Today’s Tidbit – Play-Doh: The Wallpaper Cleaner

Did you know that the brightly-coloured, modeling clay named Play-Doh that we (and our children) squeezed, molded and occasionally ate as youngsters was originally manufactured as a wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s?

Neither did I.

This non-toxic, non-staining, reusable modeling clay (and, at times, snack for toddlers) that we all know as Play-Doh was originally a pliable, putty-like wallpaper cleaner invented by Noah McVicker for Kutol Products, a family-owned Cincinnati-based soap company.

After World War II, McVicker's nephew, Joseph McVicker, joined Kutol and discovered that nursery school children were using the cleaner as a modeling compound to make Christmas ornaments. The product was reworked and marketed to Cincinnati schools in the mid 1950s.

And the rest is history...

Today’s Tidbit – Play-Doh: The Wallpaper Cleaner

Kingston’s Buskers Rendezvous 2012

Okay, so first, this is a post about an old festival. Not old old, like ancient old, but significantly old enough to be worth mentioning on this blog. But what I really mean by old is that our attendance to it is old; this happened two weeks ago, not this past weekend or very recently. Are you with me so far? Of course you aren’t.

Let me try again...

About two weeks ago, my husband and I took my two girls, and a friend of my younger daughter’s, to Kingston’s Buskers Rendezvous festival. This is an annual event that occurs every summer. It began as an entertaining addition to the city’s downtown ‘July Sidewalk Sale’ (another highly-anticipated yearly event) and has now become known as one of the top festivals of its kind in Canada. This year was the 24th edition, so that’s what I mean by it being significantly old. 24 years running is quite a long time, don’t you think?

And what is this festival, you ask? It’s all about buskers. And what are buskers? Buskers are street performers that entertain audiences in public areas for voluntary donations.

Like these two brothers:

The festival is a mixture of buskers, some of them new and some of them returning. And what do they do? They juggle, they dance, they sing, they do magic tricks, they put on plays, they do fire shows, and on and on.

This festival goes on for four days and the performers are from all over; some are local and some come from very far away. Take for example these handsome young men that this post is about who have arrived all the way from Australia! I liked them just for that fact. And contemplated how I could squeeze myself into their suitcase, so they can take me home to the land down under. The land that is on my top-places-to-visit-before-I-die list.

We stopped to watch this act, which is fittingly named ‘The Circus Firemen’. They were last year’s Peoples' Choice winners, which gave them an automatic invitation back this year. I’m not surprised that people like them so much; they are very entertaining, and quite charismatic. And if we’re going to be honest, adorable, too.

This is Idris Stanton who goes by the stage name of ‘Matilda’. He interacts quite a bit with the audience, and he is very sociable and amusing.

This is Joshua Phillips who goes by the stage name of ‘Angus’. He’s a little less gregarious, but certainly no less entertaining.

These boys perform a 40 – 50 minute show that includes acrobatics, juggling, wobbly balancing on 10 foot ladders and lots of comedy.

Cute, endearing and clearly talented – what’s there not to love about these two siblings that have been performing together for 10 years, and have delighted audiences in their hometown and around the world?

These young men, along with many other buskers performed for four days downtown for free. They brought a smile to the faces in my beautiful city. Including my own.

How do they earn a living? By “passing the hat”. So, if you enjoy their performance, consider contributing something to let them know. It’s up to you how much.

For a small city, Kingston is loaded with regular events and festivities. You gotta love it here.

Kingston’s Buskers Rendezvous 2012

Around The Garden

So I took Beth’s advice and asked the dozen or so gnomes scattered around the garden to do a rain dance. And it worked! The rain came down and all is all with my world. Thank you, Beth.

The plants sighed with relief, and later that day, there was a celebration going on in my garden. Drinking, dancing and lots of frolicking. Don’t you just love the word ‘frolicking’? It sounds like a dirty word, doesn’t it?

Join me on another garden tour. After we’re done, we’ll have our own party to celebrate the rainfall. There will be coffee and tea and juice and cakes and cookies and pies and every calorie-packed sweet you can imagine!

Now, off we go...


Rudbeckia maxima really struggled with the drought, but it managed to hold onto its glorious flowers. A true champion in the garden.

This is Helenium 'Ruby Tuesday' with its cute button-like flowers. I always think of the band the Rolling Stones when I see this plant. (Think about it; it’ll come to you.)

Despite the fact that Eupatorium ‘Phantom’, dwarf Joe-Pye weed, likes moisture, it handled the drought rather well. This plant is ridiculously easy to grow making it one of my favourites.

Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ didn’t bat an eye while it waited for rain, and it continues to look gloriously beautiful. There are always little critters hanging around it.

These pretty blooms belong to Rudbeckia hirta 'Toto Rustic'.

I got a pleasant surprise by Clematis 'Rhapsody' when it decided to bloom again.

This is the flower of a nasturtium that I planted last year, and although it’s quite lovely, that’s not the reason it has left me in awe. Nasturtiums are supposed to be annuals, but this plant grew back this spring after surviving our winter. Amazing.

Phlox paniculata ‘David’ is just getting started, but looking real good already.

The star of this week’s show is Lilium 'Star Gazer'. The blooms are huge and spectacular.

It’s been awhile since Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Fuji Blue’ went into bloom, and it’s still going strong.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Paris Rapa' decided to jump on the flower-power bandwagon and show the world what it can do.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Forever & Ever Peppermint' is also on a roll.

The white coneflowers didn’t suffer too much with the drought.

And neither did the purple ones.

I caught one purple coneflower getting quite chummy with a daylily. They’re obviously ‘frolicking’ while no one is looking. [snort]

And finally, there’s Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer'. I wasn’t sure if this plant would return this summer, but it did. So there you go.

That’s it for this week’s garden stroll. Now, let go stuff our faces with some goodies!

Around The Garden

Tune Time – Born To Be Alive

This song, which hit it big near the end of the disco era, takes takes me back to my teenage years. I was only 14 in 1979 when this song was released, so it would be awhile yet before I was dancing to it at the clubs. Yes, folks, I did enjoy disco tunes when I went out with my friends – and danced up a storm even though my favourite style of music was - and continues to be - classic rock. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to spice up your social life.

Born to be alive was a smash hit in France, and became one of the biggest singles there. It also hit number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Tune Time – Born To Be Alive

Saturday Silliness

Let’s get some humour going...

Fig Leaves

Bobby, nine, opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.

'Hey, Mum, look what I've found!' Bobby called out.' What have you got there, dear?' his mother asked. Astonishment written all over his face, he answered: 'I think it's Adam's suit!'


Stand-up And Be Counted

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, 'Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!'

After a few seconds, Little Davie stood up. The teacher said, 'Do you think you're stupid, Little Davie?'

'No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!'


Charity Begins at Church

After the church service, seven year old Brian said to the preacher: 'When I grow up, I'm going to give you some money.'

'Well, thank you', the preacher replied, 'but why?'

'Because my daddy says that you're one of the poorest preachers we've ever had.'


Savings

A Year 5 teacher was giving her Primary pupils a lesson in developing logical thinking.

'This is the scene', said the teacher.

'A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help.

His wife hears the commotion, knows he can't swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?'

A little girl raised her hand and asked, 'To draw out all his savings?'

Saturday Silliness

Sunny Side Up

"A three billion year old planet floating in the vast universe with mountains, seventy percent seas and oceans, fertile lands, immense forests, rivers and lakes, sea shores and deserts, this is where we humans have the privilege to live, the latest, most advanced newcomers in evolution. What an immense, incredible responsibility we have to be a right, positive element in the further evolution of that planet. That is the big question before us in the new century and millennium."
- Dr. Robert Muller -

This week’s sunny side up is an awe-inspiring video. What a planet we live on. What an amazing world. Let's make sure to take care of it.



A good weekend, to all!

Sunny Side Up

Book It - Mistral's Daughter

This week’s featured book:

Mistral's Daughter
Author: Judith Krantz

Overview:

They were three generations of magnificent, red-haired beauties born to scandal, bred to success, bound to a single extraordinary man--Julien Mistral, the painter, the genius, the lover whose passions had seared them all.

Maggy--Flamboyant mistress of Mistral''s youth, the toast of Paris in the ''20s. Her luminous flesh was immortalized in the paintings that made Mistral legendary.

Teddy--Maggy''s daughter, the incomparable cover girl who lived fast and left as her legacy Mistral''s dazzling love child.

Fauve--Mistral''s daughter, the headstrong, fearless glory girl whose one dark secret drove her to rule the world of high fashion and to risk everything in a feverish search for love.

From the ''20s Paris of Chanel, Colette, Picasso and Matisse to New York's sizzling new modeling agencies of the '50s, to the model ward of the '70s, Mistral's Daughter captures the explosive glamour of life at the top of the world of art and high fashion.

My Comments:

Family sagas that span a few generations can be fantastic stories, especially if those families have hidden sins and secrets. Like this one. I was quite reluctant to read this book when I first ran across it because Judith Krantz stories typically lean toward the romance genre, which doesn’t interest me.

But Mistral’s Daughter goes far beyond the bedroom and Gucci bags; it’s actually a very interesting story that will keep you captivated. And the characters are very memorable. Give it a try. I think you’ll like it.

Book It - Mistral's Daughter

My New Favourite Word

So the other day, my hubby and I were watching a taped episode of ‘The People's Court’, a television court show in which small claims cases are heard by Judge Marilyn Millian. We actually prefer Judge Judy but there have only been reruns lately, so we’ve started watching Judge Millian as an alternative, which isn’t bad. But we get a bigger kick out of the way Judge Judy mops the floor with some people, some of whom deserve it. Not all, though; sometimes I think she goes a bit too far. She is quite abrasive at times. Okay, most of the time. This woman actually scares the bejesus out of me. I cringe whenever she gets into one of her ‘chew-them-up-and-spit-them-out’ moods imagining it being me getting verbally smacked like that. I would never in a million years be on her show. I don’t think I’d survive her. Of course, for the right price (camera lenses are expensive, you know), I could be persuaded. Maybe.

A curmudgeon

I have been heard saying “I wish I could have her job for one day.” It would be a hoot to be able to unleash some demons on some offenders. But only really bad ones. And come to think of it, I’m not sure I could do it when it really comes down to it. I’m Canadian, after all, and we’re typically too polite to behave in that manner.

But I digress.

So like I was saying, we were watching an episode of ‘The People’s Court’ and the defendant in one case said about the plaintiff “He’s a curmudgeon, your honour. He sucks the joy out of everything.”

My ears perked up at this. ”What an interesting-sounding word”, I thought. “I’ve never heard it before, or even know what it means. But it sounds so good. I must look it up.”

And look it up, I did.

The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines it as “a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man”.

Usually old man, but not always. Therefore, it can be applied to just about anyone who “sucks the joy out of everything”; someone who is ill-tempered, full of resentment and stubborn notions.

Don’t we all know people like this? Individuals that “suck the joy out of everything.” We sure do!

Even a pet can be a curmudgeon.

And although there are a lot of other words that one can use like bad-tempered, disagreeable, killjoy, wet blanket, bellyacher, crab, crank, griper, growler, grumbler and grouch, just to name a few, none of them are as impressive as ‘curmudgeon’. Go on, try it on for size. Say it out loud. (Go here to listen to the pronunciation)

CURMUDGEON [ker-muhj-uhn]

Lovely, isn’t it?

[ker-muhj-uhn]

Best part of all is that hardly anyone will know what it means when you smack them with it. It’s not a common word. So if someone is being a real pill, you can pat their hand, put on a great big smile and say “Oh you...you are such a curmudgeon.” Then chuckle a little, so they think you’re teasingly complimenting them. I bet even if they’re confused they’ll smile along with you, chuckle nervously, maybe even say “Uh...thanks.”

And I also bet that the first thing they’ll do when they get home is look it up. Then get really peeved. But by then you’ll have had your fun.

Curmudgeon.

My new favourite word.

Yup, birds, too.

My New Favourite Word