Has Martha Gone Mad?

I watched a few minutes of her show today and I think she has gone off the deep end. Why on earth would anyone ever cover a chair with glitter?

She has a new magazine coming out - called "Glitter" - and today was the unveiling. Some guys named Rob and Orlando were the guests, and when the segment was over, they all had glitter from stem to stern, in all the nooks and crannies.

Martha says that if you glitter a chair (this one was upholstered), you'll get lots of compliments on it. Pooh! Why would anyone ever want to sit in a chair that is guaranteed to paste up your backside with tons of glitter?

The magazine photo above has the caption "I cannot be destroyed". Well, I am here to tell you that glitter can't either. If you glitter anything, you will have vestiges of glitter around for eons. I guess Martha doesn't have to sweep it up, though, so maybe that's why she doesn't seem to care.

Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra

Sentimental Journey, an old favorite of mine. This song took 3 men to write it! Bud Green, Les Brown and Ben Homer. Remember "Les Brown and his Band of Reknown? I got to meet Les Brown back in the 80's when I did flowers for a political event at which his band was playing, here in Raleigh.

Copyright MCMXLIV - so who can tell me what that date is? My Roman numerals are escaping me at the moment....LOL! I think it is 1914 or it could be 1944. Which is right?

When I was a very young child, there was a Casa Loma nightclub in Charleston, WV. It was gone by 1946-7, but my mom told me that it was this same club that is mentioned on the front of this sheet music, and that Glen Gray used to play there often. I never knew then if she was pulling my leg, but since I just googled it, I now know she was wrong! If you are interested to learn more, go to:


http://www.parabrisas.com/d_grayg.php


One of my uncles by marriage was the absolute spitting image of Glen Gray, so every time I pulled out this piece of music, I said hello to Uncle Joe.

More Hoagy Carmichael/Larry Clinton

Heart and Soul came out in 1938; featured in "A Song is Born". You'll note in the biography to the right of Larry Clinton, the Glen Gray/Casa Loma Orchestra is not mentioned, but it is in the article I referred you to in the previous post on Sentimental Journey.

This bio does mention Ferde Grofe, whom I know to be the composer of the Grand Canyon Suite, not as a swing orchestra leader. Apparently he was that in a previous incarnation.

Anyone who has ever played piano (and some who haven't) is familiar with the tune to Heart and Soul. It rivals "Chopsticks" as a piano duet or solo!

Der Bingle!

Der Bingle was a nickname for Bing Crosby, but I am not sure how that came about. Perhaps Bob Hope called him that in one of their "road" movies. I don't recall this music; I never played it that I remember. Copyrighted in 1938, this one belonged to my mom before I was born.

Hoagy Carmichael

Another favorite, Stardust was the signature piece for Hoagy Carmichael, another man whom my dad resembled. The older they got, the more they looked alike. This was copyrighted in 1929, but I played this one often as a child.

The left side was repaired with contact paper, essentially ruining the value of the sheet music. But at least, it is intact.

Roxanne, at http://melange1.blogspot.com/ mentioned the words to these old songs, and how nice and uplifting they are. This one is no exception, and I love the story they tell:

"And now the purple dusk of twilight time
steals across the meadows of my heart,
high up in the sky the little stars climb,
always reminding me that we're apart.

You wandered down the lane and far away,
leaving me a song that will not die,
Love is now the star dust of yesterday,
The music of the years gone by.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely night,
dreaming of a song? The melody haunts my reverie,
and I am once again with you,
when our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.

But that was long ago, now my consolation is in the star dust of a song.
Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright, you are in my arms,
the nightingale tells his fairy tale
of paradise where roses grew.
Though I dream in vain, in my heart it will remain:

My stardust melody, the memory of love's refrain."

They sure don't write 'em like that anymore!

Funeral Expenses

A Woman's husband dies. He had $30,000 to his name. After everything
is done at the funeral home and cemetery, she tells her closest friend
that there is none of the $30,000 left.

The friend says, "How can that be?

The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost me $6,500. And of course I
made a donation to the church. That was $500, and I spent another $500
for the wake, food and drinks, you know. .. The rest went for the
memorial stone."

The friend says, "$22,500 for the memorial stone? My God, how big is
it?"

The widow says, "Three carats".

 

This song has been a favorite of mine since the 50's, though it was copyright in 1933. It is a beautiful piano solo (if the pianist is good). Parts of it are written in 4 sharps, and I was never good at deciphering that!

I also love the look of this sheet music; the graphics and lettering are art deco, which has always intrigued me.

"When your heart's on fire, you must realize.......smoke gets in your eyes." 

 

Always good advice - don't you agree? I don't think I ever saw this movie, but the music is wonderfully upbeat.

"Please don't be offended if I preach to you a while,
Tears are out of place in eyes that were meant to smile.
There's a way to make your very biggest troubles small,
Here's the happy secret of it all.

Look for the silver lining
When-e'er a cloud appears in the sky
Remember somewhere the sun is shining
and so the right thing to do
is make it shine for you.

A heart full of joy and gladness
will always banish sadness and strife
so always look for
the silver lining
and try to find the sunny side of life." 

Ephemera ~ Sheet Music

This song came out in 1953, I presume at the same time as the movie "Ruby Gentry". I was too young to see this movie at that time, but Jennifer Jones was very pretty, don't you think? Part of the words are "They say, Ruby you're like a song, you don't know right from wrong, and in your eyes I see heartaches for me, but from the start, who stole my heart? Ruby, it's you."

Maybe I should rent this one.....LOL

This song came out in 1959, recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, written by Ray Charles. I always preferred Ray Charles' version of it. There was a time I could dance to this and never miss a beat. I doubt I could move that fast nowadays.





"Hey Mama, you treat me wrong....Come and love me, ba-by, all night long...."

Lessons on Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.


The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.


The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.


Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches
and better times are sure to come.

Ephemera ~ Sheet Music

This is probably the oldest piece of sheet music I have. It was copyright in 1929. The reverse is printed with ads for other music books, such as:
Bottoms Up! A song book for Good Fellows - the Collection that puts Pep into any party. Contains chords for Guitar, Tenor-Banjo and Ukelele. Includes the words and music of more than 135 jolly songs for jolly people; also Toasts and Famous Quotations. Price 35 cents.

This one was copyright in 1936. Jeanette MacDonald was one of my mother's favorite singers. She was fond of Gable too, so the pairing was good for her.

A Long, Long Time Ago.....

 

A long time ago, I attended a birthday party for the brother of a friend of mine. He was seven, and sits at the far right of the table. His sister, my friend, is on the far left and I am on her left. The birthday boy sent this photo to me recently; I had to admit that I had absolutely no memory of his party, which made me sad and a little embarrassed. The little boy in the center, with his arms up by his face, is now over 50, which makes me feel as old as the hills. I used to babysit him and his younger brother, and I still see his family nearly every year.

I have not seen the birthday boy since he was about 10, since his sister and I graduated from high school and she moved away. She and I still see each other at school reunions and we email often. The birthday boy began to email me several years ago and we are in daily contact. It makes me happy to stay in touch with all these people and I am happy to have them in my life today. We share a history of place and era, and a comfortableness together that is very appealing. I hope that you have similar old friends with whom you continue to share. 

The Earliest Memory....

I was under our baby grand piano; the one my mother traded in for a Hammond Spinet Organ when I was twenty, making me so mad I cried for hours. The beautiful, mahogany piano with the ivory keys I loved to touch so much. The Baldwin piano with the tight brass strings inside, that could be plucked and made to sound like an angry harp muffled under velvet cloth.

It always sat in one corner of the living room; sometimes the top was propped open and sometimes it was down, with a piano scarf and a lovely vase. I loved to stand and touch those keys and make them sing, reaching up to touch the keyboard. I loved looking inside of it, noticing the way the strings were attached; the curving geometry sensual. I experimented and learned how the felted hammers struck those strings, producing beautiful, melodious sounds.

I loved to press the floor pedals and imagine how it might feel to play the keys and the pedals together. I was nearly three.

The doorbell rang. It was spring or summer; I was dressed for warm weather. I heard my mom answer the door. It was some woman I had never seen before - or had no memory of - and I had no interest in meeting her. I crawled under the piano and scooted back to the far corner. "I can hide here", I thought, "she'll never find me and I won't come out until that woman leaves".

Mom offered her coffee or some springish libation like iced tea, and they sat on the sofa and chatted. I sat very still, under the piano, in my hiding corner, as quiet as a mouse. Soon mom called out, "Judy, where are you? Come and meet Mrs. _______". I said nothing, and she resumed chatting, all the while wondering where I had gone. Soon, her curiosity got the better of her, and she got up to find me. It didn't take long, as she knew that was my hiding place, my special, little girl's fort. She coaxed and coaxed and I wouldn't budge. I have no idea why, but I was not about to come out and meet that woman. She finally made apologies for me, and the woman left. I crawled out from under the piano, happy to have my mom all to myself again.

That truly is the earliest memory that I have. What is yours?

Some Things...Even Your Best Friend Won't Tell You

There used to be a commercial that started out that way. I don't remember if it was for body odor or bad breath, but it was the catchphrase of the year for a while, sometime in the 50's.

Something happened today that brought it back so quickly my head swam. I was sitting in my recliner (where I have been for most of the last 6 days) and suddenly I smelled an odor that was so offensive I thought one of the cats had used the litter box and didn't bother to cover it up. "Peeeeuuw", I said, to no one in particular...."that really stinks!" I was too tired to get up and change the litter, so I told myself it would dissipate quickly and not be a problem. But I kept smelling it. After about 30 minutes, I decided I had to get up and do something before the smell killed me (it was that bad).

Guess what I discovered? It was my breath; the product of a sinus infection and un-flossed teeth. The combined effects of the antibiotics and the sinus products had done their jobs well enough, and now my nose is working better than it has in 2 months. Suddenly, everything stinks. I detected a faintly pissy odor in the bathroom (I didn't clean this week, of course); the refrigerator is a sitting time-bomb and I expect something will explode in there tonight. I hope it will hold off until tomorrow, so I can clean it out before it comes to life and crawls out of the bowls. Tonight, I went out into the garage to get a drink from an old fridge we keep out there, and I discovered mellowing florist scraps (stems and leaves) in a plastic bin. It should have been thrown in the compost pile 2 weeks ago. That's what happens when you get sick!

Remember when "they" used to talk about smellavision? We would go to see a movie and "smell" the coffee the stars were drinking or sniff the ocean in a beach scene? Well, you had better be glad that Bill Gates hasn't invented "smellthroughurcomputer" already, otherwise you might be signing off about now - or at least clicking goodbye to kenju! And I'll bet you wouldn't even tell me - would you?

What a Way to Start Spring!

Yesterday morning when I woke up, mr. kenju had gone to a morning Bible study and I was alone in bed with my two faithful companions. I lay still for a few minutes, trying to assess how I was feeling, and I noticed some wheezing and whistling noises. Hmmm, I thought, while stretching lazily, the cats are snoring. After a few minutes I realized that the wheezing and whistling was not coming from the cats - but from me. Everytime I exhaled, a sort of squeeky rale followed. Uh-oh, I said to myself, it's time to call the doctor.

My appointment was at 1pm, and after the required poking and prodding and looking in all the nooks and crannies, the doc decided that my illness had begun with the flu, but it had progressed to a secondary infection. Armed with 3 prescriptions, 2 OTC meds orders and a sample nasal spray, we went to the pharmacy. WHY does it always take a minimum of 30 minutes to fill an Rx, no matter how many people are in line? There was only one woman waiting before me, so I expected to be out of there in short order. With 2 pharmacists and an attendant on duty, you would think that was not an unusual expectation. Would you?

I went to the ladies room and mr. kenju, who has never met a stranger, chatted up another woman who was suffering, evidently, from the same malady as I. We commiserated about having the illness and having to wait for our meds, and the absolute un-wisdom of us having to sit there and breathe out all our germs on the other patrons of the store. Finally, I was given the bag of prescriptions after I handed over a fair amount of money, and we left for home.

Then I did something really, really stupid. I took the medicines before reading the patient information that came with them. Uh-oh, all over again! One of the OTC preparations was not to be taken along with one of the Rx's, up to 2 hours before or after.

Oh, Lord, I thought, what have I done to myself?! The patient info did not say what might happen if you took the two together; I suspect the presence of one negated the usefulness of the other - but I couldn't be sure. I debated calling the doctor's office to confess my sin, but I didn't want her to know I was that careless. So, I waited it out, suffering no new symptoms, for which I am very thankful. In the future I promise never to take medicine without reading about it first - and you should make that promise too!

I am better today, and growing very tired of being sick. Apparently the antibiotic is working it's magic and I have high hopes of being well again by Monday at the latest. Thanks to all of you who have come to leave your good wishes and felicitations; they help - maybe more than you know.

Not Really Much Better

I am not feeling much like a human, but being able to come here and read your wishes for me to get better sure puts a nice perspective on it. On a scale of 1 to 10, I am about a 3 right now, while the previous two days were 1's. I can't sleep now because I have slept off and on all day. I guess I will browse blogs until I feel tired enough to go to bed. I can't take any more Nyquil until 2:30 am, but I might not make it that far....LOL.....I'm sort of spacey as it is!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My neighborhood women's organization had a St. Patrick's Day party on Tuesday, but I couldn't go, of course. I did flowers for it - Bells of Ireland - and made 2 pounds of fresh bacon bits. The main course was to be baked potatoes, and all the women were bringing either wine, salad, or a topper for the potatoes. We were asked to come in costume, or at least wearing green, and I am told that about 15 out of the 22-23 attendees followed that order, at least partly. They had fun; I feel sorry for myself that I couldn't go. I'll get over it - eventually - LOL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard some bad news today. A wedding cake baker here died from complications during surgery for high blood pressure or something heart related. This guy will be sorely missed. He was an amazing person; when I first met him he weighed over 300 pounds. I didn't work with him again for 3-4 years, and when I saw thim the next time, I didn't recognize him. He had joined a gym (the same one we belong to) and after 1-2 years of exercising, he had lost over 120 pounds. I saw him at the gym and he was so buff and trim I had no idea who he was. Then I heard him speak, and since his voice was so specific to him, I finally realized who he was. I asked him what he had done to lose so much weight - and he answered....."I stopped tasting my wedding cakes". Unfortunately, even though he was religious about exercising and being careful of his diet, he had a hidden blood pressure problem that caused heart damage. I don't know this guy's age, but I don't think he was over 40. It is so sad. Local brides will be inconsolable, since Greg had been the baker of choice around here for a long time. Rest in peace, Greg.

Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

A pretty lady from the 1920's, judging by her hairstyle. Too bad she has that rusty staple along the side of her nose. This fan is not signed, so we have no idea who painted her. She looks like magazine illustrations from the 20's and 30's though, and the quality of the painting is so good that I imagine the illustrator was well known in his or her day.

Thanks to all of you who have sent get well wishes. I am still not able to stay out of bed for very long, but it is always great to come here and see your email and comments. THANKS!

Sorry, everyone......

Too sick to post.......I'll be back when I can sit up.

I Knew It Was Too Good To Be True!

Everytime I tell someone that I have been through the winter without getting sick......I get sick. I knocked on wood and everything, but it didn't help. My grandsons were here this weekend, and one of them got sick. His step-dad has had the flu, sinuses, full-boat as they say, and the little guy got it and has now given it to me. You know that tickle in the throat....twinges of ear pain.....burning eyes.....that signals a cold or flu coming on? I have it in spades - plus a weird sunburn from the parade yesterday. I had a hat on, but the sun got me on the left chest, neck and arm. A one-half "farmer" tan is not the best way to start the season, is it? I just used Zicam for the first time. anyone have any experience with it? A pharmacist told me that it works wonders, but the box says it is for colds - not the flu - so I don't know if it will help or not.

The painting is by Jan Steen, titled "The Sick Woman", c. 1665, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is there any way to make an hour move faster than an episode of "The Sopranos"? I love that program; from the beginning music to the credits. It was so great to have it back tonight! A few surprises and a bit of a recap (which made me happy). We were momentarily surprised to see Adriana, until it was revealed that Carmela was dreaming. The ending was a shock, but I am betting it will turn out okay.......how could it not????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

St. Patrick's Day Parade

On Saturday, we went to the parade in downtown Raleigh, in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Our two grandsons were with us, sporting their green "cat-in-the-hat" toppers with shamrocks on them; one bought last year and one today. I discovered they are Most useful to catch the candy and bead necklaces thrown by the parade participants. Our grandsons had their hats nearly half-full when the parade ended. It pays to be handsome, apparently. Little girls and grown women were walking over to them and placing handfulls of candy in the hats, or draping beads around their necks. They collected 6-7 necklaces.

The weather cooperated as never before; most of the parades are held in freezing weather. We reached about 75* today, and it was mostly sunny and breezy enough to keep us from getting too hot. That is more than I could say for the poor dogs who marched in the parade, especially the Huskies. Their tongues were hanging to the concrete and I could tell that the hot street was hurting their paws.

I was taking a lot of photos, but I couldn't see the digital camera screen very well due to glare, so I was just pointing and clicking and hoping they were good enough to share. I am not sure they are - but I am sharing them anyway. We had bagpipers, Irish and Scottish dancers, cheerleaders, horses, miniature horses, antique cars, people in Renaissance costumes (which has not much to do with St. Patrick, I'll wager), local radio personalities and dogs. At the end of the parade, local army parachutists dropped from the sky into Moore Square; trailing green smoke and narrowly missing all the tall trees surrounding the square. All the children were properly impressed! Enjoy the photos, such as they are.

St. Patrick's Day Parade Images ~ 2006

Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

Dipping water from the cool, clear creek, the young Indian maiden may also see her reflection in the water. What a wonderful location for her; surrounded by pines and birches on the rocky shore. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the summer by the shores of just such a creek; looking for crawdads, turtles and frogs. This fan brought back memories of those times and some of my favorite places - and I had to buy it.

Funny......

Earlier today I was playing Michele's Meet n' greet. As I scrolled down to find my next place to visit, I saw my name and it said:

"I can, Kenju?" A woman named Jessica had left that message. I went to her site and left this message:

"Jessican!"

I was proud of myself, but I think we are both pretty good, don't you??

Visit Jessica here:

http://threeinchcrack.blogspot.com

and tell her Kenju sent you! and don't forget to see the two fans below!

Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

This sweet baby was painted by Charlotte Becker, a very prolific advertising illustrator who lived from 1907 to 1984.

Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

West Virginia......Almost Heaven......where I was born. I found this fan in Maysville, NC in 1996, and even though it shows water damage, I had to have it for my collection.

In Memoriam:

My handsome Daddy


March 11, 1904 ~ August 13, 1995


May he rest in peace.


I have written about him before, so I won't repeat it. He has been gone 10 years + and I miss him more than I can say. This photo was circa 1945-50.

Addition: Everyone always told Daddy that he looked like Randolph Scott, the movie actor from the 40's and 50's. See his photo below.

Randolph Scott, back in his "oater" days.

Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

From Wilson's Drug Store in Bridgeville, PA, comes this colorful fan which advertises Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints.

Unfortunately, the only signature is W.M.Y., which I could not locate any information about.  

When in Doubt ~ Post Photos

This arrangement is sitting atop a vase carved out of a solid block of ice, and it is a copy of a Waterford crystal vase. The ice vase was 40" tall, and with the flowers, the arrangement was almost 8 feet tall.

It was the main buffet arrangement for an outdoor wedding reception I did in November a few years ago.

I took the photo soon after it was removed from refrigeration, so it appears frosted. I was told that after it had been out in the air for a while, the frosting left and it was crystal clear.

If you want to see more ice carvings by the guy who made this one, go to:

http://iceoccasionsofnc.com/weddings. This arrangement can be seen from another angle; it is the one in the lower right-hand corner.

Another wedding buffet centerpiece; last summer at the Carolina Club on the campus of UNC in Chapel Hill.

Dimensions are always confusing in photos. This arrangement is almost 7 feet tall and at least 3 1/2 feet across.