Archives

The First Tuesday in September

Sep3

Pee Chees, Saddle Shoes, and Fear

September 3, 2024

A Tuesday Newsday Classic

The first Tuesday of September was always a day which struck fear in my heart. In fact, no other day of the year caused more anxiety and distress than this one.

The reason, of course, was due to the fact that when I was growing up school always started on this day.

The ubiquitous Pee-Chee – an indispensible back to school item

Unlike in today’s world, where we are inundated with back-to-school ads for supplies and equipment beginning in late July, in the 1960’s and 70’s, we didn’t much think about going back to school. That was until one day in late August my mother would ominously announce that school started the next week.

So off we would go to get things. Our back-to-school supply list included Pee Chee folders, notebook paper, #2 pencils, and BIC pens. That was it.

For clothing, I was lucky to get one new outfit for the first day of school. And the most evil of all footwear ever invented: saddle shoes.

I’ll get back to those in a bit.  First off, however, I imagine you are wondering about the Pee Chee.  What is a Pee Chee? And why do so many people my age wax nostalgic over a folded in half piece of cardstock? I knew it deserved Tuesday Newsday status. Since I couldn’t find the official day they were introduced, the first Tuesday in September seemed the perfect opportunity to learn about them. From the Infallible Wikipedia:

How we learned our multiplication tables and other useful information

“The yellow Pee-Chee All Season Portfolio was a common American stationery item in the second half of the 20th century, commonly used by students for storing school papers. It was first produced in 1943 by the Western Tablet and Stationery Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Pee-Chees were later produced by the Mead Corporation. (snip) These inexpensive folders are made of card stock with two internal pockets for the storage of loose-leaf paper. The pockets are printed with a variety of reference information including factors for converting between Imperial and metric measurement units, and a multiplication table. The folders had fallen out of general use by the 2000s, but are available from Mead as of 2014.”

Note the words “multiplication table.” This was probably the most valuable thing a Pee Chee provided as we were expected to memorize this table. By the time you arrived at the twelves, it got a bit difficult. The handy dandy Pee Chee came to your rescue. Of course, our teachers knew this and we had to put our Pee Chee’s away during test time.

One of the eight Nordstrom shoe stores in the 1960’s

Every day, when I walked home from elementary school, I only carried a Pee Chee and rarely any books unless it was one checked out from the school library. By the time I was in Junior High and High School, books were part of the equation. Along with the Pee Chee of course.

That brand new, unmarked, non-dog-eared Pee Chee was the best part of being forced to go back to school. And paper, pencils and BIC pens, of course. The best addition were colored Flair pens starting in Junior High! My favorite was the green one.

But the worst part? From first grade through sixth I was subjected to torture by being forced to wear saddle shoes. Whoever invented this shoe should have been required to wear a new pair every week for their entire lives just so they would know what pain they subjected multiple generations of girls to endure.

The evil saddle shoe…

My mother would take me and my sister to Nordstrom’s Shoe store… in the 1960’s in Yakima that’s all it was… a shoe store. We would bypass all the beautiful shiny black patent leather shoes and the cute Mary Janes and go directly to the rack of clunky saddle shoes. There they sat, big, bulky, and ugly. They had brown soles thicker than a slice of French toast. Across their beige bodies was a second strip of stiff brown leather, with laces through the holes, just waiting to cinch your foot into bondage. Heaven forbid that you got shoes which fit… no, they had to be a bit big so you’d grow in to them and not grow out of them before the following June.

We would wear them around the house for several days before school started in a futile effort to ‘break’ them in. It never worked. The first few weeks of school our feet bore witness to the horrors of saddle shoes; oozing red blisters were covered with adhesive tape and we’d limp through the day. Eventually the leather softened and the blisters abated… usually by October. Kids today just don’t realize how lucky they are to have been spared the scourge of saddle shoes.

Note the saddle shoes on the two girls seated, Marla on the left and Rinda on the far right. This author is next to Marla undoubtedly also wearing saddle shoes. The girl in the glasses next to me? That was Kelly who NEVER had saddle shoes but always cute black patten leather shoes.
Flair pens were IT! Especially the green ones.

Even now the first week of September is my least favorite time of the year; despite the fact I do not have to go back to school nor do my children.

I am, however, very, very tempted to go hang out in the office supply store and indulge myself in the smell of paper and ink and the plethora of notebooks, papers, pens, and paperclips. Anyone who has seen my office knows that I have stacks of spiral notebooks, hundreds of colored paperclips (many with decorative tops), and a collection of G-2 pens of every hue. In fact, just writing about it inspires me to head to my nearest Office Depot Max to see what’s on sale. Unlike saddle shoes, office supplies never go out of fashion!

As always a couple of links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Chee_folder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_shoe

Yes, it is true. In 1960 Nordstrom’s only sold shoes. The store in Yakima was one of only 8 stores at the time.

https://shop.nordstrom.com/content/company-history

Mary Poppins

Aug27

Why is using an umbrella to fly not a thing?

August 27, 2024

A Tuesday Newsday Classic

Unlike most of the musical films of the previous decades, this one was aimed at children. It introduced new words into our collective vocabulary and catapulted its two stars into the stratosphere. Children everywhere wanted a nanny just like Mary Poppins and her chimney sweep friend Bert.

Mary Poppins debuted on the silver screen sixty years ago on August 27, 1964, and soon everyone was exclaiming Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and singing Chim-Chim-Cheree.

The movie was based on a children’s book by P.L. Travers. It was the song writing brothers of Robert and Richard Sherman who created over 30 songs for the movie. Of those, 14 made the final cut.

It was, however, the superb casting, particularly of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, which provided the magic needed for the story.  Andrews, who was a Broadway actress at the time, transitioned to film and would, the next year, define the iconic Maria Von Trapp in the Sound of Music.

Between the incredible casting, the musical score, and the script, it proved a recipe for success. From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“It received a total of 13 Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture – a record for any film released by Walt Disney Studios – and won five: Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’. Mary Poppins is considered Walt Disney’s crowning live-action achievement, and is the only one of his films which earned a Best Picture nomination during his lifetime.”

For a seven-year-old, getting to go to a theater and see a movie was a big deal. Especially when it was the very FIRST movie that seven-year-old had ever seen in a theater.

I have a distinct memory of being dropped off at the Capitol Theater in Yakima along with my older siblings to watch the movie. I doubt my then 15 year old brother was thrilled at being the designated baby sitter for the event. Of course that mattered not to me. I was enthralled from the moment Mary Poppins, umbrella unfurled and carpet bag in hand, floated down to the Banks house.

My childhood goal: to fly using an umbrella

In the days, weeks, and months which followed, I strove to be Mary Poppins. If I was outside playing it was with an umbrella in hand, running down the street wishing to be lifted from the ground so that I could float away to magical places. Alas, despite some pretty strong winds at times, my Mary Poppins dreams went unfulfilled although I did manage to get airborne quite often.

After I had children of my own I made it one of my missions to expose them to the cultural phenomenon of Musicals. Although they enjoyed Mary Poppins I do not believe it impacted them quite the same way.

On a trip to Disneyland when my daughter was near the magical age of seven, we were on Main Street early one morning. Across the plaza I spied Mary Poppins. Determined to get her autograph for the daughter’s book, we hurried over.

The daughter proffered the souvenir and asked ‘Mary’ if she would sign it. A nanny’s eye landed on my daughter, said good morning, then proceeded – in character – to instruct the child to stand up straight, feet together, toes turned slightly out, with the admonishment of “spit spot.” Although my daughter was slightly flummoxed by the encounter, I was enchanted.

The whole nanny thing, I decided, might still be a good idea for seven-year-old children although I don’t think it’s a great idea for those same children to take flying leaps into the air in an effort to fly.

 No article is complete without a link to the Infallible Wikipedia:I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Poppins_(film)

I suggest you do a search for Mary Poppins “Let’s Go fly a Kite” to see the final scene where Mary flies away. I tried to find a youtube clip but, alas, many are protected. Try these two links: https://youtu.be/BA-g8YYPKVo?si=8lCS4VWswAp0OPvZ

The Rotary Telephone

Aug20

The only downside was the cord

August 20, 2024

A Tuesday Newsday Classic Updated

A vintage rotary dial possibly from the state of Washington.

For young people in the 1960’s and 70’s, this device was as essential to teenagers as the smart phones of today.

The difference being that this device was tethered to a specific location and it allowed you to do but one thing: talk.

Nearly every household in middle America had one and, by the early 1960’s, all featured a rotary dial, the patent for which was applied for on August 20, 1896. The device was, of course, the telephone.

It was, however, the addition of the rotary dial which made it possible for the telephone to become a common household essential. As is often the case, controversy surrounded the granting of patents. The first rotary style was developed in 1891. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Almon Brown Strowger was the first to file a patent for a rotary dial on December 21, 1891, which was awarded on November 29, 1892, as U.S. Patent 486,909. The early rotary dials used lugs on a finger plate instead of holes, and the pulse train was generated without the control of spring action or a governor on the forward movement of the wheel, which proved to be difficult to operate correctly.”

It was only a few short years later when three inventors in Kansas – brother’s Charles and Frank Erickson along with their friend Frank Lundquist – provided the refinement needed and the rotary dial with finger holes that we know was invented. Different enough from Strowger’s design, it became the standard. From the historical files of the Kansas Collection:

We had a beauty like this one in both the kitchen and my parents bedroom

“The most dramatic contribution of the Ericksons in telephony is associated with the invention and development of the dial telephone. Application for the patent was made by (A.E.) Keith and the Ericksons on August 20, 1896, and Patent No. 597,062 was granted on January 11, 1898. The dial method was based upon a finger wheel dial instead of the push buttons, which were cumbersome and impractical. The dial method, with the switching and trunk systems, provided full access to the vast resources of a telephone exchange. R. B. Hill, an authority in telephony, has described this important development as follows: ‘Dialing a number wound up a spring whose tension, when the finger was withdrawn, caused the dial to return to its normal position. The return rotation was limited to a moderate speed by an escapement mechanism, and, during the return, the required number of circuit interruptions took place to control the movement of the central office apparatus.’”

Telephone numbers in the 1960’s were identified by a combination of letters and numbers. Eight of the finger holes on the phone had 3 letters. My phone number growing up, then, was listed as follows: Glencourt 2-4100, or in its phone book listed form, GL2-4100. Translation for the kids of today: 452-4100. Area Codes were added in 1947 but unlike today were not needed for all calls.

In my household the phone was strategically placed in the kitchen. When it rang, you answered as there was no answering machine. Up until about 1971 the phone was never for me and the conversations were usually brief as the device was a method for setting up an appointment or such other daily business.

With teenagers in the house, however, its use ballooned. My sister used it, especially, for the higher purpose of dialing in to radio stations to make song requests and to try to win things. With transistor radio on one ear and the telephone on the other she’d dial incessantly to be the 10th or 20th or 93rd caller. She seemed to win. A lot.

Unlike today, photos of people with phones was uncommon. In going through old photo albums this was the only picture I found with a phone in it. I took this photo at my older brother’s apartment (he was 24) when me and my parents drove to Seattle on December 27, 1971, to bring him Christmas. Mom is on the right. Rotary dial phone is on the left.

My long-suffering parents finally tired of chatty teenagers doing their teenager business in the middle of the family area and a second phone was installed.

This phone was the holy grail of all things teen. Located in my parents’ bedroom it provided the one thing we craved: privacy.

When boys started to call my older sister – and eventually me – we were allowed to use the phone in my parent’s bedroom. There was no chair next to the phone, just the bed and the floor. Many an hour was spent sitting on that floor, back against the bed, talking to the boy of the month… at least until Mom would come in to the room and give us the sign to wrap it up.

We envied the few friends who had their own phone in their room, usually a princess style and pink or white. What a luxury!

The most envied of all devices: a pink princess phone

When I became a parent and cell phones (before the smart phones took over) were a thing it became very difficult to monitor what the child was doing. No doubt it’s even more difficult now with text messages, unfettered internet access, and apps like Instagram and TikTok. It was much easier for my parents as they could cut the conversation off at any time and when the household went to bed no teen was sneakily talking or texting on the phone.

No doubt my most memorable event with a corded, old-style phone, came in 1992 when my son was two years old. Although cordless phones for use in a house had made some inroads by that time, I found them unreliable and they would often have static and bad reception. So, as a mother with a young child, I had hit on the perfect solution: a phone with a 25-foot-long cord.

It afforded me the ability to talk on the phone while also being able to get to my child anywhere in the kitchen/family room. Which was important since my first born being a VERY curious child required my eternal vigilance as he had a propensity for getting into places and things which he shouldn’t. In fact I discovered, to my great dismay, that there was not a baby lock you could install on a cupboard or drawer which could deter him.

One particular morning, I get a phone call from my best friend in Yakima, Daphne. My son is happily playing and Daphne and I have been chatting for about 10 minutes. I happened to be standing and looking out the window of our dinette area between the kitchen and the family room when all of the sudden the phone line goes dead.

I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the now silent receiver, wondering what might have happened. Only then did I turn around and standing in front of me, scissors in hand and a cut in half phone cord laying at his feet, is my two-year-old.

A mixture of emotions course through me. Anger at this child who had the audacity to end my phone call but also awe at the problem-solving ability he had just displayed. And, of course, fear at the fact that he had dragged a chair to the kitchen, climbed on it, opened the drawer – with the baby lock on it – and retrieved the tool he understood was needed to complete his mission.

My curious child also learned how to use a computer early when he wasn’t cutting telephone cords.

Trying to reason with a one or two-year old is like trying to reason with a cat and was out of the question so in the end I came down on the side of awe. That was the one and only time he ever cut the phone cord… but there WAS the whole apple incident. That’s a story for another Tuesday Newsday. Eventually the technology improved and the cordless phone became the norm. Nowadays, very few people even have ‘land lines’ and phones are radically different than they were 30 years ago.

But back to the advantage of growing up with a device on which the only thing you could do was talk. I attribute my ability to pick up a phone and call anyone to the training I received as a teenager. Back then the only way anything was going to happen was by grabbing the phone and twisting those 10 little holes to make a call. Ah, the good old days.

A couple of links for those who wish to learn more about phones and the rotary dial:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_dial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_dial

National Nothing Day

Jan16

Long celebrated as a day to sit back and relax

January 16, 2024

A Tuesday Newsday Classic updated

January 16th, it turns out, is historically one of the most boring days in history. The tree most exciting things I could find for this date were:

  1. Debut of the Donny and Marie Show in 1976
  2. Cher and Greg Allman’s divorce finalized in 1979
  3. Wayne Newton performs his 25,000th show in Las Vegas in 1996.
From left to right: Wayne Newton, Donny & Marie Osmond, Greg Allman and Cher

Truly riveting events. Which is why January 16th being “National Nothing” Day seems appropriate.*

The day was started in 1972 by San Francisco Examiner columnist Harold Pullman Coffin. The day was created, according to the Infallible Wikipedia as a way:

“…to provide Americans with one National day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring anything.”

There truly is no lack of irony with what I discovered about this event. Wikipedia’s article is what’s known as an ‘orphan’ with not a single link to anything about this event. Yet the ‘day’ was significant enough to be included in the 1973 printing of Chase’s Calendar of Events (first published in 1957).

For just $103 you can get the paper copy of Chase’s Calendar or go digitally for a mere $97.50

Chase’s Calendar was also started by someone in the newspaper business. Bill Chase worked for the Flint (Michigan) Journal in the library. Hours and Hours of clipping and filing news stories prompted the idea of the publication which, as of 2012, had been updated and produced annually for 55 years.

There are a couple of takeaways from all this. First, is that if you are a writer and love trivial facts there’s probably a book inside of you. It amazes me the things that someone has turned into a book. Second, is that unless I’m sick, I can’t possibly sit and do ‘nothing’ all day. But, of course when one looks at the description of the day it doesn’t literally mean to not do anything.

I can’t think of anything more boring than sitting around and doing ‘nothing.’

When I was in high school I had a fabulous teacher by the name of Mrs. Renn. Sadly, the year I was in her class she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But that did not stop her from coming to school every day and imparting her knowledge and wisdom to a bunch of ungrateful teenagers. One day I recall one of the students must have complained about the literature we were discussing and that she was bored. Mrs. Renn didn’t get mad at the student but took the opportunity to impart her philosophy on life.

I paraphrase but the message was this “there is no excuse to EVER be bored; if you have your mind, you can always find something interesting to read, or write, or do.”

The impact on me, personally, was huge. I’ve carried that message and that day with me all these years and I’m eternally grateful to Mrs. Renn for giving me wisdom at a time in my life when I needed to hear it.

So my plans for National Nothing Day is to seize the opportunity to use that time to have the very best day possible ‘doing’ all sorts of interesting (to me) things.

Update for 2024: I wrote this article in January 2018 and, since there’s still nothing new to share for January 16th, I’m sharing it again. I will add this. I’m a member of a Facebook Group for alumni from my high school, Eisenhower, in Yakima, Washington.

A random student took this photo of my dad teaching, probably from the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. Dad taught 9th grade Washington State history at Franklin Jr. High school in Yakima, Washington

Recently one of my classmates, Rick C., posted a question to the group: “Nominations are open for BEST (or worst) ADVICE by a staff member. For me Mrs. Renn’s advice immediately came to mind, so I posted pretty the same thing as I did in this 2018 article.  That was just a few days ago. There were many comments, so Rick’s post obviously resonated with many. But his response to what I posted touched my heart:

(Rick C.-Author)

Barbara DeVore  – I totally agree. She was so gentle and thoughtful. You wanted to please her. I credit her for my love of writing.

The only other one I could mention who was on that level, is your dear father from Franklin. I will never forget him! –R

So get out there and do ‘nothing’ spectacularly!

I enjoyed this article about the man who started Chase’s Calendar: http://www.annarbor.com/news/chasing-down-days-ann-arbor-founder-of-chases-calendar-of-events-turns-90/

And the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Nothing_Day

*Martin Luther King Day (he was born January 15th) was designated as a Federal holiday in 1983 and it was not until the year 2000 when all 50 states observed it. Since it falls on the third Monday in January it has occurred on January 16th five times since its creation (1989, 1995, 2006, 2012, 2017) now making the January 16th designation as “Nothing Day” erroneous some years.

The Joy of Coddiwomple: A Writing Journey

Jan9

327 Tuesday Newsday Articles and 2 published novels

January 9th

The author’s collection of dictionaries. The Webster’s New World Dictionary, third from the left, was often used for playing ‘Dictionary.’

A Tuesday Newsday Classic

Back in the early 1980’s I was introduced to a game my hubby and his family loved to play. There was no game board or markers to move around. Instead it required a dictionary, a piece of paper for each player, and a pen. They called the game Dictionary.

A search of the internet reveals, from the Infallible Wikipedia, that the genre is more commonly known by another name: Fictionary. In the years since being introduced to this delightful pastime there have been actual games developed and sold. As noted by the Infallible Wikipedia:

“The board games Balderdash, Dictionary Dabble, Flummoxed, and Weird Wordz are based on Fictionary. In one round of the board game Derivation, players describe or fabricate a word’s etymology; players who provide a correct etymology receive one point for doing so, but their entries are then removed from play, and they lose their chance to receive multiple points by drawing multiple votes from other players. Similarly, in the board game Wise and Otherwise, the Picker randomly chooses a quotation and reads the beginning, and other players try to create realistic endings to the quotation.”

It’s amazing what interesting words one can find when perusing a dictionary.

While these games have been successful, I rather like how we played it: Get a group of people together (the more the better) and then pick one person each round who looks through the dictionary until they find a sufficiently obscure word. They then announce the word to the group and each person has to come up with a definition for that word. The chooser writes down the REAL definition.

Once everyone has written his or her definition, the papers are passed to the person who picked the word and they read each entry aloud, being sure to hide the papers from others. Each participant then decides which might be the real meaning of the word. Those who guess correctly get one point. The chooser gets one point for every incorrect guess.

Now, I’m sure you are wondering what this has to do with the title of this week’s Tuesday Newsday, Coddiwomple. Up until the hubby and I were driving home from Yakima on New Year’s Day this year I had never heard of Coddiwomple. But it immediately made me think of playing Dictionary and probably the most favorite word I ever found and used which is ‘gardyloo.’

The hubby had read an article on the term Coddiwomple and shared it with me. What I learned, from author and philosopher David Marlowe – who coined the term – is this:

I was immediately struck by the rhythm of the word and how it seems to fit its definition. Of course the purpose of the word is to help people stop and contemplate what, exactly, they are each trying to accomplish in life.

It was on this date in 2017 when I wrote my first Tuesday Newsday article. At that time I had no idea where I was going with it; only that, via a very decidedly Coddiwomple experience, I had been nudged to take the path of starting a website for ‘someday.’

That ‘someday’ was aimed for that moment, in the murky future, when I would have a book published and be able to share it on my website.

And thus began a Coddiwomple journey toward a vague destination. My first Tuesday Newsday was all about one of my favorite musical artists, Jim Croce.

Of course I screwed it up a bit on that first go round – being unfamiliar with WordPress and how it all worked – and accidently posted it on Wednesday, January 10th instead of that Tuesday, January 9th. So I ended up with TWO articles about Jim Croce a year apart, with the other one on January 11th the following year. (here’s the link to both which I combined into one for ONLY January 10th): https://barbaradevore.com/2017/01/10/jim-croce/)

But that was okay because, well, Jim Croce. One of his best songs… and so bittersweet.

What I did know after that first post is that in addition to the fiction stories which invade my brain and compel me to write, I had a whole lot of personal stories which came pouring forth.

Some have been funny, some philosophical; they range from recounting early childhood memories to recent impactful events. They cover music, TV, movies, nature, history, geeky musings, and cultural references. War and politics are never included.

But what do any of these ramblings have to do with traveling purposefully toward a vague destination?

For me, no matter what think I chose to do, it is the desire to fully embrace each experience in life. New opportunities frequently present themselves and, as someone who probably has undiagnosed ADHD, I am often distracted by such shiny objects.

Yet, as I have matured, I’ve come to understand a universal truth: our most precious commodity is TIME. I’ve become quite protective of my time. And the one thing in life which is elemental to who I am and where I want to spend my time is writing. It’s been that way since I first put a piece of chalk to a chalkboard desk I received as a Christmas present at age three when my family still lived in Clarkston, Washington.

The author, age 3, with her chalk board. Captured with a cell phone camera from the home movies my dad took.

So now I begin year nine of my blog in basically the same way as I did in 2017, traveling in a purposeful manner toward a vague destination. Coddiwomple.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go write Nicole out of the entanglement in which she finds herself. Who will she choose: Nathan, Sam, or ???. And how will her parents react? I’m not sure she has quite embraced Coddiwomple but then again she’s only 21 and has a lifetime ahead of her.

Sneak preview of just a bit of the cover art for ‘Rivals’!

Well, that was LAST year’s dilemma. Since then, Nicole and company made their appearance with the publication of “The Rebel of Delta Rho Chi” on September 16, 2025. Now I’m thick in the lives of Kara, Brooke, Jason, and Erik who, as early twenty college students, are challenged to figure out the eternal question, “Who am I and what am I doing here?” I think they’ll get there but currently things are a bit messy in “The Rivals of Delta Rho Chi.” Look for their story this summer.

Finally, for those who have read all the way to the bottom, here’s your reward. Gardyloo is, according to Dictionary.com, “a cry formerly used in Scotland to warn pedestrians when slops were about to be thrown from an upstairs window.” Oh those crazy Scots. You’re welcome. Of course if you looked closely at the photos, you already knew the definition.

The links:

David Marlowe’s substack: https://ikiquest.substack.com/p/coddiwomple

The Infallible Wikipedia never lets me down: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictionary

The Timeless Legacy of A Christmas Carol

Dec19

Charles Dicken’s Beloved Literary Masterpiece

December 19th

A Tuesday Newsday Classic with updates

It took the author only six weeks to complete this novella which was published on December 19, 1843. All 6,000 of the original copies sold out in less than six days and the book, arguably, is one of the most famous literary works in history.

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas – the full title – is known better by the simpler name ‘A Christmas Carol.’

Charles Dickens was appalled by the conditions he saw at a school for the poor and was inspired to write the story. From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired to write the story following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged school, one of several establishments for London’s half-starved, illiterate street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a self-interested man redeeming himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this was a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.”

A sketch of Charles Dickens circa 1843

The book had an additional 13 publication runs in 1844, obviously resonating with the reading public in Victorian England. Since its first edition, the book has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages and adapted for theatre, movies and TV.

The path to success for Dickens, however, was not an easy one. Despite being a successful author, by mid-1843 he encountered financial problems. In those days authors were paid a salary by publishers and the author’s writings didn’t truly belong to them. Dickens’ publishers, Chapman and Hall, were about to reduce his salary by 50 pounds as sales of his current book had fallen. Also from the Infallible Wikipedia:

“As the result of the disagreements with Chapman and Hall over the commercial failures of Martin Chuzzlewit Dickens arranged to pay for the publishing himself, in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Production of A Christmas Carol was not without problems. The first printing contained drab olive endpapers that Dickens felt were unacceptable, and the publisher quickly replaced them with yellow endpapers, but, once replaced, those clashed with the title page, which was then redone. The final product was bound in red cloth with gilt-edged pages, completed only two days before the publication date of 19 December 1843.”

The Ghost of Christmas Present and Scrooge in the 1984 version featuring George C. Scott

Perhaps my favorite part of this story is how Dickens, despite setbacks, prevailed as a self-published author. He also, apparently, understood how to promote and, in 1852, started a tradition of reading an abbreviated version of the story as a public performance every Christmas season until his death in 1870. In fact he read A Christmas Carol in this manner 127 times.

I’ve seen a number of different versions of “A Christmas Carol.” Although many critics laud the 1954 film with Alistair Cook as Scrooge as the best adaptation, I’m partial to the George C. Scott version from 1984. What’s your favorite version?

2023 Update:

Unbeknownst to me, a movie was released in November 2017 (just weeks before the original post) about the writing of “A Christmas Carol.” I only first saw the movie last week. Titled “The Man Who Invented Christmas” it tells the story of Dickens struggles as an author and how the concept of one of his most beloved works came to be.

What I most appreciate about the film is how it portrays the writer’s journey. In the six weeks it takes for Dickens to pen the manuscript he struggles with the characters, especially the character of Scrooge who Dickens originally felt was not redeemable.

To me, one of the joys of writing fiction is breathing life into those characters who take up residence in your head during the creative process. One of my favorite characters arrived in my kitchen one morning as I was doing dishes. I was about 18,000 words into the novel and I was stuck. I needed something to occur which disrupted the budding relationship between my male and female protagonists.

So there I was, hands in the soapy water and, although I would look out the window every so often, my brain was thinking about the story. I hear an unfamiliar male voice behind me and I immediately know who it is. But it’s not someone from my household. Oh no, it’s a character from an earlier novel who the last time we met he was a baby. And he says “Put me in the story.” I froze and I contemplated the suggestion. Then I dried my hands and headed up to my computer to see what that looked liked. He was absolutely right. Turns out he was definitely a bit of a scoundrel but quite lovable and you like him in spite of his flaws. (Well, at least I do)

These past few months I’ve been doing a complete rewrite of this particular novel prepping it to send to my editor. (Note to my editor – the rewrite has been more involved than I anticipated…) And I still love this character. It’s been fun to spend time with him once again.

However, I am putting “The Man Who Invented Christmas” on my list of movies to be sure to watch each holiday season. God Bless Us, Everyone!

A few links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Invented_Christmas_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens

Pac Man Fever

Oct10

… and the Donkey Kong King of the Arcade

October 10, 2023

It was in October of 1980 when the United States was truly invaded by the Japanese. We are not talking about the military here. No, the first wave of this invasion featured four ghosts named Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde and a round yellow fellow with a huge pie shaped mouth dubbed Pac-Man. The game, which had been released in Japan a little over four months earlier, was an instant hit. Young people flocked to arcades and taverns where Pac-Man eagerly gobbled up their quarters.

Staples of the Video Arcade were Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Ms. Pac-Man – a spin off of PacMan – and the perennial favorite Space Invaders rounded out this game room.

Soon, Pac-Man merchandise flooded America as did other Japanese companies looking to capitalize on Pac-Man fever.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

 “When Pac-Man was released, the most popular arcade video games were space shooters—in particular, Space Invaders and Asteroids. The most visible minority were sports games that were mostly derivatives of Pong. Pac-Man succeeded by creating a new genre. Pac-Man is often credited with being a landmark in video game history and is among the most famous arcade games of all time. It is also one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, having generated more than $2.5 billion in quarters by the 1990s.

The character has appeared in more than 30 officially licensed game spin-offs, as well as in numerous unauthorized clones and bootlegs.According to the Davie-Brown Index, Pac-Man has the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers, recognized by 94 percent of them. Pac-Man is one of the longest running video game franchises from the golden age of video arcade games. It is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.”

There were a number of other Japanese companies which, seeing the success of Pac-Man released arcade games, but there were two companies which dominated the market in 1982: Sega (Pac Man) and Nintendo. While Sega established its US headquarters in Irvine, California, Nintendo first landed in Tukwila, Washington

And that’s where my hubby enters the scene. In 1981 he was hired by a CPA firm in Burien who had a client that needed an auditor. So he was sent out to do the job and thus began a seven year relationship with a different Japanese invader: Donkey Kong.

Iconic characters Donkey Kong and the damsel Pauline.

While many think of Nintendo as a behemoth company, when Donkey Kong was first sold into the US market they had a grand total of six employees: two Seattle based salesmen; the company president (Mr. A – the son in law of Nintendo’s Japanese founder); two Japanese developer/engineers; and one American to assemble and make the arcade games compatible for the US market.

It was in June 1982, as Donkey Kong’s popularity skyrocketed to the top of the arcade market (and made the two US salesmen millionaires), that the hubby was hired as the company’s US controller. Those were crazy days with incredible long hours but also a real sense of family within the fledgling company.

In 1982 we hosted an April Fool’s day party the theme of which was bad jokes and to play video games. The hubby was even able to have a couple of full size arcade games (borrowed from Nintendo) for the attendees to enjoy. We continued this tradition for several years.

Friends at the 1987 April Fools Day party enjoying a game of Donkey Kong on our Cocktail Table game console. Note the blanket on the back of the couch and the framed DK poster.

By the time he left the company in the late 1980’s we had acquired a variety of Donkey Kong themed items: mugs, cups, socks, both electronic and board games, shirts, a bulletin board, an aped shaped ‘bank’ and, the most prized possession of all: an electronic cocktail tabletop Donkey Kong game.

Over the years all of the Donkey Kong stuff has moved with us several times. Perhaps the items are worth some money. But that was never the point. More that these things are reminders of that crazy chapter in our lives, some good, some not so good. So I keep them in a cupboard because… well, just because it’s part of our history.

Our Donkey Kong merchandise collection (minus the blanket)

When the daughter and her (then boyfriend) hubby moved back to the PNW in 2020, we gifted them the cocktail table Donkey Kong Game. Of course it came with the stipulation that we could visit it if we were so inclined. But that rarely happens. Our son-in-law does sometimes fire the game up when they have friends over. Unlike the days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong fever, however, quarters are no longer needed. All you have to do is plug the thing in, press a button, and soon Donkey Kong has abducted the maiden with Mario chasing them up the steel girder, jumping over the never ending barrels.

When the machine comes to life, one is struck by the simplicity of the 40 year old computer graphics, long ago eclipsed by more sophisticated games and machines. Even so, every once in a while it’s fun to escape back to the 1980’s when arcade games were king and the Japanese took the country by storm.

To read more about these two arcade phenomenon’s click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_(video_game) (there are errors in this not-so Infallible  Wikipedia article. Specifically, Nintendo’s first headquarters were in Tukwila, not Redmond, Washington)

The First Tuesday in September

Sep5

September 5, 2023

On Saddle Shoes and Pee Chee Folders

A Tuesday Newsday Classic from 2019

The first Tuesday of September was always a day which struck fear in my heart. In fact, no other day of the year caused more anxiety and distress than this one.

The reason, of course, was due to the fact that when I was growing up school always started on this day.

Unlike in today’s world, where we are inundated with back to school ads for supplies and equipment beginning in late July, in the 1960’s and 70’s, we didn’t much think about going back to school. That is until one day in late August my mother would ominously announce that school started the next week.

So off we would go to get things. Our back to school supply list included Pee Chee folders, notebook paper, #2 pencils, and BIC pens. That was it.

For clothing, I was lucky to get one new outfit for the first day of school. And the most evil of all footwear ever invented: saddle shoes.

I’ll get back to those in a bit.  First off, however, I imagine you are wondering about the Pee Chee.  What is a Pee Chee? And why do so many people my age wax so nostalgic over a folded in half piece of cardstock? I knew it deserved Tuesday Newsday status. Since I couldn’t find the official day they were introduced, the first Tuesday in September seemed the perfect date to learn about them. From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“The yellow Pee-Chee All Season Portfolio was a common American stationery item in the second half of the 20th century, commonly used by students for storing school papers. It was first produced in 1943 by the Western Tablet and Stationery Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Pee-Chees were later produced by the Mead Corporation. (snip) These inexpensive folders are made of card stock with two internal pockets for the storage of loose leaf paper. The pockets are printed with a variety of reference information including factors for converting between Imperial and metric measurement units, and a multiplication table. The folders had fallen out of general use by the 2000s, but are available from Mead as of 2014.”

Note the words “multiplication table.” This was probably the most valuable thing a Pee Chee provided as we were expected to memorize this table. By the time you got up to the twelves, it got a bit difficult. The handy dandy Pee Chee came to your rescue. Of course our teachers knew this and we had to put our Pee Chee’s away during test time.

When I walked home from elementary school I only carried a Pee Chee and rarely any books unless it was one checked out from the library. By the time I was in Junior High and High School, books were part of the equation. Along with the Pee Chee of course.

That brand new, unmarked, non-dog-eared Pee Chee was the best part of being forced to go back to school. And paper, pencils and BIC pens, of course. Oooh, and Flair pens starting in Junior High!

The worst part? From first grade through sixth I was subjected to torture by being forced to wear saddle shoes. Whoever invented this shoe should have been required to wear a new pair every week for their entire lives just so they would know what pain they subjected multiple generations of girls to endure.

My mother would take me and my sister to Nordstrom’s Shoe store… in the 1960’s in Yakima that’s all it was… a shoe store. We would bypass all the beautiful shiny black patent leather shoes and the cute Mary Janes and go directly to the rack of clunky saddle shoes. There they sat, big, bulky, and ugly. They had brown soles thicker than a slice of French toast. Across their beige bodies was a second strip of stiff brown leather, with laces through the holes, just waiting to cinch your foot into bondage. Heaven forbid that you got shoes which fit… no, they had to be a bit big so you’d grow in to them and not grow out of them before the following June.

The dreaded saddle shoes

We would wear them around the house for several days before school started in a futile effort to ‘break’ them in. It never worked. The first few weeks of school our feet bore witness to the horrors of saddle shoes; oozing red blisters were covered with adhesive tape and we’d limp through the day. Eventually the leather softened and the blisters abated… usually by October. Kids today just don’t realize how lucky they are to have been spared the scourge of saddle shoes.

Even now the first week of September is my least favorite time of the year; despite the fact I do not have to go back to school nor do my children.

Note the saddle shoes on Marla – the girl in the plaid shirt; and also on Rinda in the plaid dress. The author is to the left of Marla and I wasn’t smiling because my feet probably still hurt even though it was spring. Kelly, on my right, was always happy because she always wore cute patent leather Mary Janes.

I am, however, very, very tempted to go hang out in the office supply store and indulge myself in the smell of paper and ink and the plethora of notebooks, papers, pens, and paperclips. Anyone who has seen my office knows that I have stacks of spiral notebooks, hundreds of colored paperclips (many with decorative tops), and a collection of G-2 pens of every hue. In fact, just writing about it inspires me to head to my nearest Office Depot Max to see what’s on sale. Unlike saddle shoes, office supplies never go out of fashion!

As always a couple of links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Chee_folder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_shoe

Yes, it is true. In 1960 Nordstrom’s only sold shoes. The store in Yakima was one of only 8 stores at the time.

https://shop.nordstrom.com/content/company-history

2022 Update: In honor of school starting, I ordered presents for my printers! Yes, shiny new ink cartridges. And, yes, printers as in I have two in my office. One can never have too much ink.

2023 Update: Today feels fully like Fall. But at least I don’t have to wear saddle shoes OR start school. It’s going to be a great year!

Jake The Alligator Man

Aug1

A Long Beach, Washington Icon since 1967

August 1, 2023

A Tuesday Newsday Classic updated

Happy Birthday to that northwest icon, symbol of blatant commercialism, and resident of Long Beach, Washington… Jake the Alligator Man!

An Alligator Man postcard – one of many such items

How fun it was, on August 1, 2014, to be at Long Beach and join in the parade for Jake’s 75th birthday, be given free cupcakes, and really celebrate this once in a lifetime event.

Or not. As it turns out the town of Long Beach celebrates Jake’s 75th birthday EVERY year and has been doing so for the past 11 years. So maybe it’s really Jake’s 86th birthday? Call me cynical but I’m starting to think that this is all a ploy for tourists to spend more money on Jake gear and at local motels and restaurants.

I’ve also learned that his birthday is not always on August First but seems to coincide with whichever date the first Saturday in August might fall.

Jake’s murky beginnings are just that, murky. What we do know is that Jake was discovered in 1967 at an antique shop in San Francisco. He was adopted by the owners of Marsh’s Free Museum for a mere $750 dollars and has lived in Long Beach ever since.

The creepy two headed calf

I feel pretty certain that I probably saw Jake that first year as my family spent two weeks every summer on the Peninsula. Shopping at Marsh’s during a Long Beach visit was a must do. Although Jake was once relegated to a dusty corner of Marsh’s Free Museum – along with the two-headed calf and the shrunken head – his celebrity is such that he now has a whole display area with a variety of t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, key chains and glassware dedicated to the Gatorman. And Creepy Dolls like him also.

The Infallible Wikipedia has done a poor job of telling the whole history of Jake. What’s up with that Infallible One?

Jake communing with an assortment of creepy dolls

So I will skip them this week and instead share the article which catapulted Jake into legend status back in 2008 when that paper of international renown and impeccable credentials – the World Weekly News – published an article titled “Manigator Found.”

Sandy the Creepy doll dons her Jake t-shirt and visits her ‘friend’

“MIAMI, Florida — The discovery of a bizarre half-human, half-alligator in the Florida Everglades has flabbergasted scientists who say the creature is alive, at least moderately intelligent and possibly even a distant ancestor of modern man!

That’s the word from paleontologist Dr. Paul Ledbrader, who studied the creature in his laboratory for almost three hours before state wildlife officials seized the 5-foot, 11-inch, 180-pound beast and airlifted it to a research facility just west of Miami.

Nobody at the state wildlife commission is talking. But Dr. Ledbrader says the U.S. Forest Service sent no fewer than five experts to the facility to study the reptile in the hope of determining exactly where it came from — and what it might be.

‘I know what it isn’t — and that’s an ordinary alligator,’ said Dr. Ledbrader.”

To read more of their amazing discovery and the highly credible, and certainly not made up Dr. Ledbrader, click here:

http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/1717/manigator-found/

Be sure to make plans to attend Jake’s 12th annual 75th birthday party in 2018: http://jakethealligatorman.com/

*2020 Update!

Sadly, Jake’s birthday celebration – once again scheduled for Saturday, August 1st – was cancelled. But that did not stop Mr. Gator from donning a birthday hat, a couple feather boas, and celebrating with friends and fans that just might happen to stop by his house. Of course, HE was NOT socially distancing but this friend was. Perhaps next year. Be sure to mark your calendars for August 7, 2021. It’ll be a party.

The author visiting Jake in 2020

*2021 Update – Jake’s birthday celebration has been cancelled for this year. Man, poor Jake is not feeling the love these days.

*2023 Update – Well, Jake’s celebration SHOULD be on Saturday, August 5. This internet sleuth searched and searched and there was nothing posted regarding Jake’s birthday. So I traveled to Long Beach and to the source, Marsh’s Free Museum, on July 31st and asked the guy behind the counter. This is what I learned! Covid pretty much ended the party as the person who had organized the event each summer left. Alas, no one has taken up the banner and Jake is now living a much quieter life.

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/jake-the-alligator-man-long-beach-washington

Wienermobile!

Jul18

HotDogging since 1936

July 18, 2023

A 2017 Tuesday Newsday Classic updated

1936 Wienermobile in front of Oscar Mayer building

There cannot be found a more momentous day in history than July 18, 1936. It was on that day when a universally recognized symbol of American marketing debuted.

Yes, we are talking about the day the Wienermobile first rolled out onto the streets of America.

Truly it was a stroke of marketing genius to create a car which looks like a giant hot dog. And no doubt the Oscar Mayer people relish this day in their history.

Of course the Wienermobile has evolved over the years. Today, there are eight Wienermobiles and they are assigned regionally throughout the United States. The drivers are known as ‘Hotdoggers’ and to apply to be a Hotdogger you must be a College Senior about to graduate and then commit to one year as a driver. On average some 2000 people a year apply for the job but in the end only 12 are chosen. So it is quite the honor to be a Wienermobile driver.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

The 1969 version of the Wienermobile.

“The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile has evolved from Carl Mayer’s original 1936 vehicle to the vehicles seen on the road today. Although fuel rationing kept the Wienermobile off the road during World War II, in the 1950s Oscar Mayer and the Gerstenslager Company created several new vehicles using a Dodge chassis or a Willys Jeep chassis. One of these models is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. These Wienermobiles were piloted by ‘Little Oscar’ (portrayed by George Molchan) who would visit stores, schools, orphanages, and children’s hospitals and participate in parades and festivals.

In 1969, new Wienermobiles were built on a Chevrolet motor home chassis and featured Ford Thunderbird taillights. The 1969 vehicle was the first Wienermobile to travel outside the United States. In 1976 Plastic Products, Inc., built a fiberglass and styrofoam model, again on a Chevrolet motor home chassis.

Pandemic Era Hotdoggers all masked up and ready to roll

In 1988, Oscar Mayer launched its Hotdogger program, where recent college graduates were hired to drive the Wienermobile through various parts of the nation and abroad. Using a converted Chevrolet van chassis, Stevens Automotive Corporation and noted industrial designer Brooks Stevens built a fleet of six Wienermobiles for the new team of Hotdoggers.”

Introduced in 2017 was the Wienerdrone which can carry one hotdog!

In 1995 the Wienermobile got plumped up as it grew to 27 feet long and 11 feet tall! It was amazing! New versions are not as long but they are taller at 14 feet in height.

Then, on June 26 of 2017, the latest innovations for hot dog delivery were introduced. Yes, it’s true, there is now a Weinerdrone!

Update: July 18, 2023

When the Covid pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, the iconic Wienermobile got parked for a short time but that didn’t stop one Hotdogger whose handle is “Zach N’Cheese” from hatching a grand, memorable, plan that involved the iconic vehicle. On August 26, 2020, he pulled into a parking lot at Yellowstone National Park and there, with the Wienermobile prominently featured, dropped down on one knee and popped the question: ‘Do you prefer beef or turkey franks?’ Just kidding, he asked her to marry him and she said yes.

Hotdogger ‘Zach N’Cheese’ with his very unique proposal

But ‘Zach N’Cheese’s’ story gets even better; turns out that his great grandfather ALSO was a Hotdogger. WBTV out of Charlotte, NC, shared the following:

“Chatham credits his dad, 44-year-old Josh Chatham of Indian Land, with spotting the Wienermobile job application on Facebook. His mom is 44-year-old Mandy Chatham, and his sister is 26-year-old Bethany Singler, both also of Indian Land.

Only when his dad mentioned the job application did it click with Zach Chatham: His great-grandfather, Lon Baisden, now in his 80s and living in Monroe, Ga., had driven the Wienermobile in the 1970s.

‘I said, ‘That’s funny, that’s what Gige (pronounced GEE GEE with a hard ‘g’) did,’‘ he told his dad, referring to his great-grandfather by his nickname.

As a boy, Zach Chatham knew his great-grandfather worked for Oscar Mayer. He’d bring home Oscar Meyer brand toys for him to play with, but Zach Chatham said he didn’t know at the time that Baisden drove the Wienermobile.

Only as Zach Chatham grew older did he learn that, he said, and only when his dad mentioned the job application did it come to mind again.

‘This is a really, really good job,’ Zach Chatham said his dad told him.”

For those who think Zach’s proposal is a good idea, Oscar Mayer does make the Wienermobile available for special occasions. Frankly, it’s a great marketing ploy if a bit cheesy.

I’m sure that after reading this you all will want a hot dog. In the wurst way.

For more information about the iconic Wienermobile, click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wienermobile