2018 A -Z Challenge - R

R     Things We Appreciate

White-water Rafting was not something I thought I’d ever do, until one day (under protest) I did. I gained a deep Respect that day, for those who do it often, and a valuable lesson on the merits of teamwork when navigating raging River rapids. It wasn’t until after that experience that I watched the movie “The River Wild” and found I still wanted to climb right out of the raft (or chair).

Aren’t Remote Controls great? I can recall being instructed to change the television channel “while I was up” whether I was or not. These days, depending on viewer attendance, control of the remote can be a real issue, but I imagine the first remote made by Zenith in the 50’s and called the “Lazy Bones”, was accepted with nothing short of Reverence, though it was connected to a wire attached to the television set across the room. The wireless “Flashmatic” remote, invented by Zenith engineer Eugene Polley was introduced just a few years later.

Long before plastic flamingos dotted lawns across mid-America, Rustic wagon wheels graced crude wooden gates or supported leaning fence posts across the windswept plains and scorching sands of the southwestern desert. We had more than one until the smaller of two rolled away in a Rainstorm. It’s interesting to note that during the uprisings against un-natural yard art in the 60’s, wagon wheels retained acceptable Repute. ;-)

Radio is yet another essence of long ago that I continue to appreciate. While it doesn’t quite pre-date the wagon wheel, it’s been keeping America informed and entertained for over a century. Whether driving, or working in the office, I like the suspense of not knowing what song they’ll play next, what Refreshing tidbit the announcer might impart, and hearing that a road is closed - before I get there.  Remember when you could call the radio station and request that a favorite song be played? 

Happy Blogging!

Any thoughts? Can you add to the list of things we appreciate that begin with the letter R?

2018 A - Z Challenge - J

J     Things We Appreciate

It was 1890 when coin-operated Music Boxes and Player Pianos were exceeded by a retro-fitted Edison Classic M Electric Phonograph called the Jukebox. This concept was improved upon several times over the years and by the 1940s Jukeboxes were an important source of income for record publishers, and accordingly, received the newest recordings first. Song-popularity counters installed within these units provided a further advantage in deciding which songs to keep or replace. These wildly popular devices delivered music on demand – without commercials – well into the 70s and could be found in frequented establishments ranging from restaurants to video arcades. Question: Have you ever seen one in a Laundromat?

Jazz Music – Known as the “King of Ragtime,” Scott Joplin, during his brief career, composed over 40 original ragtime pieces, the most popular of which; “Maple Leaf Rag,” became ragtime’s first and most influential hit song. It has appeared in the soundtracks of hundreds of films, cartoons, commercials and video games. As it was listed on the White Star Line songbook, it may even have played on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic.  In November of 1970, Joshua Rifkin released a recording of Joplin’s work that was nominated for two Grammys and effectively generated the Scott Joplin Revival.  In 1976 Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.  

     

The first known use of the name Jack-O-Lantern was in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Twice Told Tales in which hiding the ‘Great Carbuncle’ in your cloak might make you look like one. Whether you believe in Irish folklore such as Stingy Jack or entertain notions of ghostly orbs over influential places, cutting up and mucking out a pumpkin is just great family fun!

 

Junk drawers. I’m pretty sure we all have at least one. I’m absolutely sure most are more organized than mine ;-) But they sure are handy for storing everyday things that you wouldn’t put in your silverware drawer. Or for stashing things you don’t feel like putting in its proper place just yet. And yes, for losing things you forgot you put there. Still and all, Junk Drawers are one of the first places an intrepid Estate shopper will look in search of buried treasures. In fact, I once had to remind a zealous bargain hunter that the drawer itself had to stay with the house!

Any thoughts? Can you add to the list of things we appreciate that begin with the letter J?

Five Dolls, Five Books

I was putting away the sleeping bag my grandson uses for sleep-overs the other day, when I noticed on the shelf of the seldom used closet sat five of my daughter’s favorite dolls (from back in the day), just sitting there… collecting dust.

I felt a pang of sorrow for the loss of those precious days when, besides me, those dolls were her only world. How dare she leave them behind to remind me! And yet there was something more; an odd sense of having forgotten something.  Had I left the iron on again? Was it trash day? And then it hit me – no, it wasn’t trash day and I would no more throw my daughter’s dolls away than discard any of my own precious treasures – my stories!

Sure, my daughter left five dolls on a shelf, but I have five books in various stages of completion.  Gulp. Was I ready? I wondered. Was now the time to ‘do it or die’? She had moved on, so why shouldn’t I?

What I like to do in times like those is console (or bolster) myself by reading some of my favorite bloggers, one of whom, Quanie, - check her out- she’s a hoot and a half!--Anyway, in the course of relaying an astounding story of a bad review gone 'Misery', Quanie talked about the joys and agonies of publication. She mentioned the number five, as well. So naturally, I keyed on that like a cat to a penlight beam!  

Not wanting to give away Quanie’s amusing stream of logical inspiration, I’ll just say that I came away more than inspired; I came face to face with an issue I avoid as if it were the very edge of a cliff – and for someone who white-knuckles elevator handrails – it’s a pretty big deal!

Marketing? Not so bad. Self-marketing? Ack! I can brag about someone else all day long, but when it comes to me, well, wouldn’t that be rude? Horse-feathers, say those in the know. 

The upshot of this whole spout-off is to announce I will be dusting off my five and pushing them out the door!  After some unintended disasters during the course of publishing my first book (I’ll elaborate on that in a future blog), the next ones should be a breeze.

Can I get a couple of High Fives? No pun intended ;-).

So, what's your motivation? And how do you keep it going?