For the Love of Abe

I'm re-reading the wonderful Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War trilogy by the late Bruce Catton. Amazing books.  Part of the fascination I've always had about the Civil War I attribute to my grandmother....or at least to her home decorating.  She had a portrait of Abraham Lincoln that she proudly displayed in her back hallway--which led to the bathroom.  Every time I used the facilities at her house as a boy, I passed by old Abraham.

Our 16th president was such a bigger-than-life kind of person.  If there was ever a human being who lived according to some divinely established destiny--in spite of heartbreaking personal tragedies--I believe it was Abraham Lincoln.

This picture is one of the early Brady

 portraits--before the beard!

I love this portrait of Lincoln and his youngest son Tad.   Lincoln's firstborn son, Robert, is the only one of his four sons who lived to adulthood.  

Lincoln's second son was Eddie; he died at age 4 from pulmonary tuberculosis (1846-1850).

Lincoln's third son, William, died at the White House at age 11, on February 20, 1862 (less than a year after the beginning of the Civil War.) He apparently drank contaminated water and developed typhoid fever. His death caused an inconsolable grief in Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.  She never really recovered from this great loss.  To lose not one but two children before they reached puberty would be catastrophic for any parent.

Tad died at age 18, also from tuberculosis.

This is one of the famous portraits of Lincoln as president

This portrait was the inspiration for the five-dollar bill

Lincoln inspecting the troops during the War

About 20 years ago, my cousin gave my dad a commemorative belt buckle (which he in turn gave to me.)  The buckle was presumably made from large cannons of the Army of the Confederacy.  It was supposedly commissioned by Mary Todd Lincoln and distributed to all members of the U.S. Congress on the occasion of Lincoln's funeral. I've tried to find out about its authenticity, but no one seems to know anything about it.  I did find one like it on E-Bay, but it wasn't considered particularly valuable.  

Seems to me it ought to be worth a fortune!  Oh well. 

In the pictures below you can see the two views, front and back. 

Valuable or not, I will always treasure it.

Don't Groan, Please

With apologies to all my drummer friends . . .

_______________

A drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument.  After some thought, he settles on the accordian.  So he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "I'd like to look at the accordians, please."

The owner gestures to a shelf in the corner and says, "All our accordians are over there."

After browsing, the drummer says, "I think I'd like the big red one in the corner."

The store owner looks at him and says, "You're a drummer, aren't you?"

The drummer, crestfallen, says, "How did you know?

The store owner says, "That 'big red accordian' is the radiator."

Hmmmmm . . .

I refer you to my post of February 10.  It's the one "political" post I kept on the blog.  I just think it's very interesting that things have turned out as they have.

Interesting article about the situation on Breitbart.com.

Beware of                    mud!

                          low-flying

Attention Recyclers!!

I'd love to see this "Trickle-Down Environmentalist" in person! I wonder why so much of this was shot in a grocery store.

If You've Ever Read A Book . . .

I have my dear mother to thank for my passion for books.  

A few weeks before her death last September, it became obvious to me that her life was quickly drawing to a close, because she was no longer interested in reading.  My nephew tried his best to get her interested in a book or even a crossword puzzle, but her passion for words and ideas were gone.  I think that broke my heart almost as much as seeing her lying in her bed in the nursing home.

You see, my mother LOVED reading.  One of my earliest memories in life was of sitting in her lap and sharing a book through her eyes and voice.  Or lying in bed for before my Sunday afternoon nap, listening to her read the Sunday comics to me, pointing to the words in the little balloons of each frame of the cartoon.  It was an unbelievable early treasure for me to explore.

A few years ago I came across another book by Anne Lamott, whom I quoted a couple weeks ago on this blog.  That book is Bird By Bird. It's a book on writing, technically, but it's more "inspiration" than "how-to."  On page 15 of the paperback version is one of the greatest passages I've ever read, and in a way it took me right back to my mother's lap.  Here's what Ann says:

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth.  What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you.  Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave.  They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.  They are full of all the things that you don't get in real life--wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat.  And quality of attention:  we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention.  An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift.  My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean. Aren't you? I ask.

Yes, I am, Anne.  Yes, I most certainly am.

Me and My Gal

This picture was taken yesterday right after lunch.  Miss Emily is such a cutie!  (I cropped the picture so you didn't have to see the chocolate in one of my teeth!  I didn't want to upstage the princess!)  

In the video below, Emily is bonding with a cuddly lamb that plays "Jesus Loves Me." Definitely a million-dollar memory!

Direct TV - Now THIS is a funny commercial!

Kathy Bates and James Caan . . . reprising their MISERY roles with a twist!