys, Harm and Jake, explore the stairs to the basement. I played on those stairs all the time, and in the basement, when Mom would let me. My sisters swear that there are ghosts in there. My late sister Jane told that when she was a teenager, Mom sent her to the cellar to get something and on the way back up, she felt a hand grab her shirt. She turned around on the stone steps to look and she claimed to have seen a ghost wearing an old-fashioned uniform. Lots of screaming ensued! I was never scared to go in there...I loved playing in the dark coolness and smelling Mom's pickled corn and green beans in the big stone crocks weighted down with heavy plates. Those crocks are still in the barn.



This year's turnout was a little light. I'm hoping that next year the whole family will be able to attend. They were missed.

Six Word Sunday

In the tradition of Ernest Hemingway, who was once challenged to write a short story in six words.

His six-word story was:  "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Each week I will choose a theme. It is your mission, if you choose to accept it, to meet that challenge in six words, no more, no less.

If you like, you may illustrate with a photo, or not.

Punctuation will be your biggest ally.

If you decide to play, please link back to this post, and leave the link to your post in comments here.
If you don't want to create your own post, you can write your six-word story in my comments.

The Theme:

Ice cream

 

(image courtesy of MyRecipes.com)

Bossy's greatest gift to dairy consumers.

Thank you for playing.

Perfect weather, wonderful zoo: Part two

Not only does the Columbus Zoo have an awesome collection of animals, but it also is the home of a restored 1914 Mangels-Illions Carousel. This carousel is built in the style of Coney Island carousels by the William F. Mangels Company. Mangels was a German immigrant who designed and built some of the most beautiful carousels in the United States, including the ones in Coney Island Amusement Park. In 1907, he patented a version of the overhead gears that controlled the up-and-down "galloping" motion of the horses. Mangels' design became the standard, and Mangels himself became a leader in the field. He employed the best wood carvers and mechanics, who often were immigrants themselves. Mangels also designed other amusement park fixtures, such as kiddie cars and The Whip.

Marcus Illions is recognized as one of the two greatest artists of the carousel world. His masterpiece horses have very flamboyant heads and fairly well decorated bodies. Illions carved all the heads for his horses himself. Illions first carved carousel horses in England and then carved for Charles Looff in Brooklyn. He formed his own company in Brooklyn, New York, in 1909, carving initially for Mangels and then for himself. Although Illions' three most spectacular carousels (known as the "Supreme" models) have all been broken up, a number of his other carousels still remain. Examples of these are at Agawam Amusement Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Columbus Zoo.

The carousel at the Columbus Zoo was originally designed for and installed at the now-defunct Olentangy Park in Clintonville, an unincorporated neighborhood of Columbus. When the park closed, the carousel was moved to Wyandot Lake Amusement Park which was adjacent to the zoo. It operated there for sixty years. The amusement park had seen its better days and was torn down and replaced with Zoombezi Bay Water Resort and Jungle Jack's (Hanna) Landing Amusement Park, which opened last year. In 1998, the carousel underwent a million-dollar restoration and was moved onto zoo property. There it is enjoyed by children and adults alike.

The carousel has fifty-two hand-carved and painted horses, two chariots and a Stinson band organ playing all your favorite old-time merry-go-round and circus tunes.

Kaitlyn is enjoying her ride.

                  So is her Grammy.