Journey Woman

Did You Fall off the Planet?

2007-12-31T11:10:00.000-05:00

No, I didn't fall off the planet. I know you're relieved, because if I had, you'd have some serious worries yourself, about the laws of gravity, alien abduction, etc.

Actually, I've resolved to take a good long blog break. I don't know how long "good long" is, and I don't know if it will be a full break, or if I'll post intermittently. I'm playing that by ear. You'll probably see a poem or two on Fridays, for instance.

So, my break began a few weeks ago, but is official today, October 21. (Note the date of this post is set ahead, so this will stay at the top of the blog.)

Contest Winners Step Right Up

2007-10-21T11:19:00.000-04:00

A quick note before I disappear into the ether....

Contest winners from the Pop Culture in High Culture contest were:

Douglas
abookworm
Sara
Michele

I've emailed each of you, so check for it and I'll get your prizes out.

Thanks and congratulations!

A Little Poetry for You: Yeats and the Contest Continues

2007-09-28T11:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

Today's round-up is over at AmoXcalli.

The contest is still going here until October 12, so please send in your examples of classic literature in pop culture.

Here's my latest:

Countess Kathleen, Scene 5
by William Butler Yeats

The years like great black oxen tread the world
and God the herdsman goads them on behind
and I am broken by their passing feet.

I'm on vacation for the next 9 days, but keep the entries coming!

A Little Poetry for You: Thomas and New Contest

2007-09-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

Roundup is at Hip Writer Mama.

This week, I'm starting a new contest, one that I think everyone will find easy, fun and interesting. Yes, yes, we're putting the last contest down to my poor combination of medication. Sigh....

This contest theme: High Culture meets Pop Culture

So I was driving home from work the other night, and for some reason suddenly found myself thinking of Rodney Dangerfield reciting "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" in the movie Back to School.

Which led me to remember Charles Bronson in the movie Telefon, and that scene in the phone booth where the classic lines from Robert Frost are quoted:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
but I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep.

What a lovely way to be brainwashed.

And then I thought of one of my favorite scenes from Porky's II (a movie that made me giggle so much I almost wet myself), where Pee Wee plays Shakespeare's Robin in the school play and gives the closing speech from "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This scene coming right on the heels of the outrageous sex and vomit sting scene was a fabulous juxtaposition. What's remarkable to me is that it was because of Porky's II that I fell in love with this little bit of Shakespeare. How many of you can say that? How many would admit to it?

Now the hungry lion roars,
And the wolf behowls the moon,
Whilst the heavy plowman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night
That the graves, all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite
In the church-way paths to glide.
And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic. Not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallowed house.
I am sent with broom before,
To sweep the dust behind the door.

And so back to the contest....

Here is your mission, if you want to play:

Submit your comments here with examples of TV shows, popular songs, or movies that used references or quotes from famous poets or authors in a way that may have caught people by surprise. Caught by surprise? I mean, don't include the movie Sense and Sensibility, where half of it was quotes from poetry because two of the characters sat around and read each other poetry throughout. Don't include Shakespeare in Love or Hamlet, where of course there will be a lot of, um, Shakespeare.

Give me movies like Porky's II, or songs like Dire Straits "Romeo and Juliet." Better yet, give me quotes from The Simpsons. Any extra explanation you can include, similar to mine above about Porky's II, will gain you extra points.

You also get extra points for posting about this contest on your blog.

Deadline: October 12
Prizes: Good. I'll randomly draw 4 winners and I'll send them gift cards worth real money ($10 to 25).

Enjoyment factor: 10

Oh, and I'll create a post of all the submissions. Please include links to videos, or pictures, if you can, because that will make the post more fun.

Important Things

2007-09-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

Before I do a poetry Friday post, let me send you over to Seven Impossible Things to read this important call to action in honor of, and in memory of, Grace Lin's husband Robert.

More about Robert's Snow

A Little Poetry for You: Armantrout

2007-09-07T00:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

I chose this poet during my searches today because her first name is my middle name, and somehow that makes her a better poet in my view. Anyhow, the poem today is full of interesting images and a stop-and-think-about-it concept. Enjoy!

Two, Three
by Rae Armantrout

Sad, fat boy in pirate hat.
Long, old, dented,
copper-colored Ford.

How many traits
must a thing have
in order to be singular?

(Echo persuades us
everything we say
has been said at least once
......................................before.)

Go here for the rest of the poem.

Go here for a bio of the poet.

Go here ... or here... for audio of the poet reading other poems. Fair warning, I find her a little too perky a reader.

A Little Poetry for You: Dove

2007-08-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday, and happy end of August!

(It hardly seems possible that 2/3 of the year is done.)

The roundup this week is over at Mentor Texts.

My new poet this week is Rita Dove, one of the contemporary poets featured over at http://www.poets.org/.

Weathering Out
by Rita Dove

She liked mornings the best—Thomas gone
to look for work, her coffee flushed with milk,

outside autumn trees blowsy and dripping.
Past the seventh month she couldn’t see her feet

so she floated from room to room, houseshoes flapping,
navigating corners in wonder. When she leaned

against a doorjamb to yawn, she disappeared entirely.

Go here to read the rest of this poem.

Go here to listen to the poet reading this poem.

Go here for a brief bio of the poet.

Maybe She Was Just Really Really Nervous

2007-08-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

Do you have a theory about why only 1/5 of Americans can find the U.S. on a map?

Miss Teen South Carolina does.

John Irving, Obviously....

2007-08-26T21:31:00.001-04:00

Who's better?

Dr. Seuss or Jane Austen?

Stephen King or Edgar Allen Poe?

Check out The Great Wednesday Compare, a new(ish) series of posts over at The Book Mine Set. You'll get to cast your vote each week, and see how your favorite authors fare.

John Irving is one of the contenders this week. Vote early. Vote often. Voting closes Tuesday night.

A Little Poetry for You: Dugan

2007-08-24T12:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

The round-up is done pretty creatively over at The Book Mine Set.

I've posted a Dugan poem in the past (Love Song: I and Thou) but this one is new to me.

On Looking for Models
by Alan Dugan

The trees in time
have something else to do
besides their treeing. What is it.
I'm a starving to death
man myself, and thirsty, thirsty
by their fountains but I cannot drink
their mud and sunlight to be whole.

Go here to read and listen to the rest of the poem.

Go here for a short bio of Alan Dugan.

A Little Poetry for You: Giovanni

2007-08-17T00:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

I ran across this tonight, and thought all the librarians out there might like it.

My First Memory (of Librarians)
by Nikki Giovanni

This is my first memory:
A big room with heavy wooden tables that sat on a creaky
...............wood floor
A line of green shades—bankers’ lights—down the center
Heavy oak chairs that were too low or maybe I was simply
..............too short
............................For me to sit in and read
So my first book was always big

Go here for the rest of this poem.

Go here for a bio of Nikki Giovanni.

And GO HERE for an interview with Nikki Giovanni talking about poetry and books and life. I liked this in particular: "There's no life in safety.... It prevents you from greeting the world with open arms." I also really enjoyed how she ended with a bit about making poetry accessible. Worth a listen!

Stephen King Weighs In on Harry Potter

2007-08-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

"Jo Rowling's kids grew up...and the audience grew up with them."

My buddy Fran sent me this link today:

Stephen King on Harry Potter

I particularly like this quote from King, explaining how the Harry Potter series was much more than books for children:

The clearest sign of how adult the books had become by the conclusion arrives — and splendidly — in Deathly Hallows, when Mrs. Weasley sees the odious Bellatrix Lestrange trying to finish off Ginny with a Killing Curse. ''NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!'' she cries. It's the most shocking bitch in recent fiction; since there's virtually no cursing (of the linguistic kind, anyway) in the Potter books, this one hits home with almost fatal force. It is totally correct in its context — perfect, really — but it is also a quintessentially adult response to a child's peril.
Be sure to read all three pages!

A Little Poetry for You: Rogers

2007-08-10T11:26:00.001-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

There's been so much talk about weird weather lately, I went hunting for a poem about wind and rain. Here is what I found.

In General
by Pattiann Rogers

This is about no rain in particular,
just any rain, rain sounding on the roof,
any roof, slate or wood, tin or clay
or thatch, any rain among any trees,
rain in soft, soundless accumulation,
gathering rather than falling on the fir
of juniper and cedar, on a lace-community
of cobwebs, rain clicking off the rigid
leaves of oaks or magnolias, any kind
of rain, cold and smelling of ice or rising
again as steam off hot pavements
or stilling dust on country roads in August.
This is about rain as rain possessing
only the attributes of any rain in general.

And this is about night, any night
coming in its same immeasurably gradual
way, fulfilling expectations in its old
manner, creating heavens for lovers
and thieves, taking into itself the scarlet
of the scarlet sumac, the blue of the blue
vervain....

Go here to read the rest of the poem.

Go here for a bio of the poet.

And for something completely different, why not check out Sara Lewis Holmes' 39 Reasons to Write, which was an answer to the meme I posted for my birthday.

A Little Poetry for You: Simic

2007-08-03T13:06:00.001-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

He was just named Poet Laureate of the United States. He was just awarded the Wallace Stevens award.

And I never heard of him until today.

Pigeons at Dawn
by Charles Simic

Extraordinary efforts are being made
To hide things from us, my friend.
Some stay up into the wee hours
To search their souls.
Others undress each other in darkened rooms.

The creaky old elevator
Took us down to the icy cellar first
To show us a mop and a bucket
Before it deigned to ascend again
With a sigh of exasperation.

Go here for the rest of the poem.

For more fun, go here for the audio of another of his poems.

And finally, fresh off the www.poets.org presses: The Academy of American Poets will feature Mr. Simic in a free public reading in New York City's Bryant Park on August 21. He will also participate in the Academy's inaugural Poets Forum in October. For more information, please visit www.poets.org/poets.forum.

39 Reasons Meme

2007-08-02T13:25:00.000-04:00

So it's my 39th Birthday, and to celebrate, I'm starting a meme: 39 reasons to be happy today. I'm going to tag Miss Erin, Robin Brande, and the 7-Imp ladies.

Here are my 39 reasons to be happy today.

1. Healthy family
2. 5 birthday cakes
3. Fitting into smaller size clothes
4. Surprise parties
5. Maine
6. More Maine
7. Friends who make me laugh
8. Surprise phone calls from old friends
9. Fresh paint
10. Blueberries are in season
11. New babies in the neighborhood
12. Hearing a great song I'd forgotten all about
13. Kids who can cross their eyes and lick their own noses
14. Puzzles
15. Books and more books
16. Neighbors who look out for me
17. Friends who keep me honest
18. Nieces and nephews growing up into amazing adults
19. Starting my 40th year well
20. Looking forward to the achievement of turning 40
21. My first pedicure
22. Spa indulgences
23. Sharing Harry Potter with my mom
24. Wonderful coworkers who have fun
25. Opportunities to be smart
26. Opportunities to let others be smart for me
27. Blogging and reading blogs
28. Getting letters and packages
29. Coffee ice cream with chocolate
30. Freshly laundered sheets and towels
31. Hot scented baths
32. Making decisions
33. Air conditioning
34. Sofa breaks
35. Backyard gardens
36. Writing poetry out of the blue
37. Sudden memories of long-past events
38. Old old friends
39. Silly string, silly putty and bubbles

A Little Poetry for You: Levine

2007-07-27T00:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday! You'll find the round-up over at Check it Out!

I've snuck back from vacation for just a day, and wanted to get you this link to a wonderful poem by Philip Levine (brief bio).

I could only find this in audio, but I've transcribed the first half to the best of my ability.

Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942
by Philip Levine

He made a line on the blackboard
One bold stroke from right to left diagonally downward
And stood back to ask --
Looking as always at no one in particular --
"What have I done?"

From the back of the room Freddy shouted,
"You've broken a piece of chalk!"
Messieur Degas did not smile.
"What have I done?" he repeated.

The most intellectual students
Looked down to study their desks,
Except for Gertrude Bimler,
Who raised her hand before she spoke:
"Messieur Degas, you have created
The hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle."

Degas mused.
Everyone knew that Gertrude could not be incorrect.

Go here to hear: Messieur Degas Teaches Art and Science at Durfy Intermediate School, Detroit 1942

Creative Writing: Sailing and Love

2007-07-22T00:35:00.001-04:00

I'm posting this a few days early because I'm heading out on vacation.... Here's a sailing poem I wrote last year, to celebrate the wedding we got to witness on board the Victory Chimes.

Joining
by Nancy Rae Kienzler

I watched two boats
sail their separate courses,
and thought how sad
that these two beautiful things --
so similar
and following parallel paths --
should nonetheless be disjoined
by all that sea between them.

Like clouds overhead,
blown across the same space by the same wind,
but separated by a slice of sky.

But then sometimes the wind
will catch one cloud a little more than the other,
and blow the two together,
and sometimes,
when you watch the sailboats in the distance,
you'll see their paths cross,
their bows kiss,
their sails intermingle.

And you realize that
neither sea,
nor sky,
nor any space between,
can keep two --
who are meant to be one --
from joining.

(This poem is protected by copyright. Please do not use without permission.)

Have a great week everyone!

A Little Poetry for You: Moore

2007-07-20T00:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday! The round-up can be found at this link.

I'm off for a sailing trip today, and leave you with this little bit about the sea.

A Grave
by Marianne Moore

Man looking into the sea,
taking the view from those who have as much right to it as you have to yourself,
it is human nature to stand in the middle of a thing,
but you cannot stand in the middle of this;
the sea has nothing to give but a well excavated grave.
The firs stand in a procession, each with an emerald turkey-foot at the top,
reserved as their contours, saying nothing;
repression, however, is not the most obvious characteristic of the sea;
the sea is a collector, quick to return a rapacious look.

Go here for the rest of this poem.

No reliable audio this time (you might try this link but it didn't work for me), but here's a bio of the poet. She worked at the New York Public Library, just like other people we admire who may or may not have blogs and who appreciate good poetry.

While you're there reading the bio, click on the link to read another good poem called "Baseball and Writing." Moore was a big baseball fan, and it shows in this second poem!

Update: here's an audio clip of Moore reading "Silence." Quite interesting.

Back next week!

Words on Wednesday: Doctor Whom?

2007-07-18T13:38:00.001-04:00

This arrived as a recommendation from Amazon today. Anyone heard of it?

Tanga Puzzles: July 16 - July 22

2007-07-16T22:27:00.000-04:00

Creative Writing: Parchment

2007-07-15T20:46:00.001-04:00

Hello!

It's been over 3 months since I've written anything of my own, but tonight it just felt possible. I went over to one of my favorite Magnetic Poetry sites for inspiration, and these words got me started -- cloud, strike, crash, tingling, waiting, happen -- even though I only used a few of them.

Here is the result, not quite perfected, fresh off the press as it were:

Parchment
by Nancy Rae Kienzler

It was our longest, our greatest, our finest drought,
The time we dried like raisins, like sawdust, like parchment.
Experienced as we were, knowing it would end,
As droughts always do, we waited patient and still.

And yet, nerves tingled. Senses heightened.
Do you smell electricity? Are those cirrus or cumulous?
Are the leaves up? Are the cows lying down?
Even the animals were restless then, pacing and sighing.

One night we heard the crackle across the bone-dry hills.
We sat on the porch and looked Southward,
Then wrapped around the side to look Westward.
It was beautiful, and so brilliant, but no more. Not a drop.

I don’t remember the fall or feel of that first raindrop,
Nor the first storm, momentous as it must have been.
But the weeks, and the weeks, of watching and wanting,
Waiting and withering – I hold on to those.

A Little Poetry for You: Kumin

2007-07-13T12:57:00.001-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday! When you're done here, don't forget the Poetry Friday round-up over at Chicken Spaghetti.

I have to say I really enjoy hunting around on Poets.org for new poetry. Today, I followed their link for "Cowboy Poetry" and from there a link to the poet Maxine Kumin.

Consider this poem about her guilt over letting go of a good horse:

Jack
by Maxine Kumin

How pleasant the yellow butter
melting on white kernels, the meniscus
of red wine that coats the insides of our goblets

where we sit with sturdy friends as old as we are
after shucking the garden's last Silver Queen
and setting husks and stalks aside for the horses

the last two of our lives, still noble to look upon:
our first foal, now a bossy mare of 28
which calibrates to 84 in people years

and my chestnut gelding, not exactly a youngster
at 22. Every year, the end of summer
lazy and golden, invites grief and regret...

Go here for the rest of the poem.

And then consider going here to read and listen to Kumin's "Woodchucks," which takes a somewhat humorous, somewhat grisly look at the determination of the poet to get rid of varmints in her garden. The poem begins: "Gassing the woodchucks didn't turn out right." If you read it as I did, you will laugh and then you will wince.

If the phrase "Cowboy Poetry" intrigues you, use this link for a description of Cowboy Poetry. By the way, based on this description I don't think either of the two Kumin poems I point out are part of the Cowboy Poetry genre.

And here is a Brief bibliography/bio of Maxine Kumin.

Words on Wednesday: Anagrams

2007-07-11T23:37:00.000-04:00

Here's something new I learned today: The phrase "two plus eleven" is equal to the phrase "one plus twelve" in more than one way!

Go here for more anagram coolness! (Click on the anagram link at the top right.)

Oh, and there's a whole bunch about palindromes there too.

Tanga Puzzles: July 9 - July 15

2007-07-09T22:51:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

July 9: Use the phrases one way, then apply to the pictures.

July 10: This is an inside joke but you don't need to be a hero to get it.

July 11: You need to recognize at least a few of these pictures to get this one.

July 12: I don't know why I couldn't remember, but it's buck.

July 13: If you can count, and if you aren't too blue, this should be a fine puzzle for you.

July 14: Little-'uns first.

July 15: If you can get those petty girls in order, you can probably figure it out within the first two rounds.

An Impossible Interview

2007-07-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

The very kind Jules and Eisha over at Seven Impossible Things have added me to their series of blogger profiles. If you want to know things about me I'd never admit on THIS blog, and see my picture, and all that good stuff...

GO HERE.

Thanks Jules and Eisha. I'm so happy to be part of the tribe!

One Year and an Anniversary Contest

2007-07-08T12:14:00.002-04:00

Today is the first anniversary of this blog, and I'm so pleased to have made it a whole year. There were times -- after I went back to work, after I started spending more weekends out and about and more time getting together with people I love, after the visitors started showing up on my doorstep to stay a day or two or six -- that I thought something would have to give and most likely it would be the blog. But I've given myself permission to lighten up, post only when I want to and what I want to, and that's made a huge difference and allowed me to keep going. You can't be all-or-nothing about blogging, or eventually it will be nothing.

So, I'll take a moment to reflect on the first year of blogging, and then I'll talk about my Anniversary Contest. Bear with me, the contest info will be just a few lines below....

Highlights of my blogging year:

Coming up with my blog name, one that was perfectly suited to me.
Being welcomed to the blogging world by Jen Robinson.
Buying two of Leila's excellent t-shirts.
Watching Miss Erin and Little Willow crush the competition in my Great Antagonists of Children's Literature and Great Passages of Children's Literature contests.
Laughing and laughing and laughing over MotherReader's posts.
Remembering to treat myself well thanks to Robin.
Remembering to be grateful thanks to Jules and Eisha.
Being able to count on Michele for very smart commentary.
Learning how to write fibs from Greg.
Working as a judge for the Cybils YA category.
Being contacted by a reporter about my postcard series.
Getting to know Kelly, Liz, Heather, Susan, Lady S, Elaine, and so many others out there blogging.
Finding treasures like the picture at the top of this post and the picture at the bottom.
Every single comment and email that you've sent my way. It's meant so much to know when I've captured your interest, introduced you to a poet you'd never heard of, made you think or laugh, or inspired you to contribute to one of my lists. It's also meant a lot just to know you've been reading. Yes, you.

And the posts....

Posting about sailing, children's books, my evening with Stephen King, my ghost, and my lousy lousy pear trees.

Posting quotations and learning a little about the people who said them.

Posting poetry and discovering the joy of listening to the poets read their own words.

Posting word games, puzzles, dictionary links and other wordie stuff and indulging my love for language.

Posting my own writing and being willing to take a risk by sharing it.

Posting a bunch of old postcards, and getting connected to the past through a little research and a lot of imagination.

Okay, that about covers most of the high points. I'd have to say my very highest points lately have been when I post an old postcard. The "Lives in Letters" series has turned out to be really interesting for me, and a great way to stretch my brain and figure out how things tie together.

Which leads me to the Lives in Letters Contest, at last....

In honor of my one-year blogversary, I am holding a contest that will run through the month of July.

The prizes:

I'll award 4 prizes, each a $25 gift card. Probably Starbucks gift cards, though I might shake it up a bit and go with Target gift cards too. Plus each winner will get one mystery prize of small monetary but huge sentimental value.

The deadline:

Deadline extended to September 30!

The rules to enter:

To enter, simply send some postcard, letter, note, photograph, or some other piece of history that tells a story. Use the Lives in Letters postcard series for inspiration, and search your attic, your scrapbooks, or your local flea market for something from the past that you find interesting, touching, intriguing, sweet, funny or sad.

Email a photo of your item along with its story to nrkii at aol dot com.

I will probably post all the entries up on the blog, so please let me know if you want me to make your entry anonymous. Otherwise, I will be sure to give you credit!

Entries will be judged for overall coolness of the item and for how interesting the story is surrounding it. In other words, I'm afraid I'll have to be entirely subjective in judging the entries. I may call in outside judging help to make it more fair.

I'll also have a separate drawing for a book prize that will be open to any blogger who links to this contest in their blog. Just pop a note in the comments to let me know.

Not yet inspired?

If you want more inspiration for things you could contribute as contest entries, check out The Book Inscriptions Project (thanks Little Willow!) which is very similar to the postcards idea, but centers around the notes people have written inside of gift books. Or check out Found, which is a place to see and read about all sorts of found objects -- love letters, grocery lists, doodles.... I will accept any of these types of entries as well.

I am basically looking for history in the smallest places. Check your sock drawer.

A Little Poetry for You: Davidman

2007-07-06T10:07:00.001-04:00

It's Poetry Friday! Get your round-up over at Farm School.

Lately I've been thinking about C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman (Gresham), and their story as told in the movie Shadowlands and the book A Grief Observed. I don't know why these things pop into my head, but once they do, it's best to just let them out.

So here's a poem from Joy Davidman, which was actually used in the movie Shadowlands.

Snow in Madrid
by Joy Davidman

Softly, so casual,
Lovely, so light, so light,
The cruel sky lets fall
Something one does not fight.
How tenderly to crown
The brutal year
The clouds send something down
That one need not fear.
Men before perishing
See with unwounded eye
For once a gentle thing
Fall from the sky.

Go here for a brief write-up about the life of Joy Davidman. She was known to many of the public as that Jewish, atheist, Christian, communist, divorcee, American poet and novelist who married C. S. Lewis. She was known to Lewis himself as:

my daughter and my mother, my pupil and my teacher, my subject and my sovereign; and always, holding all these in solution, my trusty comrade, friend, shipmate, fellow-soldier.

I do recommend reading "A Grief Observed" if you've got plenty of kleenex handy and want to know more about Lewis and Davidman.

Tanga Puzzles: July 2 - July 8

2007-07-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

July 2: Find the gemstones, then let the maze solution help you find the answer within.

July 3: The instructions at the top are useful, but not if you follow them.

July 4: That's Dinah Shore, and that is her shirt.

July 5: I couldn't decide which way to attack this one, so I drew straws. Then I tried rock paper scissors. I should have kept it simpler.

July 6: The numbers at the bottom range from 1 to 34, which is a big clue about what to apply the numbers to.

July 7: Where I got stuck was the "palindrome" instruction. It means, find the palindrome word that is a synonym or an anagram. I was reading "palindrome" as a verb.

July 8: If you do a Google image search, this will come easily.

A Little Poetry for You: America

2007-06-29T00:04:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday (round-up is at Shaken and Stirred), and just a few days till July 4. Perhaps I'm being a little traditional, or even predictable, by offering the words of these poets in honor of the holiday.

First, a brief remark from Cummings:

e.e. cummings
America makes prodigious mistakes, America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America is always on the move. She may be going to Hell, of course, but at least she isn’t standing still.

And now, a few poems.

I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day--at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

The New Colossus
by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The Gift Outright
by Robert Frost

The land was ours before we were the land’s
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England’s, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she will become.

I find it interesting that Frost's "Gift Outright" is always talked about as the poem Frost recited at Kennedy's inauguration, but few people realize the poem was actually written in 1942. I think putting this poem in the context of World War II makes it different somehow. The poem seems to me to be less about Manifest Destiny and westward expansion, and more a sentiment that Americans didn't become Americans until they were willing to sacrifice themselves completely, willing to die for just a vague promise of a vague American future. Again, in the context of 1942, this reads a bit differently than it would have in 1961.

Happy 4th of July all!

Tell an Author You Care

2007-06-27T17:55:00.000-04:00

July 16 is Tell an Author You Care Day.

Are you in?

Lives in Letters: Postcards from Chocolatetown

2007-06-25T21:15:00.001-04:00

I found a quick series of postcards from Hershey Pennsylvania in my travels today, and being inclined towards chocolate, I thought these would be fun to talk about.

Postcards

Recreation Spot
Rustic Bridge
Cow Herd

Hershey Chocolate Co.
Hershey, Pa.

Chi & Carbondale R.P.O.
October - November, 1909

Addressed to:
Mrs. D. A-
Streator, Ill.

Messages:

October, 1909
Dear Mother + Father
Did not get my ??
off until to-day
so do not know
whether you will
get it on time or
not. Am O.K. Having
bad weather but every
thing is fine so far.
Ed

November 14, 1909
Glad everything
is O.K. at home.
Same here. Tell me
if father's name goes
up. Will write to-night.
Ed.

November 22, 1909
Got your letter
this A.M. Glad
everything is O.K.
Do not send any
money. Don't need
it and I will stay
until Xmas.
Ed.

Notes:

I'll talk about the chocolate in a bit, but first a few things about these cards.

These were all postmarked from the Chicago-Carbondale Railway Post Office (RPO). The RPO was an actual railway car or series of cars that functioned as a permanent but mobile post office. The car had a slot where you could leave letters like in a mailbox, and a sorting set-up inside including all necessary staff. The RPO system existed for 113 years in the U.S. (from 1864 to 1977) but was ultimately replaced by air and ground transport of U.S. mail.

These postcards then, even though they show Hershey, PA on the front, were sent from somewhere between Carbondale, IL (Southern Illinois) and Chicago. It could have been anywhere along that line, because Ed's parents were from a mining town in rural Northern Illinois, that sits between Carbondale and Chicago.

Ed sounds to me like a college Freshman writing home to reassure his parents. For the sake of argument, I'm guessing he was at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His parents wanted him home for Thanksgiving, and were going to send him money to make the trip, but Ed told them no, he'd stay at school until Christmas. Not that I know any of this -- Ed's not terribly chatty, but perhaps his letters had more substance than his postcards.

Okay, onto the important matters of chocolate.

First, when did Ed go to Hershey? My guess, the summer before he started at college. It was his last family trip with the parents and the little brothers and sisters. Hershey was still very new, and spectacular, so it must have been quite a trip.

Here's what an historical marker in the center of Hershey says about the town:

Hershey
Model industrial town and noted tourism destination established in 1903 and named for its founder, Milton S. Hershey (1857 - 1945). Hershey's companies developed housing, recreation, education and cultural facilities, financial institutions, public utilities, a transit system, and the world's largest chocolate factory that opened in June, 1905.

And here's more from the Hershey.com website:

It was here, surrounded by some of America's most productive dairy farms, that Milton S. Hershey opened the world's first modern chocolate factory, and built the "model town" to provide employees and their families with an attractive place to live, work, and play. In 1907, he opened "Hershey Park" for the recreation and entertainment of the workers and their families. He also built a zoo, now known as ZooAmerica. During the Depression, his "Great Building Campaign" created jobs and a stadium, sports arena, community center with an elegant theater, and a Mediterranean-inspired hotel-The Hotel Hershey.

Mr. Hershey's proudest accomplishment was the founding of the Hershey Industrial School for Orphan Boys in 1909, and the establishment of a trust that would provide funding for the institution.

Did you know that Milton Hershey failed in the candy business THREE times (in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York) before he finally made a go of it? This brief story about Milton Hershey is worth reading, especially the Model Town and Legacy sections, where you can learn more about Hershey's methods for building a community for his employees, keeping folks working through the depression, and taking care of children in need. It's good stuff.

And now that I've taken the time to make this wonderful chocolate tour, I may just have to book a trip to the Hershey Chocolate Spa. It's only 2 short hours from my home. Oh my. Oh my. Oh my....

Harry Potter Meme

2007-06-25T20:31:00.000-04:00

Miss Erin was kind enough to tag me for the Harry Potter meme. Which reminds me to remind you there are less than 4 weeks until it's all over. Did you pre-order? Do you have a plan? Will you reread all the other books before this one comes out?

Okay, here's the meme:

1. Butterbeer or pumpkin juice?
Butterbeer, but only if it tasted like butterscotch. If it actually tasted like, um, butter, then I'd be kind of turned off I think.

2. What House would you most likely (or want to) be in in Hogwarts?
This is tough. Gryffindor is always the one I root for, but I'd be most likely to end up in Ravenclaw I'd guess.

3. If you were an animagus, what animal would you turn into?
A hawk. Or perhaps a smaller bird so I could get closer to people and observe.

4. What character do you empathize with, or resemble best?
A mix of Harry and Hermione I guess. Sometimes Harry makes me a little annoyed, and I find that Hermione's always reasonable.

5. What position do you play at Quidditch?
Announcer, definitely, but hopefully not like Luna Lovegood.

6. Which teacher is your favorite?
No contest. McGonagall. Though I'll admit I find Snape the most fun to read about.

7. Any Harry Potter 7 predictions?
Snape will survive and be proven to be good. Draco Malfoy might not make it. Voldemort is toast, of course. Harry's aunt will turn out to be a key character and will be important to Harry's survival. Dumbledore's portrait will wake up and talk. Harry will see his parents again in some form. (Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? Ha!)

No tags tonight. But please, pick it up if you've a mind to.

Tanga Puzzles: June 25 - July 1

2007-06-25T20:27:00.000-04:00

A Little Poetry for You: Frost

2007-06-22T11:04:00.001-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

Here's a whole collection of Robert Frost poetry readings, recorded in 1956, and provided by Harper Audio. The one I'm going to quote starts at 4:50 or so in the section called "The Death of the Hired Man." To get to a higher quality recording of this selection, use this link and go forward about 1/3 of the way.

The Death of the Hired Man
by Robert Frost

MARY sat musing on the lamp-flame at the table
Waiting for Warren. When she heard his step,
She ran on tip-toe down the darkened passage
To meet him in the doorway with the news
And put him on his guard. “Silas is back.”
She pushed him outward with her through the door
And shut it after her. “Be kind,” she said.
She took the market things from Warren’s arms
And set them on the porch, then drew him down
To sit beside her on the wooden steps.

“When was I ever anything but kind to him?
But I’ll not have the fellow back,” he said.
“I told him so last haying, didn’t I?
‘If he left then,’ I said, ‘that ended it.’
What good is he? Who else will harbour him
At his age for the little he can do?
What help he is there’s no depending on.
Off he goes always when I need him most.
‘He thinks he ought to earn a little pay,
Enough at least to buy tobacco with,
So he won’t have to beg and be beholden.’
‘All right,’ I say, ‘I can’t afford to pay
Any fixed wages, though I wish I could.’
‘Someone else can.’ ‘Then someone else will have to.’
I shouldn’t mind his bettering himself
If that was what it was. You can be certain,
When he begins like that, there’s someone at him
Trying to coax him off with pocket-money,—
In haying time, when any help is scarce.
In winter he comes back to us. I’m done.”

“Sh! not so loud: he’ll hear you,” Mary said.

“I want him to: he’ll have to soon or late.”

“He’s worn out. He’s asleep beside the stove.
When I came up from Rowe’s I found him here,
Huddled against the barn-door fast asleep,
A miserable sight, and frightening, too—
You needn’t smile—I didn’t recognise him—
I wasn’t looking for him—and he’s changed.
Wait till you see.”

Go here to read the rest of the poem. It tells quite a story. Especially the part around these lines:

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in.”

Enjoy!

Tanga Puzzles: June 18 - June 24

2007-06-19T20:45:00.001-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

June 18: If you start with the synonym for tinned, you should get this quickly.

June 19: Cubscouts are always prepared. Try looking up pigpen cyphers to get you started.

June 20: Follow the directions from the beginning and you'll be okay.

June 21: Ignore the word clues and just fine the central word in each of the grids.

June 22: This one is too easy to hint. Honest.

June 23: The numbers apply to the boggle cubes, from left to right, top to bottom.

June 24: If only there were an analog version for those of us who hate looking at digital.

A Little Poetry for You: Collins

2007-06-15T13:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

Today's poem is one I found on a site called Poetry 180. The site offers one poem for every school day. This first poem is the first in the series, and I think makes an excellent "introduction to poetry."

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

Go here for the rest of the poem.

Here are some links for audio recordings of Billy Collins. I recommend the Library of Congress video, but you can skip the first 5 minutes of introduction.

Words on Wednesday: What Does Eleemosynary Mean, Anyway?

2007-06-13T00:30:00.000-04:00

I came across this vocabulary quiz in my wanderings today.

I got 74 correct, but I'll admit that:

1) I had to guess more than a few; and
2) if the definitions hadn't been given there were plenty more I would never be able to define on my own.

How will you do?

(Note: I got 71%, because I guessed wrong more than once on a few.)

Tanga Puzzles: June 11 - June 17

2007-06-11T22:12:00.001-04:00

A Coffee Table for Techno-Adventurers

2007-06-11T21:36:00.001-04:00

Yes, Eric Berlin, this IS very cool. Thanks for the link!

He Looks So Gosh-Darned Cuddly

2007-06-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

My brother and his family spent Sunday at the Bronx Zoo, which they've reported as "fantastic" and "awesome" and "huge." They have photographic evidence to prove it too!

Here's my favorite picture from their day. It makes me want to go to the zoo too. Or maybe it makes me want to go take a nap. Either way, it makes me happy.

Personal and Professional Goals - a Meme

2007-06-09T13:21:00.000-04:00

Michele over at Scholar's Blog tagged me with this meme to list 10 to 15 personal and/or professional goals for the summer. Good topic!

Personal Goals for Summer

1. Lose 10 more pounds by August 31. That's just a pound a week. NO problem!

2. Move library furniture out of back room and clean/paint before making back room into guest bedroom. Move bedroom furniture out of front room and clean/paint/refloor before making front room into library. Furnish middle room and decorate it to make it my new bedroom. This is the ultimate goal of all the moving and cleaning.

3. Take a few walks in the neighborhood. Talk with my wonderful neighbors.

4. Maybe swim. Then again, maybe not.

5. Celebrate my one-year blogversary in early July with a new blog contest. I think it will be a Lives in Letters contest, with a couple of good prizes to make it interesting.

6. Read the new Harry Potter book, after re-reading all the old ones. Let's see, 6 weeks to go, 6 books. Easy-peasy.

7. Go to New York for at least 3 Broadway shows and at least 1 Yankee game.

8. Figure out how to use my new (first) iPod. Reading the instructions will probably be a good start.

9. Celebrate my 39th birthday with something fantastically self-indulgent. Maybe I can find a spa that does chocolate baths somewhere around here.

10. Write poetry or prose and post it here. It's been too long since my last.

Professional Goals for Summer

11. Reorganize my team, get staff promotions done, and hire for at least 3 of my 6 open spots.

12. Complete training materials and offer training.

13. Reconnect with old colleagues. Perhaps join professional organization again.

14. Conduct team discussions by end of June.

15. Get key-competency evaluations done for myself.

Hmmmm... my personal goals sound like a lot more fun than the professional ones, but either way, it sounds like a busy summer!

And now, I'll tag Robin Brande, who I suspect has a better handle on how to have a great summer than I do.

A Little Poetry for You: Lowell

2007-06-08T12:39:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

You'll find the round-up at HipWriterMama.

I've meant to use this poem in Poetry Friday for a long time now. It's one of those that I've remembered, at least for theme and message, since the first time I read it 20 years ago. See what you think.

Patterns
by Amy Lowell

I walk down the garden paths,
And all the daffodils
Are blowing, and the bright blue squills.
I walk down the patterned garden-paths
In my stiff, brocaded gown.
With my powdered hair and jewelled fan,
I too am a rare
Pattern. As I wander down
The garden paths.

My dress is richly figured,
And the train
Makes a pink and silver stain
On the gravel, and the thrift
Of the borders.
Just a plate of current fashion,
Tripping by in high-heeled, ribboned shoes.
Not a softness anywhere about me,
Only whalebone and brocade.
And I sink on a seat in the shade
Of a lime tree. For my passion
Wars against the stiff brocade.
The daffodils and squills
Flutter in the breeze
As they please.
And I weep;
For the lime-tree is in blossom
And one small flower has dropped upon my bosom.

Go here for the rest of the poem. See if it sticks with you too.

Oh, and here's an odd little audio recording of the poem. It's not bad, if you can get past the music.

Happy weekend!

Words on Wednesday: Word Sudoku

2007-06-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

In case you're not spending enough of your time playing word games, solving riddles, and generally frittering away your day while exercising your brain... have you checked out Word Sudoku yet?

I did a search tonight, and came across a few sites. This seemed the most promising, not to mention it was the least likely to make me want to commit Sudokicide.

Alternatives:

This one is a little more confusing, but the site itself has other good puzzles. Like Cryptograms. Or Acrostics. But not Word Ferret. Don't check out Word Ferret because we might never see you again.

And then this odd variation of Sudoku is like a Sudoku crossword puzzle. It's called Kakuro. Brave? Try it!

Lives in Letters: Postcard from a Swedish Tourist

2007-06-04T21:27:00.000-04:00

How interesting is this postcard?

I did my very best to translate the Swedish word by word into something that resembles English. (It actually took me a while to figure out that it was Swedish rather than German, Dutch, etc. -- thank goodness for the internet!) If anyone out there can read Swedish, and wants to take a look at the original in somewhat less-than-pristine handwriting, I'd love to learn how bad my translation actually is. Plus, I have a few blanks to fill in.

Postcard
Army, Navy and Reserve
Washington, D.C.
September 21, 1918

Addressed to
Mrs. Enack C-
Jamestown, NY

Notes written sideways on each of the people on front:

Navy – “your little brother”
Girl – “my little reserve”
Army – “your little hubbie”

Message on back:

Fredriksburg Virginia
Torsdag middag (Thursday midday)

We went
to Richmond this morning.
We went out for a stroll
through town, we found it
pleasant. Oh I felt proper
elegant. So we were not sad.
We came into Washington
around 3 ??. I hope
we go to see the President. I was not
sad for ????. XXX

??? but we are here in
Washington we shall
eat dinner here.
I wish you were here now.

Notes:

Take a look at the notes written on the front of the postcard. I believe that "my little reserve" is the woman to whom this is addressed. I believe that "your little hubby" is the author of this postcard, and is married to the addressee.

Isn't that just adorable?

It's hard to tell from this message, especially my translation, but I'd guess that the author of this postcard was in the military, and headed off to serve during "The Great War." You can check out a war timeline here, and see what was going on in 1918 when this postcard was sent.

I really have to wonder if I got the translation right. Why so much "sadness" in this message? Even though he's saying "not sad" it makes me curious.

One more note... I don't know why it took me so long to figure out this was Swedish. It was sent to Jamestown, where there is a large Swedish population. And I knew that, because my brother has Swedish in-law family in that area. Of course, this lovely and funny lady was born in Jamestown, but is NOT Swedish.

Tanga Puzzles: June 4 - June 10

2007-06-04T18:44:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

June 4: Bacon is not just for breakfast anymore.

June 5: It's a little hard on the eyes, but easy on the brain.

June 6: I was overwhelmed when I first looked at this, but then I understood it.

June 7: No hint required. I got the answer with just the first three letters.

June 8: This puzzle is twice as hard as the easy one tonight.

June 9: I'm not sure what the second clue is -- the one with the (6) -- but the rest are easy for a junk food junkie like me.

June 10: I hate that carol. But I needed the pipers piping to get this done.

A Little Poetry for You: Whyte

2007-06-01T00:02:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

My offering is just below. The round-up of all the PF offerings can be reached via this button:

First of all, a warm thank you to Stidmama, who thought to send me this poem earlier this week.

Usually I post the first few stanzas of a poem, and then link to the entire poem so that you can read the end. Today I'll do something a little different. In this poem, I found the last 3 stanzas so startling that I prefer to share these last three rather than the start of the poem. The link will still take you to the entire poem, allowing you this time to read the beginning (and re-read the end of course).

The House of Belonging
by David Whyte

...
This is the bright home
in which I live
this is where
I ask
my friends
to come
this is where I want
to love all the things
it has taken me so long
to learn to love.

This is the temple
of my adult aloneness
and I belong
to that aloneness
as I belong to my life.

There is no house
like the house of belonging.

Go here for the rest of the poem. And don't forget to click the link at the bottom to hear it!

Once you've read it, and heard it, then check out the poet's bio and see if that makes you rethink your opinion of the poem itself. It's an interesting experiment I think.

Words on Wednesday: Word Jumbles

2007-05-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Especially for my friend who loves word jumbles, I hunted down this site today.

Jumble.com

You may need to download an active x control to run this page, but it's kind of fun once you do. Also, for the total jumble addict, there is a merchandise page where you can buy t-shirts and stuff.

Enjoy!

Tag, Apparently I am It.

2007-05-29T19:39:00.000-04:00

I was tagged twice today (update: three times!) for the same meme. And as I sadly wasn't able to keep up with the last two tags earlier this Spring, I feel doubly (triply!) obliged to behave myself today.

So thank you to Jen and Michele (and Susan!) for the tags, and here goes....

First, the rules:

Each participant lists eight facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning of the post, before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags eight people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

And now, on to my 8 things:

1. I've lived in 12 different places since graduating from college 17 years ago, including 6 in Los Angeles, 3 in Massachusetts, 2 in New Jersey and 1 in Pennsylvania.

2. I was in Los Angeles during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and rode out the quake under my desk (after a very stumbly run across the room to get to my desk). Later, while waiting for our building to get the "OK to re-enter" sign (and the power to come back on), I went to the Westin Bonaventure with friends, and we camped out in their basement shelter where we were treated to pastry, sandwiches, coffee and clean cots with blankets and pillows. Note to self: pricey hotels have back-up generators AND snacks.

3. During my 7 years in Los Angeles I had a reasonable amount of star sightings: Brian Dennehy, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael J. Fox, Donald Sutherland, Virginia Madsen, and Bill Pullman. I helped Donald pick a blouse for "an 80-year-old-woman," shopped for toiletries with Virginia, and pretty much just avoided coughing and sneezing all over Bill Pullman.

4. I do word puzzles every day. There are 10 quick puzzles I do early in the day, and one hard puzzle I do every night at 10PM. My mother does the same puzzles, and we compare notes by phone.

5. I'm a Leo. I'll be 39 this August, and I'm starting to look forward to turning 40 just as much as I looked forward to turning 30. I mean that sincerely -- I loved turning 30!

6. Living authors I admire: Stephen King and John Irving, as well as many authors of children's books. Not-so-living authors I admire: C. Bronte, Nabokov, C.S. Lewis.

7. I am a terrible impulse shopper, especially for antiques or odd objects. My worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) was buying an old record player in a wooden cabinet that stands about 3 to 4 feet tall. It is one of the ones with the huge arm, and the crank on the side, and it plays the really thick old records. Terrible music, but cool furniture.

8. I spared my pear trees this year, though they're cut way back. You'll probably hear more about them in several weeks, when the pears start pelting the passers-by and the cars on my street. And when the squirrels start getting angry at me again....

And now, I am going to stand up for my right to not tag anyone! Because so many have already been tagged.

Though if featherbee and stidmama wanted to take part, they could consider themselves tagged.

Tanga Puzzles: May 28 - June 3

2007-05-28T22:11:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

May 28: You have to DEcrypt using the numbers below.

May 29: Pretty easy as long as you do first things first.

May 30: Be sure to pay attention to the impurities on the back end, not just in the middle.

May 31: You have to do this in 3 separate steps... step 1, step 3 and step 5.

June 1: Count on the second half of the quote to tell you how to start.

June 2: In the last step you'll need to wait till the eclipse is over.

June 3: This was incredibly hard. Your best bet is to solve the numbers first without worrying about the letters, and only then apply the letters. The big hint: For each step, you want an 11-letter word/phrase/set of numbers.

A Little Poetry for You: Memorial Day

2007-05-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday, and the start of the long weekend. I hope you all enjoy the break.

Here's a poem to remember the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day for the War Dead
by Yehuda Amichai

Memorial day for the war dead. Add now
the grief of all your losses to their grief,
even of a woman that has left you. Mix
sorrow with sorrow, like time-saving history,
which stacks holiday and sacrifice and mourning
on one day for easy, convenient memory.

Oh, sweet world soaked, like bread,
in sweet milk for the terrible toothless God.
"Behind all this some great happiness is hiding."
No use to weep inside and to scream outside.
Behind all this perhaps some great happiness is hiding.

Go here for the rest of this poem.

Be well!

Pictures that Make Me Happy

2007-05-21T21:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to Miss Erin for pointing the way to another fabulous blog: Artista Blog.

This picture made me particularly happy.

Lives in Letters: Postcard from a Bride-to-be

2007-05-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

I spent an hour sorting through my postcards tonight, trying to get organized to present the long-promised family postcards of the attorney from a few weeks ago. I'm now organized, and I realize that getting these postcards all photographed and ready to post is going to take an afternoon. Maybe the coming holiday weekend will afford me the time. I promise it will be worth it when all is said and done.

Meantime, here's a cute one that I've been hanging onto for a while. See what you think....

Postcard

La Gare des Invalides

et le Pont Alexandre III

Paris, France

December 10, 1908

Addressed to

Mr. & Mrs. James D.

Sidney, New York

U. S. America

So pleasant to hear from
H. that you have
arrived home safely --
Am very happy to tell you
that I am engaged to our
English friend. Altho' no
doubt you have heard it. Am
only at No. 30 for half time now.
My very best wishes to you both.
Billie M.

Notes:

The postmark is from the Grand Hotel in Paris, which was built sometime around 1870, and like its counterparts in other parts of Europe, is still today a truly impressive hotel structure.

In case you're in the mood for a quick summary of all things Paris, here's a link for you. I found nothing in particular about the hotel, which was a disappointment.

I like that Billie addressed the card to U. S. America.

I also like that her name was "Billie." You may be able to see from the photo that she signed the front of the card too.

La Gare des Invalids - history of the original design and construction at Wikipedia. Napoleon Bonaparte is buried there. Many other military leaders are buried there as well, though some have just their hearts buried there, which I find a little disturbing. A large esplanade in the front makes the surrounding structures seem like a palace.

Pont Alexandre III - brief history of the bridge at Wikipedia. Also, here are some great pictures from other postcards. These will give you a better sense of how pretty the bridge is, and there's a bit of history at the bottom there too.

I liked this message, especially the part about being engaged to "our English friend," because something about the language makes me believe that Billie is truly happy about it. I think it's the use of "our English friend" and the shortened version of "although" that make me believe that, though I can't put my finger on why.

I'm not sure what "Am only at No. 30 for half time now" means. Well, I understand it in a generic sense, in that Billie must have been lodging at #30 X street, and now she is only there half the time. But why? Where does she go the other half of the time?

Tanga Puzzles: May 21 - May 27

2007-05-21T18:37:00.000-04:00

Well What Do You Think About That?

2007-05-21T18:35:00.000-04:00

How great is it that HipWriterMama named this blog as one of the blogs that make her think?

Pretty darn cool, just like HipWriterMama.

This Just in...

2007-05-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Nancy!

You have been chosen to receive a free copy of the Knopf National Poetry Month Collection as a result of sending us the correct answer to our poetry contest question.

You should expect to receive this audiobook within the next week.

We hope you’ll enjoy this listening experience!

A Little Poetry for You: Rexroth

2007-05-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Poetry Friday!

I went wandering idly, not knowing what type of poem I was looking for this week. I tried a few key-word searches, and somehow found myself reading a selection of Kenneth Rexroth's poems for the first time.

This is the one I thought most appropriate to share.

Confusion
by Kenneth Rexroth

I pass your home in a slow vermilion dawn,
The blinds are drawn, and the windows are open.
The soft breeze from the lake
Is like your breath upon my cheek.
All day long I walk in the intermittent rainfall.
I pick a vermilion tulip in the deserted park,
Bright raindrops cling to its petals.

Go here for the rest of the poem. You will also find three others at this spot, all equally good. My favorite line from the poems here is from the first peom on the page, "Runaway":

I wish I could be sure that deep in you
Was a magnet to draw you always home.

That bit alone makes Rexroth worth a deeper investigation I think.

After you grow a good appreciation for Rexroth, and have developed a healthy respect, only then should you go listen to these audio selections, which are purely HORRIBLE but highly amusing.

Words on Wednesday: Great First Lines

2007-05-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some good words for you this Wednesday.

From the editors of American Book Review, we have this list of the 100 best first lines from novels.

Check them out. See if you agree. Personally, I think some of them were chosen based on the quality of the book rather than the quality of the line itself. Like this one, which was ranked #37:

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.

What's so special about that first line? I don't see it.

Suggest others if you like.

Thanks so much to Stidmama for the link!

Remember when Joanie called Potsie "Dren"?

2007-05-15T22:02:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to Michele for pointing this out. I had a feeling I'd come out pretty nerdy on this test. I'm just relieved my Geek and Dork scores were under 50%.

Your Score:

Pure Nerd

65 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 43% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

Okay, now you try:

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Oh, and 10 extra points if you understand the title of this post.

Lives in Letters: Postcard from the Hippodrome

2007-05-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, I just loved the picture on this postcard. The message isn't bad either.
.
I'm putting up two pictures of this postcard tonight. One is clearer than the other, but has a white flash-mark in the middle. The other's a bit too blurry to satisfy.

Postcard
The Hippodrome,
New York City

.
New York, NY
October 3, 1912
.

Addressed to

Miss Edith C-
Springfield, Mass

Dear Friend
We are now
on board ship and
expect to sail some
time this afternoon.
Where I don't know
at the present time.
Were in Hoboken. We
didn't land at all. Just
transfer from one to
the other. As ever
Joseph P.

Notes:

Here is the write-up about the Hippodrome from the back of the postcard itself.

The New York Hippodrome occupies an entire block on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets. It is the largest playhouse in the world. Has a seating capacity of 5200. The depth of the stage is 110 feet, the width 200 feet. Noted for its distinguished visitors, such as the President of the United States and Governors of every state in the Union. Royal visitors, Foreign Diplomats, and European official representatives have been pleased spectators at the Hippodrome.

Here's one site with good pictures and a write-up about the Hippodrome.

And here's one that's even better. If you only have time for one link, go with this one.

Fun facts about the New York Hippodrome:

Built in 1905, it was at that time the world's biggest theater.
Harry Houdini made an elephant disappear during a show there.
It was used for big theatrical productions, and live animal shows. It gave the Barnum and Bailey Circus a run for their money.
It was thought to be a very democratic establishment -- offering high culture and good entertainment at bargain prices. Unfortunately in this case, democracy did not pay the bills, and the theater closed just over 30 years after it was opened.
The building was torn down in 1939.

There's not a lot to say about this message, only what kind of adventure must Joseph have been on? Transferring from one ship to another, not knowing when his ship would leave, or where it was going. Was he in the Navy and that's why he didn't know where he was going?

And if he didn't land, how did he manage to get this postcard to send?

Tanga Puzzles: May 14 - May 20

2007-05-14T22:03:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

May 14: You need 4 two-letter words to get to the answer.

May 15: Hopefully the cure for this puzzle won't elude you. If so, call your mother's sister.

May 16: This one has a fun twist at the end, like a riddle.

May 17: Thanks to Greg over at GottaBook, I got this one in a snap. No lie.

May 18: Challenging one. I couldn't solve it until I was pretty much ready to fold.

May 19: You have to click each icon to get to these puzzles. The easy one doesn't need a hint here. The hard one you need to sound out. Twice.

May 20: You need to focus on the columns and use those to select your letters. By the way, ignore the column with the red letters.

A Little Poetry For You: Mother's Day Poem

2007-05-11T00:03:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday, and coming up on Mother's Day! To all of you who are mothers, or who have mothers, enjoy the weekend and celebrate please.

Here's a poem I just discovered tonight. I love how the poet makes his mother so absolutely human in telling about her one small mannerism. Don't forget to check out the audio on this.

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day MOM!

Dinner with my Mother
by Hugo Williams

My mother is saying 'Now'.
'Now,' she says, taking down a saucepan,
putting it on the stove.
She doesn't say anything else for a while,

so that time passes slowly, on the simmer,
until it is 'Now' again
as she hammers out our steaks
for Steak Diane.

I have to be on hand at times like this
for table-laying
drink replenishment
and general conversational encouragement,

but I am getting hungry
and there is nowhere to sit down.
'Now,' I say, making a point
of opening a bottle of wine.

Go here for the rest of the poem, and of course, the audio.

Words on Wednesday: Mind Play

2007-05-09T00:42:00.000-04:00

Here's a site that's chock full of fun mind games.

Playwithyourmind.com

I checked out the typing tests, and the word games. On the word games, "Hangmind" was pretty easy, but the other two ("Broken Words" and "Falling Jumbles") kicked me clear across the room.

Good luck! Have fun!

Thoughts on A Drowned Maiden's Hair

2007-05-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

Did I mention I read A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama?

Did I mention I loved it?

What I loved:

It felt old-fashioned in a very cozy and familiar way. It captured perfectly that age of orphanages and spinsters and little girls who would rebel.

And yet, it was very fresh -- a totally unexpected story that made me laugh and cringe in surprise.

I loved the title. Including the "melodrama" description as part of the title was a stroke of genius, in my opinion. It tells you from a distance that this will be (as I said) both old-fashioned and a little saucy.

Maud's vulnerability is touching. [Spoiler!] Her betrayal is almost heartbreaking. Her spunk is exhilarating.

Muffet is a true heroine. If I didn't already have a great mom, I'd want Muffet to be my mom.

The carousel and the ocean , and the image of the bedraggled little girl moving between both, were visually effective.

[Spoiler!] It ended in exactly the right way. Wrapped up in the perfect bow, as this kind of book must be. Bravo!

Oh, and it won a Cybil this year too. Check out the Cybil write-up and author interview here.

Blogging Blackout Over at Last

2007-05-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the prolongued silence!

I've been travelling, and entertaining visitors, and enjoying the good weather, and spending quality time with quality people, and have barely been able to turn on my computer these past two weeks. It's been a great two weeks, but I've missed the blog too.

Thanks for your patience!

Lives in Letters: Postcard with Marine Slang

2007-05-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

I know I promised to post more postcards from the District Attorney but in a cleaning frenzy last week I put my camera somewhere very safe and now I can't remember where that is. So I've fallen back on an older card that I've had ready to post for months. Wish me luck finding the camera, and all the other things I hid in the last minutes of "cleaning."

This card struck me both for the picture on the front, and the timing and message on the back.

Postcard
Enlisted Men’s Barracks,
Camp Lejeune, Marine Base
New River, NC Marine Barracks
October 15, 1943

Addressed to
Mr. & Mrs. Howard S-
Slatington, Pa.

Hi.
I’m sure enjoying
myself. It is a
beautiful camp. The
Hostess House where I’m
staying is 3 blocks from
Marvin’s barracks.
Marvin said
“hello.” Ellen

Notes:

The first thing that struck me about this message is the date. Right in the middle of World War II. Ellen's message is so cheerful, almost jarringly cheerful, considering all that was happening at the time. Of course, cheerful optimism was a standard of the time.

Here's some World War II timeline information for the months leading up to Ellen's postcard. A few highlights, if you'll excuse the term:

Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kula Gulf
Allied invasion of Sicily
Battle of Vella Gulf
Bombing of Hamburg
Firestorm in Hamburg
Allied invasion of Italy
Italy declares war on Germany

What was a "hostess house?" Quite simply, a hostess house is a hotel on a military base. Luckily, I found this glossary of Marine slang to help me out there. I must add that the glossary was much more polite than I expected. I may have to searching for a more comprehensive glossary to get some of the fun acronyms and catch phrases. For now, I enjoyed seeing the definition for JOB (junk on the bunk), which is field gear and uniforms laid out for inspection and gungy, which means enthusiastic, or I imagine, gung-ho.

So, my guess is that Ellen is Marvin's wife, and she was staying at the Hostess House while Marvin was in some sort of training at Camp Lejeune. The postcard is to Marvin's parents, and it's cheerful because 1) Ellen is a naturally cheerful sort; 2) Marvin is not in Europe or the Pacific, but relatively safe stateside right at the moment; 3) Ellen gets to see Marvin regularly; 4) Ellen doesn't want Marvin's parents to worry about where Marvin is going next.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Next week I really will try to get those family postcards up here.

Tanga Puzzles: May 7 - May 13

2007-05-07T18:00:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

May 7: The last step of this requires you to think.

May 8: At last, an easy one!

May 9: I almost had to flag this one and come back later -- it took me a while to pick up on the signals.

May 10: A printer makes it much easier to connect with this puzzle.

May 11: Those hyphens are minus signs.

May 12: I have no idea what the heiroglyphics at the bottom mean, but the answer just floated out of the puzzle.

May 13: I had the right approach, but did not apply it to the right key. The key will set you free.

Travelling Again

2007-05-01T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the quiet. I'm travelling again this week.

Tanga Puzzles: April 30 - May 6

2007-04-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

A Little Poetry for You: Rumi

2007-04-27T00:08:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

Again I've gone with a poem from the Knopf poem-a-day offerings. This one arrived on Tuesday, and as soon as I read

my heart
is a pen
in your hand

it is all
up to you
to write me happy or sad

I knew this one of those poems I wanted to store someplace safe to read and re-read.

Please... read the rest of "Only You" by Rumi. There's a brief bio of the poet along with the poem as well.

Words on Wednesday: Silly Words are Popular

2007-04-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

I never realized how popular the topic of Silly Words would be, till I started looking at my blog stats.

So for anyone looking for more silly words, I offer the following. As before, you can click on the word to hear it pronounced. I've also included my comments...

SNUFFLE (reminds me of Aloysius Snuffleupagus)

JIGGLY (especially when you add -wiggly)

POLYGON (where'd she go?)

BRATWURST (better than worst brat)

TOUCAN (but can one?)

Tanga Puzzles: April 23 - April 29

2007-04-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

April 23: David Arnott's had a bit of a monopoly on Tanga this past week. This puzzle is the last in his series of 7, and it's pretty straightforward.

April 24: Use the question twice (differently).

April 25: Remember the origins of green and orange.

April 26: Key clue words are "holding" and "hand."

April 27: It's a puzzle-thon! 44 puzzles which will be posted 1 an hour through Sunday afternoon. I'll see if I can clue them sometime this weekend, but I might have trouble keeping up.

April 29: That's Tom Jones, and below him is the Phillipines, and to the right is the flag of Iran. Not much of a clue, but hopefully it saved you some legwork.

Apparently I Was Raised in the Midland without My Noticing

2007-04-23T19:00:00.000-04:00

Actually, I grew up in Massachusetts, but on the left side of the state, where there is almost no accent.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Travelling

2007-04-22T14:32:00.001-04:00

I'll be travelling for the next few days and unable to post from the road.

Back on Wednesday!

The Carnival has Come to Town

2007-04-21T11:19:00.000-04:00

For oodles and oodles of posts about children's literature and related topics, do check out this month's Children's Literature Blog Carnival. Jen Robinson has done a fantastic job of organizing it so everything is very clear, easy to get to, and lots of fun!

I give you... Jen Robinson's production of...

The 13th Carnival of Children's Literature

A Little Poetry for You: Strand

2007-04-20T00:06:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

I've really enjoyed having a poem emailed to me every day this month from Knopf. What incredible selections they're making, and all poetry I've not seen before so it's a great opportunity to expand my poetic horizons.

Yesterday they sent me this poem from Mark Strand, and I loved it at first read. Then I saw there was an audio recording we could listen to, and I just knew it had to be my Poetry Friday selection for this week.

Man and Camel
by Mark Strand
On the eve of my fortieth birthday
I sat on the porch having a smoke
when out of the blue a man and a camel
happened by. Neither uttered a sound
at first, but as they drifted up the street
and out of town the two of them began to sing.
Yet what they sang is still a mystery to me—
the words were indistinct and the tune
too ornamental to recall. Into the desert
they went and as they went their voices
rose as one above the sifting sound
of windblown sand. The wonder of their singing,
its elusive blend of man and camel, seemed
an ideal image for all uncommon couples.

Go here for the rest of the poem.

Go here for the audio recording of the poem, which I think adds just the right amount of texture to something already quite wonderful.

Words on Wednesday: World Wide Words

2007-04-18T21:25:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon this weird words site for you today. That's right... I stumbled just for you. And now I have an 80's pop tune in my head... sigh.

World Wide Words

It's a good word site from the mind of Michael Quinion, author, Oxford English Dictionary consultant, and general word enthusiast. Here you can find weird words, fun phrases, current hot words or buzz words, questions from readers with fascinating answers from Quinion, and moremoremore.

It also has a "Surprise Me" feature that led me to these four excellent posts:

Whys and wherefores

Warm the cockles of your heart

Murphy's Law

At sixes and sevens

Lastly, and possibly most exciting (though I'll wait for another Wednesday to report back), this site has some cool links to other word sites, including one for Scots English, and one for regional American English. Maybe with that last one I can solve the mystery of "pop" vs. "soda." Or "hogie" vs. "hero" vs. "grinder." The possibilities!

A Poem by any Other Name...

2007-04-17T00:18:00.000-04:00

Elaine Magliaro, poet, teacher, children's literature enthusiast, and now double-blogger. Though you can still find her regularly on the Blue Rose Girls blog, she has recently opened up shop with her new blog, Wild Rose Reader.

This month, being a poet with a very cooperative muse, Elaine has decided to write a new poem every day, and to offer the poem as a nod to a different blogger each day. Gail got a whale poem, Jone got a snake poem, Cloudscome got a series of haiku, etc. What a cool thing to do! And she posted her latest poem for me, which was very kind and fun to see.

I'm trying hard not to read too much into the fact that it's about a smelly skunk. (Did I forget something in my rush to get ready for work today?)

Congratulations on the new blog Elaine, and thanks for the kind words and the poem!

Lives in Letters: Postcard about those Goats

2007-04-16T23:01:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here with 6 postcards in hand, all sent to the same person, or perhaps to a father and son, between about 1925 and 1935. No time to post them all tonight, but I'll get them all up by next week so you can see how the story evolves. It's very interesting -- the recipient went from attorney, to city solicitor, to district attorney over the course of the postcards, and the messages, though addressed to this guy's place of work, have some fun irreverence in them.

"The day was perfect beginning with the goats..."

For tonight, I'm starting with this one from 1935. There's no need to post a picture, as this is one of those plain beige penny postcards from the post office. Anyway, the message paints a fun picture itself.

Postcard

Northampton, Mass.

May 19, 1935

Addressed to

Mr. Philip C.

Springfield, Mass.

Message:

May 18, 1935
12:01 A.M.

Dear Phil,
...We're terribly
sorry about rushing
off the way we
did but rules are
rules.
...The day was
perfect beginning
with the goats
and ending with
sweet dreams.
...Thanks again,
.............Margie + Esther
P.S. Two good-nights.
.............M. + E.

Notes:

I'm betting that Margie and Esther were rushing away to get back to their dorm at Smith College, before breaking curfew. Notice that Margie wrote the time as 12:01 -- they must have barely made it back. A few years later, in 1941, the women of Smith would get the curfew rules changed:

Smith was a safe haven, far from the war raging in Europe. Maids kept the dormitories clean and the beds made, and the King’s men (a reference to the maintenance staff headed by George King) kept the grass immaculate and the walkways cleared in winter. The prevailing issue for students was getting the college to loosen its curfew, an effort they won in October when the college granted “late permissions,” allowing first-year students to stay out as late as 1 a.m. on four Saturdays per semester.

For more about Smith College during that time, read the rest of the above passage here. Or see what was going on just a dozen years before.

So, about those goats... I wonder if Phil took the girls to the first ever Dairy Classic (now Livestock Classic) at Mass Aggie (now UMass)? There were certainly goats there! And perhaps the "sweet dreams" reference means they got ice cream at the Dairy Classic. Well, that's my theory, and I'm sticking to it!

Here's a vivid description of the fun to be had at the Livestock Classic:

A popular event at the Little International Livestock Show ... was the co-ed milking contest. In this event, sorority pledges, hand picked for their lack of experience, would compete to milk a cow and fill up a test tube in the shortest amount of time. The winner of the contest received the title of "Girl with the Most Pull on Campus."

Ummmm, yeah.... 'nuff said.

But tell me, when you think about the girls and the goats, which of these was Margie and which was Esther?

Okay, more about Phil, or Phil and his dad, next week. For now, sweet dreams.

Tanga Puzzles: April 16 - April 22

2007-04-16T22:58:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

April 16: You don't need the attributions to do this. They're wasted space.

April 17: Guess puzzle-maker David Jedediah Arnott begins his week-long puzzle offerings. No Jedediah isn't his real middle name. I just liked the sound of it. 12 pictures, 6 words to fill in on the right. You do the math and figure out what you're missing.

April 18: The title is enough of a clue for tonight.

April 19: Who says this puzzle's going to take you forever to solve? It's not so bad, really.

April 20: Quick! Follow the instructions!

April 21: Things are not what they should be in this puzzle.

April 22: There's no rulebook for this type of puzzle.

Sad Day in Virginia

2007-04-16T17:13:00.000-04:00

How awful.

Shootings at Virginia Tech

Creative Writing: April Verse #2

2007-04-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm honoring National Poetry Month quietly after all. A mere two weeks after I wrote my first April poem, I've written my second. Thank goodness I had a little E.M. Forster to inspire me today.

Late to the Party

“Only connect!” he said, and in one inspired moment
she inventories her life, her melancholy connections,
her splintered fragmented rent-asunder day-to-day.

She lives her prose. She eats and drinks her prose.
Her prose keeps the heat on, the lights on, gas in the car,
roof over head, you know. You know.

Her passion? Her passion’s been hiding out a long time --
biding its time, as the minutes days years drop away
almost without notice, like water shaken from an umbrella
by a woman arriving late to a party.

“Only connect!” he said, and now she’s late to the party,
a little soggy and disheveled, and wondering how long she’ll have to stay.

A Little Poetry for You: Chinese Book of Songs and a Moose

2007-04-13T00:05:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday! (and Friday the 13th, but we're trying to ignore that)

Liz has the round-up this week over at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy.

UPDATE: I'm adding a bonus poem today, one that just arrived in my email and struck me as incredibly beautiful. The poem is called "Moose in the Morning, Northern Maine," by Mona Van Duyn. Here's a small bit of it, the very bit that made me love the poem:

The world is warming and lightening
and mist on the pond
dissolves into bundles and ribbons.
At the end of my dock there comes clear,
bared by the gentle burning,
a monstrous hulk with thorny head,
up to his chest in the water,
mist wreathing round him.

Use this link to read the entire poem.

Here's my original PF post:

I don't have audio on this poem. But if you want to hear it, you could go out and rent the movie Crossing Delancey, which is how I know this poem. It is actually translated from the Chinese Book of Songs.

ripe plums are falling
now there are only five
may a fine lover come for me
while there is still time

ripe plums are falling
now there are only three
may a fine lover come for me
while there is still time

ripe plums are falling
i gather them in a shallow basket
may a fine lover come for me
tell me his name

Here's a brief write-up about this poem -- scroll to #17.

Here is a very different translation of the same poem -- scroll to #20.

Words on Wednesday: Winston Breen is Coming

2007-04-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Have you heard about Winston Breen?

Written by puzzle maker and blogger Eric Berlin (whose blog I visit all the time), The Puzzling World of Winston Breen will hit the stands in September. From all accounts it promises to be a lot of fun for anyone who loves children's books, words, and puzzles. I happen to love all three, so I'm completely intrigued.

Here's Winston's blog, which is well-stocked with puzzles to amuse, distract and challenge you.

Oh, and you can pre-order the book right here.

Why Ask if Shad Do it?

2007-04-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

If you're in the New Jersey or eastern Pennsylvania area at the end of the month, be sure to check out Lambertville's annual non-fishy fish extravaganza... Shad Fest!

It's an art festival.

It's a street fair.

It's an homage to the shad harvest.

I'll be hanging out my fish tomorrow. No, I'm not kidding.

Click on the poster or the link above to see more details.

Harry Potter, the Final Obsession

2007-04-10T21:46:00.000-04:00

The final Harry Potter book is due in stores on July 21.

My sailing trip this summer departs the morning of July 21.

Question: Should I call ahead to the little bookstore in Rockland, Maine and get them to reserve a copy for me, so that on the morning of July 21 when we have 20 minutes free before we sail, I can run to town, buy the book and then spend my first sailing day in emotional upheaval?

Or should I wait?

I think the answer is clear, but I'll take input.

Meantime, check out this fun Snape-musing from Kelly over at Big A little a.

Lives in Letters: Postcard - Girls in the Lighthouse

2007-04-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that my mom is supporting my habit -- she hunted down over a dozen postcards for me, most of which are going to be lots of fun to post. Here's the first, from a part of Maine I'm pretty familiar with.

Postcard

Castine Light

Castine, Me.

August 5, 1912

Addressed to

Miss Bernice A-

Agawam, Mass.

Castine, Maine. Aug. 5th 1912.

There are two little girls that

now live in this house. They are

about ten and twelve years old. Their

father has been here for a good many years

stationed at a light on an island so

that the girls had never attended school

until last winter. They just love it and do

so much enjoy the winters in this very

quiet little town. It must seem lively

after living on a light house island. We

like it here ourselves. Lovingly,

Aunt Florence

Notes:

I can't help but be intrigued by a time when young boys only went to school in the winter because they were busy working the farm the rest of the year, or when young girls only went to school in the winter because they were living on a lighthouse island the rest of the year!

Castine is an incredibly interesting small town on Penobscot Bay in Maine. It was settled by Europeans before Plymouth; it changed hands and names many times over the following two centuries; it was a significant battleground during the Revolutionary War and saw the battle that earned Paul Revere his court martial. (Which by the way was the worst Naval disaster for America up to Pearl Harbor.) For over 60 years it has been the home of the Maine Maritime Academy. And it has become a vacation and retreat destination for many who think that Winters should be cold and Summers nights should be chilly. (Like me!)

Go here or go here for more details on the history of Castine.

Of course anyone who's spent time driving along the New England Coast (or many other coastlines, for that matter) has seen their share of lighthouses. But aside from being pretty, and having a the most wonderful soulful sound in the fog, what else makes lighthouses so interesting? Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the creation of lighthouses, with an added note from me:

Most of the lighthouses in the United States have been built and maintained by the Coast Guard since 1939, its predecessor the United States Lighthouse Service from 1910-1939 and its predecessor the United States Lighthouse Board from 1852-1910. Before the Lighthouse Board was established, local collectors of customs were responsible for lighthouses under Stephen Pleasonton. (NB, Pleasonton was Department of Treasury.)

If you're interested in great photography and information about the history of lighthouses, you might want to check out the American Lighthouse Foundation's bookstore. This book looks pretty cool:

For a little more information on this particular lighthouse, check out this page, and scroll down to Dice Head Light. Or better still, go directly to this page.

It seems a peculiar thing to raise a family at a lighthouse. I did some web searching to learn more about what that life was like, and found a few good descriptions that might help you understand about the two girls mentioned in the postcard.

First, this account of one family at a lighthouse on Rock Island, Michigan, explains the isolation, how some families chose to live apart, and the concept of "winter break."

The first two Betts children (Wm. Jr. and Jane) were born right at the lighthouse without the assistance of doctor, nurse, or neighbor, the next seven children were born on Washington Island. Records indicate Emily Betts, assistant keeper, and family continued to live at the Lighthouse during the navigational season. It is not clear in which year lighthouse families began living and using Washington Island as their primary residence. Then, children schooled during the year, with families joining the keeper on Rock Island during summer breaks, and the keeper joining his family on Washington Island when shipping stopped at the close of the navigational season - Dec. 15 through April 1.

On Thatcher Island, in Rockport, Massachusetts, they had a teacher on the island for a moment:

There were seven children living at Thacher in the early 1900s. The state refused to build a school on the island, but they finally agreed to pay a teacher to live there. The teacher, a young woman, didn't stay at the island very long. She met and subsequently married Edwin Tarr, son of the keeper and an assistant keeper himself. The couple moved to Boston where Edwin served as keeper of the Long Island Head Lighthouse. After that, most of the children boarded on the mainland during the week so they could attend school.

The kids on Nash Island, in Addison, Maine fared a little better:

For a while, there were enough children living on the island for a small school to be put in operation with a teacher from the mainland. When they reached high school age the children boarded and attended school in Jonesport.

I searched and searched but wasn't able to find out who the keeper was at this light in Castine in 1912. But I can imagine the two young girls, going completely and utterly stir-crazy for 7 months out of the year, and then suddenly set free in the "lively" town of Castine. They must have been so grateful just to go to school -- can you imagine?

Tanga Puzzles: April 9 - April 15

2007-04-09T23:04:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

April 9: The second season is the easiest to match to words on the left because the pattern is hidden to a lesser degree. The third is not onerous at all. From there you can guess the answer, and backsolve to get the other two seasons.

April 10: The hands of the clock indicate how to group pictures.

April 11: I got this with a guess, after someone sent a big hint from the heavens. No idea how much work it would have taken to solve the old-fashioned way. I was practically extinct by the time I even got to the guess!

April 12: Big clue. The tiles are from a catalog, so you can order more than one of any style you need.

April 13: Take a different approach to this one.

April 14: Keep your approach to this one as simple as you possibly can.

April 15: Pay attention to the colors. Also when intersections seem to broad, just go with it.

No Creative Writing

2007-04-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

I was home for Easter this weekend, and on Saturday afternoon my mother said, "You didn't put anything up today." Meaning on the blog. I mumbled something about it being Saturday and went about the business of stuffing plastic eggs.

Late Saturday night, I was on my mom's computer when she poked her head around the corner and asked, "Did you post anything yet?" (Gee thanks Mom, no pressure or anything.) I patiently explained that it was Saturday, and that I didn't post on Saturday unless I did post on Saturday. Which made perfect sense at the time.

But the reality is that it's been a crazy week and I was literally at a loss for anything to post the last few days. And the only reason I'm posting this explanation is so that anyone who does wander here doesn't say, "Oh my god, is she ever going to post anything again?"

That means you, Mom.

A Little Poetry for You: Frost

2007-04-06T00:15:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

I'm running out for Easter weekend, so had to quickly fall back on my old favorite -- Robert Frost. The first time I read this poem I was shocked by the ending. I was young, and I didn't know poems could be sad before that.

"Out, Out --"
by Robert Frost

The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.

Go here for the rest of the poem. Click on the audio link to hear it read with a good New England accent.

Words on Wednesday: Silly Words from My Niece and Nephew

2007-04-04T17:05:00.000-04:00

My niece and nephew are visiting, and I asked them to tell me their silly words this week.

Emily, age 9:

Sacajawea
sizzle
flurry
fad
commotion
gypsy
blog

Matthew, age 7:

no silly words, but he did tell me a blonde joke

Lives in Letters: Postcard from a Nun

2007-04-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

This is a tough postcard to appreciate for it's picture -- black and white and pretty beat up. But there were things about the note I found appealing. One ironic thing is how the writer talks about the colors, which we have no way of appreciating visually. Luckily, Sister Gertrude throws in a little imagery to help out....

Postcard

Homer NY
October 11, 1933

Addressed to

Mr. & Mrs. Orville D. J-
Wilmette, Ill.

1933 Homer, N.Y.
Am here as Delegate from
our Church, left Attica this
morn at 7:45 arrived 9:45
77 miles. Will leave after the
meeting this afternoon. The
trees look beautiful as some
one termed it looks like Oriental
rugs. Had a wonderful ride
Sunday thru Boonville Gorge
to see foliage. All colors.
We are now having lunch.
Beautiful day. Love, Sister
Gertrude

Notes:

Until I saw this postcard, my only connection between Sister Gertrude and Homer was from this wonderful movie. Let me take a little tangent here and say if you haven't seen this, it's worth a Saturday afternoon. And now I'll get back to the postcard with "Ay-ay-men, Ay-men, Ay-men!" in my head.

So, when Sister Gertrude wrote that she left Attica, do you think she meant this Attica...

...Or this Attica?

Either was possible. The prison was built in 1931, a full two years before this postcard was sent. Sister Gertrude might have been on a prison tour, doing good works and all that.

Attica Prison, of course, has attained a pop culture status from the references in many movies (Dog Day Afternoon being the most famous) and television shows to the 1971 prison riots. But even before Attica opened its doors it was the rock star of prisons. Just check out the following from correctionhistory.org:

Shortly before it opened, Attica was hailed in the following article, which appeared in the New York Times on August 2, 1931:
ATTICA PRISON TO BE CONVICT'S PARADISE
Condemned by the Wickersham Commission for its maintenance of Auburn and Clinton prisons, New York State will have an answer to charges of inhuman penal conditions when the New York State Prison opens at Attica within the next few months with its full quota of 2,000 convicts. Said to be the last word in modern prison construction, the new unit in the State's penal system will do away with such traditions as convict bunks, mess hall lockstep, bull pens, and even locks and keys. In their places will be beds with springs and mattresses, a cafeteria with food under glass, recreation rooms and an automatic signal system by which convicts will notify guards of their presence in their cells. Doors will be operated by compressed air, sunlight will stream into cells and every prisoner will have an individual radio.
Perhaps because of the Depression economy, perhaps for other reasons as well, no Attica inmate has ever seen the institution described above.

The riots were a full 38 years after this postcard, but if you're interested in reading a little about them, you can check out wikipedia's article and their links.

The real issue I have with Sister Gertrude's account of her travels is that no map I've seen says you can get from Attica to Homer, NY in 77 miles. It's almost double that distance! I think she must have taken a little nap in the car, and nobody wanted to embarrass her by telling her how many miles they had really travelled.

October in this part of New York is really gorgeous ("like Oriental rugs"). Boonville Gorge, which is on the Black River Canal and not too far from the Erie Canal, has got to be one of the most picturesque places to take in the full foliage effect. Here's what the Boonville Chamber of Commerce has to say about the town itself. And here are a few wonderful pictures of the park.

Last thought... I wonder what Sister Gertrude was a delegate for? Any suggestions?

Tanga Puzzles: April 2 - April 8

2007-04-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

April 2: And they're off! Good start to the week.

April 3: Aaron picked a good one today.

April 4: Will a jolly man make a jolly visitor?

April 5: Well I got it but I don't know how I was supposed to get it. Anyone want to throw me a hint in the comments?

April 6: The title should serve as a good pointer.

April 7: The seventh hint was the one that gave me the theme. The fifth hint confirmed it. Both are gettable with quick google searches and a little synonym-think.

April 8: You need to know who these presidents are in order to get this.

I'm a Lie!

2007-04-01T23:06:00.000-04:00

Actually, I'm a Lai.

I'm the lai, with no sort
Of grave, solemn thought,
And I
Will never be caught
By miseries sought,
Nor sigh;
Where battles are fought
Or arguments brought,
I fly.

But only on days when I don't feel like being terza rima.

What Poetry Form Are You?

Thanks Mary Lee!

Creative Writing: April Verse #1

2007-04-01T18:01:00.000-04:00

April is National Poetry Month.

In honor of that, you can find poetry in all sorts of places. For instance, Knopf will email you a poem every day if you go here and sign up. Greg over at GottaBook has promised he will write a poem-a-day and share them on his blog.

Me? I make no promises. But I figure I was going to do some creative writing today anyhow, so I can at least say I've marked the day and given the (National Poetry) month a nod. We'll see how the next 29 days look when we get there.

What Kind of Fool

What kind of fool
hears birdsong in the moon,
sees tulips in the tidepools,
tastes berries in the breezes,
and feels unloved?
No spring fool.
No April Fool.

Silly Words Contest Winner!

2007-04-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who took part in the Silly Words contest. For the full list of words, and the links to all the contributors, see this post.

Here were my favorites to listen to:

Snickersnee
Harrumph
Gobsmacked
Pachycephalosaurus
Mycelium

My favorite use of the words came from Michele (who gets an entry into the contest for this):

I'm am so discombobulated that my flibbertigibbert brain forgot about this... Feel free to kick up a hullaballoo and a kerfuffle. Indubitably I should be disowned, made to eat guacamole with a sprocket, and to mollycoddle you by way of compensation. This tomfoolery will not bamboozle you into not thwacking me with a sasquatch, will it ? I've dropped my diphthong somewhere - I think it fell into my glockenspiel ! :shock:

There were 16 total entries, but only one winner. And that winner is...

Tim!

Here was Tim's entry:

Splurge - it sounds like a Batman sound effect gone wrong.
Polynomial - I just like the way it sounds.
Blurb - another sound effect gone wrong.

I encourage you to say "splurge" out loud several times in a row. It gets sillier every time you say it. Congratulations Tim, and thanks again to everyone who played!

Silly Words Day!

2007-03-31T00:02:00.000-04:00

New additions are at the bottom, and some of them are very silly indeed!

As previously proclaimed, March 31, 2007 is Silly Words Day.

Thanks go out to everyone who shared their silly words with me for the Silly Words Contest. You can still enter till midnight, so keep those entries coming if you're so inclined. I'll draw the winner tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, here are the silly words we've celebrated so far. I've included links to audio wherever possible, because the words are so much more silly when you hear them out loud.

SILLY WORDS

Leila
smock (hear it!)

Whimsy (which is also a good silly word, come to think of it)
bonnyclabber (hear it!)
widdershins (hear it!)
razzmatazz (hear it!)
slugabed (hear it!)
snickersnee (hear it!)

Alkeda the Gleeful (gleeful also a good silly word... we may have a theme)
underpants (hear it!)
weasel (hear it!)
potty-mouth
ubiquitous (hear it!)
measles (hear it!)
polyp (hear it!)
sickle-cell

Alkeda points out that those last three have serious meanings but silly sounds.

The Old Coot
persnickety (hear it!)
codswallop (hear it!)
wombat (hear it!)

Miss Erin
doldrums (hear it!)
lollipop (hear it!)
bubbly (hear it!)
lamborghini
rutabaga (hear it!)

Robin
nincompoop (hear it!)

stidmama (who also includes some nonsense words in her post)
plump (hear it!)
polymer (hear it!)
harrumph (hear it!)
opacity (hear it!)
gerontology (hear it!)

Tim (who also recommends what might be my new favorite book: Poplollies & Bellibones)
splurge (hear it!)
polynomial (hear it!)
blurb (hear it!)

dshep
lollygag (hear it!)
nincompoopery
rambunctious (hear it!)

catsmum
balderdash (hear it!)
sesquipedalian (hear it!)
tarradiddle (hear it!)

actinggal
ginormous
lugubrious (hear it!)
boomerang (hear it!)
shrubbery (hear it!)

My own
kerfuffle (hear it!)
flibbertigibbet (hear it!)
discombobulated (hear it!)
indubitably (hear it!)
hullabaloo (hear it!)
guacamole (hear it!)
mollycoddle (hear it!)
sprocket (hear it!)
diphthong (hear it!)
bamboozle (hear it!)
haberdashery (hear it!)
tomfoolery (hear it!)
glockenspiel (hear it!)
kerplunk (hear it!)
thwack (hear it!)
sasquatch (hear it!)

Added Saturday

Widdershins
blatherskite (hear it!)
accoutrement (hear it!)
gobsmacked (hear it!)

Mary Lee and her students (Mary Lee's commentary included)
Zit (won't be long before they abhor that word!)
Dilfy (a made-up mom word for messy)
Atlatl (a prehistoric spear thrower)
Boonka (a word remembered from pre-speech, meaning blanket)
Kwakiutl (a NW tribe of Native Americans)
Mississippi (fun to say and more fun to spell FAST)
Tegucigalpa (the capital of Honduras)
Onomatopoeia (fun to say and spell - hear it!)
Gift Certificate (because the nominator only recently mastered the pronunciation of certificate...cerFITicate? cerFICKatut? Plus, they're fun to get!)
Pachycephalosaurus (there's nothing better than dinosaur names! - hear it!)
Antidisestablishmentarianism (is that really a word? - hear it!)
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (we KNOW that's not a word, but it's delicious! - hear it!)

MsMac
brumby
puzzle dust
coif (hear it two ways!)
nougat (hear it!)
funiculi (hear it!)
spooge
glabella (hear it!)
omphaloskepsis
incredulous (hear it!)
diploblastic (hear it!)
zaibatsu (hear it!)
somniferous (hear it!)
mycelium (hear it!)
odoriferous (hear it!)
minutia (hear it!)
mashie niblick (hear mashie! hear niblick!)

A Little Poetry for You: Keats

2007-03-30T00:05:00.000-04:00

It's Poetry Friday!

Susan has the round-up this week over at Chicken Spaghetti.

...

I've always preferred the Victorian poets like Tennyson and Browning to the Romantics. But even so, I have a soft spot for John Keats ever since I spent one winter afternoon in college reading a collection of his letters. His poetic career was so short, yet brilliant. And the letters he wrote, leading right up to his death at the age of 25, can send chills up your spine with the language, the thought and the sentiment.

I found this wonderful site tonight, where you can view original manuscripts, read letters, find biographical information, and browse the poetry of John Keats. You will also find this wonderful quote there, right at the top of the site:

"The great beauty of Poetry is, that it makes every thing every place interesting."

I encourage you to spend some time at the site, and see if you don't fall in love with Keats too.

Here's my Keats selection for this installment of Poetry Friday:

When I have fears that I may cease to be
by John Keats

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

Words on Wednesday: Silly Words Contest Reminder!

2007-03-28T22:26:00.000-04:00

So, as I've previously proclaimed, Saturday is Silly Words Day.

And I've got a contest running to celebrate!

You can enter your words in the comments here, or in the comments to the previous post, or even better, on your blog (just leave me the link). Anyone who enters 3 silly words has a shot at winning this contest. It's that easy!

My latest installment of silly words:

haberdashery

tomfoolery

glockenspiel

kerplunk

thwack

Tanga Puzzles: March 26 - April 1

2007-03-26T22:15:00.000-04:00

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

March 26: I guessed the answer based on one word that struck me as a bit awkward. If anyone wants to guide me on the backsolving, please leave comments.

March 27: Another one I had to guess. My only hint is that you're looking for chemical elements. Oh, and the answer is a pun, similar to what we saw on 3/2. Beyond that, I haven't a clue how this one worked.

March 28: The title anagrams to two words. On the last step, you need to repeat your thinking.

March 29: If you can find the car names, you will quickly zone in on the theme. You may need to look back a bit for some of the clues. If you get this in under 20 minutes, I give you my regards.

March 30: Pretty easy if you're economical.

March 31: Sorry, I was away yesterday. The best clue for this puzzle is in the title. Actually, there are two clues there.

April 1: I'm glad I was paying attention today, or this might have gone right past me.

Lives in Letters: Little Roughneck Postcard

2007-03-26T00:05:00.000-04:00

One thing that interests me about collecting postcards is when I find a series of postcards addressed to the same person, or the same family. See the notes below for just a few intriguing connections with this card.

Postcard

West Grand Street
Elizabeth, NJ
August 18, 1916
.

.
Addressed to

Mr. George S-
Paterson, N. J.

Hello George
hope you are
taking care of
our little rough
neck, having a
great time up
here wish you
would call around
some night with
the kid.
Gertrude S.

Notes:

Gertrude's postcard was sent from Elizabeth, NJ, about 20 miles south of George's home in Paterson. So when she says she's "having a great time up here" I'm guessing she was visiting New Jersey from someplace even further south. And while she was in the area, she sent the postcard to reconnect with George and ask him to come visit.

I'm guessing then that Gertrude and George are old friends. Probably part of the same set of friends that 5 years earlier were exchanging notes about country clubs and flowers and ribbons. The tone of Gertrude's note seems to fit the casual style of those earlier messages, though I find it somehow surprising that women corresponded so casually in the pre-World War One days.

I wonder who the "little rough neck" was. George's child? His little brother? Why would Gertrude call him "our little rough neck" in either case? Maybe he was a mutual friend. But then her last sentence about visiting with "the kid" makes him sound like someone younger.

Here is how wikipedia explains the term roughneck. Basically it refers to an unskilled laborer, and at the time of this postcard, referred primarily to circus or carnival workers. H.L. Mencken had this to say about the term:

Rough-neck is a capital word; it is more apposite and savory than the English navvy, and it is over-whelmingly more American.

A couple of quick notes about the Elizabeth, New Jersey of 1916...

The area where Gertrude was staying is (I think) part of the midtown area, which is also the historic district. I found a good site that offers a timeline for Elizabeth, if you want to get a sense of what was going on there at the time, or even in the decades leading up to this time. It is fascinating stuff (Singer sewing machines, Olmstead parks, Carnegie, Nancy Drew) and worth a few minutes to read.

There were a few famous people from Elizabeth around that time (with thanks to Wikipedia)...

Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825–1921), first female ordained minister in the U.S., lived and died there.

.
Nicholas Murray Butler (1862-1947), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a founder of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was born there.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), lived here as a young man.
.

William Halsey, Jr. (1882-1959). World War II Fleet Admiral "Bull" Halsey was born in Elizabeth and attended the Pingry School.

Thomas Mitchell (1892–1962), Oscar and Tony Award-winning actor, was born there.
.

Mickey Spillane (1918-2006), writer, grew up there. (Okay, he was born 2 years after the postcard, but I couldn't help including him!)

Edward Stratemeyer (1862-1930), creator of the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew, was born and resided there.
.

William Sulzer (1863-1941), U.S. Congressman and impeached governor of New York, was born there.

Edward Patrick Mickey Walker (1903-1981), boxer, who held the Welterweight and Middleweight titles, was born and raised there.

...

I mentioned at the start of this post that I found a string of postcards written to George and his family. Here's the list, with links to my previous posts.

Postcard about Papa, 1908 ... addressed to Mary S, who was either George's mother or grandmother

Postcard from Brooklyn, 1911 ... addressed to George, asking for flowers

Postcard from the Erie Canal, 1913 ... addressed to George, from Swede who was working on a boat going through the canal

Postcard to a Sanitorium, 1932 ... addressed to Jean S, who was probably George's wife, and who was either a patient or a nurse at a mental hospital

This one from Bayport, N.Y. in 1913 that you've only seen the front of so far ... it is another from Swede to George, where Swede signs off as "your loving wife." I have yet to tackle that!

And a couple others that I haven't posted yet....