Guinevere the Druid Goddess: Rumpelstiltskin ... Fairy Tales ... and Straw Into Gold ....

St. Laurentius Gold Embroidery on Royal Blue

Poof!!!

Oh, hello there.... Who are you??? Where am I??? What am I doing??? Blog??? The Troll??? Come to me my melancholy Bloggie!!! Oh ... the other blog.... Well, we make do....

Just apparating back (obviously with an unexpected turn) after waking from an admittedly self-imposed stupor following the fabulous Lughnasadh ... the Festival of Light ... the Feast of Lugh (pronounced "Lou"), the Celtic Sun God ... also celebrating the Druid warriors' return from the battlefields to begin harvesting the crops ... also a time when marriages were contracted so couples could begin "Celebrating the Journey" ... although for some time there was a great popularity in "handfastings" ... "trial" marriages which lasted for a year and a day ... at the end of which time the marriage contract could be finalized, or the couple could walk away from each other forever, with no penalty.

The festival also honors the Earth Mother and incorporates music, games and displays of horsemanship, as well as recitations of poems, genealogies and romantic tales. There are also jugglers and clowns ... sometimes it seems there are always clowns.... Lots of mead, vibrant sky-clad sacred dancing, stories and more stories.... So, as long as I'm here (even if my poofcipitous entrance was unplanned)....

Once upon a time there was a poor miller who, despite his industry at his trade and long hours of toil, only managed to eke out a bare existence. Obviously he had short-sightedly failed to pick up an MBA at Miller University ... you surely know the "School Song" (to the tune of the Notre Dame "Fight Song," and recalling an old ditty from the dim mists in the land of CHS):

Brew, brew for old Miller U,
Bring on the Stoly, Heineken too.
Send the grinders out for gin
And don't let a sober millwright in.
We never stagger, we never fall,
We sober up on grain alcohol....

But I digress....

Anyhoo ... the one extraordinary thing in the disgruntled miller's life was his beautiful daughter Guinevere (no ... I'm not that Guinevere!), and it was on her that he began to pin his hopes for advancement and security in a difficult world. The miller learned through the National Embroiderer that the King was seeking a wife, and became fixed on the idea that if he could only bring his beautiful daughter to the attention of the King, the King would fall in love with her and the miller's future ... and retirement, since Miller's Security was skating perilously close to insolvency (partially due to the depredations of the King and his predecessors) ... would be assured. Apparently the miller didn't give very much thought to whether being married to the King would bring his daughter happiness ... but what were daughters for, if not to please their fathers, and later their husbands???

One day the miller managed (after ponying up his meager savings to the Miller's Lobbyist) to win an audience with the King, and after the ritual bowing and scraping and forelock tugging ... stopping just short of a totally undignified full kowtow ... finally stammered out that he had come to offer his daughter in marriage. And the King, who had been searching high and low for a wife (sometimes really low ... which seems counter-intuitive ... but we may charitably assume that he just wanted to be thorough), asked the miller what was so wonderful about his daughter that he thought she might be suitable to be the First Lady of the land.

First, the miller praised his daughter's beauty ... but the King replied that there were many beautiful girls in the kingdom ... and that beauty itself was certainly not a sufficient recommendation to elevate a girl of low birth to the position of Queen. Then the miller told the King that his daughter was home-schooled (!) in the domestic arts, particularly spinning ... but the King countered that the woman who became Queen would have many servants to carry out quotidian domestic chores ... and that there were likewise many talented spinners among the King's maidenly (and not so much) subjects.



Illustration of Rumplestiltskin from The Blue Fairy Book, ca. 1889

In desperation, seeing his chance to impress the King slipping away, the miller blurted out: "But my Guinny can spin straw into gold!" And this did succeed in getting the King's attention....

The King had Guinevere brought to the palace, then placed her in a tower room with a spindle and bundles of straw, locking the door and leaving her with the warning that when he returned in the morning, if the straw had not been spun into gold, Guinevere would be executed. Nothing here about executing the father ... no leeway for the fact that Guinny herself had not made the boast that she could spin straw into gold ... just literally a "do or die" imperative....

When the King departed, Guinevere immediately began weeping copiously, for she knew she could not spin straw into gold, and she feared that on the morrow she would surely die. Suddenly a funny looking little man, Rumpelstiltskin, magically appeared (without introduction) beside her in the locked room and asked the reason for her distress. ("Rumpelstiltskin" takes a lot of keystrokes ... let's call him "Rumpy" for short ... grin and groan ... not to be confused with a somewhat treacherous and malevolent Secretary of Defense of the Dark Arts ... with a nod to the brilliant J.K. Rowling ... in more recent times....)

Guinny sobbed out the story of her dire predicament, and Rumpy asked what she would give him if he spun the straw into gold for her. Scarcely daring to hope that this odd character might be her salvation, Guinevere promised Rumpy her necklace ... which he accepted before proceeding to spin all the straw into gold, vanishing just as the dawn's first rays were beginning to touch the window.

Well, the King was so impressed that he immediately clapped Guinny into an even larger tower room, with an even larger amount of straw, and demanded that she repeat the feat the next night, or face death on the morning after (there's got to be one). And as darkness crept across the land, Guinevere's lamentations filled the night. Suddenly Rumpy appeared next to her and asked what she would give him if he spun this new straw into gold. So she promised him her ring, which he accepted before setting to work ... vanishing as the sun began to light the sky, leaving behind mountains of glowing, golden strands.

Once again, when he came to the tower, the King was impressed ... but still not convinced ... so he had Guinevere conveyed to an even larger tower room, with even more straw. That night, when Rumpy appeared to bargain with Guinny, she wailed that she had nothing left to barter for his services ... and so Rumpy demanded that Guinny give him her first-born, when the child reached an age where it could be separated from its mother. Guinny, distraught over her safety ... her very life ... hysterically assented, and once again Rumpy performed his magic.

When the King unlocked the door the next morning, he was so overwhelmed by the blinding sight of the spun gold that he fell to his knees ... and immediately asked Guinny to marry him ... which she did. None of the slightly variant versions of the fairy tale I have seen specifically addresses why the King ... obviously more than a bit enamored with the idea of Guinny's "ability" to spin straw into gold ... suddenly ceased his ultimatums (ultimata???) for more and more ... so one can only assume that his interest was, if not sated, dropped as a plot development device at this juncture in the story. Or perhaps the King developed an interest in gold spun from the fields in the kingdom of Exxon/Mobil ... or war profiteering, like KBR (Kings Buds & Reprobates).... But again I digress....

In the fullness (no pun intended) of time, Queen Guinevere (no, not that Guinevere either ... or this one!), with assistance from the King, produced a beautiful, healthy son, and all was well ... until one day when Guinny, who had forgotten her long-ago promise to the strange little man, was sitting plucking the dulcimer and softly singing Geisslerlieder (the songs of wandering flagellants) while reflecting on her now-wonderful life.

Suddenly Rumpy appeared out of nowhere and reminded her that it was now time to pay the price he had extorted from her under duress. Guinny wept, wailed and gnashed her teeth (not a good thing in those days of less-than-efficacious dental care and shoddy, actual eggshell veneers) and begged Rumpy to rescind their bargain. Rumpy pondered for a few moments and then told Guinevere that he would give her three days to guess his name ... and if she failed to do so, he would then take her child, as previously agreed.

Telescoping a bit here ... in a panic, Guinny dispatched knights and servants throughout the land, charging them to learn the name of the strange little man. And for two nights Rumpy returned and laughed maniacally at her as she ran frantically through a repertoire of "John" and "James" and "Joe" and "Percy" ... departing with a smirk at the end of the second night, sure that he would have his prize the next morning. But that day, Guinny was visited by one of her minions, who reported that in his travels to do her bidding, he had come across a strange house, in a strange forest, where he had observed a strange little man (do ya think???) hopping around a roaring bonfire chanting:

Tomorrow I brew, today I bake,
And then the child away I'll take,
For little knows my royal dame
That Rumpelstiltskin is my name.

Queen Guinevere despaired, for who in their right mind(s) would name a child "Rumpelstiltskin"? Aren't there laws??? At least in France and New Zealand??? Nevertheless, when the strange little man appeared that night to demand the fulfillment of their verbal contract, she ventured: "Is your name Rumpelstiltskin?" As she pronounced the name, rain began to lash the castle and the winds moaned ... and Rumpy emitted an unearthly howl ... whereupon he vanished ... resigned from his evil intent, some would say.... And Guinny and the King and their son (and their 2.4 other children) lived happily ever after.



Arthur Rackham illustration of Jack and the Beanstalk, 1918

(Like differing versions of this tale, there are diverse renditions of the end of Rumpy ... some quite gory ... but I have elected the kinder, gentler "vanished" and leave you to your own imaginations as to what happened ... or may happen ... to Rumpy. There is some talk of "war crimes".... Yet again, I digress....)

In analyzing the impetus(es) (impetii???) for this tale we find first a caution against bragging ... okay, let's just say lying ... to gain one's own nefarious ends. Also ... the assertion that Guinevere is able to spin straw into gold may be a metaphor for a woman's need for outstanding domestic skills ... although truth be told, the King does seem more interested in potential riches than in Guinny herself, or any real skills or talents she might bring to the relationship. Rumpy's demand for Guinny's first born child may carry a warning to mothers that if they do not properly care for their children, their progeny may be stolen and/or perverted by malignant spirits ... hobgoblins ... some deranged trolls (although certainly this reference would not apply to our sweet misunderstood friend Blog).

Regarding Rumpy's secret name ... there is the admonishment that we cannot vanquish problems until they are specifically (sometimes bravely, as in the case of the child who first dared to speak out that the President ... er, the Emperor ... actually had no clothes) identified for what they truly are ... that by accurately naming the problem(s), we begin to understand and overcome.

Further, the King in the story of "Rumpelstiltskin" may also be seen as an allegory for businesses (and bottom-line businessmen) who impose unreasonable, killing demands on their workers ... including that upon completion of assigned tasks, higher and higher demands and greater and greater tasks are imposed ... generally with no concomitant credit, acknowledgment, appreciation or remuneration. (Whoever first wove this yarn knew about lawyers ... some would say the second oldest and arguably the more ignoble profession....)

Like most fairy tales, there is a moral (actually more than one) to the story. First ... don't promise something that someone else is required to supply or effect (like the present fortunately term-limited "King" of a much closer land).

Second ... if you find yourself caught in a terrible scenario ... an absolute debacle ... take steps ASAP to clear up the picture ... hopefully sooner than seven or eight years later ... like telling the King that your father (or whoever has the King's ear) is senile, venal, deranged, depraved, delusional, at best a victim of fantasies ... or all of the foregoing. (And indeed it may be worth noting that the King himself seems a taco and a tamale shy of a combo platter.)

Third ... don't bargain in desperation with the devil, or with Kings or Presidents (redundant, I fear), or other strange little men, including any old, cranky, wealthy, tending lately to the sleazy and dishonest, totally out of touch former warrior (who despite claims to the contrary has never won a war), who when last hors d'combat was shot down ... which may not bode well for the ship of state he now seeks to pilot.

Fourth ... stop spinning disingenuous fantasies about drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Area (ANWR) and in undeveloped offshore areas when there are already thousands of leases covering millions of acres of land which are already set aside for drilling ... and when there are renewable resources such as solar, wind, etc., which will serve better in the long run and should have been developed starting 30+ years ago. Sidebar: It should be noted that drilling in ANWR, even if remotely feasible, would not reap any benefits until at least the year 2030. (Ooops! Wrong story ... That's "Jack and the Giant Drilling Rig" ... er, "Beanstalk"....)



Ali Baba by Maxfield Parrish (1909)

Fifth ... stop trying to sow fear and dissension among your subjects, particularly using overblown and manufactured fears to cling to power and satisfy your own greedy ends. (Ooops!!! Wrong story again.... That's the tale of "Ali Baba and the 40 Boogeymen" ... er, "Thieves" ... actually more appropriate in the current pervasive climate of cronyism amongst leaders of all political persuasions. Yet once again I digress....)

Sixth ... whether your name is Rumpy ... or George ... or Dick ... or Karl ... or Condi ... just go away ... quickly and quietly ... and let the rest of us get on with living happily ever after. Perhaps they should become itinerant Geisslerlieder minstrels, with all appropriate accoutrements....

Seventh and finally ... when there is a Guinny ... or a Nicki ... or some other humble (grin) soul ... sitting down regularly to try and spin straw into gold for the entertainment and enrichment of the "kingdom" ... the least you can do is provide a little more straw ... a bit of "conversation" ... perhaps some encouragement.... It gets lonely (and silent) in that tower....

Opinions expressed herein are my own goddessly musings, covered by provisions of the High Amalgamated Druid and other Constitutions, and all comments ... even from Kings, Presidents or wannabees ... are gratefully (and gracefully) accepted ... within reason and propriety, of course....

But enough! Gotta hurry and get Sister Triple Goddess Brigid back to the keep ... first drop that barely worn new frock at the resale shop ... before Bres sobers up and knows she's been gone....

Poof!!!

)O(

Celebrating the Journey: The Power of Love: Kay and Gayle Whitten

Kay (Eatherly) and Gayle Whitten
August 20, 1966

How did you meet and what attracted you to each other?

We met in our sophomore history class, and I (Kay) did not learn history, but I was attracted to a cute boy who was full of fun and had a great smile. Gayle says he thought I was cute but probably would not give him a second look. He was so intriguing that I asked him to be my date at the Future Teachers of America banquet on March 24, 1961. From that night on, we spent a lot of time together. After we graduated from high school, Gayle went to Wayland Baptist while I went to Texas Tech. That first year of college left us longing to be in the same town, so the next year, Gayle transferred to Texas Tech where we discovered that we truly wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. So we married August 20, 1966 and have lived in Lubbock ever since.

What was the biggest thing that you had to change or learn to make your marriage work? What was the biggest challenge you triumphed over as a couple?

According to Gary Thomas, a Christian author, “God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy.” We are living examples of the truth of that statement. Marriage has been a challenge for both of us; living together, respecting each other, submitting to the Christ in each other, choosing to stay together, living on a one-teacher salary and bringing up two children to be Godly people who are responsible and delightful, being stretched and stressed while taking care of sick parents while working full time, and then dealing with the deaths of our parents.

How has your relationship changed over time?

GOD is faithful, and today we are happier, more content, more in love with Jesus and each other than we have ever been.

What Accomplishment are you most proud of in your life?

Our children are healthy and successful, bringing up our five grandchildren in homes with love and affection. We thoroughly enjoy our grandchildren and are blessed almost daily to see the three who live in Lubbock. The other two are in Houston, and it takes more effort to see them.

What activities do you enjoy doing together?

For years, we had a boat and spent many hours boating, skiing and fishing. We have been privileged to take many wonderful and awesome trips together—Korea, China, Russia, Japan, Czech Republic, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Canada, London, Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona, all over Texas, and soon we will go to Virginia and Washington, DC. We enjoy bird watching and sharing in the excitement of finding birds wherever we go.

What is your favorite thing about being married?

Having someone to share LIFE with is a precious gift, and God has used this gift to draw both of us closer to Him, truly revealing that the process of becoming holy is a road marked with trials and suffering, but the eternal rewards, that far outshine merely being happy, are true love, joy, peace and happiness.

Is there anything you haven’t accomplished that you dream of doing together?

As I write this, God is opening new opportunities for Gayle to embark on realizing his life-long dream of teaching Creation vs. Evolution in churches and in the Ministry Training School at our church. Together, we prepare PowerPoint presentations that emphasize the authority of the scriptures as they relate to this topic as well as to our daily lives. This is just another step in our journey, and we are eager to see where this path will lead and what new and exciting things lie ahead.

In your experience, what is the secret to a good marriage?

Our secret to a good marriage is not really a secret but a scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (journey).”

Reflecting on the Journey: The Power of Love

As we looked at these two pictures (wedding day and today), we were struck by the enormous space that separated them. What filled all those years? We have been on a journey that has led us in many directions and through valleys, across rivers, up onto mountain tops, and today we look back over that expanse and are amazed that God has been leading us and He has allowed us to share this journey together for nearly 42 years of marriage plus five and one-half years of dating.

Kay and Gayle Whitten June, 2008

Marriage Bobcat Style

Thursday, July 31, we will begin a new series of posts entitled, Celebrating the Journey: The Power of Love. The goal for the project is to explore the question, “What is the secret of a good marriage?” All of the couples selected to participate include at least one spouse from the Class of 1963, with most having graduated from Childress High School. An added benefit for this project will be the opportunity for us to get to know each other in a different way other than the 18 year old classmates of the past.

During the past month, we have sent requests to many of our former classmates asking each one along with his/her spouse to consider participating in this project. Amazingly, the response was almost unanimously positive. Apparently this is a topic of great interest and we are so excited to begin the posts. Even more gratifying is the fact that many who have agreed to complete the questionnaires that were sent to to them are old friends who have not previously appeared on the blog. For those of you who have not yet been asked to participate, I assure you that we welcome every one and I will be contacting more of you as time goes on. However, if you would like to contact me prior to that, it would be a blessing to have you.

As the completed questionnaires are received each one will be posted on this (the main) blog. Because we consider these posts to be so special, a new blog (Celebrating the Journey) has been created so that we can move each one there for its permanent home. However, once again, because these posts are special, we want them to first appear where everyone can see them easily and then revisit them on the new blog as desired.

On Thursday, the first post (our mystery couple for now) will be featured along with a wedding photo and a today photo. Be sure to check it out.

http://childresshighschool-classof1963.blogspot.com/

Bobcat Treasure: Silk ... Spices ... and Essence ....

The Silk Road

When I began the "Bobcat Treasure" blogposts on September 15, 2007 with Pearls ... of Wisdom ... and Giants and Windmills (the editorial written by our blog friend and former teacher Darryl Morris for the May 19, 1963 Senior Edition of The Corral), it seemed natural to continue the planned series of updates on the Class of 1963 with the "treasure" theme. To date, in discussing our classmates, we have used analogies of a precious metal (gold on October 20) and precious stones (diamonds on September 21, jade on December 31, rubies on February 4 and emeralds on April 16), as well as one precious occasion (Amarillo Style, published by Nicki October 24, 2007).

But, as I pondered this entry which I anticipate will conclude the series (although I have learned never to say never ... because there is always and always, ever), I could not avoid thinking that there are so many other treasures, valued through the ages, which have not been included, which in their time have been accorded more worth than diamonds or gold. And it seemed to me that the incredible diversity of the individuals of the Class of 1963 almost demanded the further diversity of analogy. So I have taken inspiration for this post from ancient treasures from fabled lands ... silk, spices and perfumes (essence) ... which may have bedecked, stimulated or anointed Pharaohs and Emperors, or the Queen of Sheba, or Cleopatra ... as well as our thoroughly modern selves.

Silk fabric was developed in China between 6000 and 3000 B.C.E. (Before Common Era, a/k/a B.C.), and was originally intended solely for the use of Chinese Emperors, either to adorn themselves, or to bestow as gifts to favored members of the court. Through the enterprise of far-ranging Chinese merchants, starting about the time of the Han Dynasty (114 B.C.E.), silk eventually reached lands throughout the world on the storied Silk Road, which ultimately extended over 5000 miles and also was the conduit for other luxury trade goods like musk, rubies, diamonds and pearls.

The earliest evidence of the silk trade came with the finding of silk in the hair of an Egyptian mummy of the 21st Dynasty (1070 B.C.E.). In Homer's Odyssey, it is said that Odysseus wore a "gleaming" shirt, which scholars believe referred to silk. The secret of silk-making reached Europe at the time of the Byzantine Empire, around 550 C.E. (Common Era, a/k/a A.D.). Merchants of Venice traded extensively in silk and encouraged the growth of the industry in Italy; since the 13th Century, silk from the province of Como has been considered the most valuable in the world. Beautiful silk is also produced in Brazil, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, India and Thailand, as well as in other areas, and the finest examples are highly prized and quite expensive even today.

I've always been fond of the Robert Frost poem, The Silken Tent:

She is as in a field a silken tent
At midday when the sunny summer breeze
Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent,
So that in guys it gently sways at ease,
And its supporting central cedar pole,
That is its pinnacle to heavenward
And signifies the sureness of the soul,
Seems to owe naught to any single cord,
But strictly held by none, is loosely bound
By countless silken ties of love and thought
To everything on earth the compass round,
And only by one's going slightly taut
In the capriciousness of summer air
Is of the slightest bondage made aware.

But I digress....

Silk moths

Exotic spices (including salt, once known as "white gold" and for a time worth more than its metallic namesake) were also part of trade along The Silk Road, but had an even more extensive reach via other trade routes. Spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and ginger were trafficked extensively well into antiquity. Pepper and nutmeg became popular around the 7th Century C.E.

Expanded maritime trade led to an explosive growth in the distribution of spices from the Indian Ocean throughout Asia, from the Sunda Strait in Indonesia to the Cape of Good Hope, through the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea during the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt, where overland routes carried them to Europe and Africa. Java and Borneo in particular became hubs for the increasing trade in aromatic spices. Despite early Asian, Indian and Arabian supremacy in spice trading, from the end of the Middle Ages until modern times the spice trade was dominated by European traders, primarily the Dutch, Portuguese and the British. Penang in Malaya (now Malaysia), the setting of Tan Twan Eng's novel The Gift of Rain (recently referenced more than once by me on the the blog), was established as a pepper port by the British in 1786. The Kingdom of Aceh (now part of Indonesia, and devastated by the horrendous December 2004 Asian tsunami) was a powerhouse of the Southeast Asia spice routes. The Republic of Venice was also a major factor in the Spice Trade.

A major consequence of the Spice Trade was the discovery of the American Continent(s) by European explorers, since Western Europeans did not want to be dependent on, nor pay the heavy taxes levied by, the Muslim Ottoman Empire. The first Asian spice grown successfully in the New World was Jamaican ginger, a root originally from Southern India and China.

Silk enhances the appearance of those who wear it, and delights the eye of those who behold its splendor. Spices titillate our palates, and their judicious use often lifts quotidian nourishment into the realm of the extraordinary, and sometimes the sublime. Silk and spices are without doubt life-enhancing and give pleasure to those who encounter and appreciate them. And so, I give you silk and spices....

A spice shop in Morocco

Sharon Molloy: Office assistant, "Molly." Sharon is married to Ray Kelley (CHS Class of 1960) after 20 years of widowhood following the death of her first husband, Billy Smothermon (CHS Class of 1959). Sharon has published a wonderful update in "Show and Tell" (May 18, 2008), and she and Ray plan to be in attendance for the class reunion in Childress October 3-5, 2008. We look forward to seeing both of them then.

Bill Bailey: His Jeep, filming all of the CHS football games. Bill has allowed us to publish a great update on "Show and Tell" (June 10, 2008). He is presently Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, (where his wife Jean also works), after a 31-year career with the United Methodist Church. Bill unfortunately will not be able to attend the Childress reunion in October because of his school schedule, but we urge you to read his referenced bio.

Joe Hix: DE student, blond hair. We believe Joe lives in Childress. He plays the organ beautifully, as he did for my mother's funeral there in 1983.

Carolyn Z. Mooney: Tall, senior play. We believe Carolyn resides in Childress with her husband, but we have no additional information at this time.

Gerald Holeman: DE student, Kirkland. We believe Gerald has been living in Dallas, and we recently published an obit of his brother Curtis (CHS Class of 1960) on "Short Notes" (June 26, 2008). We have no additional information.

Patsy Poling: Hair, new Ford. Pat Sledge and her husband have been traveling in Colorado, but anticipate returning soon to their home near Waco. Pat does plan to attend the class reunion in October.

Don Morgan: DE student, black hair. Don is married to Billye and lives in Childress. They have two sons and no grandchildren. Don graduated from West Texas State University in Canyon, then entered the U.S. Air Force and was an officer/pilot for 7 years. He has been farming in Childress since leaving the USAF in 1975. Don said (in our conversation this evening) that he is enamored of a French singer named Isabelle Boulay (look/listen on YouTube) and is contemplating a trip to Paris. He adds that he will plan on attending our class' dinner reunion on October 3 ... if he is not in Paris with Isabelle by then. (Billye was present during our conversation, and he was still living when I hung up .... grin....) I enjoyed talking to Don and look forward to seeing him soon.... Since publishing, we have been informed by unnamed (but reputable ... more or less ... grin) sources that Don is a devotee of the TV program "Dancing With the Stars." On one viewing, when the end of the show was somehow cut off, Don (through Billye) registered a complaint with the local ABC affiliate, which was later broadcast with other complaints received about the abrupt truncation of the show.

John Steed: Student council, Senior play cast. In recent e-mails from John, we have learned that John is a lobbyist working in Austin and, when not working, is at his homes in Arlington and Fort Worth. His next door neighbors are the actor Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure, etc.) and the novelist Sandra Brown. He is married to a doctor of Internal Medicine who practices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Sherry Sides: Betty Crocker Award winner, green Ford. Sherry and her husband, Dennis Haddon, live in Lubbock. Sherry works for the Lubbock I.S.D., and we wonder if her path ever crosses with Wayne Havens (see "Show and Tell" published May 22, 2008).

Johnny Thornton: Basketball player, National Honor Society. John and his wife Katherine live in Fairview, in the Dallas area. John graduated from Texas Tech in 1967 and obtained his MBA from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. John is retired from a career which included more than 30 years with U.S. Steel. He and Katherine have one daughter and three grandchildren, one girl and two boys. When I spoke with John on July 24, he indicated that he will visit the blog and consider attending the October reunion in Childress.

Carolyn Bruce: DE student; dinner ring. Carolyn Bruce Lane lives in Childress. I talked with Carolyn this morning (Saturday, June 26) and she told me she and her husband Dwayne have adopted and are raising two grandchildren (ages 15-17). Between them, they have four children and eight grandchildren. Carolyn and Dwayne are both retired. Their home was severely damaged in the recent Childress tornadoes. She said she had been hoping for a new roof, but that wasn't exactly the way she had imagined getting one ... and we both laughed over the wisdom in the old caveat to be careful of what you wish for ... or at least specific in the details of the request. Carolyn has also been battling cancer, and hopes to be able to attend the Class of 1963 dinner on October 3 at K-Bob's, if her health permits. We certainly send our best wishes to Carolyn and do hope to see her soon.

Bettye Galyean: All-Star volleyball player and NHS [National Honor Society]. Bettye Galyean Seagroves lives with her husband in Westcliffe, Colorado. after retiring from their jobs in Childress.

Philip Tutor: Basketball player, FFA. Phil (a/k/a "The Bish" and "Mzunga" as well as other colorful appellations) is pastor of the New Life Church in Stafford, Arizona and has traveled the world and the U.S. in the course of his ministry. We were privileged to publish a topic post from Phil, Change ... It's Good for You!!! on March 4, 2008. There was a wonderful mini-reunion with Phil and his wife Winnie, Jim and Nicki, Linda Kay and Wayne, Coach Joe Warren and Yahn and I at Pappadeaux's in Dallas on April 9, 2008 (to read about the mini-reunion, see It Was a Dark and Stormy Night..., published April 11, 2008). Winnie and Phil have 16 grandchildren!!! Phil is in Rwanda as this is being published. At this juncture, Phil will not be able to attend the Childress reunion in October, though we continue to hope for a change in his schedule.

Barry Wakefield: Junior play cast, UIL poetry interpretation. We understand Joe Don is in occasional touch with Barry and are awaiting information from him, but have nothing further at this time. We believe Barry is considering attending the October reunion. We have just learned that Barry graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in accounting, following a stint in the Navy. He has lived/worked in Oxnard, California for Helena Chemical for a number of years. We understand that Barry frequently travels to Texas to visit family and friends, and so hope this bodes well for attendance at the reunion.

Patricia Painter: State FHA Degree, Corral staff. Patricia Painter McCain lives in Missouri City, Texas (outside Houston).

Gayle Whitten: Best-Natured, National Honor Society. Gayle is married to our classmate Kay Eatherly Whitten and they live in Lubbock. As Kay reported in connection with Bobcat Treasure: Gold ... "King Tut" ... and the "Lost Buddha"... (published October 20, 2007): I retired from teaching 4 years ago, and Gayle still has his painting business. He quit teaching after 12 years so he could own his own business and I could be home with our children. So for 20 years I did not teach but was mom to Melissa (nearly 38) and Mark (36). Melissa and her husband live in Lubbock and they have 3 precious children: Lindsay (7), Aaron (5) and Colby (3 months). Mark lives in Houston and has Kamber (6) and Asher (4). When all the "grands" are together, they are like "fireants" What a blessing! Gayle and I have an intense desire to serve our Lord Jesus in any way He leads. We have been on a couple of mission trips to the Czech Republic, and we may begin a ministry of "mom and dad" to missionaries. We are not sure right now. We have been blessed to travel a lot, and we love people, so we are waiting. Kay and Gayle have confirmed that they will attend the Class Reunion in Childress in October, and will definitely be at our Class dinner at K-Bob's at 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 3.

Johnny Wilson: Greenbelt football player, student council. John and his wife Pam live in the Fort Worth area, where John coaches and Pam teaches middle school, after both retired from careers in education in Oklahoma. They have two children, a boy and a girl. We understand his son is getting married in close proximity to the October reunion, which may preclude his attending.

Bryce Wormsbaker: Wavy hair. Bryce lives in Childress, is married with children, and works for the U.S. Postal Service.

Johnny Wright: Debate team, black eyes. We believe John is living in Greenville, South Carolina, but have no further information at this time. We will update if possible. Since publishing, I have spoken to John Wright in South Carolina and sent him the link(s) to the blog. We are hopeful that John will provide us with an update which we can share with the class. It will be appended here when received.

Etruscan perfume vase shaped like a female head

Perfumes (from the Latin per fumus meaning "through smoke") have been valued for trade throughout recorded commercial history. The blending of perfume began in Ancient Egypt, and was expanded by the Arabs and the Romans. The oldest known perfumery, dating to the Bronze Age about 4000 years ago, was excavated on Crete. The first recorded chemist was Tapputi, a perfume maker mentioned in a Mesopotamian Cuneiform tablet from the 2nd Millennium B.C.E. Gaius Plinius Secundus, a/k/a Pliny the Elder, author, naturalist, philosopher and naval and military commander at the time of the Roman Empire, described the basic ingredients and methods of making perfume in his Naturalis Historia, which was dedicated to the Roman Emperor Vespasian. (Pliny the Elder died during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 C.E. But again I digress....)

Early perfumes were made from amber, musk, aromatic oils and spices. Persian doctor/chemist Ibn Sina (a/k/a Avicenna) perfected the process of distilling oils from flowers, the process most often used today.

Scientific research (and sometimes personal experience) suggests that scent is the strongest trigger to memory. The smell of cut grass or baking cookies may remind us of childhood. The smell of woodsmoke can evoke thoughts of autumn or cozy winter nights before the fireplace. The scent of a particular perfume can recall a mother, a special friend, a lover.... Sugawara Takesue no Musume (1009-1070) knew the poignancy of memory manifest in a tantalizing waft of perfume when he wrote in Perfume Laden Air:

When from the neighboring garden the perfume-laden air
Saturates my soul with memories,
Rises the thought of the beloved plum tree
Blooming under the eaves of the house which is gone.

In about the 15th century, essential oils and blended perfumes used by ancient Greeks and Romans were often transported in amphorae, ceramic vases with two handles and a long neck which was narrower than the body of the jar. Amphorae have proven of great benefit to archaeologists, since amphorae found in shipwrecks or in caves or ancient cellars are sometimes so well preserved that the original contents are still present. Even when the amphorae have been broken, or lost for centuries, there sometimes remains a residue which can be reconstituted to a remarkable degree as it was in its original state. And so, finally, for those Bobcats, our former classmates, for whom we have been unable to find any information, I give you perfumes ... essence....

Greek Amphora, showing the goddess Athena


Juanita Foster: DE student and shorthand. No information.

Linda Ham: Larry's big sister, brown hair. No information.

Woody Maggart: FHA sweetheart, white convertible. No information.

Darrell Manuel: Track and speech club parliamentarian. Despite leaving messages for Darrell on the Classmates website (where he is registered), we have heard nothing from him and have no information.

Barbara Moore: Librarian's Club President; Joe's big sister. No information.

Linda Ritchie: Engaged, red hair. No information.

Eddie Simmons: DE student, student council. No information.

Eddie Worthington: DE student, green Falcon. No information.


If we have inadvertently missed any of our graduating classmates in this series, or have unknowingly conveyed incorrect or incomplete information, we would appreciate your letting us know.

We also hope to catch up more with our classmates at the Class of 1963 dinner at 7:00 p.m. at K-Bob's Restaurant in Childress on Friday, October 3, 2008, held in conjunction with the All-School Reunion October 3-5. If you do plan to attend, please let us know so we can arrange for the appropriate number of seats. See you soon???

)O(

To Be Or Not To Be Boring: That is the Question

Recently, I have been communicating with many of the members of the CHS Class of 1963 in regard to a new blog project that I am working on. The project is called “Celebrating the Journey: The Power of Love” or it could also be called “Secrets for a Lasting Marriage.” The response has been great, and just for the record, if you haven’t heard from me, you will! Every couple that I have contacted so far has been asked to complete a questionnaire by responding to questions regarding their marriage, most of which are approaching the 30th to 40th or more anniversaries. I have had to smile several times because one of the first responses that I have had is something to the effect that while they as a couple will be happy to participate, they can’t imagine what they can contribute that would be of interest because as they describe themselves, “we are the most boring people you can imagine!” Now, I have to smile, because that is the way I often describe myself and Jim. Naturally, being the curious person that I am, I began to think about “boringness.” Why do so many of us think of ourselves as boring? What makes a person boring” Is it bad to be “boring?” Does one have to be a “party animal” to not be boring?” “Is boring the same to each person?” Who determines the standards for boringness?” The questions are endless.

In a past comment to one of the posts that Jennifer published, I told Jennifer that I was certain that her marriage to Yahn is never boring. She assured me that when they married she promised him that he would never be bored and she has indeed kept that promise. I know that Jennifer could say this much better than I, but from our conversations over the past year, I have observed a true joie de vivre (love or joy of life) that emanates from the two of them when they speak of their travels, share the books they are reading, describe the restaurants and good food they have discovered, when they speak passionately about the beliefs and causes that they care about, and when they speak about each other. They have many friends that they enjoy, and in the past both enjoyed interesting careers. Could the secret of their “non-boringness” be the result of making it a priority to savor life to the fullest in mind, body, and soul?

What about the rest of us? Is it possible that some of us have failed to recognize and nurture the things in our life that could contribute to our own personal joie de vivre or love of life? Though I often think of myself as boring to other people, I find that I am never or rarely ever bored. How can that be? I find great pleasure in reading so as long as I have my books I can pass time in total contentment no matter what else might be going on around me. I love being at home. I experience contentment when I am surrounded by my things, my yard, and my kitties, and I love it when Jim is there, too. I enjoy working on the computer, the blog, and other technology related projects. I love learning new things. I have friends to lunch with, family to be with, and my church where I find peace, but spending time alone is also necessary to my sense of well-being. I have no doubt that there are many who would find my life style choices to be boring, while I view it as a good thing.

Jim on the other hand is drawn to activities that take him outside our home. He loves spending time at the golf course sometimes with friends, but often alone. When he was coaching, he spent most of his time in the gym, and when he wasn’t on the court, he loved spending time in his office. In other words, he, too, is drawn to a place where he can spend time alone working on the things he loves—golf and basketball. When he is at home, he enjoys sitting in his chair reading and working on his current interests, and I think he likes it when he sees me there, too. Spending time with family, going to church, and working in our yard are other priorities with him. However, he, unlike me, has to retreat to activities that take him away from home—no spending all day at home or watching television. He does not view himself as boring at all and neither do I.

The question in terms of being boring is how we rate as a couple. Perhaps because we are both contented with whom we are as individuals, it is not so important to dwell too much on how we are perceived by others. We enjoy our time together, and we do have many common interests; we are both open to learning new things; neither of us is a couch potato; we both enjoy activities apart as well as together; we are committed to our relationship, and we can still make each other laugh. In our own quiet way, I believe that we too savor a true zest for life through the priorities that we have established--- we share a true love of our family, our home, our God and our church, and for one another.

Maybe we only become boring when we think of ourselves as boring because we compare ourselves to the expectations and lifestyles of others and let other people set the standard for boring. When we immerse ourselves in the activities we love, surround ourselves with people we love, remain open to what life brings, maintain a sense of fun, and make no apologies for who we are (not boring at all) then maybe we, too, can bask in the warmth of having the much desired joie de vivre. The questions about “boringness” will no longer matter!

In my final observation, I find myself turning to the three furry felines that share our home. We love all of them and each is blessed with a unique personality.
Bandit is a whiner and is very needy. He can’t stay out of the kitchen where he constantly begs for food. He is never satisfied.

(Bandie hides under the table waiting for a chance to escape into the house for food.)

Coalie is very sweet, very quiet, and a total couch potato—sleeping the day away. He only moves from comfy spot to comfy spot inside and outside. He has
little interest in anything else.

((Coalie rests on the bench until it is nap time.)


Both of these kitties in their defense are getting old and their lives have been disrupted by Chloe, the new
kitty
in the house,

Chloe is only two. She is full of life. She is constantly on the move and has a total fascination with learning new things and investigates every object inside and outside. She delights us with her curiosity and zest for life. Chloe is also extremely fascinated with the humans in the house-watching every thing we do, listening to us, and never failing to make us feel special in her life by purring, snuggling, and seeking us out for attention. In return we find her delightful company because she brings to us a total sense of fun and love of life that is a joy to experience. I know that if I give it a little thought, there is a valuable lesson to be learned here when I think in terms of relationships and boringness.


(Chloe Keeps watch on the yard to protect it from intruders like birds and other cats.)



Now, if only I can get Jim to learn to use a computer, and if only he can finally teach me to play golf!! Let the fun begin.