“Frequently mistaken for a meatloaf”

June 3rd

While I cannot remember the exact date, it seems to me that I was introduced to the works of this artist sometime in 1979 or early 1980 by my then boyfriend (and now hubby). I was immediately enamored with this rotund pen and ink drawn animal with the big eyes titled, simply, “Cat.”

“Cat” was created by B. Kliban who, at the time, worked as a cartoonist for Playboy Magazine.

The Infallible Wikipedia tells us:

“In 1962, Kliban became a Playboy cartoonist, contributing cartoons until his death (in 1990). Michelle Urry, Playboy’s cartoon editor, visiting his studio, reviewed his drawings, mostly cats. She thought they should be compiled into a book, introduced him to an agent, who found a publisher, resulting in the 1975 book Cat. This led to several other books of cartoons ending with Advanced Cartooning in 1993. Since Cat, his cartoons have adorned many products including stickers, calendars, mugs, and t-shirts.”

Ah yes, the calendars, mugs, and t-shirts.

I have all of these things and, I admit, I am to this day a collector of all things Kliban Cat. This cat is, simply, irresistible.

One of my first Kliban pieces was a blue t-shirt. It’s pretty beat up these days – after all it is 40 plus years old – but I still have it. It was given to me by above mentioned boyfriend/now hubby with this inspiring sentiment: 

For those unfamiliar with Kliban’s works, this is about as sappy as it ever gets.

“Cat” occupies our house in all sorts of places. When I went looking for the t-shirt I found two additional ones plus a sweatshirt. Then I stopped in the kitchen to share with the hubby about today’s topic. He immediately opened the mug cupboard and pulled out our newest one (less than 10 years old!) but then I one-upped him and dug out three more mugs.

As I turned towards him to gloat, there was yet another ‘Cat’ staring at me from the fridge where a notepad of ‘Cat’ themed list paper lives.

Then it was back upstairs to my office. This set of stairs has two 90-degree landings. When I turn right from the first landing, above me on the next landing is, perhaps, my most-favorite ‘Cat’ of all, the one titled “Momcat.”

In the early 1980’s my brother lived with us for a while and, when he moved out, he left in my care a four and half foot tall by three foot wide “Momcat.” I was happy to have it and it has moved with us to each different house. It greets me every day when I report to my office.

I have saved my ‘Cat’ calendars (1981, 1982, 2000, 2002, 2003, so far). I have notecards, postcards, and Christmas cards. I have two – very precious to me – ‘Cat’ Ornaments.

But there is one thing I do not have which, to this day, I still regret.

The year is 1981 and we have recently purchased our first house. We are ‘house poor’ and adhere to a very strict budget, tracking down to the penny how much we can spend on groceries as well as all the other necessities in life.

At the time I work for a company called Radar Electric, located at the base of Queen Anne hill at 168 Western Avenue in Seattle. I bring my lunch to work pretty much every day and, because it’s an hour break, if the weather is nice I will walk the six or so blocks up to the kitschy retail area on Queen Anne Avenue and wander the shops.

One day, as I am browsing, I see a set of Kliban Cat salt and pepper shakers. They are two cats hatching from eggs. Weird, right? One is stretched out as if about to grab something and the other sits upright in a half an eggshell. I’m instantly in love with these and pick them up to look at the price. $15.95. I set them back down. There’s no way we can afford to spend $16.00 on something so frivolous (in today’s dollars, that’s about $62.00).

Later I tell my hubby about the salt and pepper shakers and he thinks I should go ahead and get them. But I argue back that they are something which is a desire, not a need. Even so, with his urging, I return a few days later, but they are gone. I let it go.

Sometimes I think about those and wish I had them for my collection of both Kliban cats and salt and pepper shakers. So I decided to search on ebay just for laughs and now I regret doing that too.

Two sets are currently available, one for only $345 and the other for $575 (that one at least has free shipping!). Yea, they are still cute but not hundreds of dollars cute. Now, if it were a ‘Momcat’ salt and pepper shakers, I might consider it. It is, after all, my favorite.

A few links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._Kliban

Shop

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/s9oAAOSw655oNG~6/s-l1600.webp (one of the ornaments)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256865665484?_skw=kliban+salt+and+pepper&itmmeta=01JWRXSE9RM4VSM5Y828ZB2VYC&hash=item3bce6301cc:g:WwgAAeSwwH9n3WLx&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cWcpY5w3Z7%2BgkHMjCdukc9dH7NYSg8JGHwK4EEny9IzVUQ%2FgvO6ixvOWR40SSqiypO8vacl%2Fz0EADZ1PFl8%2B1h%2BAvfn9SKdsERNtBmH2liGsb6ReKcCi4p1oIg3qn%2BfZ94fjMAtF%2FV%2B%2BmOg975hQNnuJJILa4uJCT1HVncqIsHn92IDzOm8G7jCw2TKMPsa2wMZTiQW5qU0ALHw8tZiWgHW7m6oEZk6084eWEkuQvMi4xZMkOa37IPRlcvT2wnH%2FM%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4rl5Z3mZQ

One of several amazing National Parks in Utah

November 12, 2024

A Tuesday Newsday Classic

With more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches located within, Arches National Park has the highest concentration of these features in the world. Although it had been named a National Monument in 1929, it was on November 12, 1971, when Arches National Park was created.

 Situated in eastern Utah, it’s remote location and rugged terrain make getting there a challenge. The Utah park, however, has become a magnet for hikers, climbers, and nature lovers, attracting some 1.6 million visitors in 2018.

 According to the Infallible Wikipedia:

 “The Arches area was first brought to the attention of the National Park Service by Frank A. Wadleigh, passenger traffic manager of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Wadleigh, accompanied by railroad photographer George L. Beam, visited the area in September 1923 at the invitation of Alexander Ringhoffer, a Hungarian-born prospector living in Salt Valley. Ringhoffer had written to the railroad in an effort to interest them in the tourist potential of a scenic area he had discovered the previous year with his two sons and a son-in-law, which he called the Devils Garden (known today as the Klondike Bluffs). Wadleigh was impressed by what Ringhoffer showed him, and suggested to Park Service director Stephen T. Mather that the area be made a national monument.”

Over the years, like so many of our nation’s National Parks, Arches has been loved to the point of fragile features being in danger of destruction. Consequently, there are now bans within the park which make climbing some of the more famous arches illegal.

The hubby and I have visited Arches twice. The first time was in the summer of 1984. We arrived on a hot July day which was not conducive to outdoor activities. Being young and in decent shape, however, we exited the car and hiked in the Windows region of the park.

The second trip was in October of 2018 along with hundreds of those 1,599,998 other visitors on a rainy – which is rare since the park gets less than 10 inches of precipitation a year – weekday. What struck me about the differences between those two visits is that the park had been ‘discovered’ in the intervening years. On the first trip we saw maybe a half dozen other cars and some 12 tourists.  In 2018, despite the inclement weather and a number of flooded roads, the place was crawling with people. Finding a place to park the car at some of the stops proved challenging.

Our method of touring, 24 years later, has also changed. In eighty-four, I crammed as many activities into our travels as possible, never allowing nearly enough time to pause and marvel at nature’s grandeur. In 2018, our inclinations to be mountain goats now subdued, getting out and hiking for a mile or two wasn’t happening. Instead, rather than the slap and dash tourists of yesteryear, we stopped frequently and walked short paths to where we could pause and simply appreciate the amazing features; listen for birds and insects; find joy in the moment.

The term ‘Stop and Smell the Roses’ may be cliché, but the idea behind it is solid. Too often we rush to the airport, wait in lines to be stuffed into a plane, then fly to a destination where the modern amenities make our lives easy. There’s nothing easy about getting to Arches or many of Utah’s spectacular landscapes… but it is so very worth the trip.

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

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

November 28, 2023

A Tuesday Newsday Classic Updated

It was called the Golden Age of Radio and one of the best known programs was first produced on November 28, 1925. In fact, that program is still heard every week as a live stream on the internet and is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.

WSM  radio called the program a ‘barn dance.’ The name we all know it by: The Grand Ole Opry.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“The phrase ‘Grand Ole Opry’ was first uttered on the air on December 10, 1927.  At the time, Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network’s Music Appreciation Hour, a program of classical music and selections from grand opera presented by classical conductor Walter Damrosch. On that particular night, Damrosch had remarked that ‘there is no place in the classics for realism.’ In response, Opry presenter George Hay said:

‘Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the earthy.’

Hay then introduced DeFord Bailey, the man he had dubbed the ‘Harmonica Wizard’, saying:

‘For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the Grand Ole Opry.’

Bailey then stepped up to the mike to play ‘The Pan-American Blues,’ his song inspired by the Pan-American, a premier L&N Railroad passenger train.”

The Opry’s popularity soared and soon it outgrew its original locale. It moved a half dozen times over the next two decades – to larger and larger facilities – before finding a home in the 3,000 seat Ryman Auditorium in 1943.

Then, in 1956, a new medium entered the equation and once a month, for the next few years, the Opry was broadcast on television. This exposure had the effect of even more people wanting to attend an in-person performance.

In the 1960’s it was determined that the Ryman – old and falling into disrepair – was no longer adequate. Additionally, Nashville’s central core suffered from urban decay and the show’s owners made the decision to build a new facility on farmland east of town. The 4,400 seat facility opened in June 1974 and, despite catastrophic flooding of the Cumberland River in May 2010, continues as the home of the Grand Ole Opry.

One interesting thing is that a circle was cut from the floor of the Ryman Theater and installed in the center of the new Opry stage. When our family visited Nashville in March 2013 we toured the facility and stood in the famous ‘circle.’ Later that evening we attended a show which featured Craig Morgan as that night’s main act. I was surprised, however, by the number of long time Opry acts which were still being performed including a ‘Minnie Pearl’ impersonator and also Little Jimmy Dickens who, until he died in 2015, was the oldest Opry member.

One thing I learned when visiting the Grand Ole’ Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame is that the Opry has a ‘theme’ song. One might assume it would be a twangy sort of tune from the 1930’s. Instead it is a gospel song which was adapted by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1972. The idea behind it was to honor those Country Singers of previous decades and to bridge the gap from these pioneers to a new generation. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” is now a staple of the Grand Ole Opry and sung following the induction of new members into the Opry ranks.

November 28, 2023 – Over the years of writing this blog if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that certain topics seem to rise to the top and coincide with monumental life events. When I posted this on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, it was with the knowledge that my mother was not long for this earth. Two days later she passed, giving personal significance to this song and the concept of the unbroken circle of life.

 A few links:

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_the_Circle_be_Unbroken_(Nitty_Gritty_Dirt_Band_album)

Prolific Mystery Writer

October 31, 2023

A Tuesday Newsday Classic Updated

Witches, goblins and small children in costumes begging for candy. Ah, it must be Halloween. It’s a ‘hard-to-miss’ day and all of us, no doubt, know of its history.

So, instead of a rehash, today’s topic involves one of my favorite authors. Born October 31, 1920, he wrote more than 40 novels in his lifetime. He did not begin his novel writing career until he was 40 years old. All of his books centered on the world of horseracing. That author: Dick Francis.

From the Infallible Wikipedia:

“In 1962, he published his first thriller, Dead Cert, set in the world of racing. Subsequently he regularly produced a novel a year for the next 38 years, missing only 1998 (during which he published a short-story collection). Although all his books were set against a background of horse racing, his male heroes held a variety of jobs including artist (In the Frame and To the Hilt), investigator for the Jockey Club (The Edge), pilot (Rat Race and Flying Finish), wine merchant (Proof) and many others. All the novels are narrated by the hero, who in the course of the story discovers himself to be more resourceful, brave, tricky, than he had thought, and usually finds a certain salvation for himself as well as bestowing it on others.”

My favorite book of his is titled “Straight” and tells the story of a man, Derek Franklin, who inherits his brother’s (Greville Franklin) life when the latter dies in a freak accident. Near the end of the book Derek muses about one of his antagonists, Thomas Rollway:

Dick Francis was one of my mother’s favorite authors also. So beloved, in fact, that she collected his books whenever she found used copies for sale from the library. I inherited the collection after both she and my father were gone. She died one month after this article was originally posted in 2017.

In 1995 I learned that Dick Francis was having a book signing at Tower Records and Books on Queen Anne Avenue in Seattle. So I took my two year old daughter and drove in to the city to purchase and get signed a copy of his most recent book to give to my mother for Christmas. There was a line when we arrived. I learned a couple things about Dick Francis that day. First, that he didn’t much like chit-chatting with his fans; and, second, that book signings required a glass of Merlot for him to get through the event. The store manager brought him one glassful while I was there.

Eventually my daughter and I make it to the front of the line and I hand him the book with the request that he sign it for my mother. He asks me why I wasn’t getting a second book for myself. Well! That would have required going and buying the second book then getting back in line once again while trying to keep a two year old entertained. I only bought the one book.

On the title page of Wild Horses he wrote “Hi Janet” and then signed his name.

And my mother’s collection? It’s an impressive mix of paperback and hardback books with publication dates from 1962 to 1999.

If you have not read any of his books they are, I think, a good example of how to mix narrative, dialogue and action. His research, the character development, and the details are always outstanding. So get one of Francis’ books the next time you want to curl up with a good one for the weekend! Well worth the time.

A couple of interesting links:

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

His son, Felix, who co-wrote with Dick for ten years, carries on with writing novels in the same style. I’ve read a couple of his solo novels and I think he’s done a good job honoring his father’s legacy!  http://www.felixfrancis.com/index.php

https://www.salon.com/2022/11/19/dick-francis-felix-mary-mystery-novels/

“I write not because I want to but because I am destined to.”― Jules Haigler

An interesting aspect of life is that in order to move forward one must be open to new experiences, expanded knowledge and change. I’ve always been a writer (not the greatest in the world, mind you, but that never deterred me) yet it was about a dozen or so years ago when I realized writing was the ONE thing to which I always returned.

I engaged in a little personal experiment. I went into the library and wandered through the non-fiction stacks. Which books, which topics drew me in? Not the ‘zeros’ or the ‘ones’, ‘twos’ or ‘threes’. It wasn’t until I came to the 808’s when I found my home. I’ve read the book “Self-editing for Fiction Writers” no less than a half dozen times. (808.3) Every time I read it I learn something new and discover ways to improve my writing. The subject matter is of endless interest to me. How does one construct an effective novel? What is an adverb and why are they considered lazy writing? How does one go about turning a gerund into an active verb? Why does any of this matter?

To a writer – an author – this MUST matter because it is at the heart of the craft. Yet, ultimately, it’s about being able to weave an interesting story which captures a reader and compels them to read it until the very end. For me, that will be enough.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara DeVore, March 2017