A True Fan My ninety-one year old mother, Thelma, is a spunky, lifelong baseball fan. Thelma grew up in Cleveland, and was in the stadium, cheering wildly, when the Indians won the world series in 1948. At one time, she could rattle off all the ball players’ stats, who was traded where and when, if they were married, where they lived, and probably even give you the names of their … [Read more...]
The Dickens of Detroit, Elmore Leonard
Detroit’s own Elmore Leonard is quoted as saying “There are cities that get by on their good looks. Detroit has to work for a living.” He was born in New Orleans but moved to Detroit as a boy, and he’s hung around since, often using the setting for stories, or featuring Detroit characters in his stories. He was dubbed the Dickens of Detroit . He passed away this morning at 7:15, … [Read more...]
Victorian Pop Fiction Writer Maria Corelli
Marie Corelli's 1886 novel Thelma, a Norwegian Princess resulted in a flood of baby girls named Thelma, a name she apparently created. One of those babies was my own mother, born in 1921. Apparently my grandmother had told my mother she was named after a book or a character in a book that she had read and loved. Curiosity piqued, I began to research books with that title, and learned about an … [Read more...]
The Best in Cement Goose Summer Fashion
From my daily walks with Clementine, I see the Fourth Street goose sisters have been going through a monthly metamorphosis. For spring, as I posted earlier, the front porch goose had been dressed in a navy blue frock and bonnet. Then, on the first of June, she’d changed into a summery floral print dress with a fetching straw hat and pink ribbon. At that time, I was sorry … [Read more...]
Another Dressed Goose… and a bit of history
Another goose spotting: After thinking that I'd found all the dressed goose statues in my neighborhood, I found this fowl a block from home, on a Sunday evening walk with Clementine after a windstorm. The pooch wasn't interested in the goose, but I almost tripped on a fallen branch on the sidewalk while gawking. I had to cross the street to take the picture. I believe this beaked angel is plastic, … [Read more...]