She's our youngest granddaughter. I find it difficult to believe but she is 17 today, born on 2/3/02.
We thought it would be cool if she were born on 2/2/02 but she defied us. Not that she's a contrarian in any way. She marches to the tune of her own drummer. It was a difficult birth. Erin probably wanted to keep everyone on their toes. As a new-born she was healthy and beautiful.
She's still beautiful and has a smile that can melt your heart. Not that I'm prejudiced.
When she was young (four or five) she had mad skills with a hula hoop, doing all sorts of tricks. A lot things just came naturally to her.
She's super smart and was highly miffed the first time she got a B in school.
Erin was tiny and petite. The doctors recommended growth hormones via injection six time a week. This went on for years, with this tiny little girl injecting herself. Although small, Erin is no longer tiny and does not have to worry about size being a handicap. To me she is just perfect.
She loves animals, especially dogs. Animals can sense things and they love her back. When she is at our house, Willow the cat gets all the love she wants.
She's fast. If one of our dogs got loose and ran away, we'd send Erin after him and she would catch the dog in record time. When she was on a soccer team, the coach's mantra was, 'Use your speed, Erin!"
When she was young she seemed to have a psychic link to her stuffed animals -- of which there were many. The moment she got one she would instantly come up with a name for it, remembering each one perfectly. That may not seem like much but considering how many she had I found it amazing.
She loves nature. As a little girl she would go for long walks in the woods.
She loves to read, something that is always a plus in my thinking.
For years she has been a fingernail artist, drawing creative and lovely designs on her nails. She has several hundred bottle of nail polish to support her creativity.
She's funny and has a great sense of humor.
For the past three years she's been a member of her high school color guard, something she was hesitant to try at first. Her two older cousins (who were in their high school color guard in Massachusetts) talk her into trying it. The bruises and bumps she got while practicing in her front yard are legendary. We watch her now as she spins rifles and sabers high into the air, catching them so easily and gracefully, and are amazed. The color guard has won many competitions and Erin has been a big part of that.
She's loyal. And sensitive. And quiet. And raucous. And open. And withdrawn. And hopeful. and fearful. And confident. And insecure. She is everything a teenage girl should be.
And she's seventeen now. And I'm feeling old. When she is with us or when I am thinking about her I no longer feel old. The joy she brings is infectious and rejuvenating. I love each of my kids and grandkids more than the others, which is as it should be. But Erin...
Today is Erin's day. May she have a great day and may her life be as blessed as ours is with her in it.
Small House of Everything
Sunday, February 3, 2019
PUGS
My daughter has two very old pugs -- Mr. Beefy and Anvil ("Annie"). Roughly thirteen years old, they are brothers who have never been separated. Both are loving, dumb, and gaseous. Beefy is blind and (we believe) senile. He loves to look out of windows so he spends a lot of time doing that and we don't have the heart to tell him it's not a window, it's a wall. Annie is deaf and has had a few spasms. Both dogs are happy and free of pain so Jessie is going to keep them as long as possible. As with many dogs, their main purpose is to give unconditional joy.
Enjoy this compilation of sweet and funny puigs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3S7zyzg4P8
Enjoy this compilation of sweet and funny puigs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3S7zyzg4P8
Saturday, February 2, 2019
GROUNDHOG MUSIC FROM THE PAST BECAUSE TODAY'S THE DAY!
Doc Watson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU2IDXXbl7k
THE BARKER #8 (SUMMER 1948)
Something I have never wondered before today: Why are there so few circus comic books? I have no answer to that but at least we have The Barker.
The Barker is a guy named Carnie Callahan, the barker for Colonel Lane's Mammoth Circus. Created by writer Joe Millard and drawn by the great Jack Cole, The Barker first appeared in National Comics #42 (May 1944). Millard and Cole soon left the series and Klaus Nordling took on the artistic duties; Nordling is also credited in some circles as the script writer but this has not been satisfactory verified. Quality Comics soon gave The Barker his own title which ran for 15 issues, dying only when the publisher folded.
Humor was the byword for both script and artwork in The Barker. A standard cast of circus performers including strong man Tiny Tim, midget Major Midge, fat lady Lena, bearded lady Peaches, human cannonball Bombo, and four-armed "human spider" Spudo help provide the humor in the series.
In this issue's first story Max, a chimpanzee with human intelligence and human habits (he likes to light up a cigar, drink champagne, and eat caviar). Alas, Max is persuaded to live a life of crime by two petty crooks. The crooks are caught but Max likes being a criminal. What can the barker do to set him straight?
Next, a cheating card shark tries to fleece the crew but Spudo gets wise and the shark is ejected. Wanting to get his revenge on the circus, he convinces a not-too-bright hillbilly that Colonel Lane is the hillbilly's father and town officials decide that they don't want such a dastard and his circus in their town. Luckily, this becomes a case of the biter bit.
While the circus is in Spruceville for the first time in years, Spudo decides to look up his old friend Grifter Grogan. Instead he finds Grogan's beautiful daughter in tears. Grogan had died drinking his own cough medicine and now a villain is about to foreclose the mortgage on Grogan's store. Spudo's attempts to help the girl bring unexpected results and Spudo learns a valuable lesson about women in the pre-Me Too era.
In the final story, the circus is plagued by a pickpocket stork.
Cute stories and great artwork make this one a winner.
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=73139&b=i
The Barker is a guy named Carnie Callahan, the barker for Colonel Lane's Mammoth Circus. Created by writer Joe Millard and drawn by the great Jack Cole, The Barker first appeared in National Comics #42 (May 1944). Millard and Cole soon left the series and Klaus Nordling took on the artistic duties; Nordling is also credited in some circles as the script writer but this has not been satisfactory verified. Quality Comics soon gave The Barker his own title which ran for 15 issues, dying only when the publisher folded.
Humor was the byword for both script and artwork in The Barker. A standard cast of circus performers including strong man Tiny Tim, midget Major Midge, fat lady Lena, bearded lady Peaches, human cannonball Bombo, and four-armed "human spider" Spudo help provide the humor in the series.
In this issue's first story Max, a chimpanzee with human intelligence and human habits (he likes to light up a cigar, drink champagne, and eat caviar). Alas, Max is persuaded to live a life of crime by two petty crooks. The crooks are caught but Max likes being a criminal. What can the barker do to set him straight?
Next, a cheating card shark tries to fleece the crew but Spudo gets wise and the shark is ejected. Wanting to get his revenge on the circus, he convinces a not-too-bright hillbilly that Colonel Lane is the hillbilly's father and town officials decide that they don't want such a dastard and his circus in their town. Luckily, this becomes a case of the biter bit.
While the circus is in Spruceville for the first time in years, Spudo decides to look up his old friend Grifter Grogan. Instead he finds Grogan's beautiful daughter in tears. Grogan had died drinking his own cough medicine and now a villain is about to foreclose the mortgage on Grogan's store. Spudo's attempts to help the girl bring unexpected results and Spudo learns a valuable lesson about women in the pre-Me Too era.
In the final story, the circus is plagued by a pickpocket stork.
Cute stories and great artwork make this one a winner.
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=73139&b=i
Friday, February 1, 2019
UNDERAPPRECIATED MUSIC: BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON
If your first name is Lemon and you were born blind, Black, and the son of Texas sharecroppers toward the end of the nineteenth century, then you have every right to sing the blues...and sing them Lemon Henry Jefferson did, becoming one of the most successful blues singers of the 1920s.
Jefferson (1893-1929) was the youngest child of seven (perhaps eight). He began playing guitar in his early teens, performing at picnics and parties. From there he became a street musician, often playing and singing for eight hours straight. In late 1925 or early 1926, Jefferson was taken to Chicago to record his music. His first record release was of two gospel songs under the name Deacon D. J. Bates. His first release under his own name was a hit, leading to several more releases from that first session did even better, reaching sales in six figures. Between 1926 and 1929 Jefferson had 43 records issued.
Jefferson died at age 36 of (according to the death certificate) "probable acute myocarditis." Rumors and legends swirled about his death -- a lover had poisoned his coffee, the heart attack came while lost in a snowstorm, he had been attacked by a dog in the middle of the night, he was killed while being robbed of a royalty check...Whatever the cause, his grave at Wortham Negro Cemetery in Texas was unmarked until 1967 and then a headstone was placed in the general area of where he is thought to be buried. In 2007 the cemetery's name was changed to Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery and a committee was established to see that his grave was kept clean.
Jefferson's style was too complex for many of his younger contemporaries to imitate, but over the years he became a huge influence on blues singers, earning him the title of King of the Texas Blues. His songs have been covered by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, John Hammond, B. B. King, Peter, Paul and Mary, Counting Crows, and Phish, among many others.
Note: many of these links show a picture of Blind Lemon Jefferson; it is the only known photograph of the artist.
"Matchbox Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXC1jjRCXtg
"Black Snake Moan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3yd-c91ww8
"Bad Luck Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmyr3jQmveM
"Jack 'O Diamond Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhKBbjmpCrE
"Rabbit Foot Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBTOx1jmnvw
"One Dime Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs07djOLlKc
"That Growling Baby Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YczdEv02SE
"Easy Rider Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkOsmJxm5dQ
"Lonesome House Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-oei9ioCs
"Corinna Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWoZW51o6ao
"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tVxz_1wigw
And finally, Geoff Muldaur sings of his efforts to keep blind Lemon's grave clean in "Got To Find Blind Lemon, Parts One and Two"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1A9FCPQUuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM2uUA6EVm8
Jefferson (1893-1929) was the youngest child of seven (perhaps eight). He began playing guitar in his early teens, performing at picnics and parties. From there he became a street musician, often playing and singing for eight hours straight. In late 1925 or early 1926, Jefferson was taken to Chicago to record his music. His first record release was of two gospel songs under the name Deacon D. J. Bates. His first release under his own name was a hit, leading to several more releases from that first session did even better, reaching sales in six figures. Between 1926 and 1929 Jefferson had 43 records issued.
Jefferson died at age 36 of (according to the death certificate) "probable acute myocarditis." Rumors and legends swirled about his death -- a lover had poisoned his coffee, the heart attack came while lost in a snowstorm, he had been attacked by a dog in the middle of the night, he was killed while being robbed of a royalty check...Whatever the cause, his grave at Wortham Negro Cemetery in Texas was unmarked until 1967 and then a headstone was placed in the general area of where he is thought to be buried. In 2007 the cemetery's name was changed to Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery and a committee was established to see that his grave was kept clean.
Jefferson's style was too complex for many of his younger contemporaries to imitate, but over the years he became a huge influence on blues singers, earning him the title of King of the Texas Blues. His songs have been covered by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, John Hammond, B. B. King, Peter, Paul and Mary, Counting Crows, and Phish, among many others.
Note: many of these links show a picture of Blind Lemon Jefferson; it is the only known photograph of the artist.
"Matchbox Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXC1jjRCXtg
"Black Snake Moan"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3yd-c91ww8
"Bad Luck Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmyr3jQmveM
"Jack 'O Diamond Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhKBbjmpCrE
"Rabbit Foot Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBTOx1jmnvw
"One Dime Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs07djOLlKc
"That Growling Baby Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YczdEv02SE
"Easy Rider Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkOsmJxm5dQ
"Lonesome House Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-oei9ioCs
"Corinna Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWoZW51o6ao
"See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tVxz_1wigw
And finally, Geoff Muldaur sings of his efforts to keep blind Lemon's grave clean in "Got To Find Blind Lemon, Parts One and Two"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1A9FCPQUuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM2uUA6EVm8
FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE BOOK OF IOD
The Book of Iod by Henry Kuttner, edited by Robert M. Price (1995)
Henry Kuttner 1914-1956) was a consummate pulp writer, using at least 17 pseudonyms during a career that lasted a bit over two decades, ending with his untimely death at age 42. During the 1940s and 1950s much of his work was done in collaboration with his wife C(atherine) L. Moore; their collaboration was so seamless that it is impossible to determine what he wrote from what she wrote.
Kuttner's first story*, "The Graveyard Rats" (Weird Tales, March 1936), has become a recognized classic in horror literature. During 1936 and early 1937, Kuttner began a correspondent friendship with H. P. Lovecraft, sending him a number of stories in progress for Lovecraft's comments (Lovecraft died in March 1937). Many of Kuttner's early stories were inspired by Lovecraft and were part of the Cthulu Mythos -- a shared universe created by Lovecraft and written by him and by a number of Lovecraft's writer friends who expanded on the concept. These stories by Kuttner are basically juvenilia, early and often over-written and imitative attempts by the author before finding his true voice. Robert M. Price, a Lovecraft afficiando and editor of The Crypt of Cthulhu, gathered eight of these stories for issue 41 of that small-press magazine (Volume 5 Number 7, Lammas 1986). These eight stories -- with two others by Kuttner and three by other writers -- were then included nine tears later in The Book of Iod**, edited by Price and published by Chaosium (creators of the "Call of Cthulthu" role-playing game) as part of their Call of Cthulhu Fiction series. In some cases, the stories' connection to Lovecraft is tenuous, at best.
The Book of Iod is not great literature, folks, but it is an amusing time-waster, especially for Lovecraft fans and for Kuttner completists. The most accurate judgement of this book is: Them what likes this sort of thing will like this sort of thing.
The stories:
*ISFDb lists "The Monkey Wrench" (Jungle Stories, August 1931, as by "Bertram W. Williams") as Kuttner's first story -- almost four and a half years before "The Graveyard Rats." If so, Kuttner would have been 17 when the story was published.
**Iod was an interdimensional being added to the Cthulu Mythos by Kuttner in his story "The Secret of Kralitz:'' ("Iod, the Source, is worshiped beyond the outer galaxies.')
Henry Kuttner 1914-1956) was a consummate pulp writer, using at least 17 pseudonyms during a career that lasted a bit over two decades, ending with his untimely death at age 42. During the 1940s and 1950s much of his work was done in collaboration with his wife C(atherine) L. Moore; their collaboration was so seamless that it is impossible to determine what he wrote from what she wrote.
Kuttner's first story*, "The Graveyard Rats" (Weird Tales, March 1936), has become a recognized classic in horror literature. During 1936 and early 1937, Kuttner began a correspondent friendship with H. P. Lovecraft, sending him a number of stories in progress for Lovecraft's comments (Lovecraft died in March 1937). Many of Kuttner's early stories were inspired by Lovecraft and were part of the Cthulu Mythos -- a shared universe created by Lovecraft and written by him and by a number of Lovecraft's writer friends who expanded on the concept. These stories by Kuttner are basically juvenilia, early and often over-written and imitative attempts by the author before finding his true voice. Robert M. Price, a Lovecraft afficiando and editor of The Crypt of Cthulhu, gathered eight of these stories for issue 41 of that small-press magazine (Volume 5 Number 7, Lammas 1986). These eight stories -- with two others by Kuttner and three by other writers -- were then included nine tears later in The Book of Iod**, edited by Price and published by Chaosium (creators of the "Call of Cthulthu" role-playing game) as part of their Call of Cthulhu Fiction series. In some cases, the stories' connection to Lovecraft is tenuous, at best.
The Book of Iod is not great literature, folks, but it is an amusing time-waster, especially for Lovecraft fans and for Kuttner completists. The most accurate judgement of this book is: Them what likes this sort of thing will like this sort of thing.
The stories:
- "The Secret of Kralitz," from Weird Tales, October 1936
- "The Eater of Souls," from Weird Tales, January 1937, a Dunsanian tale of Bel Yarnak, a city (country?) somewhere not here
- "The Salem Horror," from Weird Tales, May 1937, one of two stories featuring Michael Leigh (Kuttner worked part-time at Lawrence D'Orsey's literary agency where he picked some early submissions by Leigh Brackett from the slush pile and helped her with the first story she sold. Coincidence? Who knows?)
- "The Black Kiss," from Weird Tales, June 1937, as by Robert Bloch (Published here as by Robert Bloch and Henry Kuttner; Kuttner evidently wrote the first draft of the story and Bloch completely rewrote it. The story was reprinted under the title "Sea Kissed" as the title story in a British pamphlet of four of Bloch's stories in 1945, along with a vignette by Benson Herbert. 'The Black Kiss" was the second Michael Leigh story, added here as one of the three "extra" stories.)
- "The Jest of Droom-Avvista," from Weird Tales, August 1937, another tale of Bel Yarnak
- "Spawn of Dagon," from Weird Tales, July 1938, one of four stories about Elak of Atlantis, the only one that could be squeezed into the Cthulhu Mythos
- "The Invaders," from Strange Stories, February 1939, as by "Keith Hammond" because the issue already had a story under the Kuttner name (below)
- "The Frog," from Strange Stories, February 1939, taking place in Kuttner's fictional town of monk's Hollow
- "Hydra," from Weird Tales, April 1939, featuring the "blind, idiot god" Azathoth, created by Kuttner and continued by other writers
- "Bells of Horror," from Strange Stories, April 1939 as "The Bells of Horror"
- "The Hunt," from Strange Stories, June 1939, another story set in Monk's Hollow
- "Beneath the Tombstone" by Robert M. Price, from Footsteps IV, 1984; an earlier version appeared in Crypt of Cthulu, Number 6, St. John's Eve 1982
- "Dead of Night" by Lin Carter, from Crypt of Cthulhu, Number 54, Eastertide 1988, featuring Carter's occultist character Anton Zarnak
*ISFDb lists "The Monkey Wrench" (Jungle Stories, August 1931, as by "Bertram W. Williams") as Kuttner's first story -- almost four and a half years before "The Graveyard Rats." If so, Kuttner would have been 17 when the story was published.
**Iod was an interdimensional being added to the Cthulu Mythos by Kuttner in his story "The Secret of Kralitz:'' ("Iod, the Source, is worshiped beyond the outer galaxies.')
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