Halloween Words of Wacky

You know why 'jokes' is there.  And caramel apples, scarecrows, etc.  But why "Princess Mask", you ask?  They were  full-face 3-dimensional masks with rosy pink cheeks, blonde hair and blue eyes.  Guess who never got to wear one for Halloween.  The poor little brown-eyed brown-haired girl with the really thick glasses. I didn't care if I could see (in the dark, running down the side streets). I just wanted a princess mask.   One the one hand, disappointed. On the other hand, still alive.  Here's a book we could have used way back when:

Illegally easy Halloween costumes for kids : 100 costumes with simple patterns, no-sew shortcuts, last-minute solutions, treat bags & accessories
Graphic source:  Wordle

Geese V

Not the TV show. (Is that still on?) Although I think Alien Geese could be fun.  Their weapons would sound like quack-ack-ack-ack.  Back to our story!  It's the time of year when you see the geese flying overhead in the calm twilight and they just make me happy.  I do wonder why they fly in a V formation, aside from the fact that it looks snazzy.  Firstly it's easier on the flock in this formation as the geese in front do the heavy lifting and the others can glide a little with the wind resistance reduced. They take turns in the lead, there's no ubergoose. No one wants an ubergoose. It's also easier for them to see each other in a V rather than in a straight line or a cloud.  Because each goose flies a little above the one in front of it.  Trust me, it all makes sense.  To a goose.

This book looks amazing if you're into the whole bird movement:
The atlas of bird migration : tracing the great journeys of the world's birds
Graphic and Information Source:  Library of Congress

Yes, We Have NO Bedbugs, We Have NO Bedbugs Today! Or Ever!

Why would we even mention this, you ask?  Apparently there is concern out there in the metro that perhaps one of the libraries has been invaded.  Would you like a little reassurance about the six locations of the Des Moines Public Library?  We are clean as a whistle and fresh as a daisy.  Thank goodness as they completely freak me out.  In July the insects were found in the Armory Building (not City Hall) but that problem has been rectified.  As in the bedbugs are dead. You can visit your local library safe in the knowledge that, well, we have no bedbugs.

The Truth About Holds

 Using your awesome computer skills, you have put a reserve on I kissed a zombie, and I liked it, which is currently available at the South Side Library.  You jump on your scooter, speed to South Side, check the holds shelf and ...what?  Your book is not waiting for you!  What is up with that?  Here's how our hold process works: "we retrieve materials from our shelves at least twice per day and we deliver items among branches, but there may be a delay in getting your hold on the shelf waiting for you. Please wait until you have been notified the item is available. If you need something more immediately, please call (515) 283.4152, extension 3 and speak with one of our librarians about expedited service."  So if you don't need it right this second, go ahead and reserve your heart's desire online.  But if 'right this second' is your time frame, give us a call!
How do I reserve a title...

OLD CD's

Not CD's with music.  How old can they be?  Mid-1980's?  No, we're talking about old Des Moines City Directories.  Then as now they were published by R. L. Polk and are stuffed with fun info.  In the 1911 edition occupations were listed alongside one's name, including occupations you don't see much anymore.  By browsing alone I found four people, including Ora B. Kinsell, who were wrappers at Younker Bros Inc.  They must have employed an army of them.  What on earth were they wrapping?  Margaret A. Corcoran's listing identifies her as a 'Corsetiere'.  At The Corset Shop, of course.  Then there's Chester L.Tish, Puncher at D M Bridge & Iron Wks. Clinton Taylor held the position of baggage man with the C R I & P Ry (Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railway)  Mrs. Emily Fike was an Osteopath!  Can't have been too many females in that profession in 1911.  It's all in the old City Directories, people.  Available at the Central Library, 1000 Grand Avenue.
Des Moines City Directories

Today in Arthur Godfrey History

Arthur Godfrey was chugging along, folksy darling of the airwaves.  He had seamlessly switched from radio to TV and was the only person to ever to have "two top-rated programs run simultaneously in prime time for an extended period.  Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts aired on Mondays and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends on Wednesdays for eight-and-a-half seasons."  Talent Scouts trotted out new entertainers, had them perform and then the audience rated them via an applause meter.  Sound familiar?  Only there hasn't been an Arthur Godfrey equivalent on American Idol because this guy was adored.  He wouldn't even endorse a sponsor's product if he didn't like it.  So folksy. Among the talents scouted:  Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Leslie Uggams and Patsy Cline. These people had careers. His variety show employed a stable of regulars including Pat Boone, the McGuire Sisters and Julius LaRosa.  Guess what?  On this date in 1953, Godfrey fired Julius LaRosa on air.  It's not like he thought they weren't broadcasting or that the mikes were off, he just got mad and fired the guy.  Said the singer lacked humility. Oh, how the mighty fell.  As you can guess this had an adverse effect on his career and he ended his days no longer adored. Current reality TV relies on contestants being berated at every turn.  Arthur Godfrey. Ahead of his time or just a guy who lost it on TV? 

Source: Gale Biography in Context
Graphic Source:  NASA

Colloquialisms

There are words you don't hear here in Des Moines.  Two of these are 'hosey' and 'do-funny'.  Guess what they mean.  Give up?  'Hosey' is an East Coast (Massachusetts anyway) term for 'call' or 'hog' when hog is used as a verb. Instead of 'I call a window seat'! and Don't hog the TV!' one would say 'hosey'.  I like that word.  It couldn't be mistaken for anything else.  Neither could 'do-funny'.  During my childhood whenever there were left-over pie crust pieces we would spread jam on them, fold them over and bake.  That was a do-funny. Dee-licious.  Haven't found anyone outside my family who uses that word.  Yet.  I know you're out there. Reading books like this:
Ballyhoo, buckaroo, and spuds : ingenious tales of words and their origins

Possibly the Best Horror Novel of which You've Never Heard

The Ceremonies!  T. E. D. Klein is not prolific but when he writes the result is extraordinary.  Inexplicable acts connect with unimaginable beings! The sense of doom -never spelled out, just implied - has you nervously hunched over the book waiting for disaster.  Like Lovecraft, to whom he owes a debt, this is truly American horror grounded in the national character. That is, we work hard and expect the visible to be solid and real.  The villain is a pleasant, reassuring old man named Rosie who was contacted as a boy by something nasty. He is cute as a button and setting things in motion for the emergence of his horrifying non-human master!  Fans of Peter Straub's supernatural works will enjoy this.  I only wish the man would write more often.

The Ceremonies and other T. E. D. Klein works

The First All-Woman TV Show

You didn't even know there was one, did you?  That's OK, neither did I.  This one only caught my eye because of the nifty name.  "The Ina Ray Hutton Show"!  I realize there have been performers with less euphonious names, but Ina Ray Hutton is in a glamour-less category of its own. They weren't  kidding around with the all-female bit.  This variety show centered on Ina Ray Hutton and Her All-Girl Band.  Ina Ray conducted, sang, danced.  And you know all the guests were women, including Rose Marie and crossword mainstay Yma Sumac.  The show was subtitled 'No Men Allowed'.  That wouldn't fly today but neither would 'All-Girl Band'.  The show only lasted from July-September 1956 so you'd think its existence wouldn't even be noted.  But you have not met the mighty mighty Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.  There may be no show too obscure for its pages.  Or too oddly named.

Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows