Quote for August

"Prayer is an August avowal of ignorance."

Victor Hugo

Poem for August

August

Dorothy Parker

When my eyes are weeds,

And my lips are petals, spinning

Down the wind that has beginning

Where the crumpled beeches start

In a fringe of salty reeds;

When my arms are elder-bushes,

And the rangy lilac pushes

Upward, upward through my heart;

Summer, do your worst!

Light your tinsel moon, and call on

Your performing stars to fall on

Headlong through your paper sky;

Nevermore shall I be cursed

By a flushed and amorous slattern,

With her dusty laces' pattern

Trailing, as she straggles by.

August Full Moon - Moon Moths

August's full moon is upon us, warm and faintly melancholy, drunk and recognizing summer's doom is at hand.

I have a love of Art Nouveau and that led me to choose this sheet music cover for August's full moon. Moon Moths was, as you can see, composed by Albert Kussner, a man who I can find very little information about. Apparently he composed classical music (two opuses Loves Mystery, and Woodland Flowers), but I couldn't find a recording of any of them online.

The cover does remind me of the Luna Moth, though. Occasionally I'll see one of them flitting about the lakeside or, ghost-like, passing in front of my headlights on a summer night. Or maybe they're not actually moths at all...

Quote for August

The English winter, ending in July
To recommence in August.
~ Lord Byron 

Poem for August

Harvest
~by Mary Naylor

August, with its clouds of scented blooms,
August, with its great stacks of giant clouds,
August, with corn plants standing like rows of soldiers,
August, with watermelons, full and heavy, dozing in the sun,
August.

August, remember swimming in the lake?
August, remember baby Alice daintily eating berries from the vine?
August, remember Richie playing with the goat?
August, remember Donald practicing on his new saxophone?
August.

August, and its lightening laced sky,
August, and newlyweds Pat and Chet decorating their first home,
August, and Billy the Brave, Billy the Fearless, on his two wheel bike,
August, and shimmering memories hanging like drops of dew,
August.

August, the bountiful, August the full,
August, Mama hot, but smiling, over a platter of succulent roast chicken,
August, Daddy mixing her a frosty mint julep,
August, blessed harvest of memories,
August.

Blue Moon Music

There's a blue moon out tonight, so here's a little music from Dave Diddle Day to enjoy in the moonlight - maybe while drinking a little moonshine.

Happy National Aviation Day

On this date in 1871 Orville Wright was born to Bishop Milton and Susan Catharine Wright in the sleepy town of Dayton, Ohio. Orville and his brother Wilbur grew up in a family that, by all accounts, was loving and encouraged the intellectual curiosity which would eventually lead the pair achieving one of the most influential accomplishments of the 20^th century.

Orville went on to serve as one of the founding members of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and remained an active member for 28 years. He received the Daniel Guggenheim Medal for great achievements in aeronautics on April 8, 1930 and became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1936. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Orville’s birthday as National Aviation Day, an observance meant to celebrate the history and development of aviation.

Orville passed away on January 30, 1948 having witnessed aviation’s transformation from what was considered a hobby for crackpots to a force which shaped nations and, to a large extent, determined the outcome of two world wars.

Kool-Aid Days

I’ll always remember Kool-Aid as the drink that wasn’t soda pop. Even though I grew up in the sixties and seventies, my mother could have been taking advice from this 1948 ad from Boy’s Life. The cheapness of Kool-Aid and its dubious imitators appealed to her penny-pinching nature and like Frank Herbert’s spice addicts, my brother and I bore stained lips through the summer months. Unfortunately, we never were able to fold space and time.

August 9^th through II^th is, according to the corporate website, Kool-Aid Days. Personally I don’t think a corporate entity can declare any sort of days. Next we’ll have National Rolaids Week to follow Thanksgiving, National Weight-Watchers Week to proceed swimsuit season, and National Alka-Seltzer Day on January 2^nd.  Anyway, for those old enough I suggest the only glass of colored water you drink is whiskey and soda.

Bring on the Clowns

Welcome to International Clown Week, a perfect time to take in Pagliacci or get help for your Coulrophobia!

Indiana State Fair - Fair Season is Here!

In case you didn't know, the Indiana State Fair opened today! Break out the fried Ding-Dongs and midway rides the fair is open from August 2nd through 18th and during that time I'll be posting fair-related stuff for your enjoyment!

Peach Month

August is Peach Month. There really isn't anything deep or revealing to say about the fact. I've never been a huge fan of peaches. I think it's their furry skin, or maybe it's the slight bitterness that creeps through the sweetness of a fresh peach. Whichever is the case, they've never risen above apples and citrus on my list.

This ad comes from the Feburary 1921 issue of Ladies' Home Journal. I couldn't find much information on California Peach Growers Inc. They published cookbooks featuring, you guessed it, peaches during the 20s and touted the virtues and convenience of dried peaches to their customers. It seems the organization operated out of Frezno, but I can't be certain.

Go out and enjoy August, and a peach, apparently it's the month for it.

Dog Days of Summer

Welcome to August and the Dog Days of Summer. Does that phrase bring to mind a panting pooch? Well, here's an Old Farmer's Almanac piece on the true origin of the phrase.