The Joy of Doodling

art One of my grandsons, who’s in elementary school, was home sick for a few days and very bored. He loves to draw so I went to the bookstore to buy him some kind of How-to-Draw Monsters or Superheroes – type of book. What I found – in the kids’ section – were several...

My Life in Poems

Month: August 2014 I wrote my very first poem for a school assignment in the third grade. I remember the exhilaration I felt when the words came to me and I realized, “I can do this.” I wrote many poems for my teacher, Mrs. Blank, that year. I don’t remember them, but...

Beloved English Poet – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

alfred August 6th is the birthday of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), who was the Poet Laureate of Great Britain for more than 40 years during the reign of Queen Victoria. One of Britain’s most beloved poets, he was made a baron in 1883 and thus added “Lord” to his...

Echoes of Emma Lazarus

emma July 22nd is the birthday of American poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887). She was the fourth of seven children in a Sephardic Jewish family whose New York roots went back to the colonial period. She was related to Benjamin Cardozo, Associate Justice of the Supreme...

The Wells Fargo Wagon Rides Again

amazon On my playlist are many songs from classical American Musical Theater. One of my favorites is a rousing production number from Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man. It’s called “The Wells Fargo Wagon.” The townspeople of 1912 River City, Iowa, line up to await the...