Another generation discovers the Wizard of Oz

 

 

I had pretty much forgotten about a painting I did celebrating 'The Wizard of Oz.' It hangs in the kids' playroom I thought mostly unnoticed. Now I find my young daughter suddenly interested in all things Oz. I got so excited that I read the book 'The Wizard of Oz' for the very first time. I loved the book and it is very difficult for me to say if the book is better than the movie. I think the movie may have the edge just because Oz lends itself so much to color. The ruby slippers (in the book they are silver), the Emerald City, the yellow brick road, are all so vibrant. And not only is the cast perfect, with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and the rest of the gang, but Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West has got to be one of the top villains in cinematic history. Luckily for my daughter, not only do they have the movie and book still available, but many good cartoon versions as well. I don't know whether the painting had any influence or not. I'm just glad she's made it to Oz. 

 

We couldn't let you leave 2020 without our 'Best of' edition.

 

Miki’s Favorite Books

(Fiction): Normal People by Sally Rooney. You Are My Fireworks by Pete ’The Heat Miser’ Schulte. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls.

(Non Fiction): Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen and Karen Kilgariff. Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Pete’s Favorite Books

(Fiction): Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls. The Searchers by Alan Le May. All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Remarque. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The River by Peter Heller. The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler.

(Non Fiction): Colorado’s Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire by Sam Carlino. How the Zebra Got its Stripes: Darwinian tales told through evolutionary biology by Leo Grasset.

Miki’s Favorite TV or Movies

Normal People, Hamilton, Dublin Murders, Onward, Sex Education (second season), Modern Love, Jacob Dylan’s Echo in the Canyon.

Pete’s Favorite TV or Movies

Onward, Normal People, The Devil All the Time, BeeGees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Modern Love, Sex Education (second season).

Cordi’s favorite books and movies:

Disney Family Sing-along, The Greatest Showman, Wonky Donkey,
Disney’s Imagineering Documentary, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Santa Bruce. Meeting and loving all the characters at Disneyland except Gaston, who was cocky and overly flirtatious (but this dad thought he was very funny and what does one expect from Gaston?).

Sadie’s favorite books and movies:

I am new to your human ways. I shall reserve judgment until this time next year. Hey, you there, I intend to eat your big toe.

Shit we all hated:

Tiger King.

Miki’s notable music:

J Balvin, Camilla Cabello’s Havana, Billie Eilish

Pete’s notable music:

Scritti Politti, Diddy, Chumbawamba, Doug and the Slugs, Sneaker Pimps and the Captain and Tenille.

Favorite 2020 moment for all of us:

Little Sadie Charlotte being born in April. That could have gone very badly with the Covid and the dads maybe not being allowed in the delivery room, but we were very lucky and everything turned out just fine. The hospital staff was great, and, as I recall, we got quite a complimentary meal. Here are the harrowing details…

I was exhausted and hungry after driving 15 minutes, cheerleading another 15, and then cutting the umbilical chord. I was cold and hungry and night was closing in. Outside, the interstate traffic thundered through my brain. The snack area was closed due to the virus. They didn’t have Doritos anyway. Nothing much on tv. So I hunkered down and let the night wash over me. Finally, merciful sleep…

In the morning I poked my head above the covers. I heard a squeaky cart approaching our room. It was the complimentary breakfast we were promised. Gingerly I lifted the lid from my plate. Was this the runny eggs and rubber sausage I anticipated? No dude, it wasn’t. Instead, I was presented with a glorious tray of steak and eggs, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and chocolate mousse. Hot coffee and fresh orange juice. Was this a mirage? These things don’t happen to me. Whatever it was, I dug in. How is it possible that the greatest meal of my year (my life?) was in a hospital? I remember thinking I ought to check in on my wife and baby, but the steak was cooked to perfection, the potatoes divine, and the asparagus was so so asparagusy. I don’t usually crave dessert but I wanted to roll in that mousse, smear it on my clothes and eat it again later. I think I did that. So there you have it, fond memories of a meal supreme and, oh yeah, a new baby! Happy New Year everybody!  

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at 'You Are My Fireworks!'

Announcement: Because of reasons beyond our control, the annual live reading of "You Are My Fireworks" at Dixon's Feed & Supply scheduled for July 4th has been postponed. However, copies are available for purchase through all major web-sites and to borrow from select libraries. There are also free previews out there for your reading pleasure. Here are some notable comments for your perusal.


"It's a swell book, old sport," says Jay Gatsby of the West Egg Courier. "I give it two green lights!"


"I think it's a fair book, Jake," says Lady Brett Ashley. "I think it's right fair."

"Yes, Brett. Wouldn't it be pretty to think so..."


"Oh, Rhett, Oh, Rhett," says Scarlett O'Hara. "Don't make me read this book. I won't read it! I won't!"

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a hoot."


Says Rydell High's Patty Simcox, "Isn't that book the most -- to say the least."


"If smell is any indication, this book surely ranks," says seventh grader Arnie Cooper.

The Writer

Please write another exciting sequel. I need to catch up on my sleep.

Daddy, please don;t make me read this drivel. Egad!

Knock it off, daddy! You know I can't read. Not sure I want to now. 

  

Before First Light

Before First Light (June, 2020)

Had enough of 2020? Life on the prairie was no picnic either. Let's take a look back at The Searchers.

My interest in the The Searchers began some years back as I was leafing through an old Hollywood book for an image to paint. One photo that captured my attention was of an old western, The Searchers, starring John Wayne. The still photo takes place at the end of the film where Wayne, as Ethan Edwards, stands apart from the rest of the cast looking out onto an open prairie and to an uncertain future now that the search (not to mention the movie) was over. I love that now iconic image and hope the painting did it justice. Of course, after the paint had dried I just had to watch the movie. I am pleased to write that the film did not disappoint. John Wayne was at his best and it was great to see Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood in co-starring roles. And if you loved the movie as much as I did, I highly recommend a book about the film called The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend by Glenn Frankel. In his book you will learn about the true story The Searchers was based upon (that being the 1836 abduction of 9 year old Cynthia Ann Parker by Comanche warriors on the edge of the Texas frontier), the myths that sprang from the true story, and the subsequent novel The Searchers by Alan LeMay that the film was based upon. After reading Frankel’s book, I checked out LeMay’s novel from the library. I expected a dime store western (boy is that a dated reference), but what I got was an astonishing novel that is not only about the search for a kidnapped girl, but also a novel about revenge and racism and the possibility of redemption in a hard land with changing times ahead. It’s no wonder that the book was made into a film so soon after its publication. As a western, I would have to rank it right up there with True Grit by Charles Portis (its movie also starring John Wayne!) and any of Cormac McCarthy’s classic novels such as Blood Meridian and No Country for Old Men, and Shane by Jack Schaefer. I confess I’ve only read the beginning of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, which I know is a favorite of many. I hope to pick that one up again soon. So now am I finally done with The Searchers? With such a fascinating history of Native Americans and the prairie settlers alike, and with the excellence of artistic representation thus far, I just don’t know if I ever can be.

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April 2020

April 2020 (1)

April 2020 (2)

April 2020 (3)

April 2020 (4)

A girl in Springtime...