What I Heard This Week 09-15-2022
Postage stamps are so very creative right now. It is almost like sending out miniature works of art when you mail something, like to your pen pal. The stamps I have been using for the past month are the bestselling children’s author and illustrator Shel Silverstein and have the cutest image from The Growing Tree book, bright green background with the little boy in red overalls catching a falling apple. (I am also really enjoying Buzz Lightyear Forever stamps – From Infinity to Forever.) It took Silverstein four years to get The Growing Tree published because the story had a sad ending. Silverstein stated at the time that real life also has pretty sad endings. His next book was, Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? and A Giraffe and a Half, the list of his best-selling books goes on and on forever. Ashley was working and gave me a little insight into how magical and talented Silverstein actually was. He is listed as American writer, poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. During his rise to prominence in the 1950s, while he was still selling hot dogs at Chicago ballparks, his funny and sometimes controversial illustrations were published in various newspapers and magazines, Sports Illustrated, Look, and This Week, and later even Playboy. He also wrote a satirical, adult-oriented alphabet book, Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book, under the pen name, Uncle Shelby. But, what I found most fascinating was that as a songwriter (he wrote more than 800 songs), Silverstein wrote the 1969 Johnny Cash hit, A Boy Named Sue, which was #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. He also wrote Sylvia’s Mother and The Cover of the Rolling Stone, which were hits by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. He was the recipient of two Grammy Awards as well as nominations at the Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards. He performed his own songs on a number of albums and wrote other songs for friends, including his last in 1998, Old Dogs, a two-volume set with country stars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, and Jerry Reed. There is SO much more I could tell you, but I will just say that his story is worth looking up and reading. Silverstein died of a heart attack in 1999, at age 68. Sounds like he was a true renaissance man.
In the simplest terms, a Renaissance man is a person with genuine competence in and understanding of multiple different fields, all of which complement one another to make him a more talented and productive person.
Is wearing white after Labor Day an outdated Southern rule or just proper etiquette? Hmmm. For those of us that have lived in the South for all our lives, we were always told the importance of not wearing white shoes after Labor Day. You just don’t do it. Period. Some believe that the official unofficial rule is no white clothes (that’s crazy), or light fabrics such as seersucker or linen after Labor Day, the first Monday of September, even though the last day of summer is technically September 21. Well, I am still wearing linen shirts because it is HOT outside. No seersucker or white shoes, but I haven’t put away my real summer clothes, because we will likely still have HOT weather on into October, and I tend to dress the same, just throwing on a cardigan when it gets a little chilly (chilly in Texas is ground beef and pinto beans). In November you can take out the long-sleeved shirts and closed-in shoes and get a couple of months of use. Ralph Lauren says, “…style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever.” So, whatever you do, just do it with style.
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any. Fred Astaire
My super-sweet friend and amazing volunteer, Barbara Franklin, just received the Heroes for Children award from the State Board of Education. Barbara and Lucy Pendon, along with support from the Brazosport Rotary Club, started Safetytown in 1986. My own children attended many years ago and immediately believed they were much more experienced drivers than the woman behind the wheel… Congratulations, Barbara. We love you.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Topol of Fiddler on the Roof is 87. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 77. Guitarist John McFee of The Doobie Brothers is 72. Musician-producer Dave Stewart of Eurythmics is 70. Actor Angela Cartwright of The Danny Thomas Show & Lost in Space is 70. Actor Hugh Grant is 62. Actor-comedian Jeff Foxworthy is 64. Actor Robert Blake is 89. Singer-actor Frankie Avalon is 82. Actor David McCallum of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is 89. Singer Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers is 82. Singer-songwriter Paul Williams is 82. Three Dog Night’s “An Old-Fashioned Love Song” and “Out in the Country”, Helen Reddy’s “You and Me Against the World”, Tiny Tim’s “Fill Your Heart” and the Carpenters’ “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days and Mondays”.
Actor Ben Platt is 29. Guitarist Don Felder of The Eagles is 75. Author Stephen King is 75. Actor Bill Murray is 72. Filmmaker Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers is 65. Country singer Faith Hill is 55. Actor Shari Belafonte is 68. Singer Debby Boone is 66. Singer Joan Jett is 64. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli is 64. Actor Scott Baio is 62. Actor Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty is 61. Actor Bonnie Hunt is 61. Singer Julio Iglesias is 79. Actor Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed Show is 77. Actor-singer Mary Kay Place is 75. Singer Bruce Springsteen is 73. Actor Jason Alexander of Seinfeld is 63.
A double rainbow broke through the clouds over Buckingham Palace shortly before the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced. She was 96, and one of the most enduring figures in modern history. Her time on the throne spanned 14 U.S. presidencies and 15 British Prime Ministers, the most recent appointed by the Queen on September 6, just two days before her death. September 9, 2015 celebrated her record-breaking reign, the day she passed previous record-holder Queen Victoria, who was Queen of the UK of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901, a total of 63 years and seven months Queen Elizabeth’s reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history. I watched a little of the funeral procession this morning. Such respect being shown by millions of people. Ken Starr, the attorney who gained fame for leading the high-profile investigation called Whitewater that resulted in former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, died in Houston at 76.
Austin Butler and Tom Hanks did a dazzling job on the new ELVIS movie. My 26-year-old son thought he was the third Elvis when he was little. I think I told you, but I made his first Elvis costume when he was about a year old. When he was about 4 or 5, I made his second Elvis outfit. White jumpsuit, big, pointed collar, silver blinged-out cummerbund, sparkly cape, wig, and sunglasses. The day before he needed it, I worked all night to finish. EXCEPT I FORGOT to put a way for him to get into it, so I had to rip out the crotch, then Velcro from ankle to ankle. It was great because he got to wear it for years. So, in Gage’s mind, the first Elvis was the real Elvis, the second one was the winner of the Elvis contest at Lake Theatre, and then there was Elvis Gage. Such great memories.
It says ruby-throated hummingbirds are back in town. Heck, at my house they have been back for the past two months. There is so much joy in the mornings, just watching them fight over the feeder. I can sit on my back porch and watch, or just sit at my kitchen window. Do not forget to clean out feeders every 3–5 days. Do NOT add food coloring. For nectar, use 4 cups filtered water to one cup of regular white sugar (organic if possible). Heat to boil, stir to dissolve, cool. The ants love this stuff too, so check often to see if any have crawled inside. I put my feeder in the dishwasher, then rinse it really well before I refill. They’ll love you. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is hosting their annual Extreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza 8am to noon, Sept. 17th & 24th. There’s plenty to see, plants to purchase, and you can symbolically adopt a hummingbird of your own.
Let me see if I have this story right. Two women in the 300 block of Pine Street in Lake Jackson, decided that they did not like each other in January 2021. It was a mystery as to what happened, but ugly worded signs suddenly appeared, and apparently ugly worded signs are not against city ordinances. Neighbors with young children are appalled that on the way to and from school, their early readers are provided with reading practice on unsuitable yard signs. Neighbors are begging for intervention. Upon further investigation, the fight may have started over a questionable property line. That would seem easy enough to fix. Their signs are unbecoming for such a nice neighborhood. The Supreme Court – ☹ do not get me started – says for content to be ruled obscene, it must meet a three-pronged test.
1) A thing must be prurient in nature (The definition of prurient is something lewd or related to an excessive interest in sex.)
2) A thing must be completely devoid of scientific, political, educational, or social value.
3) A thing must violate the local community standards.
If it meets all three of these things, it is obscenity. Good grief. All three? What happened to violating local community standards? In today’s society, we are blinded by lack of manners, common sense, and love for one another. Respect like please, thank-you, excuse me, bless you, I’m sorry, smiling, asking sincere questions of others (contrary to what you are being told, it’s not all about YOU), complimenting others… in other words, treat everyone the way you want to be treated, leave it better than you found it (clean up after yourself), hold the door for others, and when people hold the door for you – say thank you. When my kids were growing up, we had a laminated “Rules of This House” and they were expected to function as a lady and a gentleman. Perhaps we all need to review basic rules and manners, and then remember that ‘your’ world may not be a perfect world, but our world is pretty special, and we all need to start acting like it is a privilege to live here.
You try your hardest to raise your teenagers with patience, honesty, and good manners, but they still end up being like you.
A tournament fisherman won a record $4.5 million after bringing in a 77.5-lb. white marlin. The relatively small billfish netted more money than any single fish ever caught in the history of tournament angling, but that is because the rest of the fishing at the 49th Annual White Marlin Open was lousy according to tournament organizers. A Florida man made a bad choice while visiting a fish camp in Florida. He became lost and decided to swim across a swamp instead of walking around it. A gator took his arm, and for three days he tried to find help. He was located and doctors amputated what was left of his arm. In New Zealand, there is a law that says you will be fined $200 for urinating or defecating in public, UNLESS the person can show that they did not think they were being watched or observed. Hmmm.
Wright Brand was started in Vernon, Texas 100 years ago. We all recognize the thicker, fuller-sliced, smoked, delicious bacon when we see it at the grocery store. To honor their anniversary on Sept. 16th, the community will celebrate with a one-day Bacon Festival. Vernon will become Bacon City USA for the day and rename main street to The Bacon Strip. Small businesses will offer patrons experiences like the bacon manicure at KCM Nails, a Kevin Bacon Film Festival at Vernon Plaza Movie Theater, bacon bourbon barbeque sauce from LMW Grilling, bacon dog treats from Ducky’s Doggie Delights, and a bacon souvenir shop at CMC Décor. There will even be wine and bacon-inspired cocktails. If you think you might be interested, Vernon is pretty close to Wichita Falls. Better get the car filled up.
Have a momentous week. Thank you for taking the time to read and shop The Source Weekly. And remember, the measure of good manners is how you treat those who do not have any.
LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
