Here's an idea for promoting Mississippi Writers in Residence!
Picture Faulkner's spread in Oxford:
a writer in the attic, horse barn, cook house, parlor, back pasture, etc.
I see myself assigned the porch
where I can do double duty as booktalker and greeter!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
I See Myself on the Porch!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas Movie Extravaganza
Yes, I love me some It's a Wonderful Life, but my favorite Christmas movie of all times is A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sims as Scrooge. Shelf Life had this lovely You Tube and I just had to borrow it for the Extravaganza from My Friend Amy.
Why does this 1951 movie appeal to me more than say the one with modern actors such as George C. Scott or Albert Finney? One thing, the dialog remains true to Charles Dickens' written work. Slang starts to creep into the later films to feed new audiences Dickens' meanings. I like the fact that the movie is in black and white - an old story needs an old look. There are more shadows in the bNw that places a viewer on instant alert. Too much lighting for the cameras takes away from the ghosts. They become comical in nature. Although, Bill Murray's Scrooged spooked me a little. I also like the fact that Mr. Sim's acting ability is above par. One can tell he was an accomplished stage actor before accepting this role. This is a long clip, but look at him jumping into bed and throwing the curtains to hide from the experience he just had. Priceless!
Trivia note: Shelf Life reported that yesterday was the anniversary of Dickens' writing of A Christmas Carol in 1843.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Random Acts Meme
I had fun going over this list with hubby. Together we had more than half BOLD experiences! Thank you, Matthew, at A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook. There are a lot of international chances I look forward to doing sometime later in life. The things I have done are in bold.
1. Started my own blog (Dec 2005)
2. Slept under the stars (More than 20X)
3. Played in a band (I have sung backup)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (My favorite is the Leonid)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity (Hubby says – Oh Yeah!)
7. Been to Disneyland/world (Summer 2008)
8. Climbed a mountain (Again…)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (A hymn in Como Methodist)
11. Bungee jumped (Florida 1992)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea (Cruise/Also saw water spouts)
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (cross stitching)
15. Adopted a child (Oops! Crystal calls me her white Momma!)
16. Had food poisoning (Bad chicken from Wendy’s Winter 2006)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Mulled around the bottom)
18. Grown my own vegetables (Tomatoes are so easy!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight (Again…)
22. Hitchhiked (I’ve taken rides w/ people I know)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (Nashville Petting Zoo)
26. Gone skinny dipping (Florida – Bahamas- Saint Thomas – Mediterranean)
27. Run a Marathon (I’ve done two half-marathons and one 15-miler)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (We did the cheaper vaporetto over to the fish market)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (Gulf of Mexico 1996)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (Been to Ireland but not Scotland)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (Pig Latin)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (Summer 2004)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (Summer 2004)
41. Sung karaoke (Like a Virgin…)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I also tip Taco Bell employees)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Saw my first shooting star in St. Thomas)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (I was asked to pose nude, but felt too uncomfortable. I did have a friend who rendered me in pencil for an art class which when turned upside-down looked like his wife.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (Alaskan Flounder)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I love snorkeling!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (Saw American Graffiti!)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Bought Girl Scout cookies)
62. Gone whale watching (Beautiful on our Tug Cruise in British Columbia)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (Not yet…)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (When I was in college and I was so embarrassed!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (I prefer planes)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (stuffed Teddy)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Winter 2008)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper (Weekly!)
85. Read the entire Bible (Begot the begotten…)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I thought I had to do this to become an adult!)
90. Sat on a jury (drugs)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone (No, I don’t own one!)
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant
1. Started my own blog (Dec 2005)
2. Slept under the stars (More than 20X)
3. Played in a band (I have sung backup)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (My favorite is the Leonid)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity (Hubby says – Oh Yeah!)
7. Been to Disneyland/world (Summer 2008)
8. Climbed a mountain (Again…)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (A hymn in Como Methodist)
11. Bungee jumped (Florida 1992)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea (Cruise/Also saw water spouts)
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (cross stitching)
15. Adopted a child (Oops! Crystal calls me her white Momma!)
16. Had food poisoning (Bad chicken from Wendy’s Winter 2006)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Mulled around the bottom)
18. Grown my own vegetables (Tomatoes are so easy!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight (Again…)
22. Hitchhiked (I’ve taken rides w/ people I know)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (Nashville Petting Zoo)
26. Gone skinny dipping (Florida – Bahamas- Saint Thomas – Mediterranean)
27. Run a Marathon (I’ve done two half-marathons and one 15-miler)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (We did the cheaper vaporetto over to the fish market)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (Gulf of Mexico 1996)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors (Been to Ireland but not Scotland)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (Pig Latin)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (Summer 2004)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (Summer 2004)
41. Sung karaoke (Like a Virgin…)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I also tip Taco Bell employees)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Saw my first shooting star in St. Thomas)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (I was asked to pose nude, but felt too uncomfortable. I did have a friend who rendered me in pencil for an art class which when turned upside-down looked like his wife.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (Alaskan Flounder)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (I love snorkeling!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (Saw American Graffiti!)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Bought Girl Scout cookies)
62. Gone whale watching (Beautiful on our Tug Cruise in British Columbia)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (Not yet…)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (When I was in college and I was so embarrassed!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (I prefer planes)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (stuffed Teddy)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Winter 2008)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper (Weekly!)
85. Read the entire Bible (Begot the begotten…)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I thought I had to do this to become an adult!)
90. Sat on a jury (drugs)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone (No, I don’t own one!)
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant
Total 54!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
In Praise of Pecans (copy)
“He said we had Valdeemers.” My husband came inside the house to tell me. “The tree stump guy called them Val-Deem-Ers.”
What the man meant to say—or possibly said but was somehow lost in a tobacco juiced translation—was Van Deman, a variety of pecan. Whatever the case, he is right. On the northern border of our property, we have five of these cultivars amongst over 20 pecan trees. A favorite in our household because of the large size and taste, we concentrate our picking efforts biannually on these trees when blessed with a crop.
Pecans have become a staple in our diet since our move to Mississippi. When a recipe calls for nuts we use pecans; although, biscotti can only be made with almonds. Instead of a bag of chips for a snack, we now open a zip-locked bag of pecans. For a sweet low-carbohydrate break, we sauté some pecans in a little butter and drizzle over a tortilla adding splenda and cinnamon for taste. We eat salads with pecans, place pecans in our pancake batter, and top fish or chicken with the crunchy delight. The Moran family runs on pecans.
It is with mouth savoring delight I write about June Jackson’s new book In Praise of Pecans: Recipes & Recollections. Mrs. Jackson was feeling a little homesick for her state of Georgia in 2006. In her Maryland home she hosted a fall luncheon for the ladies, and in each dish she included pecans. One attendee, Colleen Nunn, told her husband Sam and the next day June got a call. The then-Senator Sam Nunn asked her, “Do you think you could write a book that would promote pecan use around the world?”
In Praise of Pecans definitely has an international flavor. The recipes include Thai Chicken, Pecan & Mango Salad, Butternut Squash Risotto, Jalapeno Cranberry Compote, and Pan Sautéed Sole a la Beurre Pecane. Closer to home, she includes Marilyn Monroe Brownies, Lula Mae’s Brown Sugar Pecan Pie, and Grits Good Enough for Mardi Gras.
The best recipe in the book is her mother’s Perfect Pecan Pralines. Her mother was a mere 12-year-old in 1928 when she cut out the recipe from a newspaper. A recipe that had Mrs. Stuckey, second generation to the gas and candy chain, call out, “June, this is the best candy I’ve ever eaten in my entire life! How can I get more?”
Now that I have your mouth watering, it is a good time to resolve to eat more low-in-sodium, high-in-fiber pecans in the coming year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Threshing Pecans
I finished reading In Praise of Pecans by June Jackson tonight, and I wanted to share a piece of art mentioned in the Afterword. Jackson writes, "Known for representing daily life as she saw it firsthand, [Clementine] Hunter painted scenes of picking cotton, washing clothes, getting married and getting buried. Fortunately for us, she painted a charming picture entitled Threshing Pecans (above on tin cover), portraying an earlier, preindustrial method of coaxing the nuts from the trees to the ground--adults would use long poles to shake the pecans while children climbed up into the trees to help in the process."
I love the little girl hanging upside down in the first tree, and I have to question Ms. Hunter's leaf and pecan full trees. Pecan trees are harvested in the fall/winter after the leaves leave. Sorry about the quality of the photo. I was unable to locate the artwork as a lone piece. One may purchase this pecan filled tin from the Cane River Pecan Company of Louisiana.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Robert Sabuda (copy)
My Christmas dreams have been crushed. My beloved better-half ordered the electronic book Kindle too late to be placed under the tree. I will be opening my present 11 to 13 weeks later just in time for my February birthday.
Who knew it was going to sell out? Well, I had a feeling way back in August. Remember that little book talk where I asked Santa to bring me a shiny new Kindle. Everyone I know who owns one loves it. Amazon should have known it would be a big seller. Too bad the man of my dreams paid little attention to my subtle hints such as asking him to proof the article and reading it aloud when we got the newspaper. Sigh.
Are you thinking I am easy to please? One little electronic book and my Christmas dream is met? Giving a book is the equivalent to watching someone tear into a box of socks or underwear. There isn’t much excitement after the initial rip, but within the pages is the real gift.
Would you like to give a book to a young child but are afraid of the underwear factor? There is nothing like the look on a child’s face when they open a pop-up book for the first time. I remember mine well; although, I am at a loss for the author and title. It was a collection of nursery rhymes where the reader turned a wheel to watch the “mice run up the clock” and the “four and twenty blackbirds” flew from a pie. 
There is a new star in the pop-up business. Robert Sabuda is a rare artist who has taken an ancient art and improved on the technique. A Pratt Institute graduate, Sabuda entered the book business as a children’s illustrator for other authors. In 1994, he talked his publisher into a small series of pop-ups involving a little white mouse exploring The Mummy’s Tomb and The Knight’s Castle.
Today he is credited with illustrating over 50 children’s books of which 40 are pop-ups. For the holiday season he offers Winter’s Tale, The Night before Christmas, The 12 Days of Christmas, The Christmas Alphabet, A Kwanzaa Celebration, Winter, and Christmas.
Other standout books include The Ark which depicts Moses' outstretched palms awaiting the returning dove with olive branch, The Movable Mother Goose with mini pop-up books within the cover, and Sharks and Other Sea Monsters where Jaws lurks as the cautious young reader turns the page.
Purchase one of these and watch your little ones pop-up with joy.
Note: The first photo is Robert Sabuda holding his Wizard of Oz book. Second photo is from the book America the Beautiful. The third photo is from the book Christmas.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Twisted 12 Days of Christmas
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (copy)
When I was in sixth grade, we studied medieval times with vigor unlike any other subject. I remember we filled notebooks with drawings of castles, coat of arms, lords, ladies, and knights in armor. We pretended we were ladies in distress while the boys jousted on the playground. We sat mesmerized as our teacher explained the devices of war and torture.
It was a particularly fun time. Margaret Hamilton, my teacher not the Wicked Witch of the West although, it was sometimes questionable, took an extra day to teach us medieval manners disguised as chivalry after the “devices of war” day, but I believe she enjoyed the fun, too.
A librarian first then author, playwright, and professional storyteller, Laura Amy Schlitz, faced a group of excited middle school kids at the Park School in Baltimore. She explains, “They were studying the Middle Ages and were going at it hammer and tongs. I wanted them to have something to perform, but no one wanted a small part. So I decided to write monologues instead of one long play, so that for three minutes at least, every child could be a star.”
The opportunity Schlitz seized is now the 2008, Newbery Medal winner, Good Master! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. The children’s book illustrated by Robert Byrd contains 19 monologues and two plays for two actors. That is a total of 23 parts. If a teacher has a class of 25, and the bashful students help with costumes and scenery, everyone can take part.
The story revolves around a fictional medieval manor in 1255 England. The characters are the ages of the students performing and have names such as Hugo the lord’s nephew, Taggot the blacksmith’s daughter, Mogg the villein’s daughter, Thomas the doctor’s son, Nelly the sniggler, and Giles the beggar.
The story progresses as one monologue leads into the next. Some are light-hearted with sing-song quality such as Otho the miller’s son recites,
Father is the millerAs his father was of old,And I shall be the miller,When my father’s flesh is cold.
Jack the half-wit sings,
Lack-a-witNumskullMooncalfFool.That’s what they call me.That’s what they yell in the village when I walk through.
Other stories are brooding and cold such as Will the plowboy who works two fields and must secretly hunt in the night to feed his family a rabbit. His story is told to the audience without verse.
This is the perfect book for those teachers who want to extend the gallantry of medieval times.
This is the perfect book for those teachers who want to extend the gallantry of medieval times.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Ah, Twas the Day before Christmas Break!
Today, I read The Night before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and illustrated by Will Moses to the NWCC daycare kids!
Will is the grandson of Grandma Moses!
The kids were talkative and expressive.
What a joy and I feel like I am on cloud nine!
Thank you Miss Penny for this opportunity!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
My Eyes are Dewey
It is with heavy heart I write you.
Fellow blogger Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf has died. Leaving us with no hint to her physical troubles, her husband said she was in a lot of pain in the last hours. I am glad she is now in a place where there is no pain.
This is the third blogger on my bloglist who has died.
How do we know the condition of the person on the other end of our internet connection? Blogging is a God send for those who are ill or immobile. We make friends without judging which is how life should be, but we all have prejudices. Did Dewey have cancer? Was she suffering from MS? Was she in a car accident? Her energy blogging put most of us weekly writers to shame. Did blogging add days to her life or shorten them. I like to think it added days as she added thoughts to my reading with her Weekly Geeks program.
I leave you with her namesake: Birth, life, and death -- each took place on the hidden side of a leaf. ~ Toni Morrison
Thanks Cassandra!
Thank yew Style Expert!
I am so honored!
How does this work?
Every new Superior Scribbler will name 5 other Super Scribblers. If you are so honored, link to the author and the name of the blog that gave you the award. Then you display the graphic above and link to this post, which explains the award. Finally you must visit this post and tell your name to Mr. Linky list. Then they will have a record of all the people who are super scribblers!
I hate to do this, you know, point out people that write way better than I, but here it goes! (1) Sage at Musings (2) SFP at Pages Turned (3) Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket (4) Bookfool at Bookfoolery and Babble (5) Eva at A Striped Airchair.
How does this work?
Every new Superior Scribbler will name 5 other Super Scribblers. If you are so honored, link to the author and the name of the blog that gave you the award. Then you display the graphic above and link to this post, which explains the award. Finally you must visit this post and tell your name to Mr. Linky list. Then they will have a record of all the people who are super scribblers!
I hate to do this, you know, point out people that write way better than I, but here it goes! (1) Sage at Musings (2) SFP at Pages Turned (3) Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket (4) Bookfool at Bookfoolery and Babble (5) Eva at A Striped Airchair.
The Wall (copy)
This week I read an excellent juvenile picture-book. Most teachers and parents of middle grade students can tell you this is not possible. A picture book is for toddlers through eight-year-olds because the format is oversized with illustrations and usually minimum words. They are meant to be read-aloud to an audience or one-on-one such as father and son, and the vocabulary is easy.
Children who grow up with this format remember these books with fond memories. When asked to move to the next level in reading your child may balk. Chapter books can look boring in comparison to a picture book. This is why the “Frog and Toad” series is so popular. Author Arnold Lobel fills his chapter books with illustrations that help the new reader gather clues from the pictures.
What if your child returns over-and-over to picture books even though he can read chapter books? This might be an indication that he is bored with his chapter books, or a little uncomfortable in his reading. It is time to head to the library or bookstore for some more chapter books and juvenile level picture-books.
There is such a thing as a harder picture book. Peter Sis, author and illustrator, has a collection of biographies that demand the reader expand her vocabulary. The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin and Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei are two I wrote about in 2005.
Sis now challenges young readers with his autobiography The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. This picture book contains words like Soviets, Czechoslovakia, militia, indoctrination, defecting, nuclear, Vietnam, realism, revolution, etc. all appearing in the margins.
If a teacher or parent wants to read it as a picture book alone, each page contains one sentence about the author. For instance, the story begins, “As long as he could remember, he had loved to draw.” Next page continues, “At first he drew shapes.” Within the margins of the first page are definitions that frame a self—cartoon—portrait of Sis. The words are Iron Curtain, Cold War, and Communism. Not baby definitions either, “Cold War – The geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged between capitalism and communism from 1945-1991.”
This inside look into the Cold War is a Caldecott (2008) Honor book and a Robert F. Sibert (2008) Information Medal winner. It is perfect for that reluctant—to move up to the next level—reader. Many will delight as they learn The Beatles became a huge crack in Sis’s The Wall.
Monday, December 01, 2008
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