Disclosures of a Dilettante

Letter to Jon Stewart

2015-08-02T16:37:00.001-04:00

Dear Jon,

This is your last week as host of the Daily Show. I read that Thursday, August 6, will be your final show. How I will miss you!! You keep me sane after I hear news of stupid politicians, racism, war and all the ills of our times. I couldn't be too depressed about the world when you made me laugh at it. Thank you for that.

You are a man whose opinion I value. You shine a satirical light on the sometimes hopeless daily events, putting them in perspective. How could we take the fools of the day seriously when you imitated them so humorously and revealed their inconsistencies and weaknesses.

I hope you will not leave us totally. My hope is you will return in a new form maybe as movie director or writer. You have already taken on both those roles, but hopefully, you have something more of that sort in store for us. With apologies to Hamlet, I bid you "good night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

A friend you've never known,

J. Y.

Some philosophies for the day

2015-06-30T15:37:00.000-04:00

Jacksonville Beach Classic Cars Parade

2015-06-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

If you love vintage cars, go to the Latham Plaza/Seawalk Pavillion area of Jacksonville Beach on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. At 5p.m. over 40 cars are on display for free public viewing. The proud owners are usually sitting near their cars to answer questions.

At 8:30 pm, the engines are cranked and the cars cruise down First Street. It is a lot of
fun seeing these old cars in pristine condition parade down the street in style.

Here are some of the cars/trucks I liked:

If I could own any vehicle in the show, it would be this little ford truck.

Or I'd take this little 1937 coupe.

This Ford with wooden sides was the SUV of its day.

This is the front grill of the Woody.

This '57 Chevrolet was popular
well past its day and became an
icon for the 50's.

You don't often see a REO truck. The top photo shows a closeup of the front windshield which opens slightly.

A Chevrolet Corvair with the engine in the back.

This was one of the strangest displays in the show. A cadillac pulling a cadillac which has been cut through the middle.

This Ford-F-100 is the precursor to the current F-150 and all the higher model numbers of Ford trucks.

See also Better Jax Beach website or their Facebook page.

When the Railroad came to Jacksonville

2015-06-10T14:28:00.002-04:00

Jacksonville's Union Terminal was built in 1919. During the WWII years, it was one of the busiest depots in the nation. This illustration pictures the way it looked in the early 1950's/late 1940's. (illustration is a section of drawing by D. West)

There's always been something romantic about trains. I personally love to ride them. One of my long-time wishes is to ride the Orient Express and see what train luxury was like. The Orient Express aside, Jacksonville, where I live, has had a long history of rail travel.
The first railroad from Jacksonville to Alligator Town (now Lake City) was completed in 1860. It was named the Florida Atlantic & Gulf Central Railroad and was headed by Dr. A. S. Baldwin.

On its maiden journey, many excited Jacksonville residents rode to Lake City for the first train ride of their lives. Then the people of Lake City made the trip to Jacksonville where they were warmly greeted and fed barbecue. The engine that pulled the train was christened "Jacksonville."
Until 1881, this first line was the only railroad into Jacksonville. Trains from the north stopped in Live Oak, where transfer was made for Jacksonville. In 1875, a ticket from Jacksonville to New York cost $36.75 and the trip took between 75 and 90 hours.

A problem was that rail tracks in those early days were different gauges (widths) which many rail companies preferred because of the extreme competition among the various lines. Finally, in 1888, the first train traveled directly from New York to Jacksonville through Savannah, over Florida & Western tracks, and made the trip in 29 hours and 30 minutes.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, many railroads developed, merged, and changed. A few of the many important names in the Jacksonville area were Florida Railway & Navigation Co., Fernandina & Jacksonville, Florida Central & Peninsular Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, and ultimately, the most influential, the Florida East Coast Railway.

Henry Flagler opened the entire east coast of Florida from St. Augustine to Key West with the Florida East Coast Line. Towns were developed along the tracks as the train line progressed down the state. For Jacksonville, the culmination was the railroad that opened the Jacksonville beaches. The Jacksonville & Atlantic Railway Co. built a line from south Jacksonville to Pablo Beach (now Jacksonville Beach). Beach Boulevard was later built over the old track bed. That's one reason the road is so straight.

The present downtown Union Terminal Building replaced one that Henry Flagler built. As its first president of the JTC, Flagler built a depot in the classic Spanish mission style, opening on February 4, 1895, but not completed until January 15, 1897. The Flagler Depot, as it came to be called, by 1912 handled as many as 92 trains a day, and in that same year planning began for a new and even larger station, which became the current building. It opened in 1919.

During the years of World War II, as many as 100,000 servicemen and civilians passed through the Jacksonville Terminal on the busiest days.
Those were the years when everybody who was anybody passed through Jacksonville by train. The famous and the infamous, from John D. Rockefeller to Al Capone; the high and the mighty, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman; and most celebrities of stage and screen passed through on their way south at one time or another. (Florida Railroad )

The story of the railroad in Florida and Jacksonville is romantic and complicated. The Union Terminal building saw its last train depart on the night of January 3, 1974. I remember the impetus to save the building and find a new use for it. Several huge so-called Terminal parties were held in the building to raise money. I attended the first one and it stays in my memory as one of the best, craziest parties I've known--shoulder to shoulder people, music and drink in every room, and all for a worthy cause. The building was saved and is now the Jacksonville Convention Center.

Union Terminal as it looked in the 1930's when it was in use as a railway terminal. (Photo from Florida Photographic Collection.)

Information from:

History of Jacksonville, FL by T. Frederick Davis (reprinted 1990 by San Marco Bookstore)
Florida Railroad, http://www.flarr.com/jtc.htm

If they build it . . .

2015-05-27T21:37:00.000-04:00

Small, moneyless towns take note,
Create an attraction, a purpose, a redo.
Helen, GA went Alpine.

A few weeks ago, my extended family traveled from their homes across the South to Helen in northeast Georgia for a family reunion. My husband and I decided on the scenic route and went north on highway 441 and returned on US1. I had not traveled this way in many years.

The changes I saw were shocking. Never very prosperous, many little Georgia towns had sunk into dilapidation. Whole blocks of stores were closed. Even the fast food restaurants were empty. Trash littered the sidewalks and weeds grew in the cracks. The failing economy had done its work. Only a few towns looked normal. Then we reached Helen, our destination.

Naturally beautiful, Helen with 2000+ altitude is the doorway to the Appalachian mountains. In 1968, some townspeople had the idea to transform the town into an Alpine village to draw tourists and visitors. Since that time, downtown stores have all been renovated to create the look. In the beginning there were nine businesses, now there are over 150 shops and 30 factory outlets. The effort was successful and Helen lives and lives well. Most of the shops are owned by the people who run them. Anyone with a good idea can make it.

A Helen business complete with Alpine windmill.

Unicoi State Park is close to Helen and also draws visitors. It has a small lake for fishing and boating, several lodges with rooms to rent and cabins. There is also camping. Helen and Unicoi have helped each other gather visitors and be successful.

The lake at Unicoi State Park near Helen

The towns people in some of the falling down towns I saw on the way to Helen need to see what Helen has done and create their own miracle. Imagination and a few sponsors will help. It has taken more than 20 years for Helen to reach the place she has today. It is slow
progress, but any town can do it.

Wendy's in Helen has been done in the Alpine style.

This brochure shows the attitude and the ingenuity

of the people of Helen.

Helen web site, Helen Visitors/Convention site

Unicoi web site

Florida Road Trip: Washington Oaks State Gardens

2015-05-12T16:31:00.002-04:00

Washington Oaks State Gardens is a combination of Florida wild and orderly formal gardens. The above view has been the scene for many spring and summer weddings and there are other equally good wedding spots.

The gardens are 35 miles south of St. Augustine or about 70 miles south of Jacksonville Beach on A1A. On A1A drive through St. Augustine, over the Bridge of Lions, past the Alligator Farm, surf shops, motels and Marineland. Two miles past Marineland, turn west into the sign-marked entrance. You'll pay $5 for a vehicle with multiple visitors, $4 for a single visitor, and $2 if you're walking, biking or pedaling.

Once in the park, walk through the gardens, fish in the Intracoastal Waterway, enjoy a picnic, visit the Gift Shop or just relax in the shade on a bench. You can go out the park entrance, cross A1A and to the Atlantic Ocean. The beach has an unusual outcropping of coquina rocks that catch the water in interesting ways. Swimming is not allowed in the vicinity of the rocks, but there is a lot of beach if you want to walk to a swimming area. The park is a great place to spend a morning, afternoon or a day enjoying nature.

The area has an interesting history. It was once part of Bella Vista Plantation. The land was donated to the State of Florida by Louise Young after her husband died. It is on the National Register of Historic Places highlighting eight historic structures scattered through the park.

Path into the park and to the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Intracoastal Waterway, fishing and boating are allowed.

The Gazebo

Koi, carp and other pond fish live in the garden waterways.

Staghorn fern hang from the numerous huge oak trees in one

part of the property.

Web site: Washington Oaks State Garden

Let's bring back the lost art of wearing a hat

2015-04-27T17:09:00.001-04:00

An over-the-top outfit from the past.
A hat can say, "I'm elegant."

When was the last time you saw a woman wearing a hat, not a baseball cap or hat for the beach, but an elegant, beautiful one that complemented her clothes and her demeanor? And I don't think I've seen in man in a dress hat since the 1950's. We can blame President Kennedy for that. He didn't wear hats and so it became the fashion.

This weekend, the Kentucky Derby will be run in Louisville, KY. Every woman there will have on a big hat, some beautiful, some outlandish. They say it's bad luck not to wear one. I've always wanted to go to the Derby just to wear a hat. Without a reason, most women feel self-conscious no matter how it complements them. Last year, I attended a Kentucky Derby party. All the women and a few men walked proudly in a hat. The hats made the party fun. A Kentucky Derby hat is usually "Old South," broad brimmed and flowery. At the party, we all felt prettier in our hats.

A hat can say, "I'm sassy."

When I was a child, women always wore a hat to church, especially on Easter. It was a symbol of sophistication and looking your best. Women also wore them in a big city to go shopping. To go to downtown Atlanta, my mother and aunts wore little white gloves and a hat with their suits or best dresses. It was a different time. Now, some women see hats as non-liberating, restricting and associated with the past. It does take a certain confidence to wear one, or you need to be Queen Elizabeth.

I say, let's get beyond that narrow thinking. Wear a hat for fun, for beauty, for rebelliousness. I have a favorite memory from a New Orleans vacation. My husband and I had dinner at one of the fine old restaurants. At a nearby table, a youngish woman was wearing a most elegant hat. I thought she looked fabulous and sophisticated. When I got home, I bought a wide-brimmed one, similar to hers, but sadly, never had the nerve to wear it. I'd love to wear it out to dinner, but in Florida and at the beach where I live, I would get some funky stares. Maybe I will wear it on my birthday. Who cares if they think I'm eccentric. I'm getting old enough to pull it off.

A hat can say "I'm flirty."

Photo story of Mother Goose and her 7 little goslings

2015-04-21T21:54:00.001-04:00

Mother Goose carefully constructed her nest in the ferns under a maple tree. True, it was in the yard of a home in a suburban neighborhood, but she felt safe. She had built her nest in the same yard for the past two years.

She laid seven perfect eggs in the nest that she lined with her own feathers. She sat there patiently even in rain and the lawn sprinkler's cycles.

If a cat, crow, seagull or any other creature came near her nest, she scared him off with a hiss and outstretched wings. The look was very effective.

After 28 days, the goslings pecked their way out of their shells and were ready to see the brand new world.

A few hours after hatching, Mother Goose took them for an outing. They held out their tiny wings and ran to face life stumbling and falling, but happy and eager.

Daddy Goose was always nearby to chase anything that got too close to the tiny

goslings. He set up a great hue and cry with much honking and hissing. He sounded quite scary.

One little chick liked to lay on his mother's back. It was less crowded up there than in the nest with six others.

The goslings loved swimming in the water with their parents. Mother and Daddy Goose are always with them keeping them safe and showing them how to find food.

This is a true story that happened in my backyard. It has been such a pleasure and really an honor to watch them. I've learned that geese are very good parents. Both of them care and protect the babies. After watching them my new metaphor for patience is "as patient as a goose."

In remembrance of a favorite aunt

2015-04-12T13:40:00.000-04:00

Photo taken on a NYC leave during WWII, Sara's first trip
to New York. She brought home a statuette of the Statue of Liberty.
To me, a young child, it was exotic and fascinating.
You can see the sense of fun and humor in their faces.

Last month, I traveled to a small Georgia town to attend the funeral and memorial for my dear Aunt Sara. It seemed strange to visit her town without being able to talk with her and laugh with her. She was my dad's sister, the youngest of four. I used to love to listen to their childhood stories. Tales of climbing trees where they ate cornbread and drank buttermilk, stories of helping dig a huge hole as a fort in the back pasture, and having imaginary adventures with their many nearby cousins.

My aunt saw the humor in life and loved to laugh. She and her husband always had a funny story to tell. As was the custom in those days, they married young. Sara was just 20. I loved it that they had a little dog named Pest. They also had two children whom I always considered lucky to have such funny parents. I'm sure they weren't always funny, but it seemed so to me. My contact was limited, however, I was around them only as a young child then my family moved 400 miles away.

One reason I loved Sara was that she was always kind and attentive to me. She remembered my birthdays with a card and note even when I got to be a little old lady. She was sympathetic when my parents were ill. My dad enjoyed her telephone calls and news about their family. She could cheer him.

Her life was not always rosy. She cared for her older sister when she was ill with cancer, and later her husband, who died at 67 with cancer. She was quietly devout and volunteered at the hospital gift shop until her 80's and with Meals on Wheels until she was 90. She lived a long, useful life, dying just two months short of her 95th birthday. I will miss her; I already miss her. One legacy she will have for me is to remember her life, her kindness, her humor and try to emulate her.

So young, so beautiful, both of them

Sara on her 80th birthday. She was

always youthful and stylish.

Lynyrd Skynyrd plays Jacksonville

2015-04-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

Lynyrd Skynyrd came home to Jacksonville the first weekend in April to play two concerts and film a video. I saw the group Thursday night, the first concert. Jacksonville, their hometown, was the perfect venue. The Florida Theater was jumping, literally. As I looked around in the semi-darkness during the concert no one was still. Heads were bobbing, arms were waving, and people were jumping and singing and clapping. It was a grand welcome home. The original group grew up and attended school in Jacksonville, ( See Jacksonville's Boys) and much of the city feels a kinship with them.

If you're a purist, you might insist this group is not really Lynyrd Skynyrd since most of the original group is no longer with the band, or they have died in the interim since 1973, when the group's first album, "Pronounced Leh-nerd Skinnerd," was released. Even when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only original members were invited. Thursday's concert played in order all the music from the first album ending with "Free Bird." Then, the band took a bow and left the stage for a short intermission. After the intermission, they returned to play music from their second album, "Second Helping." They ended with "Sweet Home Alabama," but did not play the entire album. The audience applauded, screamed, and whistled for an encore, yelling "We want more," but they didn't get it. The band did not return even for a final bow. While they were on stage, they gave it their all. Perhaps they considered they'd done enough.

Lynyrd Skynyrd seen from the nosebleed section of the Florida Theater.

(photo, D. Young)

Receiving the most screaming and applause were favorites, "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama." Everyone knew the words and sang along. It was a sweet homecoming for Skynyrd. Though the members have changed, the group's spirit is the same, part sweetness, part rebellious Southern Rock. The drummer in this show and the piano player were outstanding.

It was a very Mr. Clean performance with no mention of drugs, marijuana, Jack Daniels or whiskey. As always for a Skynyrd concert, the audience was totally white. All those years of confederate flag waving discourage anyone else. It was, however, an age-mixed audience. Many old 1970's Skynyrd fans with grey hair blended in with 20 and 30 somethings. Everyone was polite with no disruptions or disorderly conduct even though big, burly Security lumbered up and down the aisles and rows trying to stop cell phone photo taking.

There was one concession to the Southern roots of the Lynyrd Skynyrd of old. I saw them do a concert in the 70's with a confederate flag draped across the entire back of the stage. In Thursday's show, Ronnie Van Zant displayed a small confederate flag during one song and a smallish confederate flag was hanging from the back of the piano but later removed. Ronnie wore an American flag on the back of his denim vest. Others were displayed about the stage. In today's environment even Southern Rock bands want to be PC.

The video filmed during the show will be shown at some unannounced time in the future.

All told, it was a great show and a trip down Memory Lane for some of us. As my young grandson would say, "Peace out."

Van Zant with confederate flag.

Photo on the side of Skynyrd's bus. Still, lots of hair

Lynyrd Skynyrd Website

*********************************************************************************

{Once again tragedy has struck a musician from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Original drummer, but retired from the group, Robert Burns died in an automobile crash in Georgia Friday night, April 3, 2015. He hit a mailbox and a tree. No other vehicles were involved.}

Bunnies, colored eggs--How do they relate to the meaning of Easter?

2015-03-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Even the youngest child recognizes the Easter bunny, basket filled with dyed eggs, or a yellow chick as being symbols of the holiday. How did they become related to the meaning of the Cruxifiction. A little research reveals many reasons and multiple explanations. Here are a few of the more common ones:

The Name "Easter"
In the early Christian days, pagan symbols and practices were incorporated into Christianity because they were familiar to people and, therefore, more acceptable to them. Eostre was an Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess of spring and fertility. Easter comes from her name.

Easter Bunny--German settlers brought the Easter bunny to America in the 1700's. The rabbit or hare was a symbol of fertility because of its ability to procreate abundantly. German children were told stories of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. Parents also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, which may have started the tradition of baking chocolate bunnies and eggs.

Colored Eggs and Baby Chicks--Easter eggs are probably related to pagan traditions. They are an ancient symbol of new life. They were associated with pagan festivals honoring spring. Coloring eggs for Easter dates back to the 13th century. A possible explanation is that the egg was a forbidden food during Lent. Eggs that were laid during that time were preserved by boiling or other means and colored and decorated. Then on Easter when Lent was over, the people celebrated by eating the eggs. The egg is also a symbol of the rock tomb out of which Christ came when he rose again.
Orthodox Christians in Greece and the Middle East painted eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Germans gave green eggs as gifts and hung hollow eggs on trees.
The chick hatching out of the egg, represents new life and re-birth.

Easter Candy--Only Halloween is a better selling candy holiday than Easter. Chocolate eggs, jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps are all best sellers at Easter. The eggs and jelly beans have the shape long associated as symbols of new life and therefore, the Resurrection.

New Easter Clothes--Wearing new hats and clothes at Easter symbolizes new life offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Easter Parades--In Medieval Europe, churchgoers would take a walk after mass, led by a crucifix. These walks were the start of Easter parades. People like to show off their Easter clothes and hats. In New York City, the Easter Parade goes back to the mid-1800's when people would again take a walk after church services to display their Easter finery.
In 1948, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland were featured in the film Easter Parade. This settled the tradition. The parade lives on in Manhattan with Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th being shut down for the event. It serves no religious purpose, but Easter processions have been part of Christianity since early days.

Easter is also a celebration of spring with flowers and baby animals.

Sources of information for this article:
Cirlot, J.E., A Dictionary of Symbols, Philosophical Library, New York: 1962.
The Holiday Spot
Easter Symbols Easter Symbols and Traditions

Wear an over-the-top vintage wedding gown

2015-03-19T11:07:00.001-04:00

If you're planning a June wedding, it's almost time to send out the invitations, and no doubt you have long ago purchased your wedding gown. In looking through my stash of vintage photographs, I found four brides/gowns that are truly beautiful. All are from the early 1900's, but were not dated.
The brides, if they are still living, are little old ladies now, but they were truly young and beautiful on their special day. I can't imagine how their photographs got in the estate sales where I found them. What family could part with them.
Some modern brides opt for a vintage gown, perhaps one that belonged to a grandmother or aunt. There is a small trend for vintage wedding gowns and weddings. Web sites are available (see end of article).
Brides wearing white can be traced back to the wedding of England's Queen Victoria in 1840. In America, Godey's Ladies Book, one of the first women's magazines, said that white was the fitting color for bridal gowns. Soon is was the only color except for the occasional rebel.

This decorative gown might be from the 1920's. It has an overskirt and train typical of many gowns from that decade.

This lovely and extravagant gown possibly dates from the late 1800's to early 1900's. The small waist, the high neck point in that direction. Also the bride's jewelry is a large cameo pin and she has a Gibson Girl hair style.

The hair style of this bride indicates she is probably from from the 1930's.
Her beautiful hat is the main feature. In the 1930's, many brides opted for a hat as a headpiece rather than the traditional veil. It is also possible this woman is a bridesmaid
rather than the bride since her dress is sleeveless and somewhat simple.

This fitted gown is elaborately decorated, with a small amount of flair. It is buttoned down the front with tiny buttons. The photograph was taken at a studio in San Francisco.

Fragrant orange blossoms from my Florida tree.

Queen Victoria wore orange blossoms on her

wedding gown.

See more vintage gowns:

http://www.bridalguide.com/planning/wedding-planning-basics/weddings-through-the-ages
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/history-of-wedding-gowns
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/modern-vintage-weddings/

Bring back the watchdogs of society!!

2015-03-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

I've always been a news hound. As a kid, I saw a lot of movies featuring newspaper reporters who bettered the police and solved the crime. They had sassy talk, smoked a lot and stayed up late. It was my ambition to be a reporter.

In high school I joined the newspaper staff. During my college sophomore year, I interviewed with the dean of the College of Journalism. I told him I wanted to be a real writer not a society page reporter, which was the job most women journalist were give in those days. His answer, "Who do you want to be Dorothy Killgallen?" It was spoken like an insult. How dare you want to enter the world of real journalism. Killgallen was a rare woman then, a real journalist in a man's world.

As it turned out, I ran out of college money, applied for a teaching scholarship, and gave up my newspaper dreams for teaching. I still followed my goal, however, by teaching English and journalism and sponsoring the school newspaper for many years.

Few students these days long to be reporters. Newspapers are dying. For most of my life the newspaper was the heart of a city. Journalists were the watchdogs of society, searching out wrongs, exposing criminals and frauds. Today, except for a few big city papers, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, newspapers report mostly local news and stories people have already heard on television or the internet, which can get the news out almost the minute it happens.

Reporting local news, however, is a good thing. By making the public aware of local elections, events, city problems, and providing some recognition for jobs well done, newspapers can help improve a city's sense of community. A journalists main job is to inform objectively. We need this service. How then can we rescue the newspaper from possible oblivion?

The most important rescue comes from keeping your newspaper subscription. I have so many friends who have stopped theirs. Yet, they can't quite give it up. They borrow my paper or sections of it to get the crossword puzzle, the grocery store ad insert, the classified ads, or the stock market report. A newspaper has to have sales to interest advertisers and have enough customers to make money. Many papers have gone under because their revenue just wasn't enough.

I'm not yet ready to give up the newspaper. I want them to continue until I'm a little, old lady so I can still read it with my morning coffee. Buy your own paper. Renew your subscription. You will do a good thing.

What's in a Sourthern Name?

2015-03-04T15:09:00.003-05:00

Ellie Mae, George Washington Carver, J.R. Ewing, Billy Graham, Dixie Carter--What do these names have in common? Give yourself a point if you guess they're all Southern. Give yourself 10 points if you guess that each represents a characteristic of Southern naming.

Double names

Thirty or forty years ago, script writers began giving Southern characters names such as Billy Bob and Ellie Mae. The Southern tendency toward double names became a caricature and a joke, but like all satire there was truth in it. Double names have been more pervasive in the South than any other region. Billy Bob might have been christened William Robert, but chances are he was not. Shortened versions of names and nicknames became the given name, and Billy Bob was called by both names all his life.

A look at my high school, senior class yearbook indicates that Ann, Mae, Sue and Jean were the most popular second names for girls of my generation. My classmates were Mary Ann, Jo Ann, Patsy Ann, Delia Ann, Lola Ann, Margaret Ann, Joyce Ann, Edna Mae, Ella Mae, Lyndal Sue, Betty Sue, Marcell Jean, Beverly Jean. There is no similar pattern for males of the same year. Their middle names range from Cade to Taylor.
Naming is sometimes done without respect for gender. Connie, Bobbie, Gene, Carroll are given to males and females. Sometimes two given names represent both sexes and are given to both boys and girls: Constance Robbie, Will Annie, Shelly Rae, Sandra Benn, Tommy Ruth. Usually, however, the first name is the same gender as its bearer, but not necessarily.

Most modern Southern parents are moving away from calling children two names, and after years of television jokes, many older Southerners have dropped one name. For example in my family, my Aunt Will Annie is now Anne; Aunt Sarah Nell became just plain Sarah; Rebecca June prefers Becki. Bobbie Mell (named for grandfathers Robert and Melvin) is now just Bobbie. People often misunderstood the name, calling her Bobbie Bell, which she hated even more than Mell.

Heroic names

Interestingly, the casualness of short forms of names is offset by grandiose, heroic names. Military heroes, Presidents, and Southern dignitaries' monikers have been given to many tiny Southern babies. Since the Civil War, Robert Lee and Jefferson Davis have been used countless times. Botanist George Washington Carver lived up to his famous name. Former Florida governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward is another well-known example of heroic naming.

Surnames as first or middle names

Family is important in the South. Naming a child for his grandparent, aunt or uncle honors the relative and puts the child firmly in the family circle. This is probably true throughout the country. In the South, surnames are often passed on as first or middle names. An only daughter, for example, will give her male or female child her maiden name as a first or middle name to perpetuate it. Hence, the classroom rolls show children called Hunter, Nelson, Howell, Spencer, Gray, Danny Sharp. South Carolina Senator James Strom Thurmond went by his mother's maiden name, Strom.

Friends in North Carolina tell me there was a trend of naming girls Mary plus the mother's maiden name. The child is always called by both names as Mary Southgate, Mary Brent, Mary Dare. Perhaps both names have to be used to differentiate the Marys. According to the Social Security Administration, Mary was the most popular name for girls from 1900 to 1946, and again from 1953-1961.

Diminutive forms

The Southern practice of carrying the diminutive form of a name ending in -ie or -y into adulthood is well-known because of the celebrity of persons who have used it. Religious evangelists and politicians perhaps use the form to seem familiar, closer to the people: Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggert, Jerry Falwell, Tammy Faye Bakker, Jimmy Carter. A host of Johnnys, Tommys and Bobbys are seen on local roadside political signs.
Many Southern celebrities have used a diminutive form: Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Coach Bobby Bowden.

Family diminutives such as Sis, Sissy (forms of sister), Bubba (brother), Sonny (son) and Junior can remain long after childhood is over, and have been known to be the real, birth certificate name of a Southerner.

Initials as names

It is not unusual in the South to use initials as a name. The most famous is the tv fictional character J. R. Ewing of Dallas and B.B. King, the guitarist. Sometimes the initials stand for names, but they are also used as the given name. My uncle J. S. was named for his grandfather James Smith Greenway. To avoid family confusion, the younger was called only by his initials. No one knew him by any other name.

Colorful names and nicknames

Sports figures and entertainers from the South often have fanciful names or nicknames, but so do ordinary people. Back to the high school yearbook--it reveals nicknames Cookie, Boots, Hound-dog, Shorty, Nippy, Quail, Honey, Ducky, Snooks, Teddy.

Celebrities' names, Satchmo Armstrong, Tennessee Williams, Jelly Roll Morton, Dixie Carter, Zelda Fitzgerald, Zora Neale Hurston, Bear Bryant, Babe Zaharis, Catfish Hunter, further illustrate the point.

Names go out of style just like everything else. Any teacher can tell by the names in her roll book who the popular movie and television stars were when their students were born. Soap opera stars and their role names are popular name sources

Works Consulted

Charles Reagan and William Ferris, editors. Encyclopedia of Southern Culture 1989: University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill (page 778).

Howorth, Lisa. Yellow Dogs, Hushpuppies, Bluetick Hounds 1996: University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.

When winter winds blow

2015-02-26T15:12:00.000-05:00

If winter comes can spring be far behind. . . Shelly

My Florida yard this January

This year winter seems extra persistent, spring is definitely lagging. Last week, I read that every state except Florida and Hawaii had snow on the ground. My Southern friends and relatives in North GA and NC were and still are blanketed in the white stuff plus ice. Snow is no longer a treat with a day off work for them. Most Southern cities are absolutely stymied by ice and snow. We don't know how to drive in it, and we don't have proper clearing machinery. And who has the clothes for it?!

We in Florida feel lucky that we have only chilly wind and a misty rain, but we would like just one day of snow-on-the-ground, and then have it leave. Sometimes we feel a bit left out when we see tv photos of children sledding and skating, but not when we see cars skidding and crumpling. We miss out totally on winter sports. Some people, of course, travel to the snow for skiing and fun, but most of us can't do that. Instead, we just gloat a little that we are warmer than everyone else.

Florida has bizarre winter weather patterns. One day it is 40 degrees, the next day 70. We do pay a price for our snowless days. In late spring, summer, early fall we can only retreat to air-conditioning. We go out in the early morning or late afternoon to escape some of the heat and humidity. We live for November and December when days are cool and there is no stickiness. Still, no matter how hot it gets, a dip in the ocean is always cooling. There is almost always a breeze there.

My cousin's yard with barn in N Georgia
in February. I would like to walk in that snow.

Silver Springs, FL and the Ocklawaha River: "Sweetest water in the world" to ecological disaster

2015-02-20T08:14:00.000-05:00

(All photos except those labeled are from vintage postal cards owned by the author of this blog.)

I grew up in Ocala, FL. My home was a mere five miles from Silver Springs. In those pre-Disney days, Silver Springs was the most famous, natural Florida attraction, or so we in Ocala thought. It was a center of Ocala life. Admission to the park and parking areas was free, and free picnic tables were scattered throughout. The landscaping was beautiful with seasonal flowers year round, a true retreat.

We thought it was our own. A city wide Easter egg hunt was held there every year. We went there to relax or to see and be seen. It was our mall. Children played at the water's edge. Couples parked there after dark. The 72 degree year-round water temperature drew us all. Summer heat can be very oppressive in inland Ocala. "The Springs" as we called it was the very best place to get cool. The glass-bottomed boats were floating nearby, but we didn't notice. A real rite of passage was a first swim out to the "float," which was so packed with teens, I don't know how it stayed afloat.

Model Ginger Hallowell shows off the clear, transparent water of Silver Springs. Ginger was a favorite model of Bruce Mozert, promo photographer of Silver Springs. The urn in the right of this photo was used in the movie Jupiter's Darling. Its clear water made Silver Springs a frequent underwater locale for many movies: Creature from the Black
Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature, many Tarzan films, Underwater, Sea Hunt, a long list. After the springs were purchased by ABC-Paramount in 1960, movie production greatly increased

Many Ocala teens worked at Silver Springs during the summer as models, waiters and waitresses, helpers in the various shows (Ross Allen had a rattlesnake ring where he "milked" venom from snakes), and as clerks in gift shops.

The Silver Springs of my youth was a glorious place. The water was so transparent you could see a quarter on the bottom at eighty feet. Fish were abundant. The glass bottom boat operators would throw out a ball of bread for, as they called it, "fish football." The water would become black with huge fish going after the ball.

Photographer Bruce Mozert often set up vignettes of models and objects. This is underwater
tug of war. Note the clean sand and the clarity of the water.

A vintage postal card showing the swimming area. There's the float packed with swimmers in the right center of the photo.

A few years ago, I went back to Ocala for a high school reunion. One activity was a glass-bottom boat ride at Silver Springs. A boatful of us set out for a trip down memory lane. To say we were shocked is a huge understatement. The water level was considerably lower. The once white sandy bottom was covered with long green, slimy strands of algae, and the fish were just gone. An occasional one would swim under our boat, but nothing like the fish schools of our memory. All that was once free, admission, parking had theme park fees, and swimming in the cooling waters was no longer allowed.

Development in the area around Silver Springs had allowed nitrates and impurities to seep into the water. Once there was protective marsh around the springs area, but that had been drained to make way for houses and strip malls. There has been a 90% loss in the number of fish. Then there is the Rodman Dam that slowed the water flow of the Ocklawaha River fed by Silver Springs and other springs along its 78 mile course. According to the Florida Defenders of the Environment, the Ocklawaha once made the 60 miles from Moss Bluff to the St. Johns in 3.6 days. This slowed to 23.4 days after the dam was built. Algae and aquatic weeds could grow unhindered.

The dam is north of Silver Springs near Palatka. It was to be part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal whose construction ended in 1968 shortly after the dam was built. Now the Rodman Reservoir is mostly used by fishermen though the number of fish has decreased since the dam was built. Even though it is called a reservoir, it provides water for no one. It can't be used for swimming because of alligators. It serves little purpose except to nourish water plant life that chokes the water way.

The Ocklawaha River is is an old river with a fascinating history. It's many crooks and turns have been navigated by Indian canoes, steamships taking tourists from Palatka to Silver Springs and steamships running goods for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
It's course is mostly in Marion County (Ocala--the county seat). My dad and I used to take a little motor boat down the river. Paddling on the river felt like another world. In those days it was very quiet, dark and lined with palms and exotic plants. Birds and alligators were abundant.

(map from Silver Springs)

This map shows the crooked and winding course of the Ocklawaha.

The Rodman Dam is south of Palatka, somewhat in the region called

Devil's Elbow.

Currently, there is great controversy among environmentalist, fisherman, and county governments over removal of the dam. The environmentalist say if the dam is removed the 20 springs flooded when it was built and the Ocklawaha can return to their original natural beauty. Fish will return to Silver Springs and the water level will rise.

Others argue that the dam provides recreation and commerce especially for Putnam County. When Jeb Bush was governor of Florida, he ordered the dam removed, but it was not done, and Governor Scott turned the order around. So, the debate goes on.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) (2002a):

"The Rodman Dam acts as a barrier to the dispersal of migratory fish and West Indian manatees that historically used the Ocklawaha River system. Removal of the dam would restore historic connections and restore the fish population of the Silver River."

The steamboat Hiawatha in the top photo approaches Silver Springs. The bottom photo shows the Hiawatha steaming down the Ocklawaha. These postal cards are

dated 1914. Amazingly the big boats could navigate the narrow water way. Northern tourists thought they were in an exotic land, calling it "the sweetest water."

(photo purchased on Ebay, no attribution given)

For a while, Silver Springs had a railroad depot. It was also the steamboat wharf located about where the glass bottom boats later loaded and unloaded passengers. (about 1914)

Click on Internet sources to read more about Silver Springs, the Ocklawaha and the Rodman Dam:

Has one Florida dam's day finally come?

Ocklawaha River

Water Wars: Ocklawaha, Rodman dam are flash points

There is a series of articles written about the time of the heyday of travel on the Ocklawaha, 1870-1876 in The New Harper's Monthly Magazine. These are from Cornell University and available online. They are fun to read and give a true account from the day. Harper's New Monthly Magazine, "Six Weeks in Florida"

Chocolate and the libido; Is chocolate the food of love?

2015-02-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

An interesting aspect of chocolate history is the lore associated with chocolate as an aphrodisiac or libido enhancer. Stories are still around about Montezuma, the Aztec emperor of 13th century Mexico, who is said to have drunk 50 cups of chocolate every day from a golden goblet.

Since Montezuma had a harem of 600 wives, he possibly felt some pressure to enhance his sexual prowess. Women, of course, were not permitted to drink chocolate. Chocolate was considered a royal aphrodiasic and only the gods and rulers were supposed to drink it.

Montezuma's chocolate drink was a combination of ground cocoa beans, hot peppers and ground vanilla beans. The European explorers who tried it were not impressed.
An explanation for the reputation of Montezuma's chocolate is that chilies, curries and other spicy foods have physiological effects--raised heart and blood pressure rates--similar to the physical reactions of sex. Perhaps the hot peppers helped Montezuma believe he was sexually enhanced. Centuries later, Spanish Queen Isabella's cook substituted sugar for the hot peppers. The new sweet drink instantly became the rage.

Casanova, the famous Italian lover, thought chocolate aided his libido. He preferred drinking chocolate to champagne before going out on his nightly adventures. In his memoirs, he writes of drinking chocolate for breakfast.

Chocolate has become associated with Valentine's Day as the favorite gift of love. According to the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association, 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate were sold for Valentine's Day. It was Richard Cadbury, son of the founder of Cadbury Ltd, who created the heart-shaped candy box for Valentine's Day in 1861.

Stories of chocolate as an aphrodisiac are interesting, but is there any scientific evidence that chocolate enhances the libido? Much has been written on the subject. Research proposes that the neurotransmitter in falling in love may be phenylethylamine (PEA), which is found in chocolate. It can heighten senses, raise blood pressure and sugar levels and give a feeling of well being. Chocolate also contains substances that stimulate the brain in ways similar to marijuana and coffee. Chocolate contains theobromine, a mild stimulant and phenlethylamine, a euphoric.
On the other side of the question, Randy Cornelius in his book The Science of Emotion writes, "The true aphrodisiacs are our beliefs about certain things. If you believe chocolate is a food of love and romance, that belief sparks the romantic flames when it is given as a gift." Perhaps the aphrodisiac properties proclaimed all these years have only been in our heads?

Valentine Conversation Hearts

2015-02-01T08:42:00.001-05:00

If you are a shy sweetheart or a very young one, you can express your love with conversation hearts. NECCO (New England Confectionary Company) has made the sweethearts since 1866 after Oliver Chase developed a method of stamping candies with messages. Considering that over 8 billion candy hearts are made per year, Conversation Hearts are the best selling Valentine candy. They come in two sizes, many colors and flavors.

Smile, Sweet Thing. You are my destiny, the one I love

for keeps. Let's kiss.

Slow down. Be good, very good.

Why not. You're so fine. Let's talk. Fax me.

Messages on the hearts have kept up with the social media generation, including ones that say, "text me" and "LOL." The UK equivalent is called Love Hearts manufactured by Swizzels Matlow. Candies are made with messages for non-English speakers as well.

This Valentine's Day, buy a bag and let your feelings be known. "It's True" "You're so fine"

Wild Things in my Backyard

2015-01-23T16:35:00.000-05:00

The creatures in my Florida yard are not the scary kind though we did have a resident alligator in an apartment pond a few years ago. The wild things in my house yard are pretty tame, but they are a great source of amusement and interest. The main draw for them is a retention pond fed by storm drains. About 75x40 yards, it attracts an amazing array of wildlife. When I see something interesting there, I run out with my cell phone to capture a photo.

The pond in January

Birds are most numerous. We've had geese nest under the trees, osprey diving for fish, and hawks and bittern roosting in the tree branches.

Grumpy looking bittern

Hawk possibly wanting a fish

Mother duck with ducklings

The geese are ever present. Note the turtle on the bank

observing this gaggle. I've learned that geese are very

good parents. The Daddy Goose is always present and

protective. Father Ducks, on the other hand, disappear

and are never around for protection. The goslings stay

with the parents until they are ready to search for their

own mates.

Four ibis in the foreground, a great blue heron

in the middle and two wood storks at the back right,

intently look for fish.

The most exotic bird I've seen in the back yard is a roseate spoonbill. He is exotic because they usually do not live as far north as Jacksonville Beach. He didn't stay very long the day I saw him and he has never returned.

Roseate Spoonbill

An otter comes to the pond every few months, more in the summer. He stays for a while, swims the length of the pond several times, catches a fish or two and goes back into the storm drain opening. We don't know where he lives. Our pond is just a little side trip for him. Once he brought a wife and a baby.

An otter pokes his head over the bank.

Otter sunning on the bank. This was a photo

op for the neighborhood.

Florida has much wildlife, but habitat is disappearing and so goes the wildlife. We feel honored that so many wild things still come to our yard.

Cheerful Times: An Overview

2015-01-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

2014 was the worst of times and the best of times (apologies to Charles Dickens). I often wondered where the world was going considering all the insane murders, terrorist attacks, and just plain cruelty. It was hard to watch the news, and I am a news hound. The best of times? Where were they? Mostly, for me, they were personal and related to happy family events and travel. I choose to concentrate on them in this overview.

We must all do that, of course, find the stillness within and look to the positive. This doesn't mean we hide our heads to the sadness. We must be aware of the world and do what we can to try to get ourselves and others past the horrors.

Here are a few photos of my 2014, happy moments:

SPRING

A goose pair laid eggs and raised their goslings

in my back yard. The family was an endless source

of interest to us.

My husband and I took an enjoyable spring

trip to South Miami and South Beach. I felt

moved to blend in with the sculpture.

SUMMER

My youngest grandchild graduated from high

school. He's the one in the gown and mortar

board. This photo shows parents and both sets

of grandparents there to celebrate.

AUTUMN

A field of pumpkins in Blowing Rock, NC. We

traveled there with our daughter and grandkids.

Dan and I travel to NYC to see the Macy's

Christmas Parade. It was very cold to us

two Floridians.

WINTER

These good friends and I meet every few months

for lunch. We all taught at the same school and

are retired now. I've known some of them for 33

years. This was our Before Christmas luncheon.

My dear daughter and only child earned her PHD.

Here we are at the December graduation.

Here she is with her beautiful family and my

beautiful grandchildren. Who couldn't be happy

on such an eventful, wonderful day.

Another happiness for me, my regal cat Bella.

I hope you've counted your happy moments in 2014. We all have them.

Sweet Pete's in downtown Jacksonville

2015-01-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

Elegant and beautiful, Sweet Pete's and the Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails have moved into the renovated Seminole Men's Social Club to sweeten downtown Jacksonville. The 22,000 foot space has been painted and decorated far, far differently from its 1903 origins. At the corner of Hogan and Duval near Hemming Park, it is a destination for school and education groups and sweet-tooths. A wonderful respite from downtown traffic and noise, it is a different world of color, whimsy and sweetness.

Every room has unusual furnishings and fanciful chandeliers, a big change from the formal, dark, well. . .stuffy men's only club inhabiting it until 1989. Peter Behringer, son of Phyllis Lockwood, owner and founder of Peterbrooke Chocolatier, a much loved Jacksonville candy store, saw its possibilities as a candy store after it had been deserted for a decade.

The original Seminole Men's Club.

Now refurbished home of Sweet Pete's and the
Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails.

A bakery and dessert shop occupies one of the rooms.

Sweet Pete's is more than a sweet shop. It offers classes to adults and children that teach the art of creating candies and desserts. It is also a great venue for a birthday party for any age.

A plate glass window overlooks candy making activities. Tours of the candy making facility can be arranged.

In the store at Sweet Pete's visitors can buy

regular, vegan, sugar-free, and gluten free candies.

The Candy Apple Cafe & Cocktails

More fanciful chandeliers

Sweet Pete's is a wonderful addition to downtown Jacksonville. A great day would be to go to the library, then walk next door to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and then across Hemming Park to Sweet Pete's. With more such businesses, downtown will resurrect.

Sign at Sweet Pete's

JoAnne's Favorite Cranberry Nut Bread

2014-12-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

A Gift for You:

Easy Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 egg, beaten

11/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

½ cups walnuts

Do This:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, oil, orange peel and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.

A look at Christmas past

2014-12-12T22:41:00.000-05:00

Christmas was always a great big, happy occasion for my daughter Clarice and me. There was always a special doll she requested from Santa, one she'd seen advertised endlessly on Saturday morning cartoons. One of the most memorable was Tubsy, who came with her own pink, plastic bathtub. My daughter was thrilled. Tubsy was always extremely clean.

Tubsy receiving one of her very many baths.

On Christmas Eve, I'd lay out her gifts as if Santa had left them. I ate the cookies and poured out the milk we had intended for him. Sometimes I felt guilty for perpetuating the ruse, but what is a mother to do. Finally, the questions did come, "How does Santa get around the whole world in one night?" "How can reindeer fly?" One day, she looked me straight in the eye and asked if Santa was real. Some children at school had said he was not.

In the face of such directness, I hesitantly told her the truth as gently as I could. She cried. I felt awful because I knew some of the mystery and excitement of Christmas was gone for her forever. As an adult, however, she has made a big deal out of Christmas for her own children, and all of us still enjoy the excitement and mystery. We love the fantasies of the holiday perpetuated by the media: Santa, elves, talking snowmen, flying reindeer and the odd lights and pretend snow of Florida outdoor decorations.

Clarice looks over the treasures brought by Santa. There's

Tubsy, an Easy Bake oven, dishes, and books.

I don't think learning the truth about Santa harmed her. She was one of the last in her school class to know. It was a truth that had to be told.

This Floridian's Thanksgiving in NYC

2014-12-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

This year my husband and I traveled to New York City mostly at my request to fulfill my long time desire to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Before leaving, we made a couple of dinner reservations, reserved seats for the Broadway play Cabaret, and reserved a time to visit the planetarium show at the Natural History Museum. We felt smugly prepared for our three day visit. But as the poet says, . . . "The best-laid schemes of mice and men
go often astray" (minus the R. Burns Scottish dialect).

The parade was an enormous disappointment. We didn't see it. After a hurried breakfast, we rushed to the parade route only to find all intersections leading to it blocked by police barricades. We could see the parade passing by two long blocks away, but greatly blocked by the backs of other spectators. The police said there was some "activity down there." We knew he was referring to the rumor of Ferguson protests during the parade. We did not see any protests, but there had been some earlier and were some after Thanksgiving. I have to admit, I was so disappointed I cried, but so did a lot of little children.

Police erect barricades to streets leading to parade.

The crowds rushed from intersection to intersection

but all routes to the parade were blocked.

We did save the day a little by walking to Bryant Park where a Christmas village selling Christmas wares, much like Christmas in some European towns, was set up.

The Bryant Park Christmas village,

selling Christmas goods from around the world

Bryant Park ice-skating. There was

a glass enclosed restaurant overlooking

the rink. We enjoyed a very expensive

lunch there.

The planetarium in the Natural History Museum was a favorite visit. The theme was the origin of our universe including the Big Bang. The stars and planets flew across the ceiling and were spectacular. Include it in your next visit to NYC.

We enjoyed the play Cabaret tremendously. It featured Alan Cumming, who absolutely made the play. Emma Stone was energetic female lead. An interesting aspect is that the musical is acted in The Roundabout Theater, which used to be the famous Studio 54 of 70's disco craze. I don't know if it was an original, but there is a disco ball in the ceiling which was used in one scene.

We stopped by to see the Rockefeller Center

Christmas tree. It was still being decorated and

was surrounded by scaffolding. It is enormous!

Part of one day, we walked around in China Town and Little Italy. Both were jammed with tourists and sightseers. They had wonderful restaurants and sidewalk wares.

Little Italy is ready for Christmas.

We did enjoy our hotel, The Distrikt. On 40th Street, it is right in the middle of everything. It was a comfortable retreat after a day of walking. Overall, we had a fabulous trip. We wore our puffy coats, gloves, hats, long-underwear, and sweaters that we usually take to the mountains. Everyone on the street looked like clones dressed very similarly in black coats, hats, boots. As Floridians we were cold, well, freezing, but other tourists looked a little frozen too. All in all, it was a most unusual Thanksgiving for us. When we got off the plane in Jacksonville, my husband said, " This feels like the Caribbean."

Here we are dressed in our warmest.

(That grimace on my face may be

from the pinch of new boots. Never

wear new boots when you plan to walk

miles every day.)

In memory of Rusty, a very sweet cat

2014-11-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

This is the photo I took the first time I saw Rusty in our yard.

Rusty, a handsome male cat, wandered into our backyard in the spring of 2005. His eyes exactly matched his yellow fur. I ran for my cell phone to take his photo. I really didn't expect him to visit again, but he did . . . almost daily, for about ten years.

At first, he was a community cat, visiting different houses. Everyone fed him and many gave him a name. We called him Rusty because of his color. The children down the street named him Milo after a movie cat. Another little girl called him Buttercup, probably because of his color. We learned that his family had moved away and left him.

He was, however, a survivor. He knew where the sheltered places were when it rained and when it was cold. He knew how to make it on his own. Once or twice, I found a dead, partially eaten rat or squirrel in the shrubbery. He was a big cat, once weighing in at 17 pounds during a vet check-up. He had a sweet face with very expressive eyes.

Gradually, he started stopping by our house morning and night. He liked to sleep on our patio in a cushioned lawn chair, but we brought him in when it was cold or raining. Our very young, black cat Bella loved him and he was like a mother cat with her, licking her head, playing with her, tolerating her kittenish antics. We began taking him to the vet for check-ups and immunizations. We considered him our cat. Still, there was something a bit unreachable about him. His early lonely life made him stand-offish.

Last week, he seemed sick. He sat with his eyes closed. HIs breath came in heaves. We took him to the vet where an x-ray showed his lungs and body cavity filled with fluid. The vet said his condition was critical. Finally, after much agonizing, we agreed to have him euthanized.

We miss him very much. I still look for him on the patio and at the door. He was a strong presence in our family. Bella especially misses him. He was a good, sweet cat.
RIP, Rusty.

Rusty was very motherly with our cat Bella, often

licking her as a mother would.

It was a stretch,but he could drink from a small

birdbath in our yard.

Playing with Bella on the porch.

Stalking a lizard