Spring Showers Bring Flowers ~ Wordless Wednesday

Water For Elephants

I recently read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The book was published in 2006 and has crossed my path many times via the circulation desk at the library. After seeing the movie trailer and thinking it was a potential theater experience, I decided to read the book. Having not read Fiction in well over a year, I was skeptical.

Water for Elephants is not a literary masterpiece but for me it held true entertainment value (more on this in a moment) and painted a visual that I will not soon forget. Few Fiction books do this for me anymore so I was delighted to find myself caught up in the story line and eagerly anticipating my nightly reading. I was sad to see it end, but I must say, the ending was marvelous!

Jacob Jankowski is a ninety or ninety-three year old man (he can’t remember which) in a nursing home recalling memories of himself as a young man during the Depression. For three months he travels with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth as the veterinarian to their menagerie. Some of the language is crude and graphic scenes linger in the mind; however, I think one should expect this when reading details of life on a circus train. Most scenes, though, are tender and clearly show the heart of a young man and an aged man on a passionate journey. I am hoping the movie is fractionally as good.

Circus life has always fascinated me and this is likely why the movie trailer caught my eye. Upon doing some book review research and hearing only good things regarding the book, I decided to give it a read and am so glad I did. For me, it brought back memories of a time in my life (1983-1984) when I applied for and was accepted by the Ringling Brothers Clown College in Sarasota, Florida. Yes, you read that correctly! I have attended the Ringling Brothers Circus no less than eight times in my life as a child, youth, young adult, adult or parent. The most memorable time being front row center ring with tight robe walkers balancing precariously over my head and muzzled dancing bears within a few inches of my knees. I’ve seen greats like Gunther Gable Williams, Lou Jacobs and Bello Nock. I made a complete idiot of myself at one performance by stepping into a folding seat in front of me and getting my ankle trapped in a vise like grip, nearly fainting from the pain and cracking my ankle bone in the process. I will always be mesmerized by the costumes, colors, lights, music, animals and performers of the circus!

So did I go to Clown College? No. Fear and parental consent kept me from pursuing that fleeting dream. But, the clown portrait above is me! Painted by my much older brother in 1985 and hanging in the children’s room at the library, it serves as a reminder of the clown I was and still am at heart. If you look closely, you can find my initials “DR” painted into the folds of the yellow neck piece. Rosie would have been a great clown name don’t you think?

FBC Belize Mission Trip 2011

The Star Belly Sneetches

One of the earliest memories I recall, is going to our town's tiny library.  The children's book section in the late 60's consisted mainly of Dr. Seuss and H. A. & Margert Ray books.  I was allowed to check out two books; one always being Dr. Seuss.  The book was immediately taken home and presented to my much older brother who quickly tucked me close beside him and proceed to read me the zany rhymes produced by the author, all the while adding appropriate character dialect and proper voice inflections to make the verses come alive.   Fast forward 40 years...I now work in our town's library.  It is no longer the tiny "hole in the wall" but a thriving center of the community.  Our children's room is overflowing with fantastic books.   Dr. Seuss is still in demand and I often find myself quoting his well loved work.  Happy Birthday, Theodor Seuss Geisel!  

The following is one of my favorites.  To become as wise as a Sneetch, is a worthy goal!

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

The Sneetches ~ by Dr. Seuss

Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars.

The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.

You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches

Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”

With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort

“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”

And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking,

They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

When the Star-Belly children went out to play ball,

Could a Plain Belly get in the game? Not at all.

You only could play if your bellies had stars

And the Plain-Belly children had none upon thars.

When the Star Belly Sneetches had frankfurter roasts

Or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,

They never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches
They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches.
They kept them away. Never let them come near.
And that’s how they treated them year after year.

Then ONE day, it seems while the Plain-Belly Sneetches
Were moping and doping alone on the beaches,
Just sitting there wishing their bellies had stars,
A stranger zipped up in the strangest of cars!

“My friends”, he announced in a voice clear and clean,
“My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.
And I’ve heard of Your troubles. I’ve heard you’re unhappy.
But I can fix that, I’m the Fix-It-Up Chappie.

I’ve come here to help you.
I have what you need.
And my prices are low. And I work with great speed.
And my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed!”

Then, quickly, Sylvester McMonkey McBean
Put together a very peculiar machine.
And he said, “You want stars like a Star-Belly Sneetch?
My friends, you can have them for three dollars each!”
“Just pay me your money and hop right aboard!”

So they clambered inside. Then the big machine roared.
And it klonked. And it bonked. And it jerked. And it berked.
And it bopped them about. But the thing really worked!
When the Plain-Belly Sneetches popped out, they had stars!
They actually did. They had stars upon thars!

Then they yelled at the ones who had stars at the start,
“We’re still the best Sneetches and they are the worst.
But now, how in the world will we know”, they all frowned,
“If which kind is what, or the other way round?”

Then up came McBean with a very sly wink.
And he said, “Things are not quite as bad as you think.
So you don’t know who’s who. That is perfectly true.
But come with me, friends. Do you know what I’ll do?
I’ll make you, again, the best Sneetches on the beaches.
And all it will cost you is ten dollars eaches.”

“Belly stars are no longer in style”, said McBean.
“What you need is a trip through my Star-Off Machine.
This wondrous contraption will take OFF your stars
So you won’t look like Sneetches that have them on thars.”
And that handy machine working very precisely
Removed all the stars from their tummies quite nicely.

Then, with snoots in the air, they paraded about.
And they opened their beaks and they let out a shout,
“We know who is who! Now there Isn’t a doubt.
The best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without!”

Then, of course, those with stars got all frightfully mad.
To be wearing a star was frightfully bad.
Then, of course, old Sylvester McMonkey McBean
invited THEM into his Star-Off Machine.

Then, of course from THEN on, as you probably guess,
Things really got into a horrible mess.
All the rest of that day, on those wild screaming beaches,
The Fix-It-Up Chappie kept fixing up Sneetches.

Off again! On again! In again! Out again!
Through the machines they raced round and about again,
Changing their stars every minute or two. They kept paying money.
They kept running through until the Plain nor the Star-Bellies knew
Whether this one was that one or that one was this one. Or which one
Was what one or what one was who.

Then, when every last cent of their money was spent,
The Fix-It-Up Chappie packed up. And he went.
And he laughed as he drove In his car up the beach,
“They never will learn. No. You can’t Teach a Sneetch!”

But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say.
That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day.
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches.
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether
They had one, or not, upon thars.
 

UPDATE!!! Veripur is Verigood

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO VERIPUR!!!  Mr. Fedex arrived at my back door Saturday with a box of Veripur Hand Sanitizer courtesy Lippe Taylor.  This box of Veripur will be forwarded with my guys to Belize and put to use by a small medical clinic serving an impoverished area. {More on that later}.  Once again, thank you for your wonderful public relations!

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Part of what makes blogging conferences great are the sponsors.   Sponsors help keep the cost of conferences low and they recognize the power of social media. Behind the fingers of 700 women bloggers lay vast opportunities for advertising; this ensures good swag.   I normally don't promote brands on my blog because I'm just not into that, but today I make an exception and I'm not even being compensated {although I would love to have some sample tubes to pass along...hint, hint}.

Hidden deep within the recesses of my swag bag was a magic tube of hand sanitizing lotion.   I rarely use hand sanitizers because most contain alcohol which tends to dry out my hands and makes my skin peel.   I want to kill the germs people, not the top layer of epidermis.  This tube was labeled Veripur.  Upon further investigation, Veripur is a new product exclusively available at Walgreens.  Oh how I wish I had known about this product prior to entering the plagued dome.  I would have slathered my hands down with this moisturizing, germ killing product every few hours and conquered Mr. Flu.   This tube of lightly scented gold makes me believe I'm pampering my hands instead of killing nasty little germs.  Reality is, I'm doing both and that is a lovely product bonus.  Please visit the Veripur Web-Site to learn more, watch their YouTube video below, then go purchase their fabulous product.  Worth. Every. Penny.

Beyond Veripur being an exceptional product, a representative behind Veripur was a pleasure to meet also.   He mingled with the bloggers outside of the work venue to build relationships.   Because of his extrovert personality, my girl friends and I had the privilege of dining late one evening with Mr. David Binkowski and a few other fabulous people.  A funny guy, a good sport, and a joy to be around, David is the real deal when it comes to digital marketing. Thanks, David, for making the Beverlies feel special and for entertaining us with your wit and charm.  You Rock!

(Photo by Jenny Lawrence Viars)