I LOVE HALLOWEEN

I love Halloween.  We hosted Halloween parties for years.  Each year, someone will mention the parties of the past and ask why we don't have them any more.  I keep saying that after the "next off-year election" cycle, I'll have a party.  That will have to be 2019!  

From 1971 until 2008, Gerald and I would go all-out, dressing in costume, especially for Beggar's Night.  A friend who grew up in Indiana had never heard the term "Beggar's Night" prior to moving to Ohio.  

Some of our memorable costumes:  Hester Prunne and The Reverend Mr. Dimsdale; Mae West and W.C. Fields; The Coneheads; Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler; Dorothy and The Cowardly Lion; Glinda and The Scarecrow; Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque; Lt. Uhuru and Mr. Spock; and Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (which was especially amusing with Gerald's red beard and triangle on his nose).

See picture at left, circa Halloween, 1980.  We also rode on a float for a parade in Jeffersonville in those costumes.  One year at the Halloween parade, Gerald drove the Corvette with the Cincinnati Reds Rooster riding atop the back, tossing out candy to the kids along the route.  Gerald and I were dressed as the King and Queen of Hearts, wearing large playing cards.

We decorated the house, garages, and yard with elaborate trappings.  We used a fog machine, black lights, accompanied by the sounds of screaming and creaking doors coming from a stereo, cranked up in volume.  We didn't give out simple treats;  we supplied marvelous bags filled with candy apples and caramel apples, big candy bars, popcorn balls, and a dollar in each bag, using the Susan B. Anthony coins.

Gerald and I would perform The Time Warp and The Monster Mash (which was very interesting when we were dressed as Puritans Prynne and Dimsdale).

One year a young couple came, carrying their baby and the young father told how he'd always come to our house because of the great treats and "the show";  he said he wanted to bring the baby for his first Beggar's Night and he asked if he could film us.  I held the baby as we all danced to The Monster Mash and the baby didn't even cry!

Another year Gerald would arise from a coffin to hand out the treats but he only did it one year as it was too scary.   Another year he was lying on the ground, covered with a pile of leaves, and he arose from that, scaring the wits out of everyone!

Each year the attendance dwindled in our neighborhood and I certainly understand the concern by parents about the craziness with razor blades and poisoned candies. I quit making popcorn balls and candy apples because parents wanted only packaged candy. I am glad that several local churches and organizations now put on "safe" events for children.  It was with a mixture of sadness--and relief--that we decided to disband our yearly spectacle but I still miss our extravaganza.  

I was in the basement recently and saw the tubs of decorations and laughed once more at the tombstones Gerald had crafted and which filled our side yard--the graveyard.  Probably the most famous:

HERE LIES LESTER MOORE

                                                      4 SLUGS FROM A 44
                                                      NO LES
                                                      NO MORE

Some of the tombstones have epitaphs and supposed "last words":

CURST BE HE WHO MOVES MY BONES (Shakespeare)



PARDON MY DUST (Dorothy Parker)



THE BEST IS YET TO COME (Sinatra)



HERE LIES JOHN YEAST
PARDON ME FOR NOT RISING



I TOLD YOU I WAS SICK! (several)

and

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!  (Mel Blanc)

I USED TO BE SNOW WHITE

Sometimes I am known to perform imitations of Mae West and have dressed as Miss West for Halloween parties.

Oftentimes when I say a Mae West line, people are surprised, because it IS Mae West's quote. One time I uttered the quote, "An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises." and my boss said, "I like that; I think I'll use it." When I told him it was Mae West's line, he reconsidered.

Miss West (as she is always called) was an amazing force--in a time when other women were never considered to be writers and directors in Hollywood--Miss West did it all.

I especially like Miss West's twists on cliches. Some of my favorite Mae West lines:

"I used to be Snow White but I drifted."
"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."
"When I'm good, I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."
"I never worry about diets; the only carrots that interest me are the number that you get in a diamond."
"I'm no model lady. A model's just an imitation of the real thing."
"I didn't discover curves; I only uncovered them."
"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."
"I never loved another person the way I loved myself."
"I only have 'yes' men around me; who needs 'no' men?"
"I like two kinds of men: domestic and imported."
"If you don't like my cherries, don't shake my tree."
"To err is human, but it feels divine."
"Too much of a good thing is wonderful."
"He who hesitates is last."
"Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often."
"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly."
"Between two evils, I always choose the one I haven't done before."
"He who hesitates is a damn fool."
"A man in the house is worth two in the street."
"A man's kiss is his signature."
"A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up."
"A hard man is good to find."
"It's not the men in my life that counts; it's the life in my men."
"So many men, so little time."
"I've been things and seen places."
"I've been in more laps than a napkin."
"It is better to be looked over than to be overlooked."
"It takes two to get one in trouble."
"Look your best; who said love is blind?"
"I see you're a man with ideals. I better be going while you've still got them."
"I speak two languages: Body and English."
"I'll try anything once; twice if I like it; three times to make sure."
"I'm a woman of few words but lots of actions."

It's uncertain whether her most famous line, "Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you glad to see me?", was spoken in an interview, or when and if she first uttered it, but she didn't actually use the line in a movie until the 1978 movie Sextette but I know that I had been attributing it to her since I first heard it in the 1960s.

The line, "Come up and see me sometime." was actually said this way to Cary Grant: "Come up sometime; see me."  Later, in the same movie she also said, "Come up again anytime."

Raquel Welch told this story on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson:  when Raquel and Miss West were scheduled to appear together in the movie Myra Breckinridge, Raquel went to Miss West's dressing room and Raquel said that she began gushing about how she'd always been a fan, how much she admired Miss West, and so on, with effusive praise.  During all of this, Miss West never uttered a word.  Raquel said that she continued and began telling Miss West that she knew that the media liked to manufacture stories of feuds when two women STARS who worked together, but that she herself assured Miss West that she would have no part of it.

When Raquel took a breath, Miss West asked, "What did you say your name was again, honey?"

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL

We were dining at the Los Mariachis restaurant in Springfield with thirteen members of Gerald's family and I said, "Oh, look, Sweetheart, these dishes are Fiesta ware.", as I lifted up a cup of tea to look at the bottom of the dish.

There were at least ten different Fiesta colors represented on the table with predominately red, blue, turquoise, and yellow shades.  I mentioned that I had a set of red Fiesta ware and one person pointed to a plate and asked, "Is that your color?"  I answered, "No, that is persimmon and ours are scarlet."  Another person asked, "How many colors do you think they have?"  There were five original colors when the line was introduced in 1936 and turquoise was added in 1937.  In the history of the company there have been 47 different colors offered.  The art deco designs were very popular after their introduction, faded out of favor in the 1940s, were then back in favor in the 1950s, and continue to be popular today.

I have two friends who are collectors and sellers of vintage Fiesta and I am always on the lookout for items for them.  I told about visiting the Homer Laughlin plant in Newell, West Virginia, with one of my experts, where I purchased nearly all of my pieces.

Cobalt blue was the color of the blue plate at Los Mariachis and it is still offered today by Homer Laughlin.  As Gerald looked at the plate he pointed out flaws on the edge of my plate at my place setting.  I said, "No, it's a BLUE PLATE SPECIAL!"  A young family member had never heard the term before and did not "get" my feeble attempt at witticism. 

I wondered about the derivation of the "blue plate special" term.  From the Collins Dictionary:  "an inexpensive restaurant meal served at a fixed price on a large, oftentimes segmented, blue plate".    See the history from YouTube:

RUMORS WERE FLYING

Mona Lisa said that she also remembered a Fleer's Double Bubble riddle that she did not understand when she was a kid:

QUESTION:  What happened when the boarding house exploded?
ANSWER:      Roomers were flying!

She said that she didn't know what a "boarding house" was, or the saying "rumors were flying", so she couldn't possibly understand the connection.

I said, "We were so provincial but Mother loved Perry Como and he sang a song by that name, so I did know that reference."  Listen to Perry:

FLEER'S

In writing about Fleer's Double Bubble gum, I was reminded of another article:

This is from Sue's News from 2013:

                                A RED CARNATION 

Yesterday, someone asked if I had always had only red automobiles.

I told a riddle that came from the inside-wrapper of a piece of Fleer's Double-Bubble bubble gum.

Here's the riddle:

What would happen if everyone in the U. S. was like me and purchased only red vehicles?

We'd be a RED CAR-NATION!

That probably came from 1953. This is another riddle from a Fleer's gum-wrapper which I tell whenever anyone uses the phrase "raining cats and dogs":

What's worse than raining cats and dogs?

"HAILING TAXIS!" 

When I learned that riddle from Fleer's, I didn't know what "hailing taxis" meant and had to ask Mother.  We did not have taxis.

So, who could deny they were educational? 

Sometime from 1928, when the gum was first produced, "Fleer's" became just "Fleer" on the packages.  I always remembered it as "Fleer's" and it had "Frank H. Fleer Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania", on the wrappers. 

The Fleer name is still in business, but the family-owned company, founded in 1885, was purchased from the family in 1989.  After several company changes, it was acquired by Tootsie Roll in 2004.

I wonder if there are still riddles, etc. with the gum.  I guess I'll have to buy some.  I understand that the wrappers which were not dated, are now quite prized collectible items.

 I preferred Fleer's to the Bazooka brand although both had riddles and comics on the inside wrappers.

AJAR

Gerald says that my brother and I have "verbal shorthand" and that half the time he doesn't know what we're saying.  We are competitive about word play and one-upsmanship, with our stream-of-consciousness banter.

Yesterday, as my brother was helping bring in bags of groceries from the car, he was trying to carry everything in one trip.  I said, "It's going to take more than one trip." My hands were full as were his.  He was following behind me and he said, "Just push the door;  it's ajar."

The following 10-minute dialogue ensued:

Over my shoulder, I asked, "When is a door not a door?"

He said, "Oh, no, I know that old riddle;  it's when it's A  JAR."

Continuing, into the house, I asked, "But when is a jar not a jar then?"

He asked, "When it's in a JAM?"

I said, "JAM--did you mean JAMB--was that unintended?"

He said, "OMG!  I should have said JELLY;  you're not going to stop now, are you?"

I told him, "That riddle about ajar came from a Fleer's Double Bubble gum wrapper from when I was probably in the fifth grade."

He answered, "I read once that--like you-- Milton Berle also remembered where he stole his jokes!"

I shrieked, "Milton Berle!  You remember Milton Berle?" He answered, "Of course, Uncle Miltie."  I said, "We didn't watch him;  Mother didn't think he was funny."  He replied, "No, she liked Sid Caesar."

I said, "And Imogene Coca;  did you know that our hero Mel Brooks was a writer there?"

He answered,  "Of course;  and how about the movie My Favorite Year?"  I said, "Mel said it was mostly fictional."  He answered, "But it was good;  Richard Benjamin directed it and Peter O'Toole was great playing that Errol Flynn-ish character."  I asked, "Who played the Mel Brooks/Woody Allen-ish character?"  He answered, "Wasn't it Mark-Linn Baker?"  I responded, "Doncha just hate someone hyphenating his name?"  "Oh, yeah, I do, Sue SHIRKEY-Raypole."

Touche!

DISH THE DIRT

At a recent gathering, I was sitting with several other women.  Several former wives and former husbands were there with their current spouses.  I commented how marvelous it was that the exes got along well.

The newest member graciously said, "It's all about the kids, isn't it?"  After that person left the group to take care of "hostessing" duties, I commented how difficult it is being a hostess. Another person (who, it just so happens, is the ex-wife of the husband of the "hostess"), said to me, "Oh, I love her to bits, but she is just so bossy."

I thought to myself, "Oh, no, I'm not about to fall for that open invitation to dish the dirt."

I answered, "I find her to be quite charming."

Oh, by the way, the hostess IS quite bossy!

PERIWINKLE AND MAGENTA

Mona Lisa sent an e-mail: 

"Dear Magenta,

In today's blog you should have written about your favorite color.

Love,

Periwinkle"



The following article is reprinted from 2016:  

                         OH, MAGENTA

I enjoyed this posting of Facebook today:


                                    9 YEAR OLDS WANT THE LATEST PHONE

WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD, I WANTED THIS:

Magenta is my favorite color. 

The Binney and Smith 48-crayon box of Crayola crayons was introduced the year I began school.  I had a box of only 24 crayons but Lorraine Smith had a brand-new box of 48 Crayola crayons. I COVETED her crayons with all of the NEW colors: burnt sienna, Prussian blue, bittersweet, periwinkle, thistle, maize, maroon, cornflower, melon, mahogany, sea green, orchid, and especially MAGENTA.

One day at school we had to stay inside at recess because of the weather and there we were at our little green tables, playing games. At home, when we played with cards, we bet with matches. [I still love the smell of matches and crayons] I told the others about games we played at home and I said we could use crayons for our betting. 

Well, well, being a little card sharp, I was winning, and finally, that elusive MAGENTA crayon was put out onto the table to bet and I WON, I WON, I WON! That had to have been the happiest moment in my little six-year-old life.  As I proceeded to pick up the crayons and stop playing, Lorraine went crying to Mrs. McDonald, and I was swiftly taken UPSTAIRS to the Principal's office where they called my mother and reported that I had been teaching the other kids how to play POKER and that I had them betting with crayons.

I was made  to return the crayons and forbidden to gamble again.

I am a collector of Crayola items and especially crayons and have more than twenty "collector" boxes of crayons. Several years ago, Crayola offered a special deal where one could order an entire box of one's favorite crayons; YES, I have a whole box of UNTOUCHED Crayola MAGENTA crayons!

When kids come to my house,  I have plenty of Crayola crayons for them to use but they are never allowed to see--let alone touch--my "sacred" collection.

I once read that crayons are the most recognizable smell for Baby Boomers.

INDIGNATION

The Annual Fall Dinner of our local Democratic Party will be held October 24, 2017.  

In making contact with fellow Democrats it was quite interesting at the reaction of some people when they learned that Jerry Springer would be the keynote speaker.  

One very indignant woman said, "I gave $50.00 to the Party and I don't want one cent of my money to go to Jerry Springer!"  I answered, "You can rest assured;  Jerry Springer isn't charging."  She was taken aback and said, "What?  I don't believe that!"  I said, "It's true;  besides, we couldn't afford him."

When I told her that I had voted for him when he ran for governor in the 1970s she said she couldn't believe that I would support "a person like that";  I answered that I wasn't supporting him now because he hadn't even announced if he were running and that I had met Springer recently in Chillicothe and he was a very effective speaker.

She mentioned his "awful" television show and I said that I had never watched it.  When she admitted that she had never actually seen the show, I said,  "If I were you, I wouldn't judge him by something that I'd only heard about him."  

Of course she was irritated by my lecturing her like that.   I told her that I would be glad to refund her $50.00 and she could see the financial statement of the party for proof that Springer would be unpaid.  I said, "He doesn't want any money from us;  we're poor!"

We have sold more tickets for this dinner than for any other event we've had.

NATIONAL COLOR DAY

From NATIONAL COLOR DAY FOUNDATION:

National Color Day is observed annually on October 22.  Color has the power to affect a mood, draw attention, even cause alarm. 

It is hard to imagine the world without color. Without color, we would nearly be blind. Doctors check for health through the color of a patient’s skin. On a late, cool autumn morning, sparkling frost and leaves changing from green to vermilion signal a change of seasons. A flush of color in the cheeks of friend sends a cue of her embarrassment. The street light turns from green to yellow, to red. In the Grand Canyon layers of sediment range in color from black to pale ash. All these signs alert us to change through color.  

Imagine a world without chrysocolla.  This mineral formed from hydrated copper phyllosilicate develops colors from a brilliant cyan to jade green.  From darkening skies before a storm to the undulating fragile glow of the aurora borealis, color in nature moves us to pause and enjoy or to warn us of impending danger.  Long before colors had names, they served a purpose.

Colors accent our homes and feed our creativity, allowing us to express ourselves.  Open a box of crayons or watercolors and artists of any age lose themselves in a world of their own creation for hours.

Different colors are perceived to mean different things. The following is one rendition of the perceived meaning of the various colors in the United States.

• Red:  Excitement – Love – Strength
• Yellow:  Competence – Happiness
• Green:  Good Taste – Envy – Relaxation
• Blue:  Corporate – High Quality
• Pink: Sophistication – Sincerity
• Violet/Purple:  Authority – Power
• Brown:  Ruggedness
• Black:  Grief – Fear
• White: Happiness – Purity.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Explore the use of color in your life. Take in the vast and ever-changing array of shades available to you. What’s your favorite color?  Express yourself through color and use #NationalColorDay to post on social media.

THE GRADUATE

With a group of people socializing before the beginning of a meeting, I overheard someone say, "He graduated OSU." I didn't say anything to that person as I was not part of the conversation, but the person next to me noticed my visible wince and asked, "What's wrong?" I said, "FROM; he graduated FROM!" She asked, "What difference does it make?" I said, "Because the word graduate means to be awarded a degree, not to receive one. The school graduated the student, not the other way around." She said, "But doesn't simplicity matter and if you understood what he meant, what difference does it make?"

I hate it when people are sensible!

I felt like screaming, "NO!", but I didn't. Instead, I said: "OSU graduated him; he was graduated from OSU; or he graduated from OSU." My companion reiterated that she couldn't understand the difference. I explained the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs, but I could see HER wincing, so I refrained from any other comments.

See the article from Grammarphobia which addresses that topic. I was stunned that the proofreaders at The New Yorker allowed--or overlooked--this: "He moved to New Jersey after graduating college." The New Yorker is renowned for having the best proofreaders in the magazine industry.

Graduate school

Q: In the recent New Yorker piece about the father of the Sandy Hook killer, Andrew Solomon writes that Adam Lanza’s older brother “moved to New Jersey after graduating college.” GRADUATING COLLEGE? Shouldn’t that be FROM college?

A: We read the same article in the March 17 issue and had the same thought: How did “graduating college” make it through the New Yorker’s copydesk?

Pat’s feeling was that copy-editing standards at the New Yorker might have slipped a notch. But Stewart wondered if the construction had passed into standard English usage since we discussed the issue on the blog eight years ago.

We decided that we ought to reexamine this subject. So in the interest of open-mindedness, here goes.

Back in 2006, we said the verb “graduate” had evolved over the last two centuries, but not enough for this sentence to be considered standard English: “He graduated Stanford in 1986.”

Traditionally, according to our original post, there would be three proper ways to express that sentence:

● “Stanford graduated him in 1986.”

● “He was graduated from Stanford in 1986.”

● “He graduated from Stanford in 1986.”

Most of the usage guides we’ve consulted still object to a sentence like “He graduated Stanford in 1986.”

Why? Because the verb “graduate” originally meant to award a degree, not to receive one. The school graduated the student, not the other way around.

Over the years, the verb “graduate” has evolved, but usage authorities generally believe that the use of “graduate” in that disputed sentence strays too far from the original meaning of the verb.

When the word first showed up in the late 1500s, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “graduate” was a transitive verb meaning to confer a university degree.

PRECIS

We were watching the news about the expulsion of Harvey Weinstein from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

I can always rely on my brother to have a trenchant observation:

"Yeah, I see the hypocrites still have Roman Polanski as a member."

Precis!

MARK TWAIN'S ADVICE

As family and friends would attest, I quote Mark Twain very often.  For my own amusement I just used/misused the word "very" in the preceding sentence.

I seldom use the word "very" as I follow Twain's Rule # 5.

See the article below from Richard Nordquist:

Widely regarded as the greatest American writer of his time, Mark Twain was often asked for advice on the art and craft of writing.  Sometimes the famous humorist would respond seriously, and sometimes not.  Here in remarks drawn from his letters, essays, novels, and speeches, are ten of Twain's most remarkable observations on the writer's craft: 

                10 TIPS FROM MARK TWAIN

1.  Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as you please.

2.  use the right word, not its second cousin.

3.  as to the adjective:  when in doubt, strike it out.

4.  you need not expect to get your book right the first time.  go to work and revamp or rewrite it.  God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention.  These are god's adjectives .  You thunder and lightning too much:  the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by.

5.  substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very;  your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

6.  use good grammar.

7.  damnation (if you will allow the expression), get up and take a turn around the block;  let the sentiment blow off you.  Sentiment is for girls.  there is one thing i can't stand and won't stand from many people.  that is, sham sentimentality.

8.  use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences.  that is the way to write english;  it is the modern way and the best way.  stick to it;  don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.

9.  the time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction.  By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.

10. write without pay until somebody offers pay.  if nobody offers within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for.

1. 
   

Sources:

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

I was dressed, ready to go to a funeral home, and my brother asked, "Is that your little black dress, Coco?"

I complimented his knowing about Coco Chanel and the "little black dress" derivation.  I was wearing, pumps and pearls, but not the cloche hat, as described below in an article from The Wise Geek:

In Victorian and Edwardian times, simple black garments were worn only by servants, or people in mourning.  In 1926, amid the raucous Roaring Twenties, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel changed all that when her first "little black dress" was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine.  It was known as the "Ford Dress" in response to Henry Ford's famous quote about being able to buy his automobiles in any color, as long as it was black and the fact that the Model T was accessible to women of all economic and social classes.

Accessorized with pumps, pearls, and a cloche hat--Chanel's design made a bold statement--both because it was black and because it was simple.  Chanel was quoted as saying, "I imposed black; it's still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around."

Read more:

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-did-the-little-black-dress-become-a-fashion-staple.htm?m

---

WHITE RAIN

I have been a caregiver since 2004 and it has been quite a learning experience for me.  My first assignment was with a woman who had been diagnosed with dementia.  Her family had decided that she needed around-the-clock care.  After the death of her husband, she had lived alone for a number of years and her family had not recognized the onset of  her dementia until one day the police called her son when she was found walking on the highway several miles from her home and couldn't remember where she'd left her car.   By the time of my assignment, she no longer was allowed to drive, had memory loss and lapses, and frequently misplaced items.   It was unsafe for her to use the kitchen range or the iron.  I was there to prepare and make sure she ate her meals, take her medicine, prevent her from wandering away, and to keep her safe.  

Her son stopped by daily as he controlled the estate.  He insisted that his mother maintain a schedule and to do chores such as the laundry.  She had obviously been spoiled all of her life, telling me that she'd always had a "cleaning lady" and she was upset that her son now expected her to do her own cleaning and laundry.  She bewailed that he didn't understand that she "needed" to visit the beauty shop to have her hair and nails "done" regularly.  She was able to bathe and dress herself, although not well, as her colors and patterns were oftentimes uncoordinated and inappropriate for the season.

My time with her was enjoyable because she regaled me with fascinating stories and gossip about prominent people of years ago when she and her husband entertained and socialized with "high muckety-mucks" of the community.  I enjoyed listening to Jeopardy! while cleaning up after dinner and she enjoyed watching Wheel Of Fortune and then, to my continued amusement, every evening she watched two episodes of reruns of Charlie Sheen's Two And A Half Men sitcom.  I would be surprised that she chuckled at the double entendres and would say, "Do you believe that?" about Charlie's character's naughtiness.

Once a week friends would come to take her out to dinner.  After being with her two weeks I noticed that she had not washed her hair.   One Friday, as she was ready to have her bath, I asked if she were going to wash her hair.  She told me that she had not washed her own hair in thirty years as she always went to the beauty shop twice a week.  She said that she had been on her way to the beauty shop when she "got lost".  

WHAT?  Never washed her own hair?  THIRTY YEARS?  I told her I would wash her hair.  I looked in the bathroom closet and there was no shampoo or conditioner. [There was plenty of  L'air du Temps products; not only was she was surprised that I knew the fragrance but also that I knew how to pronounce it.   Oh, do I need to mention that she thought everyone outside her "class" was ignorant?] I asked her what kind of shampoo she liked and she said the last time she bought shampoo she thought it was White Rain. I asked myself, "White Rain? Do they make it any more?"  I looked on the internet and learned that it was still produced.  I went to Dollar General and the White Rain shampoo and conditioner were $1.00 each.  I also bought a bottle of hair spray and a rinse which her beautician told me she used. 

She had no rollers or other hair-setting materials but I saw that she had a container of bobby pins.  I "put her hair up" with the bobby pins, dried, brushed it out, styled and sprayed. When her friends came to pick her up for dinner, they complimented her hair.  After that we had a weekly ritual of washing, tinting, and setting her hair before her dinner date. 

After her son placed her in a nursing home,  I went to visit once and although she no longer remembered my name, she told others there about my washing her hair.

MAKES YOUR TUMMY SAY HOWDY!

My brother Neil dropped off a large bag of apples and said that maybe he could have some apple pie.  I made an apple pie and Gerald shared with him.  Since then, I have cooked apples, made apple/cinnamon monkey bread, apple crisp, and apple cobbler.  

My brother Les asked, "Remember apple pan dowdy?"  I said, "Yeah, it makes your tummy say howdy!"  He asked, "Hunh?"  Naturally I had to begin singing the song.  He screaked, "TMI, TMI!"  

I got out Mother's recipe and decided to make it.  Les asked, "WTH makes it dowdy?  I thought that dowdy meant a frumpy woman."  Reading the recipe, I answered, "You have to press the dough down to 'dowdy' it--that makes it look rather frumpy;  it's called dowdying!"

My mother loved Dinah Shore and we were exposed to her entire repertoire.  Listen to the classic Shoe Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy:

INEFFABLE

After reading the BEAUTIFUL WORDS article, Mona Lisa asked, "What is YOUR most beautiful word?"  I answered, "INEFFABLE."  I continued, "Perhaps it's the fact that the word means that it's too great to be expressed or described in words."

I reminded her that I already wrote about my favorite words.  From Sue's News in 2016:

                              "IT'S BENIGN!"

The most beautiful words in the English language:  IT'S BENIGN!

After waiting FIVE days to learn the result of a biopsy, I was certainly relieved to hear those words "It's benign."  It's a quote from Woody Allen.

Maxim Gorky wrote that the most beautiful words in the English language are:  "NOT GUILTY!"

Dorothy Parker wrote that "CHECK ENCLOSED." are the most beautiful words.

Henry James wrote that "SUMMER AFTERNOON" have always been the most beautiful words in the English language.

I recall that years ago I read that the word "murmur" is supposed to be the most beautiful word;  I have long loved the sound of "ineffable", "mellifluous", "ethereal", "serendipity", and "ephemeral".

BEAUTIFUL WORDS

From Richard Nordquist:

In a "Beautiful Words" contest held in 1911 by the Public Speaking Club of America, several submissions were deemed "insufficiently beautiful";  among them were grace, truth, and justice.

In the judgment of Grenville Kleiser, then a popular author of books on oratory, "The harshness of the g in grace and the j in justice disqualified them, and truth was turned down because of its metallic sound" (Journal of Education, Feb., 1911).

1911). Among the acceptable entries were melody, virtue, harmony, and hope.

Over the years there have been countless playful surveys of the most beautiful-sounding words in English. Perennial favorites include lullaby, gossamer, murmuring, luminous, Aurora Borealis, and velvet. But not all recommendations have been so predictable or so obviously euphonious.

• When the New York Herald Tribune asked poet Dorothy Parker for her list of beautiful words, she replied, "To me, the most beautiful word in the English language is cellar-door. Isn't it wonderful? The ones I like, though, are check and enclosed."
• James Joyce, author of Ulysses, chose cuspidor as the single most beautiful word in English.
• In the second volume of the Book of Lists, philologist Willard R. Espy identified gonorrhea as one of the ten most beautiful words.
• Poet Carl Sandburg chose Monongahela.
• Another poet, Rosanne Coggeshall, selected sycamore.

• Ilan Stavans, a Mexican-American essayist and lexicographer, dismissed the "clichés" on a British Council survey of beautiful words (which included mother, passion, and smile) and instead nominated moon, wolverine, anaphora, and precocious.
• The favorite word of British author Tobias Hill is dog. Though he acknowledges that "canine is a beautiful word, fit for a medieval greyhound in a tapestry," he prefers "the spareness of the Anglo-Saxon in England."

• Novelist Henry James said that for him the most beautiful words in English were summer afternoon.
• When British essayist Max Beerbohm found out that gondola had been chosen as one of the most beautiful words, he replied that scrofula sounded the same to him.

Of course, like other beauty contests, these verbal competitions are shallow and absurd. Yet consciously or not, don't most of us favor certain words for their sound as well as their sense?