READ TO ME

.What my daughter wrote:  "On our way to an appointment this morning Ginny spontaneously read me a passage of her book that she thought was funny.  My Mother would do this all the time.  I see so many similarities between the two.  This one really touched my heart."  Ginny is my eight year old granddaughter and what Robin wrote really touched my heart, too.

I'm the first year of the Baby Boom.  After lunch when I was in elementary school in first through third grade our teachers would read to us.  In first grade we curled up on the classroom floor on a blanket left over from our babyhood while the teacher read.  In second and third grade we laid our heads on our desks.

 My second grade teacher, Miss Davis, was southern and she read to us the Uncle Remus stories in her wonderful voice bringing alive the characters of Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Uncle Remus.  Please don't throw me in the briar patch you can do anything but please don't through me in the briar patch pleads Brer Rabbit to Brer Fox knowing full well he's home safe in the briars.  Brer Rabbit was a crafty guy.   We had a substitute teacher who finished the book for us but she couldn't read it like our teacher so the next day when Miss Davis came back we all begged her to reread the end to us and she did.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Remus

Miss Davis also read us the Freddy The Pig series.  I don't know how many books were in the series but the ones she read to us were barnyard stories for us country kids.  Freddy had a sidekick named Bertrand, a rooster, who operates from the inside of a boy robot which fascinated me.   I mentioned this series to someone I worked with a few years ago and he had actually bought a Freddy The Pig book online, a new issue of an old story, something about Freddy the Pig in the WWII era.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_the_Pig
    https://www.google.com/searchq=freddy+the+pig&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Hx5vUZ-nH6jmiALbxYD4CA&sqi=2&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=785
            
There was another book in the third grade we loved.  Miss Guladger was our teacher and she came from a farm in Ohio and her Mom would send us homemade cookies.  She's the one who read us a book about a mole who just happens to somehow eat a cereal that, on the assembly line in the cereal factory, gets "fortified" with extra extra vitamins and  extra extra minerals by accident and it causes the mole to grow huge like a person!  I don't remember the name of the book or much more about the story and I tried to Google it with no success.  Thinking back now it occurs to me as an adult how paranoid this story was and perfect for the Cold War 1950's.

The new books for the time that turned into classics were read to us by the Librarian when it was our day to go to the school library.  She read to us Horton Hears A Who by Dr. Seuss when it was first published.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!

 My favorite though is the classic for any age Charlotte's Web which she read to us over several weeks.  E. B. White wasn't afraid to let a much loved character die and it broke our hearts when, at the end of the book, Charlotte dies.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte's_Web

My own childtime reading was the funny papers every day in The Washington Post Times Herald.  Until I could read myself I used to get Daddy to read me the funnies.  My favorites were Li'l Abner, Smilin' Jack, Brenda Starr, The Phantom, Dick Tracey, Mark Trail, Mary Worth, Little Orphan Annie, The Katzenjammer Kids, Blondie, and Barnie Google and Snuffy Smith.  I know there were others I just can't fully visualize them on the tip of my memory.

I read to Robin when she was little.  Her favorite book was Never Talk To Strangers a long rhyming poem which made children aware in a fun way of danger.

"If you are hanging from a trapeze
And up sneaks a camel with bony knees.
Remember this rule, if you please-
Never talk to strangers."
http://books.google.com/books/about/Never_Talk_to_Strangers.html?id=siZpHjMbeZ0C

 It was lost but Robin found it again as an adult.  Robin collected children's books at one time before she was married.  I read 101 Dalmations, Alice in Wonderland, and I tried reading the original Raggedy Ann books but my tongue wouldn't turn in the British accent it was written in.  Winnie The Pooh was easier to read.

I have to admit I've read more to my grandchildren than I did to Robin.  Ally and Jimmy had a favorite book that was an alphabet book with Sesame Street Characters forming the letters and as I read it Jimmy and Ally would act out the letters and we'd laugh.  Then I bought a Fun With Dick and Jane reader for Ally when she was three, a reissue of the same reader I had in second grade, and she could already read when she started school and was grade levels ahead in reading.  Our favorite story was Baby Sally at her mother's dresser getting into her mother's powder and it's all over her and Spot and Puff and Tim.  She was four when she started kindergarten her birthday is in November.  In the country they let her go ahead and start.

 From the time the girls could crawl Rick and Robin read to Ginny and Evie.  Every night after bathtime a special book, chosen by the girls, would be read and then they were tucked in bed.  When Ginny was five and Evie three Rod and I babysat while Rick and Robin went to Hawaii.  Every night Ginny wanted  Raven read to her.  It was a tale of the Northwest where a raven turns itself into a baby, gets adopted by the chief 's daughter, then steals the sun and puts it in the heavens for all the people.  http://www.geraldmcdermott.com/raven.htm

Robin's friend Sally who is a librarian found a great book for Robin.  The book is titled Ginnie and Geneva.  Evie is short for Geneva because we couldn't have two Ginny's now could we.  http://www.amazon.com/Ginnie-Geneva-Book-Series-through/dp/B0030TVZIY
It turns out it's a whole series.

 I loved all the young kids books, especially Good Night Moon and Good Night Gorilla.  Robin says Evie's favorite is The Big Red Barn.  Evie is six years old now.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/401730.Big_Red_Barn.

Books are my favorite gift to give.

Read to me.

ABOLD ESSENCE

 In the late 1990's and early  2000's Rod started making wine. His teacher was a good friend he worked with at United Airlines, Nick Borg, who is from Malta and whose family have been winemakers for centuries.  The first season Rod chose Barbera grapes and got them from an old vineyard near The University of California at Davis which is an agricultural school.  A thousand pounds of grapes makes about 70-80 gallons of wine enough to fill a big oak barrel or a couple of smaller ones.  Barrels run 15, 30, and 60 gallons.  Barbera grapes are piquant think of pomegranates and are native to northern Italy.  Year two and three Rod made Cabernet and this is the wine we served at my daughter Robin's wedding in 2004.

This water color I did in 1977 reminded me of the way Barbara Streisand looked in A Star Is Born so when Rod made the Barbera wine I couldn't help but think this would make a good label for his wine even if it was only me who was in on the joke.  Abold Essence is an obvious play on our name and how good we thought the wine was.  Abold Essence, you'll only find it on our shelves.

DADDY'S PEN

I have my father's fountain pen that he used to pay bills with and write letters with when he was a young man.  He always used blue ink not black.  I used to use it to do my homework in the sixth grade.  I loved the way it wrote so smoothly on my lined school girl paper...I loved to lift the lever on the side and stick the nib in the bottle and draw in the ink to fill the pen.  It is black with a gold cap and the nib is 14k gold.  I don't know how or where he got it.  Was it a graduation present from high school...or a gift he bought himself as a adult?  He kept it in the bottom drawer of the buffet in the dining room and he'd sit at the dining table to do his record keeping.  Later he would have a beautiful desk his sister gave him and he'd sit there to do the work of the day.  It was a Shaeffer made in the USA.

When I was in my early thirties I gave him a Cross pen that was gold plated and worked with ink cartridges...modern.  I have that also.  He took it to work with him at Dowty Rotol the British firm he worked for after he retired from United Airlines.  He was a landing gear inspector and someone etched his name on the side...Curt Pearson.  The etching is somewhat faded now so I know he used it every day.  In his early eighties he told me he couldn't find ink cartridges for it anymore so I took it back with me to San Francisco and found a place that had the cartridges and bought five and installed one.  I took it back to Virginia and he was so happy to have his pen again.

After Dad passed I found the Cross pen.  The cartridge was dry.  There were four brand new cartridges in his desk.  I miss him so much.

NEW CAT

.....A new stray has arrived.  He's a grayed buff color and his scared nose and face tells me he's fought many battles since he's been on the road.  He's so thankful for a little dry food in a Pyrex bowl (with a dollop of wet food on top like a cherry) and he gobbles it down like he's afraid someone will take it away from him.  Silver, my last outside cat, is friendly with him so he must not be too hateful for a whole male as they touch noses in greeting.  He's fending okay because the other morning he was crunching on a mouse in the grass just off the kitchen porch but left it to eat the Meow Mix I put out....the remains of the mouse disappeared later so I know he came back for it.  We've named him "Lefty and Eugene" (Huh?) because he looks like a gangsta...after Lefty Fats Murdoch and Eugene The Fist who were characters from the movie "The Girl Can't Help It".  He's called Lefty or Eugene or both together whatever this brain of mine can conjure at the time.

PROSE AND CONS

.....HOW IN THE HECK CAN I GO TO SLEEP NOW?

    "Night  night sleep tight don't let the bedbugs bite."
     Good night good night
     Off with the light
     The bugs are in flight
     And it's me they will bite.
     Say a prayer say a prayer.
     I really do care
     If creepies and crawlies
     Climb in my hair.....
     And in my clothes
     And up my nose
     And in my mouth
     And all over the house.
     Say a prayer say a prayer.
     Hosts of bugs and critters galore
     Just stay off of me
     And down on the floor.
     Amen!


.....WHERE WILL MY BONES LAY?

Oh my aching bones, oh these lazy bones, oh no! breaking bones laid beneath the green Virginia earth play a sad country song for me.  Haunting, haunting and melancholy.  Oh these ashes to ashes bones, and dust to dust bones, and nails in my coffin rust to rust bones lay me beneath the green Virginia earth and play a sad country song for me.

.....HILL BILLY BOY

Mountain born and billy bred I'll be a billy till the day I'm dead.  Country hills and country miles and country boy till the day I die.  Plant my body on the side of a hill in the rolling land I love.  Plant me a maple at my foot to cradle my bones in it's tangling root.....till Judgement Day till Judgement Day I'll rise and sing a song for joy.  God loves the billy boy.

   

   
   

   

   

WHIMSEY

Original Artwork by S.  Pearson,  Prisma Color Pencil on Dark Paper  20 x  26

"...AND THOSE THAT WERE SEEN DANCING WERE THOUGHT TO BE INSANE BY THOSE WHO COULD NOT HEAR THE MUSIC........."  Nietsche

TARA

     Tara was a black Labrador Retriever who was found eating from trashcans in the north Sacramento Valley.  Labs are hunting dogs and they flush out and retrieve birds and hunt by scent.  They become alert if they sense a bird then they flush the pheasant or duck out of the brush so the hunter can shoot it in the air then they retrieve the bird for the hunter.  A nephew who found her was going to put her to sleep because she wouldn't hunt.  The truth was she was afraid of guns and we don't know why for sure but we think she may have been menaced with one.  If you brought out a hunting rifle she would tremble.  My daughter Shawn rescued her and Tara became a part of her family.  At that time Shawn was a divorced Mom and Jon was just a little guy.  Tara was the sweetest dog.

     When Shawn moved into a place where she couldn't have a dog Tara came to live with Rod when he and I were dating cross country in the 90's.  Rod, who is the pet whisperer and is loved by dogs and cats alike, taught Tara to "smile" by giving her salami treats.  Tara developed a huge "grin" but the salami gave her terrible gas which she seemed to always get when she was sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed.  Tara was the stinkiest dog.

     Other than being afraid of guns Tara was also afraid of water which made it kinda bad if your bird landed in water.  One time we pulled the Grady White up to the country and we all boated out to a picnic area for the day.  There were several boats and the people with us had all gotten off and carried the stuff up to the picnic area and just Rod and I were left on the boat.  All you had to do is step off the back of the boat in about a foot of water but Tara just wouldn't jump off.  Rod ended up picking her up and carrying all 60-70 pounds of her off the boat and onto dry land.  It was so funny.  Tara was the goofiest dog.

     Tara was so good with tiny children.  She would let them climb all over her and pull her ears and tug her coat and Tara just reveled in the attention.  She never snapped or barked but was always loving.  She liked to have her ears scratched and she'd sidle up to you to get rubbed and give affection.  Tara was the lovingest dog.

     When Rod and I got married and went on our honeymoon Shawn was engaged to a wonderful guy and they were able to take Tara for us while we were away.  While we were gone it was over the Fourth of July weekend 1995.  Shawn and Jim and Jon took Tara and went down to the beach to play and run and watch the fireworks.  Tara heard the first rocket go off and she took off in terror.  Shawn said she thought oh, no! we've got to find Tara or Sandy will be so upset.  They did find her.  When Tara ran off she found the police station and went inside and was there when Shawn and Jim came to report her missing.  Happy ending.  Tara was the smartest dog.

     Rod and I came back from our honeymoon and they all came over to the house and brought Tara with them.  We visited and had a wonderful time and when it was time for them to leave they started walking out the door and Tara walked out with them!  She loved being with a happy loud and loving family instead of with us calm and quiet old guys.  We let her go.  Shawn was happy to have her dog back.  We were happy that Tara was happy.  Tara was the gladest dog.

     In October Shawn and Jim were married and we took Tara back with us while they were on their honeymoon.  Tara, who by this time was starting to get grey hair in her muzzle, had a wonderful few years at the end of her life.  When she got congestive heart failure and crossed over the rainbow bridge we had her earthly remains cremated and Shawn, who has the softest heart for animals still has them.  I have Tara's purple collar and the little necklace I made for her with two red string bracelets with little jade leaves.  She was the BEST dog.