Thursday, April 02, 2020

Gleaning Facebook: Distanced Grandkids

But for social distancing to avoid gettin' or givin' the $#%$#&%&^ Covid-19 we'd be in the air right now on our way to see our California babies!


Comments


Buff Hartnett
I would have soon been on my way to the Jersey shore for my first grandchild's first birthday, so bummed.


Terrell Shaw
Yes, we were to be in San Diego County for our granddaughter's 2nd b'day. Thank God for Facetime, but it ain't the same.


Buff Hartnett
Terrell Shaw
so true. Sympathy from the left coast.


Diane Conti
I had to cancel my trip to Iowa to see my daughter and family. This sucks!


Terrell Shaw
It sure does!


Trude Sansbury
Cance


Jaki Day
We have grandbabies in Lithuania 

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Trude Sansbury
We had to cancel seeing all four of our’s 2 weeks ago. Miss them like crazy.


Terrell Shaw
I feel your pain!


Sarah Spinks
I'm sorry this sucks. Brannon Shaw we need more pictures

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Terrell Shaw
Mack might enjoy the book I'm reading online (a chapter a day) while he's"homebound". It's my favorite kids' novel, The Lions Paw by Robb White. 


Carl Franklin
Courage. This too shall pass.


Rose McDonald Darby
Now that is painful!


Ann Gore
So sorry but I understand! I can talk to mine from the garage!


Duanne Walton
Such hard times!


Joyce Morgan Young
But, aren’t we fortunate to have FaceTime with grandchildren?

Gleaning Facebook: Conway on Trump

 From arch-conservative and life-long Republican George Conway (Yes, there are a few principled conservatives left):

"For Trump supporters, let me make one thing VERY clear!
For the record NO ONE is blaming the President for the virus. Let me repeat. Coronavirus is not Trump’s fault.
Here’s a detailed list of what we are blaming him for:
* Trump declined to use the World Health Organization’s test like other nations. Back in January, over a month before the first Covid19 case, the Chinese posted a new mysterious virus and within a week, Berlin virologists had produced the first diagnostic test. By the end of February, the WHO had shipped out tests to 60 countries. Oh, but not our government. We declined the test even as a temporary bridge until the CDC could create its own test. The question is why? We don’t know but what to look for is which pharmaceutical company eventually manufactures the test and who owns the stock. Keep tuned.
* In 2018 Trump fired Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossart, whose job was to coordinate a response to global pandemics. He was not replaced.
* In 2018 Dr. Luciana Borio, the NSC director for medical and bio-defense preparedness left the job. Trump did not replace Dr. Borio.
* In 2019 the NSC’s Senior Director for Global Health Security and bio-defense, Tim Ziemer, left the position and Trump did not replace the Rear Admiral.
* Trump shut down the entire Global Health Security and Bio-defense agency. Yes, he did.
* Amid the explosive worldwide outbreak of the virus Trump proposed a 19% cut to the budget of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention plus a 10% cut to Public Health Services and a 7% cut to Global Health Services. Those happen to be the organizations that responds to public health threats.
* In 2018, at Trump’s direction, the CDC stopped funding epidemic prevention activities in 39 out of 49 countries including China.
* Trump didn’t appoint a doctor to oversee the US response to the pandemic. He appointed Mike Pence.
* Trump has on multiple occasions sowed doubt about the severity of the virus even using the word hoax at events and rallies. He even did it at an event where the virus was being spread. Trump has put out zero useful information concerning the health risks of the virus.
* Trump pretended the virus had been contained.
* Trump left a cruise ship at sea for days, denying them proper hospital care, rather than increase his numbers in America.
Repeat. We do not blame Trump for the virus.  
We blame him for gutting the nation’s preparations to deal with it.
We blame him for bungling testing and allowing it to spread uninhibited.
We blame him for wasting taxpayer money on applause lines at his rallies (like The Wall).
We blame him for putting his own political life over American human life.
I hope this clears things up."


Comments

 Jaki Day
Thanks. Dear God hear our prayer. Get this man out of the White House. 
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Trude Sansbury
Well said.


Jim Doyle
God help us for Trump sure as hell can't. He's in over his head! Loud mouth buffoons don't make good leaders in a crisis. Their incompetence is always flushed out when the shit hits the fan!!!


Chris Shelly
The website shows the Global Health Security Agency as still in existence. Didn't check the rest. 

Also, according to the New York times, the CDC severely limited access to testing.
None of what I've posted refutes the fact that Trump is a gas bag.


George Kastanias
We are all on edge about what’s going on in the world today. But now is a time, regardless of political affiliations, gender or age to come together and do our part. Be a responsible, caring adult. Find something you can do everyday to make someone smile or help someone. If all you are going to do is be negative, spout hate towards our President or criticize everyone for their opinion, please delete me now. Please we have enough stress without reading this constant barrage of hate and disagreement EVERY SINGLE DAY. People are dying without their loved ones and their families are suffering as you sit at home and complain. Say a kind word. Life is short! Support your fellow man and be a part of this great country and lift each other up in prayer and encouragement!pastedGraphic.png

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Terrell Shaw
I certainly won't delete you, George, but you are welcome to unfollow me if my posts upset you. This is the most important time in my life, in my opinion, to speak out. We have not, in my lifetime, had such evil in control of our executive branch. Our President lies in every public uttterence and reveals his sociopathy, his total lack of empathy, over and over day after day. We have two existential emergencies: the virus and the president. Again, I understand the discomfort. I myself despise having to resist this evil day after day, but I must or I couldn't face my children, grandchildren, former students and friends, or my own reflection.
By the way, I do not hate Trump on a personal level. As a human he deserves our pity and our prayers. He has never known love. But we must hate Trumpism and the evil it does day in and day out in our nation.


Sandy Doughty
Terrell Shaw
Thank you for speaking out...you do it with far more compassion and eloquence than I do!
Almost, always, I can discuss and understand both sides of any disagreement and I'm always willing to listen to the other side's opinions.
This situation with trump is destroying my America!
I can't think of one negative opinion that trump hasn't expounded on, repeatedly, that causes discord among Americans and causes people to act accordingly.
Divide and conquer, I suppose and it's working.
He scares the very life out of me every time I hear him speak and I see what he's doing to my America. And, I wonder and worry how anyone with any morals, ethics, belief in God isn't able to see him for the trouble maker that he is, the conman that he is, the total lack of loyalty that he has for anyone.
What I'm trying to say is, HOW is there "another side" to this disagreement?! HOW could/would anyone be all for supporting someone who is trying his worst to ruin my any their America and it's peoples. Do they not understand that he wants to be Putin or Kim Jung Un, that he wants to be lord and ruler not President? That he has said that he has no respect for the working man/the poor man? He said that any man who wasn't rich was of no use to him. I just do not understand how there is an opposing group of people to honesty, hard work, respect for others, loyalty to family (wives), respect for women In general.

Gleaning Facebook: NINE TRUTHS & A LIE

Your job? Identify the lie in this post.

Jobs I have been paid to do:
1. Short Order Cook
2. Fuller Brush Salesman
3. Newspaper editor/publisher
4. Storyteller
5. Assistant Principal
6. World Book/ ChildCraft salesman
7. Stainless Steel Cookware Salesman
8. Workforce Development Director
9. SBDC Counselor
10. Classroom Teacher

Comments:

Angela Greear 7???
Terrell Shaw

It didn't last long but, sad to say, I did go door to door trying to convince folks to heed a 20-year-old boy's sales pitch on the glories of such cookware. Sorry. BTW I think I managed to sell only one set before I quit. 

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Nena Dake 1

Terrell Shaw Sorry Nena, see above.

Annie Shields 9

Terrell Shaw Oh my goodness! As I wrote mistakenly for #8 --- Even more amazingly, I was paid at Floyd Junior College's Small Business Development Center for helping beginning business folk put together business plans. We are talking here about the guy who started two unsuccessful businesses. Sorry.

Christine Reinolds Kozelle 5?

Terrell Shaw I was AP at McHenry Elementary 1973-1977. It was a very small supplement and other than occasionally filling in for the principal when he was sick or out of town, my extra duties were few. I had a full teaching assignment through those years. I loved my time at McHenry! Sorry.

Carl Franklin 2

Terrell Shaw I walked all over Rome and Glenwood selling Fuller Brush Products one summer in the sixties! Sorry.


Ellen Henderson Garrard #6?

Terrell Shaw I kept tryin' to sell stuff, despite proving over and over that sales is not my forte! This was the mid-seventies. Sorry.


Terrell Shaw Well, I guess it's time to admit it's a sorta trick post with two possible solutions. Anyone wanna have a stab at one of the trick answers?

Anita Stewart Short Order Cook?

Terrell Shaw See my note about the worst short order cook in history above!

Terrell Shaw OK FOLKS, I admitted above that this was a trick post. Whenever I respond to one of these memes this King of Elaboration* wonders if there is a different take to explore. So I offer first my confession, then two solutions for my post...
Confession: I have held all ten of these jobs and more with at least part of my motivation the acquisition of wealth. Solution Number One: the label, written in all-caps at the top is the lie, since I had all ten jobs. Solution Number Two: I specified that I had to make money at the jobs. I do not believe I ever made a dime off our newspaper, Broadside, during the two and half years we gave to it. Sheila drew a small salary as did some of our other owners and employees. but I kept my "day" job and never drew a salary. So I had the job but was not paid for it. With that understanding the label is true and number 3 is a lie. So forgive me but this is ALMOST April Fool's Day. * I spent eleven years teaching kids who were smarter than me in the Floyd County Program for the Gifted. I got in the habit of trying to think outside the box to try to stay one step ahead of 'em -- part of the time anyway! 

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Anita Stewart You pulled it off! Professional storyteller.

Peggy Davis Enjoyed post & every comment & answer Fantastic

Friday, March 27, 2020

National Theatre Day: Favorite Roles

Some of my favorite moments on earth have been on stage in theatrical productions. 

I stood in Rome City Auditorium as Archibald Craven singing the heart break of losing Lily in the duet Lily's Eyes. This wonderful production of The Secret Garden was directed by Brian Sikes. We only performed it a single time! It was videoed for the cast, but my copy of the video was loaned out and never returned.

Twice I have played the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but the wizard doesn't get to sing "Courage" --- that's the song I really wanted! :-)

In a Broadway Revue at Rome Little Theatre I sang a bunch of great songs including three from Les Miserables, entertaining as the raunchy n'er-do-well Thernardier in "Master of the House", then raging as the possessed Javert in "Stars", and finally pleading with the almighty for the life of Marius as Jean Valjean with the beautiful prayer, "Bring Him Home". 

In 2000, as Tevye, in Fiddler on The Roof directed by Don Rusaw. I was on stage for most of the play. I loved the whole thing, and have been asked to perform "If I Were A Rich Man" perhaps more than any other musical theater number, with the possible exception of "Bring Him Home". As Tevye I got to portray an amazing range of emotion.  But my favorite moment in that play was the quiet little duet with Golde, "Do You Love Me?" 

Opening night was a nightmare and my worst performance in anything ever. The second night I had one of the most important epiphanies of my life as I waited a center stage for the curtain to open and the rousing "Tradition" to begin.  And that performance was one of my favorites of all time. I'll tell that story another day.

But my favorite role was as Charlie Anderson. In 1998 Rudy Childs, a creative director, finally managed to put together a production he'd been talking about for several years. He as Director teamed up with producer Barbara Myers to establish a new production company called Stars In Our Eyes, found financing through all sorts of civic groups and used Shenandoah the Musical as a major fundraiser for the medical community. He cast me as the lead. Charlie is the curmudgeonly widowed patriarch of a family of six sons and a daughter as the Civil War comes to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The man sings songs of rage, of great hope, of joy, of despair, 

He he declares his neutrality in the war... he owes Virginia nothing!

When Sam comes to ask for Jenny's hand (my favorite scene) Charlie waxes eloquent.




 My favorite scene-I-wasn't-in was the boys' wonderful dance scene, "Next To Lovin' I Like Fightin'"






But eventually the war comes to the farm and Boy (Robert) is taken. 
And in his futile search for one son, another is taken by the war.

Charlie feels venomous murderous rage.



He sings the lullaby "Papa's Gonna Make It Alright" to comfort Ginny.


Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The Oak Tree's Revenge by John Schulz



John Paul Schulz
is a wonderful creator of stories and has been a contestant in the annual Big Fibbers Contest several times now. The 2020 contest would have been this Saturday but for the story of a novel virus and the world's latest pandemic. So sit back and imagine John telling this tale in the contest.

The Oak Tree's Revenge



 

Gleaning Facebook: Signs of the Times






 

Monday, March 23, 2020

Gleaning Facebook: Bill Harley Pandemic Concerts

 Live storytelling from Bill Harley every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 pm. for as long as we are stuck at home! Everyone should enjoy these but ESPECIALLY if you have school age kids get 'em to tune in. This first one is also availble anytime. I don't know if that will continue.

My kids, Brannon Shaw and Lillian Shaw grew up listening to Bill Harley's tapes and CDs on road trips and at home. He's still at it!

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Gleaning Facebook: Pandemic Politics

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
- J.R.R. Tolkien
 

If you are among those of my dear friends and family who remain in the thrall of Donald John Trump you may as well stop reading here. I realize now that you will not be convinced by anything I can say. We now know that the "Fifth Avenue" of the supporters Trump referenced applies not just to NYC but to the "Fifth Avenues" in Rome Georgia and most other cities and towns in the country.

There will be an election this fall, despite the pandemic, and for now the campaign is pretty much limited to TV and social media. The future of America demands that, just as we managed presidential elections during the Civil War and again during WWII we must do it again during a plague. This time we MUST change horses; the one we are on has been into the locoweed.
.
It is sad fact that our president dismantled our pandemic protections early in his presidency and then, even though briefed on the eminent pestilence, he crassly and for political advantage downplayed it --- even calling the whole thing a Democratic hoax --- while the virus ignored political philosophy altogether and just kept replicating itself among communists and libertarians, Democrats and Republicans, Socialists and Democratic Socialists. Anarchists and Mugwumps. Now Mr. Trump preens daily before the cameras and professes bipartisanship, while he derides the free press and takes the most ordinary journalistic questions as attacks on himself.
.
Well, Donald John Trump I suppose this is an attack on you. You are the greatest impediment to a unified defense against the pandemic. On my 73rd birthday I am frightened not so much for myself or my fellow old geezers, though we will lose many of our number in this disaster, but for my younger family and friends who must rebuild our republic. 

We must politically obliterate Mr. Trump and his ilk on November 3.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Daffodils 2020

Publ
My Mother loves jonquils. I have been planting lots of them in recent years, partly so I have them available to take her bouquets during February and March. I tried to find the black & white photo of 5-year-old Terrell presenting Mother a milk carton stuffed with flowers I'd picked for her... mostly dandelions, I think ... about 1952. (No luck.) So I've been picking flowers for her for about 68 years. What a blessing to continue to visit with her as I enter old age and she nears the century mark (97 now). 

Here is a bit of verse I wrote for her long ago:
--------
Dandelions in a Milk Carton

Thank you, Mama, 
For nursing me and diapering me,
for a dry set of sheets when I wet another,
for the Bible story book and Uncle Remus,
for all five sisters and my little brother, 
And all the good eating stuff
Like biscuits from wooden bowls
and datenut cakes and lemon fluff,
and Russian tea and yeast rolls  
For Jesus-loves-the-little-children and Deep-and-Wide,
For walking to school that first day by my side
And for your loving smile when I came in a run
with dandelions in a milk carton for all you’ve done.

Another recent addition to the yard.

David Matheny
Reminds me of Jesus's encouragement to us not to worry ...the daffodils of the field don't.

Tersi Bendiburg
Lovely jonquils, memories, and poem!

These tall but small yellow blooms were here when we bought the place. I probably should dig 'em and separate 'em --- I've never fooled with'em since 1993.





 
I've really enjoyed these. I planted them maybe twenty years ago or more. They are beginning to fade (mid-March).



Landscape designer (and my former student) Thomas Humphrey planted several of these camellias a decade or two ago.

Thomas Humphrey
Hey Terrell Shaw! Glad to see the picture. And I still remember your reading of The Jabberwocky in class! Hope you are doing well!

Terrell Shaw
And I still have the wooden horse cut-out you gave me when you were a kid decorating my yard on the side of my shed. 





These are my 2019 planting --- big yellow trumpets.

When I planted these tulips long ago they filled in between some Encore Azaleas, but those did not last.


More of the Fall 2019 planting.


I love these large mostly white blooms... a years-ago planting.


There are many varieties of daffodils. I think I planted these only last year.



Saturday, March 14, 2020

Back to Writing

My mother has always been a writer. At 97 she still lives alone ten minutes across town. We try to visit each evening.  I really enjoy our talks, usually about our church or our family (my two granddaughters especially) or about our lives in the different churches and parsonages of my Daddy's career as a Methodist pastor or about her growing up days in a mill village in Newton County. Yesterday she asked if I had written much lately and I had to admit that I have done very little writing excepting Facebook posts about politics mostly. So I thought I'd fit a little writing into every twenty-four hours since a big project has just fallen through --- though my wife would remind me that my list of very important stuff to do before my kids inherit my mess is lengthy and I really haven't the time.

I should follow this old advice of my own creation...

The Home Stretch
I haven't done my stretches, as I should.  
My verbs are wretched, stiff as wood.
My nouns are flabby with adjective fat,
wishy and washy as this and that,
gushy and gabby, fallen, flat. 

In the new year now, I highly resolve --
fervently vow -- baskets, buckets, of
rollicking, panting, working verbs,
stomping, splashing, dancing blurbs

to astound, aggrieve, prompt, perturb. 




Here's another...

Poetry
Don't get me wrong. 
I enjoy looking under the hood 
and kicking the tires, 
admiring the styling 
and color 
and detail.

I like knowing the history 
of the make 
and the influences 
that affected the designer.

But mostly I want 
to slide behind its wheel 
and cruise down the river road 
on this warm late April evening 
with the top down 
and Sheila 
nestled 
against my shoulder. 


Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Gleaning Facebook: Super Tuesday II

 I have long admired this good man. Now, barring something strange, he will be our nominee to reform the American presidency --

- from chaos to competence,
- from discord to good will,
- from kleptocracy to republicanism,
- from lies and insults to statesmanship,
- from treachery to patriotism.
He will lead a team. He has done it. He knows how.