.....doing a little math on Facebook!

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So I was doing my Facebook errands today as usual.... catching up on people's news; births, new puppies, job gossip, bulb selections for upcoming gardening, proposed recipes for tonight's dinners, elderly aunt's hip replacements...the usual. And I noticed that I was "liking" each announcement that I read and even commenting, congratulating and commiserating on many of them as I always do. And THEN I noticed that I never hear from some of these people....EVER! I support and cheerlead their political agenda du jour, their squabble du jour, their mellerdrammer du jour, and I get nothing. They're never interested in my delayed flight, my botched hotel reservation, my recipe for beef Bourguignon, my bulb selection, job gossip, hip replacement, buildings exploding, ocean liners hitting an iceberg, asteroids striking the Earth, NOTHING! N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!!!! ....no comments.... not even "likes" to let me know they even read anything about my life.

You know, when I was a child, sometimes the drama of "drama club" would get to me, and I would wander off to a blackboard and find solace in the solitude (and rationality!) of numbers. I'd start out doing square roots, and drift towards some trig or geometry.... playing (and "conversing") with numbers was so ....um... peaceful. Numbers could be counted on, literally. They could add, subtract, multiply and divide...they could do all sorts of acrobatics with calm and precise outcomes. Their tricks could be plotted and even predicted on graphs, forming interesting shapes and designs, surprising you, without betraying or ignoring you.

So here I was just doing some math... and my numbers told me that I don't have to work so hard in the playground. What a ridiculously simple lesson for someone as old as I am to be learning at this late stage... my numbers told me that I could start taking away some numbers...

So if you're reading this (some of you TOTALLY BY ACCIDENT!), you may (or may NOT!) notice that this will be the last time you hear from me... You might care. But probably NOT. And if you, by some fluke DID read this, and you recognize yourself in the description I gave above on my Facebook page, take Christina Drayton's advice, paraphrased here, "... Start your motor - carefully remove absolutely everything that might subsequently remind me that you had ever been here, and get - permanently - lost. It's not that I don't want to know you, although I don't. it's just that I'm afraid I'm not really the sort of person that you can afford to be associated with.... No. Don't speak! Just... go."

By the way, if you DON'T, don't worry, I'll be taking care of it for you... you can pick up your three day old donut and curdled coffee by the exit.

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Wednesday, February 12th, 2014.... The Roaring 20's!!!

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Folks, I just got back from Town Hall in the heart of the theatre district where Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks recreated the Paul Whiteman concert of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" done 90 years ago tonight at Aeolian Hall. The Nighthawks are featured in the HBO series BOARDWALK EMPIRE providing the music of the infamous bootlegging days between 1919 and 1933. Aeolian Hall is long gone now, just as Steinway Hall will be torn down just a few blocks away to make room for another midtown tower.... but for a few hours tonight, 1920s jazz and all the glamour, humor, and intelligence sparkled brightly without a trace of 21st century banality or grime. Make a point of seeing the Nighthawks...they do weekly shows and post their dates and venues all the time. Here's their link! Sybil Sez!! http://vincegiordano.com/

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For HIM on Valentine's Day.....

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Hey there Ladies!! Looking for a handsome gift for that special fellow for Valentine's Day that says "class", "style", "tradition" and "romance"??... Take a look at these beautiful boutonnieres by Christopher Harrap of London. Made of handcrafted porcelain with either stainless steel or sterling silver clips that slip perfectly into a gentleman's lapel, they come in both glazed and unglazed white camellia and pink rose options. What a wonderful present for any other special occasion too... the clip can be engraved with a date and message for the lucky recipient!... and Ladies! Why can't a girl wear one in her own lapel. I DO!  http://www.boutonnierelondon.com/

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Happy Birthday to the Cullinan Diamond!… January 26th, 1905…

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Happy Birthday to the Cullinan Diamond.... the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3106.75 carat (621.35 g, 1.37 lb) rough weight. About 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) long in its largest dimension, it was found on 26 January 1905, in the Premier No. 2 mine, near Pretoria, South Africa. 

In 1905 due to the immense value of the Cullinan, the authorities in charge of the transportation were posed with a huge potential security problem. Detectives from London were placed on a steamboat that was rumored to carry the stone, where a parcel was ceremoniously placed in the Captain's safe and guarded throughout the entire journey. However this was a diversionary tactic. The stone on that ship was a fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. The actual diamond was sent to England in a plain box via parcel post, albeit registered.

It was cut into three large parts by Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam, and eventually into 9 large gem-quality stones and a number of smaller fragments. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee quality of the modern standard, and cutting the diamond was considered difficult and risky. To enable Asscher to cleave the diamond in one blow, an incision was made, half an inch deep. Then, a specifically designed knife was placed in the incision and the diamond was split in one heavy blow. The diamond split through a defective spot, which was shared in both halves of the diamond.

The story goes that when the diamond was split, the knife broke during the first attempt. "The tale is told of Joseph Asscher, the greatest cleaver of the day," wrote Matthew Hart in his book Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession, "that when he prepared to cleave the largest diamond ever known, the 3,106 carats (621.2 g) Cullinan, he had a doctor and nurse standing by and when he finally struck the diamond and it broke perfectly in two, he fainted dead away." Lord Ian Balfour, in his book "Famous Diamonds" (2000), dispels the fainting story, stating it was more likely Joseph Asscher would have celebrated, opening a bottle of champagne.

The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at 530.4 carats (106.08 g) was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, 545.67 carats (109.134 g), also from the Premier Mine. Cullinan I is now mounted in the head of the Sceptre with the Cross. The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, at 317.4 carats (63.48 g), is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world. Both gems are in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The Cullinan was split and cut into 9 major stones and 96 smaller stones. Edward VII had the Cullinan I and Cullinan II set respectively into the Sceptre with the Cross and the Imperial State Crown, while the remainder of the seven larger stones and the 96 smaller brilliants remained in the possession of the Dutch diamond cutting firm of Messrs I. J. Asscher of Amsterdam who had split and cut the Cullinan, until the South African Government bought these stones and the High Commissioner of the Union of South Africa presented them to Queen Mary on 28 June 1910.

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A New Sybil's "WHO'Z DAT?"... CHARLES LANE (January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007)

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Darlings! Mummy has made a decision! After reading dozens of posts and having hundreds of conversations with well-meaning folks who just don't know about the great CHARACTER actors who gave films the depth and genius that surrounded and supported the so-called "stars", I am going to post a regular, special entry called SYBIL'S "WHO'Z DAT??"....there'll be photos and a mini-bio, and the next time you see one of those familiar, fabulous faces that you just "can't quite place".......well, maybe these posts will help. Some of these actors worked more, had longer and broader careers, and ended up happier, more loved, and even wealthier than the "stars" that the public "worships"......I think there may be a metaphor in that! What do you think??? Here’s a face that everyone has seen literally hundreds of times… and for nearly a century!! In fact, not only did his career last a record amount of time, but he lived to be 102…. Happy Birthday to Mr. Charles Lane (January 26, 1905 – July 9, 2007).

Born Charles Gerstle Levison in San Francisco, California, to Alice G. and Jacob B. Levison, he was, prior to his death, one of the last remaining survivors of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Lane turned in his last performance at the age of 90. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938), MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939), ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944) and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946). His first film of more than 250 movies was as a hotel clerk in SMART MONEY (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney. Lane spent a short time as an insurance salesman before taking to the stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. Actor/director Irving Pichel first suggested that Lane go into acting in 1929, and four years later Lane was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild, which he considered to be one of his most extraordinary achievements.

He became a favorite of director Frank Capra, who used him in several films; in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, Lane played a seemingly hard nosed rent collector for the miserly Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who tried to explain to his employer that many of his tenants were moving out, taking advantage of affordable mortgages provided by the film's protagonist, George Bailey (James Stewart). Lane also appeared in the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young, as one of the reporters cajoling Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) for information about the identity of "Mr. Joseph Young", the persona given featured billing on the front of the building, on opening night.

Although Lane appeared regularly on dozens of TV shows, he is most widely remembered for his portrayal of J. Homer Bedloe on the television situation comedy Petticoat Junction. Bedloe was a mean-spirited railroad executive who periodically visited the Shady Rest Hotel while seeking justification to end train service of the Hooterville Cannonball, but he never succeeded in that objective.

He was a good friend of Lucille Ball, and his specialty in playing scowling, beady-eyed, short tempered, no-nonsense professionals provided the perfect comic foil for Lucy's scatterbrained television character. He played several guest roles on I Love Lucy, most notably in the episode "Lucy Goes To the Hospital", where he is seated in the waiting room with Ricky while Lucy gives birth to their son. He also played the title role in the episode "The Business Manager", the casting director in "Lucy Tells The Truth. He also played the passport clerk in "Staten Island Ferry." Lane appeared twice in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. He later had recurring roles as shopkeeper Mr. Finch on Dennis the Menace and during the first season (1962–63) of Ball's The Lucy Show, playing banker Mr. Barnsdahl. According to The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Fidelman, Lane was turfed because he had trouble reciting his lines correctly. However, Lane was in reality a placeholder for Lucy's original choice, Gale Gordon, who joined the program in 1963 as Mr. Mooney after he was free from other contractual obligations.

In 1963, Lane appeared in the mega-comedy IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, playing the airport manager. His final acting role was at the age of 101 in 2006's The Night Before Christmas. His last television appearance was at the age of 90, when he appeared in the 1995 Disney TV remake of its 1970 teen comedy The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes with Kirk Cameron. In 2005, the TV Land Awards paid tribute to Lane by celebrating his 100th birthday. Seated in a wheelchair in the audience, which had sung “Happy Birthday” to him, Lane was presented with his award by Haley Joel Osment and then announced "If you're interested, I'm still available [for work]!" The audience gave him a standing ovation.

All told, Lane appeared in more than 250 films and hundreds of television shows. On his busiest days, Lane said he sometimes played more than one role, getting into costume and filming his two or three lines, then hurrying off to another set for a different costume and a different role. As for being typecast, Lane described it as "... a pain in the ass. You did something that was pretty good, and the picture was pretty good. But that pedigreed you into that type of part, which I thought was stupid and unfair, too. It didn't give me a chance, but it made the casting easier for the studio."

Lane's persona has been referenced in The Simpsons: on the audio commentary to the episode "Marge in Chains”, its director Jim Reardon states that Lane's performance in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE inspired the character of the snide, humorless Blue-Haired Lawyer who appears in that and other episodes in the series. In 1931, Lane married Ruth Covell and they remained together for 70 years until her death in 2002. They had a son named Tom and a daughter named Alice. Despite his stern, hard-hearted demeanor in films and television, friends and acquaintances seem to unanimously describe Lane as a warm, funny and kind person. On January 26, 2007, Lane celebrated his 102nd birthday. He continued to live in the Brentwood home he bought with Ruth (for $46,000 in 1964) until his death. In the end, his son Tom Lane, said he was talking with his father at 9 p.m. on the evening of Monday, July 9, 2007 when he passed away. Charles Lane was 102. Lane was not the only person in his family to have a long life - his mother Alice died in her San Francisco home in 1973 aged 100.

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A New Sybil's "WHO'Z DAT?"... OLIVER HARDY (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957)

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   Darlings! Mummy has made a decision! After reading dozens of posts and having hundreds of conversations with well-meaning folks who just don't know about the great CHARACTER actors who gave films the depth and genius that surrounded and supported the so-called "stars", I am going to post a regular, special entry called SYBIL'S "WHO'Z DAT??"....there'll be photos and a mini-bio, and the next time you see one of those familiar, fabulous faces that you just "can't quite place".......well, maybe these posts will help. Some of these actors worked more, had longer and broader careers, and ended up happier, more loved, and even wealthier than the "stars" that the public "worships"......I think there may be a metaphor in that! What do you think??? Interestingly, this particular face might be one that you can place fairly easily, because it’s so iconically linked to another face. But our subject today is Oliver Hardy (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957). Born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia,  his father, Oliver, was a Confederate veteran who was wounded at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. After his demobilization as a recruiting officer for Company K, 16th Georgia Regiment, the elder Oliver Hardy assisted his father in running the vestiges of the family cotton plantation. He bought a share in a retail business and was elected full-time Tax Collector for Columbia County, Georgia. Norvell's mother Emily was descended from a long line of Virginians dating back to the 1600s. The family moved to Madison in 1891, before Norvell’s birth. His father died less than a year after his birth. Hardy was the youngest of five children. His older brother Sam Hardy died in a drowning accident in the Oconee River. Hardy pulled his brother from the river but was unable to resuscitate him. As a child, Hardy was considered sometimes difficult. He was sent to a Georgia military academy in Milledgeville as a youngster. Hardy had little interest in formal education, although he acquired an early interest in music and theater, possibly from traveling actor tenants that stayed in a boarding house that his mother owned. He joined a theatrical group, and later ran away from school near to sing with the group. His mother recognized his talent for singing, and sent him to Atlanta to study music and voice with singing teacher Adolf Dahm-Petersen. Hardy skipped some of his lessons to sing in the Alcazar Theater, a cinema, for $3.50 a week. He subsequently decided to go back to Milledgeville. Sometime prior to 1910, Hardy began styling himself "Oliver Norvell Hardy", adding the first name “Oliver” as a tribute to his father. When a movie theater opened in Hardy’s home town of Milledgeville, he became the projectionist, ticket taker, janitor and manager. He soon became obsessed with the new motion picture industry, and was convinced that he could do a better job than the actors he saw. A friend suggested that he move to Jacksonville, Florida, where some films were being made. In 1913, Hardy did that, working in Jacksonville as a cabaret and vaudeville singer at night, and at a desk job at the Lubin Manufacturing Company, a new film studio, during the day. At this time he met and married his first wife Madelyn Saloshin, a pianist for the theatre. The next year he made his first movie, OUTWITTING DAD (1914), for the Lubin studio. He was billed as O. N. Hardy. In his personal life, he was known as “Babe” Hardy, a nickname that he was given by his Italian barber who would apply talcum powder to Oliver’s cheeks and say, “nice-a-bab-y.” In many of his later films at Lubin, he was billed as “Babe Hardy.” Hardy was a big man at 6'1" tall and weighing up to 300 pounds. His size placed limitations on the roles he could play. He was most often cast as “the heavy” or the villain. He also frequently had roles in comedy shorts, his size complementing the character. By 1915, Hardy had made 50 short one-reeler films at Lubin. He later moved to New York and made films for the Pathé, Casino, and Edison Studios. After returning to Jacksonville, he made films for the Vim Comedy Company. That studio closed after Hardy discovered the owners were stealing from the payroll and continued on with the King Bee studio, which bought Vim. He worked with various early silent actors including Billy Ruge, Billy West (a Charlie Chaplin imitator), and comedic actress Ethel Burton Palmer during this time, still as the “heavy”. In 1917, Oliver Hardy moved to Los Angeles, working freelance for several Hollywood studios, and later appeared in the movie THE LUCKY DOG (1917) produced by G.M. (“Broncho Billy”) Anderson and starring a young British comedian named Stan Laurel. Oliver Hardy played the part of a robber, trying to stick up Stan’s character. They did not work together again for several years. Between 1918 and 1923, Hardy made more than 40 films for Vitagraph, mostly playing the “heavy” for Larry Semon. In 1919, he separated from his wife, ending with a divorce in 1920, allegedly due to Hardy’s infidelity. The next year on November 24, 1921, Hardy married again, to actress Myrtle Reeves. This marriage was also unhappy. Reeves was said to have become alcoholic. 
In 1924, Hardy began working at Hal Roach Studios working with the “Our Gang” films and Charley Chase. In 1925, he starred as the Tin Man in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Also that year he was in the film, YES, YES NANETTE! (1926), starring Jimmy Finlayson and directed by Stan Laurel. (In later years Finlayson frequently was a supporting actor in the Laurel and Hardy film series.) He also continued playing supporting roles in films featuring Clyde Cooke and Bobby Ray.
In 1926, Hardy was scheduled to appear in GET ‘EM YOUNG (1926). He was unexpectedly hospitalized after being burned in a kitchen accident by by a hot leg of lamb. Laurel, who had been working as a gag man and director at Roach Studios, was recruited to fill in. Laurel continued to act and, later that year, appeared in the same movie as Hardy, 45 MINUTES FROM BROADWAY (1926), although they did not share any scenes together. In 1927, Laurel and Hardy began sharing screen time together in SLIPPING WIVES, DUCK SOUP (no relation to the 1933 Marx Brothers’ film of the same name) and WITH LOVE AND HISSES. Roach Studios’ supervising director Leo McCarey, realizing the audience reaction to the two, began intentionally teaming them together, leading to the start of a Laurel and Hardy series later that year. With this pairing, he created arguably the most famous double act in movie history. They began producing a huge body of short movies, including THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (1927) (with one of the largest pie fights ever filmed, UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE (1929), marking their transition to talkies, BRATS (1930) (with Stan and Ollie portraying themselves, as well as their own "sons," using oversized furniture sets for the ‘young’ Laurel and Hardy), ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930), and many others. They also had started making full feature films, including BABES IN TOYLAND (1934) one of their most memorable films, and THE MUSIC BOX (1932) a short which won them an Academy Award for Best Short Film — their only such award. In 1936, Hardy and Myrtle Reeves divorced. While waiting for a contractual issue between Laurel and Hal Roach to be resolved, Hardy made ZENOBIA with Harry Langdon. Eventually, however, new contracts were agreed upon and the team was loaned out to producer Boris Morros at General Service Studios to make THE FLYING DEUCES (1939). While on the lot, Hardy fell in love with Virginia Lucille Jones, a script girl, whom he married the next year. They enjoyed a happy marriage until his death. In 1939, Laurel and Hardy made A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940) (which features a moment of role reversal, with Oliver becoming a subordinate to a temporarily concussed Stan) and SAPS AT SEA (1940) before leaving Roach Studios. They began performing for the USO, supporting the Allied troops during World War II. They teamed up to make films for 20th Century Fox and later Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although they made more money at the bigger studios, they had very little artistic control; critics say that these films lack the very qualities that had made Laurel and Hardy worldwide names. Their last Fox feature was THE BULLFIGHTERS (1945), after which they declined to extend their contract with the studio.
In 1947, Laurel and Hardy went on a six-week tour of the United Kingdom. Initially unsure of how they would be received, they were mobbed wherever they went. The tour was lengthened to include engagements in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, as well as a Royal Command Performance for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. In 1949, Hardy’s friend, John Wayne, asked him to play a supporting role in The Fighting Kentuckian. Hardy had previously worked with Wayne and John Ford in a charity production of the play WHAT PRICE GLORY? while Laurel began treatment for his diabetes a few years previously. Initially hesitant, Hardy accepted the role at the insistence of his comedy partner. Frank Capra later invited Hardy to play a cameo role in RIDING HIGH (1950) with Bing Crosby. During 1950–51, Laurel and Hardy made their final film. ATOLL K (also known as Utopia) was a simple concept; Laurel inherits an island, and the boys set out to sea, where they encounter a storm and discover a brand new island, rich in uranium, making them powerful and wealthy. However, it was produced by a consortium of European interests, with an international cast and crew that could not speak to each other. In addition, the script needed to be rewritten by Laurel to make it fit the comedy team’s style, and both suffered serious physical illness during the filming.

Biographer John McCabe said they continued to make live appearances in the United Kingdom and France for the next several years, until 1954, often using new sketches and material that Laurel had written for them. In 1955, the pair had contracted with Hal Roach, Jr., to produce a series of TV shows based on the Mother Goose fables. They were to be filmed in color for NBC. But, Laurel suffered a stroke and required a lengthy convalescence. Coincidentally, Hardy himself had a heart attack and stroke later that year, from which he never physically recovered.
During 1956, Hardy began looking after his health for the first time in his life. He lost more than 150 pounds in a few months, which completely changed his appearance. Letters written by Laurel refer to Hardy's having terminal cancer. Some readers have thought this was the real reason for Hardy’s rapid weight loss. Both men were heavy smokers. Hal Roach said they were a couple of "freight train smoke stacks".

Hardy suffered a major stroke on September 14, 1956, which left him confined to bed and unable to speak for several months. He remained at home, in the care of his beloved Lucille. He suffered two more strokes in early August 1957, and slipped into a coma from which he never recovered. Oliver Hardy died from cerebral thrombosis on August 7, 1957, at the age of 65. His remains are located in the Masonic Garden of Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood.
Stan Laurel was too ill to go to the funeral of his friend and film partner. He stated, "Babe would understand." People who knew Laurel said he was devastated by Hardy's death and never fully recovered from it. He refused to perform on stage, or act in another film ever again without his good friend. Stan Laurel died in 1965.

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A story very well worth reading....

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A story very well worth reading!!! Please join me in celebrating the arrival of a book about Ellie Laks and her contribution to a cause that is at the heart of what humans and animals mean to each other.... hear what she has to say:

The Gentle Barn was my dream since I was 7 years old, and it took a lot to finally found it in 1999. The story of how it started and how it came to be is in my book "My Gentle Barn" coming out in March wherever books are sold. But if there are a lot of pre-orders it will be a best seller from the start. If it is a best seller, it will gain a lot of attention for The Gentle Barn, and that attention will allow us to save more animals who have no where else to go. Will you help me make my book a success and save more animals by pre-ordering the book and sharing it with your friends. To order it now go to: http://www.gentlebarn.org/my-gentle-barn.html
I am so grateful! -Ellie Laks

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Mummie Makes A Holiday!!....

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MUMMIE MAKES A HOLIDAY!!!... okay, so we're all trying to come up with ideas to make this rather specific Winter a little more fun and friendly, right?? ...and I just KNOW that many of you read my suggestions in my blog of rekindling and working at your friendships, going to theatre, museums, cafes with friends, taking up a hobby, making your home more cheery, doing your Spring cleaning NOW to invite new energy and perspective into your life, and definitely, DEFINITELY GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE! Do NOT be a shut-in in the cold weather!!

Well, now I've decided that we need something even more powerful and exciting to help doom the gloom! I pulled down the old Sunoco station calendar and did some math!! If the first day of Winter is around December 21st, and the first day of Spring is around March 20th, that gives us 90 days between the two... yes, the days are getting longer and the nights are shorter starting on the Winter solstice, but that definitely is not enough to sustain all of us shivering masses yearning to breathe free! SO!... if we divide 90 by two, we have 45 days, and we count forward from December 21st, I believe that gives us February 3rd... am I right?? Okay, here's my proposal! We need another Holiday or festival to look forward to... sort of a Mid-Winter's Night Dream, if you will. A date when we know that (even though February is boring and seemingly endless despite its shortened stature!) we can feel that we are technically "over the hump" of Winter.

And let's not stop there! Let's make it a progressive festival like Hanukkah!... maybe a whole week or so. How about 11 days?? But unlike Hanukkah, we don't make the FIRST night the important one! We make the last night the culmination of a celebration of life, light, laughter, and love!! Why look at that!! That means Valentine’s Day would be the end of it all, and finally have some “oomph” behind it as opposed to that anemic semi-holiday of Cupid, arrows, cheap perfume, and those stupid red-hots and flavorless candy hearts with dumb slogans written on them! (“Be MINE”, indeed!!!)

SO!... let's set our calendars to February 3rd! I'm taking suggestions for traditions that we need to observe, celebrate and manifest in our newly fashioned Holiday. And we need a name for it... and a decorative theme from the crafts and interior design crowds!! Are there any songwriters out there?? Mel Tormé, Irving Berlin, Franz Gruber, and Henry VIII are all dead so let's come up with some new songs that will become "standards"... And we need traditional recipes from the foodies, nightly gift suggestions from the compulsively acquisitive, newly fabricated "ancient tales and poems" from the ingeniously literary (and drunk!), and a spirit of "play" from the young at heart. The cynics and so-called "grown-ups" can remain huddled over by the sad little sputtering fire that keeps them company in their nattering... The rest of us can keep each other cozy the way children do when they have only a cardboard box, a blanket, some crayons and their imaginations...

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