Happy July Fourth - Photo and Firework Video!

Here's a short video of some fireworks we saw last night and a photo of flags near the Empire State Building to help get you into the mood for the 4th of July… Have a Happy July Fourth! Mama Lisa

Exhibition of Original Artwork from Golden Books

This traveling exhibition presents original illustrations from Little Golden Books. They celebrated their 65th anniversary in 2007. It includes 60 original illustrations from: The Poky Little Puppy, Tootle, Home for a Bunny, The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse, The Color Kittens, I Can Fly, and more. Check out the following [...]

Blueberry Pie Recipe made with Fresh, Unbaked Blueberries… Yum!

My sister, Gwen, makes this wonderful blueberry pie every summer.  This blueberry pie recipe leaves most of the blueberries uncooked.  What's so great about that is that you get the plumpness of fresh blueberries in your pie.  (It doesn't have the gooey feel of a baked blueberry pie - that might be more appropriate [...]

Slave Narratives

Last month I posted several songs that originate from the period immediately after the slaves were freed in the US.  They came from a study of Slave Narratives that the US government did in the 1930's, some of which are posted on Project Gutenberg. Recently Linda Austin wrote about what she read of the Slave [...]

Wet Walnuts Recipe

It's time to eat ice cream… with the warm weather here.  Why not make your own wet walnuts as a topping when there's a special occasion?  I made some for tonight's Father's Day dessert:  Wet Walnuts over Vanilla Ice Cream…  My husband's favorite! I'm a strong believer in adapting recipes to your family's tastes, so feel [...]

Gobolinks

A Gobolink is like an inkblot, but it's made for fun, not for psychological analysis!  To make a gobolink, you drop a little ink on a sheet of white paper. Fold the paper in half and press down the ink on the two halves of the paper.  Then you open the paper and you [...]

A Limerick about a Yak with a Jaguar on His Back

In Africa wandered a yak; A jaguar jumped up on his back. Said the yak, with a frown, "Prithee quick get thee down; You're almost too heavy, alack!" Definition of a Limerick: A five line poem with the form AABBA, often humorous or nonsensical [...]

On Friendship…

Friendship is no plant of hasty growth, Though planted in esteem's deep-fixed soil, The gradual culture of kind intercourse Must bring it to perfection. By Joanna Baillie

Crocodile Tears - A Poem

"Crocodile Tears" is a poem that could be sung as a song.  The expression "Crocodile Tears" means an insincere show of emotions.  According to Wikipedia, "The expression comes from an ancient anecdote that crocodiles weep in order to lure their prey, or that they cry for the victims they are eating. They are fake tears." Here's [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Rhyme Sounding Like, “Oddly boddlee finga hoof”? It's Most Likely German!

David Stewart wrote: Lisa, maybe you can help me with a poem my mother (now 78) learned from her grandmother when she was a child. I believe it is German and she has no idea what it means but has asked many people the meaning and has never found out. Your help would be greatly appreciated. [...]