The little book “Chicken Soup With Rice” By Maurice Sendak is one of a set of four books collectively titled “Nutshell Library” published in 1962. I am going to scan my copy, that I received as a child, and publish a page a month. Why? Because the world needs more Maurice Sendak…and chicken soup with rice.
Today I would say I am not much of a fan of Gilligan’s Island. However, when I was a kid I watched the show every weekday when I got home from school, while eating some snacks and waiting for the other neighborhood kids to get home so we could gather and play. In the 1970’s it had become what used to be called a rerun, meaning it had already been broadcast on network TV, then syndicated. My favorite episodes involved someone accidentally finding the formerly deserted island and the castaways. The Mosquitoes was a (somewhat) fictional band modeled on The Beatles/Monkees/Byrds, who ended up on the island, and the rest of the plot doesn’t matter. The point of all this is watching that episode might be the earliest I remember being exposed to parody, understanding what that was, and thinking it was funny.
Side Note: The Mosquitoes episode also created The Gnats and The Honeybees, bands made up of the castaways.
This is a simple series of photos that all include my dads Ford shortbed truck. When he passed away in 2024 the truck came to me, and I decided to snap some photos of it here and there with one of his cameras. This turned into a tribute of sorts to my dad, who loved photography and traveling, among many other things.
Once a month I highlight a piece of art I have created and posted on my Fine Art America site. This one is titled “Sunset Over Superior” from the Photos Collection.
Last summer I bought a stack of old magazines at a local tag sale. I decided to scan the contents of whatever interested me and share. I will also include scans of some other stuff I have sitting around.
While perusing a Sergeant Rock comic from 1980 I came across this Hostess Twinkies ad featuring Batman and Professor Plutonium. Not remembering the Professor I looked him up online and could find no reference to him, so I figured he was created just for this ad campaign. At the same time the newest Spider-Man movie was ramping up. Some things never change, they just get updated.
The first time I heard this song the guitar riff reminded me immediately of the one played during “Great American Whale” by Lou Reed. They are not the same, but somewhat close, and both really help to make their respective songs pop. “Be By You” is a simple country song that conveys a deep love from one person for another. It also turned into an earworm for me for several days.
Be By You
Luke Combs
Kinda like an old Jon boat on some largemouth water
Kinda like that breeze that blows through a sweet home holler
I can’t leave your lovin’ alone
Where you are is where I belong
I hope I ain’t comin’ on too strong
Just wanna hold you close, baby
Kinda looks like you do too
I just wanna make love, wake up
Next to you in no makeup, baby
Nothin’ beats that view
I guess what it comes down to
Is I just wanna be by you
Love it when your fancy blues slide to the middle
I’m stuck to you like glue on your hip like a pistol
Wanna find me, you ain’t gotta look far
There’s nothin’ that can pull us apart
I hope I ain’t comin’ on too strong
Just wanna hold you close, baby
Kinda looks like you do too
I just wanna make love, wake up
Next to you in no makeup, baby
Nothin’ beats that view
I guess what it comes down to
Is I just wanna be by you
If the day ends in Y
If the sun or the moon’s hangin’ up in the sky
I hope I ain’t comin’ on too strong
Just wanna hold you close, baby
Kinda looks like you do too
I just wanna make love, wake up
Next to you in no makeup, baby
Nothin’ beats that view
I guess what it comes down to
Is I just wanna be by you
Written by: Dan Alley, Sam Banks, Nickolas Kaden Walsh
Album: The Way I Am
Released: 2026
Lyrics provided by Musixmatch
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wildflower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
William Blake (1757-1827)
There have been countless people executed by almost countless methods, and this way seems to have been created to make a very vivid point to anyone who would witness this particular punishment, or even hear of it as a threat.
For more information visit the source at: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/execution-cannon-1890s/
The little book “Chicken Soup With Rice” By Maurice Sendak is one of a set of four books collectively titled “Nutshell Library” published in 1962. I am going to scan my copy, that I received as a child, and publish a page a month. Why? Because the world needs more Maurice Sendak…and chicken soup with rice.
To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic.
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
Off The Back Porch 