I had never heard of the Kiwi Company until my friend Margaret told me about it. She wanted to send the kids a “crate” every month. My kids LOVE them! If you have children (any age), these are perfect for those rainy days when they cannot go outside and play. We had a few of those rainy days recently and the projects kept our kids pretty busy.
I love these because they keep the kids off tablets and away from the TV. Each “crate” has a theme. Some recent themes we got were Caterpillars & Butterflies, Camping, Star Gazing, and Exploring nature. Each crate has a project or two (and sometimes a bonus one) that will keep the kids busy.
There is also a little book that comes with each crate. Ours features a koala, alligator and a parrot who are all friends. The story in the book is often related to the theme of the crate. My kids love those books and puts them up on their bookcase.
Here are a few of the projects we worked on in the past month or two. Our nature kit came with a bag, a magnifying glass and a box to keep things from nature. We went out in the yard looking for rocks, sticks, grass, leaves, clovers and flowers. There were a few different cards that could be used to find other things, too.
The camping box came with a fabric sheet to build a tent. It also came with a camp “fire” that you put together (and the light makes it look like fire), a red and white checkered blanket for a picnic, and of course, ants.
In one of the nature boxes, they had the kids make flowers from felt. At the same time, it encouraged them to find sticks and other things that might fit and look good with the felt items.
In the space crate, there were stars and sticks that you could make constellations with. There was glow in the dark paper that you could punch star “holes” in to show a starry night. Finally, some paint to paint your own galaxy.
From top to bottom: Andrew’s, Ella’s and my paintings.
One of the crates had a “polar” theme to it. The kids fell in love with these penguins. It comes with little wooden fish that you stand up. The penguins have a pull string that makes them vibrate and “walk.” The idea is to get your penguin to knock down the fish. They were happy to just snuggle with them.
My favorite one we did was the Caterpillar/Butterfly crate. This tied right in with what Ella’s Preschool class did at the end of the year. They watched a caterpillar curl up in a chrysalis and waited for a butterfly to emerge.
This crate had a plush caterpillar that comes with a bag (chrysalis). You put the caterpillar in the bag and wait …
That caterpillar turns inside out. When it does, you have a butterfly.
The kids thought this was very cool!! Heck, so did I.
We also got to make a butterfly that flaps its wings.
My wife and the kids took “Ice paint” and made pictures yesterday. The crate comes with food coloring and a little “popsicle” maker. Add the coloring to water, freeze it, and pop them out to color on the paper/postcards provided. Too fun!
We’ve probably been doing these crates for 2-3 years now. They just keep getting better. As I said, they have crates designed for various age groups. We’re getting the 3-6 year old crates now. They even have crates for ages 12-100, in case you want to do one yourself.
Knowing how difficult it can be to have the kids in the house all day, having something like this is an amazing way to teach your kids and spend quality time with them.
I am not being paid to talk about Kiwi Company. I am just a satisfied dad who is sharing a great idea. Learn more at their website HERE.
For Tune Tuesday today, I want to play both sides of the record. The A-side was a hit for the recording artist, while the B-side was a hit for another artist a few years later.
Robert Byrd was born on this day in 1930. He is best known by his stage name – Bobby Day. It’s interesting that a guy named Byrd would have a hit song about a bird – Rockin’ Robin.
He was part of many groups, including the Crescendos, the Jets, the Voices, the Sounds, and The Hollywood Flames. He actually helped write the Flames biggest hit, “Buzz Buzz Buzz.”
Rockin’ Robin was a solo hit for Bobby. It went #1 on the R&B chart and #2 on the Hot 100. The Hollies, Gene Vincent and Michael Jackson all covered the song. In 1980, the song was also featured on The Muppet Show, with their house band The Electric Mayhem performing it in a tree with some feathered friends.
Fun Fact: That famous piccolo part was played by Plas Johnson, who was better known as a saxophone player – he did the Pink Panther theme.
The B-side of this single was a song called “Over And Over,” which was written by Day. In 1965 became a US #1 hit for The Dave Clark Five when they covered it. It was their only US #1.
Bobby Day and Thurston Harris released the song the same week. Both entered the Hot 100. Harris’s version topped out at #96, while Bobby’s bubbled under the top 40, reaching #41.
Personally, I like Bobby’s version the best.
Bobby Day died of prostate cancer on July 27, 1990, at age 60.
It was on this day in 1989 that Dennis Quaid hit the big screen as Jerry Lew Lewis in Great Balls of Fire.
The film covers the early career of Lewis, from his rise to rock-and-roll stardom to his controversial marriage to his 13-year-old cousin. That marriage led to his downfall. Until the scandal of the marriage depreciated his image, many had thought Lewis would take over Elvis Presley as the “King of Rock and Roll” in the 1950s.
The story was co-written by Myra Gale Lewis (her autobiography Great Balls of Fire!), the former wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, with Murray Silver. Despite this, co-writer Silver was upset by the lack of accuracy in the film, claiming it was “phoney”.
Lewis openly stated that he hated the film and the book it was based on. He did, however, praise Quaid’s portrayal of him in the film, saying “he really pulled it off”. Quaid even learned to play “Lewis-style” piano for the role.
For the soundtrack, Lewis re-recorded some of his music from the 1950s. The songs included “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “That Lucky Old Sun,” “High School Confidential,” “Breathless,” and the title track.
Overall, the re-recordings aren’t bad. Jerry Lee’s voice still sounds great and the sound is pretty close to that of the originals. Many of them are longer and contain extra solos, which is actually neat to hear.
I could pick a few from this soundtrack, but I’ve gotta go with the title track. Here are the versions from the film, the soundtrack and the original hit.
As many of you know, I live in Michigan, near Flint. Big things happened here!
On June 30, 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, watch as the first completed Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American icon, rolls off the assembly line. It was one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.
The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors’ pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. The project was eventually code-named “Opel.”
In January 1953, GM debuted the Corvette concept car at its Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It featured a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine and according to GM, was named for the “trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II” The Corvette was a big hit with the public at Motorama and GM soon put the roadster into production.
The first Corvette off the production line was hand-assembled. It featured a Polo White exterior and red interior, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, a wraparound windshield, whitewall tires and detachable plastic curtains instead of side windows. The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles. Other components included a clock, cigarette lighter and red warning light that activated when the parking brake was applied—a new feature at the time. The car carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly average speed.
In 1954, the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Sales were lackluster in the beginning and GM considered discontinuing the line. However, rival company Ford had introduced the two-seater Thunderbird around the same time and GM did not want to be seen bowing to the competition. Another critical development in the Corvette’s survival came in 1955, when it was equipped with the more powerful V-8 engine. Its performance and appeal steadily improved after that and it went on to earn the nickname “America’s sports car” and become ingrained in pop culture through multiple references in movies, television and music.
The Corvette has always been an iconic vehicle. There are Corvette Clubs all over the country. Classic models are always out at car shows in the summer. It is a beloved car!!!
I had meant to blog earlier, but I got preoccupied with a spur of the moment project. I spent almost all day in my garage.
I was going to change the oil on my riding mower, but before I did that, I knew I had to give myself some room. This led to me emptying almost everything out onto the driveway and sorting.
My son is forever playing with my tools. So I made a pile of all the tools I found throughout the garage. I have been wanting to get the tool boxes reorganized anyway.
I had Christmas boxes that were in the back of the garage, but I finally put them in the loft. I also was able to rearrange things so all the Christmas stuff was in the same area.
I moved my table saw from the way back up to the front. It seems like I’ve been using it enough to warrant the move.
I made space for the snowblower and rototiller up against the back wall. This allows for me to pull the mower in a bit further.
I put up some nails/screws to hang things. I have all these yard tools that were always being thrown in a corner. It’s nice to have them, and my extra extension cords hung on the wall.
With the back and forth from the garage to the curb for garbage day, I hit my step goal long before late afternoon. My Fitbit says I got 195 minutes of exercise today. No surprise there.
As silly as it sounds, just having a clean floor out there is worth it. I feel like my garage collects every possible leaf from the fall, and enough dirt to fill a huge hole!
I have an area cleaned for the kids bikes, scooters and wagon. I also have room for their battery operated car. I still need to “clean out” some stuff in tubs and boxes, but I will do that another day.
It is clean! It was well worth the work I put in. Now, I’m exhausted. It will be a VERY early bedtime for me tonight!!
It was on this day in 1951 that the Amos ‘n Andy Show premiered on CBS television. The show had been a huge success on radio for many years prior to this. The difference between the two? The radio program had the characters played by white actors.
The show was created by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and almost all of the characters on the radio show were played by them. The show was so popular that many stores and businesses closed down for the time Amos ‘n Andy were on the radio.
Hoping to bring the show to television as early as 1946, Gosden and Correll searched for cast members for four years before filming began. CBS hired the duo as producers of the new television show. According to a 1950 newspaper story, Gosden and Correll had initial aspirations to voice the characters Amos, Andy and Kingfish for television while the actors hired for these roles performed and apparently were to lip-sync the story lines.
A year later, both spoke about how they realized they were visually unsuited to play the television roles, citing difficulties with making one of the Amos and Andy films.
Correll and Gosden did record the lines of the main male characters to serve as a guideline for the television show dialogue at one point. In 1951, the men targeted 1953 for their retirement from broadcasting; there was speculation that their radio roles might be turned over to black actors at that time.
Adapted to television, The Amos ‘n Andy Show was produced from June 1951 to April 1953, and was primarily sponsored by the Blatz Brewing Company. 78 half hour episodes were eventually produced. The television series used black actors in the main roles, although the actors were instructed to keep their voices and speech patterns close to those of Gosden and Correll. It was produced at the Hal Roach Studio for CBS. The program debuted on June 28, 1951
The main roles in the television series were played by the following black actors:
Amos Jones – Alvin Childress
Andrew Hogg Brown (Andy) – Spencer Williams
George “Kingfish” Stevens – Tim Moore
Sapphire Stevens – Ernestine Williams
Ramona Smith (Sapphire’s Mama) – Amanda Randolph
Algonquin J. Calhoun – Johnny Lew
Lightnin’ – Nick Stewart (billed as “Nick O’Demus”)
Ruby Jones – Jane Adams
Tim Moore
Vaudeville veteran Tim Moore as Kingfish became the undisputed star of the television version, and one of the first Black actors to achieve TV stardom. Amos, the hard-working family man, was mostly relegated to providing brief commentaries to the audience and occasionally intervening to rescue his friends from some mess of their own making. Many of the plots involved Kingfish trying to rope the naive Andy into a money-making scheme; this sometimes led to a twist ending that gave Andy the better of things. Another frequent scenario was Kingfish trying to hide some scheme or misdeed from the watchful eye of his wife Sapphire. Bachelor Andy’s roving eye for the ladies was also a source of plotlines.
The NAACP mounted a formal protest almost as soon as the television version began, describing the show as “a gross libel of the Negro and distortion of the truth”. In 1951 it released a bulletin on “Why the Amos ‘n’ Andy TV Show Should Be Taken Off the Air.” It stated that the show “tends to strengthen the conclusion among uninformed and prejudiced people that Negroes are inferior, lazy, dumb, and dishonest, … Every character” is “either a clown or a crook”; “Negro doctors are shown as quacks and thieves”; “Negro lawyers are shown as slippery cowards”; “Negro women are shown as cackling, screaming shrews”; “All Negroes are shown as dodging work of any kind”; and “Millions of white Americans see this Amos ‘n’ Andy picture of Negroes and think the entire race is the same.”
Alvin Childress
In the documentary Amos ‘n’ Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy (1983), Alvin Childress (Amos) said that he never felt that the show was that negative of a portrayal of blacks since it was the only television show at the time that showed black people as businessmen, policemen, judges and doctors rather than maids or janitors.
That pressure was considered a primary factor in the show’s cancellation, even though it finished at #13 in the 1951–1952 Nielsen ratings and at #25 in 1952–1953. Blatz was targeted as well, finally discontinuing its advertising support in June 1953. It has been suggested that CBS erred in premiering the show at the same time as the 1951 NAACP national convention, perhaps increasing the objections to it.
The show was widely repeated in syndicated reruns until 1966 when, in an unprecedented action for network television at that time, CBS finally gave in to pressure from the NAACP and the growing civil rights movement and withdrew the program. The series would not be seen on American television regularly for 46 more years. The television show has been available in bootleg VHS and DVD sets, which generally include up to 71 of the 78 known TV episodes.
A very similar thing happened with the show Life With Luigi, which featured Alan Reed (voice of Fred Flintstone). It was about Italian immigrants. It was also adapted from the radio show and first aired in 1952.
Life With Luigi
Although it enjoyed high ratings, the show was pulled because of pressure from the Italian-American community. CBS tried to respond to advertisers’ concerns by tinkering with the characters, the writing, and replacing the actors with Italian actors, but the revised show was unsuccessful and was cancelled within weeks.
In 1983, a one-hour documentary film titled Amos ‘n’ Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy aired in television syndication (and in later years, on PBS and on the Internet). It told a brief history of the franchise from its radio days to the CBS series, and featured interviews with surviving cast members as well as popular black television stars such as Redd Foxx and Marla Gibbs who reflected on the show’s impact on their careers. Foxx and Gibbs emphasized the importance of the show featuring black actors in lead roles and expressed disagreement with the NAACP’s objections that had contributed to the program’s downfall. The film also contained highlights of a select episode of the classic TV series (“Kingfish Buys a Lot”) that had not been seen since it was pulled from the air in 1966.
Growing up, I was very familiar with the radio show. It aired often on the When Radio Was show that featured classic shows from the Golden Age of Radio. It was very clear why it was the most popular show on the air. It was well written and funny!
I first saw the television show when my dad got a copy of the show on VHS from the library. It was just as funny or funnier, because the actors were so good. Their facial expressions only enhanced the comedy.
In an episode entitled Leroy’s Suits, the Kingfish is trying to get Calhoun, the lawyer, to buy one of the suits. He tries it on, the jacket is extremely big on him. When Calhoun mentions this, the Kingfish says it looks amazing on him. To prove his point he has him look in a mirror. Kingfish grabs the back of the coat and pulls it so the jacket looks like it fits perfectly. I remember laughing so hard at that.
Almost every comedy show where the plot involves a scheme to make money or a misunderstanding leads to comedy gold can find their sources in Amos ‘n Andy. It was a classic that was enjoyed by millions. It paved the way for comedy, for actors, and holds a very special place in TV (and radio) history.
Last week, I posted a picture of me in my grandma’s backyard playing catch with my dad. The more I thought about my grandma’s backyard, I was reminded of her back patio.
I distinctly remember there being a picnic table out there. I know my brother and I would eat outside with my grandma on summer days that we were there. The other thing I remember very well was the patio furniture.
My grandma and grandpa had this big, honking glider that was made out of metal. It was a puke green color and had little squares cut in it as a pattern both on the back of the glider and on the seat. If I had to guess, the glider probably weighed about, oh, 700 pounds or something. It was huge.
The patio set came with a rocker that had the same green and square pattern on it. There may or may not have been a chair that was just stationary that had the same style.
The picture above is me on the rocker. I’m guessing that any child of the ’70s will recognize that chair and probably be able to picture the glider. The one thing that I remember very well is that in the summertime if the sun hit that glider or chair for any length of time you could probably fry an egg on it. It was hot!
I’m guessing that the picture above was probably taken in the spring or in the fall as I’m wearing long pants. I have no recollection whatsoever of the gaudy shirt that I am wearing. I mean, what is that?! It looks like I’m about to join Roy Rogers and his band for a TV special. All that is missing is a pair of boots with spurs and a 10 gallon hat.
I honestly don’t know what my parents were thinking when they dressed me. You know I’ve raised two boys and am currently raising my daughter and my son. There has been no time at all where I have thought to myself “let’s dress them so they look absolutely ridiculous.”
No wonder people made fun of me in elementary school!
Update: They finally came and picked up the dryer we’ve been trying to send back. Now we have to wait for them to refund the money so we can purchase the correct dryer. In the meantime, there have been a lot of laundromat trips.
Andrew came to the laundromat with me one day this week. He wanted a candy bar from the vending machine. I bought him a Hershey bar. As he sat on the bench with me, the older gentleman who worked there said, “Oh boy, that looks good. Can I have a piece?” Without thinking twice, Andrew held up a piece for him. He politely declined and said he was joking, and thanked him.
5 minutes later, he came back and said “I have something for you. You are such a kind boy, I want to give you something special. He pulled out a brand new and uncirculated $2 bill. He said he gets them for his grandkids for Christmas. Andrew was thrilled.
The craziest thing that happened this week? I preached a funeral. For a bird.
Andrew kept talking about a bird. I told him I didn’t see a bird. So he walked me over to this bird that was, as Monty Python says, “no more.” I told them not to touch it and that I would take care of it. I found my shovel in the garage, returned to the yard and scooped it up. They asked if we could take it to the “bird doctor” like on Bluey. I said that it was a little late for the bird, because it had passed away.
I had never seen this particular kind of bird before. I searched the internet and it appeared to me a “Michigan Bluebird.”
I made the mistake of trying to dispose of it in the trash. I didn’t really think about it. They were visibly upset at the thought of this bird going in the garbage. Thinking quickly, I told them to both follow me. They asked what we were doing. I told them we were going to a have bird funeral. So I took the bird to the back of the yard, prepared a “grave,” and placed the bird in it.
So the three of us are all standing around this hole with the bird in it looking down at it. Ella said that we should pray for the bird. I asked her if she wanted to pray but she said that I should. So, I looked around at the back yards around me. I took a deep breath and while the neighbors to the left and right of me were out in their yards, I sent up prayers for the poor little black/brown and blue bird.
An “amen” followed afterward. I scooped up and replaced the dirt, covering the bird and we walked away. Ella said, “That was very nice, Daddy.”
As ridiculous as I felt, after she said that, I knew I had done the right thing.
18 years ago today, I became a father for a second time, when my son, Dimitri, was born. It is truly amazing to watch them grow from this…..
….to this….
“Don’t Blink” they say. True words.
He was always a bit more athletic than my oldest son. He loved to play T-ball, and I got to be his coach.
In high school, he took an interest in golf, and I loved being able to get out and shoot 18 holes with him.
There was never a dull moment when he was around. I was DJing an event one time, and had some music programmed ahead of time. I had left the stage for a minute to give out prizes and when I returned he had donned my headphones, put on some gold shades, and was acting like he was spinning tunes!
After my wife and I got back from Florida (and getting married), the first day back and went and watched him in his first play. He was actually very good and even sang on stage.
18 years have flown by, son. I know that life hasn’t always been easy, but I want you to know that no matter what, I love you. I am behind you 100%. If you need to talk about anything, you can come to me and I will listen without judgement. I can promise you that I will always be here for you.
You are officially an adult today. As you begin this new phase of your life, remember that the world is good at throwing you curveballs. Keep your eyes forward. Get up when you are knocked down. Never let emotions influence a decision. Forgive. Love. Be YOU.
It was on this day in 1977 that Crystal Gayle released her album “We Must Believe in Magic.”
The album featured one of her best known songs – “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”
From Songfacts.com:
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” was a huge crossover hit for Crystal Gayle, going to #1 on the Country chart and climbing to #2 on the Hot 100, held off for three weeks in 1977 by a much more hopeful ballad, “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone.
Gayle nailed her vocal on the first try. “That was a first take,” she recalled to Billboard magazine. “I did not re-sing it. It just fell into place beginning with Pig Robbins’ opening work on the piano. It was magic in the studio that day.”
“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal plus Best Country Song for writer Richard Leigh. Leigh said the song was inspired by looking into his dog’s brown eyes.
Fun Fact: Loretta Lynn is Crystal Gayle’s sister.
Gayle made a lot of TV appearances when this song became a hit. For many viewers, it was their first look at Gayle, who had hair down to her feet.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 