Shopping With Eler Beth

Our local Value City Department Store is closing, and right now everything they have left is 70-80% off.

They had lots of cute shoes and boots in our sizes still on the shelves, and they were all 80% off their regular prices.

Need I say more?

I Wonder Where She Gets Her Sarcasm?

You know how picky I can be, right? Eler Beth was doing some geometry today, and I reminded her that you always put a period at the end of the abbreviation for "inch". And then I reminded her that you never use a period at the end of any metric abbreviation. She was writing "cm", so I said (with emphasis), "Never, ever, put a period after 'cm'."

She answered, "What! Will they sue me if I do?!"

Mission Accomplished!

At least, I think it is.

I posted my query about the poem on the Heyer Reading List Yahoo group to which I belong, and a very resourceful member named Robin found a poem quoted in a book of sermons that seemed to fit what I was looking for. I did a google search using a different line from the poem and was able to find it and the author. At least, it's very close to what I remember, so it must be it. Here it is.

One Day When We Went Walking
by Valine Hobbs

One day when we went walking,
I found a dragon's tooth,
A dreadful dragon's tooth.
"A locust thorn," said Ruth.

One day when we went walking,
I found a brownie's shoe,
A brownie's button shoe.
"A dry pea pod," said Sue.

One day when we went walking,
I found a mermaid's fan,
A merry mermaid's fan.
"A scallop shell," said Dan.

One day when we went walking,
I found a fairy's dress,
A fairy's flannel dress.
"A mullein leaf," said Bess.

Next time that I go walking -
Unless I meet an elf,
A funny, friendly elf -
I'm going by myself!

I'm still searching for more information on Valine Hobbs who was apparently a teacher in Texas, who published a lot of children's literature, and who has a scholarship in her name. She was a teacher back in the 30s and 40s, I think, so my mother could very well have read this poem when she was in school!

I'm On A Quest . . .

to find this poem. I'm hoping that someone out there can help me locate it. The last two lines of the poem are:

"The next time that I take a walk, I think I'll see an elf,
'Cause the next time that I take a walk, I'll take it by myself."

This was in a scholastic literature book back in the seventies when I was in elementary school. The poem was a few stanzas long and was about two children taking a walk. One child is very imaginative and the other isn't. The imaginative one keeps seeing fanciful things and drawing the other child's attention to it; for instance he may see a leaf and tells the other child that it's an elf in little pointed shoes, but then the other child says, no, that's just a leaf; so whatever the one imagines he sees, the other one bursts his bubble by telling him what it REALLY is. So the first child finally decides that the next time he takes a walk, he'll go alone so he can see what he WANTS to see. It's a wonderful poem!

My mother, who is 85, thinks she remembers the poem from when she was young, so it could be very old (then again, she may just remember reading it in our school book). I am in America, but it could be a poem from another country. I have googled the last two lines but so far haven't been able to find anything. If anyone has heard of or read this poem or remembers reading it in school, please let me know all that you remember. And if anyone knows the name of the poem or the author, I may have to leave you something in my will!

Thank you!

Mara's Father

Mara, of I Have Tea, lost her father on Friday. He had been ill for a while and is no longer in pain. If you know Mara (or even if you don't) please call 'round to leave a word of sympathy. I'm sure she would appreciate it.

"And this our life, . . . finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." William Shakespeare ~~

(From As You Like It, Act II, Scene I)


It is quite sunny and nice here today, even if it is only 49°F at the moment. I'm trying to make the most of it today because we're once again supposed to have rain and cooler temps tomorrow.

Nine days ago I made my first attempt at the Friendship Bread, and I never did post what kinds I made. Thomas loves anything with lots of raisins, so the first one was just simply cinnamon and raisin. Then I made a cranberry/raisin/apple/cinnamon/almond, and it was a big hit. The third was the chocolate/chocolate chip that I'd mentioned, and the fourth one was banana and walnut. We each had some fresh and hot, then I sent most of the rest to work with Thomas where it went over very well with the guys and gals in the office. Tomorrow it's time to make some more. My sister made a chocolate/cherry last week that I might have to try, and Thomas would like something with peaches, so we'll just see what I'm in the mood to put together and what kind of ingredients I have on hand. I think one or two will be going to a neighbor.

I've been reading a lot lately and have several books to write about and recommend on my book blog. Also, has anyone here ever read The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson? I did recently, and one of my favorites is "The American Scholar's Address". I would recommend it. I'm definitely going to write about it on DP Book Shelves.

That's it for now. Just felt like popping in to say hi to everyone.

Today's SALUTE from my visitors' locations goes to ~~

Ocala, Florida

population 53,491

and located 664 miles from me

(and which is also the home of my niece Sheila -- Sassy, is that you visiting from Ocala??)

Sa-LUTE!

An Honor Received

I almost forgot!

Last week I logged on to find that Sunday Beth had passed on a blog award to me and that on Monday so had Yasmin.

This is the Marie Antoinette Award, and apparently it is for people who blog about real things. I really am honored, simply because I respect both Yasmin and Beth, and am humbled to think that they think that my pen-scratchings are worthy of being mentioned. I am supposed to now pass this on to at least seven more bloggers whom I believe are "real" bloggers who write about "real" everyday life. That describes so many of the blogs that I read, so I'm just going to have to pick a few of the many that I could name. Many of those on my reading list have already been honored by someone else, so I'll try not to duplicate anyone. I picked a random group of good reads, bloggers of different ages and backgrounds; people I read for different reasons, maybe. So here are the rules and my list of recipients.


The Rules

1. Please put the logo in your blog
2. Place a link from the person, from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more
4. Put the links of those on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blog to let them know



My nominees are:

Anne (Saturday's Child)

Donna (DBP) (Dust Bunny Protecter)

Mara (I Have Tea)

Traci (My Life As A Transplanted Yankee)

Marti (Porch Stories)

Chefkelly (Pride and Prejudice)

Linda (Still The Cutest Grandbaby)

And thanks again Yasmin and Beth!