Holy moly. I actually videotaped myself reading from the opening of Scrap: Salvaging a Family.
Can’t stand seeing myself or hearing myself.
I’m a little insecure about it, so feel free to “like” it on youtube ;).
It’s a little over 2 minutes long. Thanks for watching.
Filed under #ScrapSalvagingFamily, Book promotion, hybrid memoir, Memoir
When we look back at our childhoods, there are so many important cultural touchstones of the era. For me, just entering 8th grade, nothing was more ubiquitous than Jeannie C. Riley’s hit “Harper Valley P.T.A.
Riley’s record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the first woman to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and the U.S. Hot Country Singles charts with the same song.1
Top. That means #1. Nobody else did this until Dolly Parton in 1981 with 9 to 5.1
I’ve known for a long time that my favorite songwriter, Tom T. Hall, wrote the song. He was young, still thinking he was going to a writer, such as a journalist or a novelist.2
Gosh, I love his music–the storytelling, the heart and soul, his bluegrass roots (being from Kentucky y’all).
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” is not on this album. These are many of the songs Tom T Hall recorded.
Hall said that this song ended up being his novel.2
Think of that. He was an amazing observer, like many writers, and what he observed in America showed up in his songs. For instance, in his song “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs,” he captures so well a man who is so tied to his profession (in this case, a hog farmer) and perhaps to denial as well that in the hospital he thinks more about “them hogs” than he does about the fact that doctors think he might not survive.*
Back to the Jeannie C.Riley hit song, written by Hall. Originally it was suggested he write a song reminiscent of the Bobbie Gentry 1967 hit “Ode to Billie Joe.” And that’s how the song sounded when Riley first heard it sung by a demo singer.3
The song became a big hit in part because of Tom T. Hall’s amazing song writing, but finally because Riley added the finishing touch that really moved the song up a level.
If you listen to the song you see that that final line that is repeated twice is what makes you want to jump off your feet, scream, and applaud. It wouldn’t mean anything without Hall’s songwriting, but without Riley’s ending it would have been a fun and thought-provoking song, but not a GINORMOUS international hit.
The song is told in 3rd person. The singer/narrator tells the story of a young single mother who is admonished by the PTA about how she is raising her daughter. “Mrs. Johnson” goes to the PTA meeting and calls the board out as hypocrites. She sums up with my second favorite line of the song: “Well, this is just a little Peyton Place and you’re all Harper Valley hypocrites!“
Side note: Peyton Place was very popular, starting as a novel by Grace Metalious, based on true events, focusing on all the covered up sins, crimes, and vices of a small town–as well as the gossip. Sadly, Metalious died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 39. Look up the Peyton Place “franchise” if you don’t know much about it.
Back to the ending of “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” repeated twice, that is written by Riley.
Originally, the song lyrics stayed in the 3rd person POV, calling Mrs. Johnson “that mama.”3
But Riley moved to the 1st person in that ending, thus surprising the listener with the idea that the teen daughter was the one proudly sharing her mama’s story. She also added a very popular up-to-date touch by using the term “socked it to,” made popular by the TV program Laugh-in. 3 Thus:
The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley P.T.A.
The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley P.T.A.
By repeating that last line, the listener has the chance to really absorb that this kid is so proud of her mom for standing up to the hypocrites.
With that ending and the mini skirt Hall wrote into a song based on his own childhood observation (he was born in 1936), the song became emblematic of MY 1960s childhood. This song is an anthem for my generation.
In this way, this song presented an inspiring role model. Can you dig it?
***
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Valley_PTA
2 https://theboot.com/jeannie-c-riley-harper-valley-pta-lyrics/
*Bonus video: “Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs”
Filed under Art and Music, coming of age, Music, Storytelling, Writing
If you’ve followed what Lily has been going through following the death of Perry, here’s your eagerly awaited update!
She ate something on her own this morning!
I’m pretty darn sure that before the dental it was her tooth causing problems (and maybe some grief for Perry) and that after the dental the anorexia (and diarrhea) was caused by the meds, especially the antibiotic. She might have some IBD which made things worse, but in general, I think she’s on the upswing.
All that 24 hour a day nursing was worth it!
I’m so tired and she and the house need cleaning. But after she ate today I suddenly wanted to write a blog post about the music I’ve been listening to with Lily. Lots of classic country, and I really started to focus on one song in particular. I’ll write it today and post it tomorrow morning :).
Thanks for all your good wishes and love and prayers for Lily’s health. Keep them coming, but I think we’re outta those dark fairy tale woods.
XOXO
Filed under Cats and Other Animals
Scrap: Salvaging a Family garnered a couple of beautiful new reviews over the past few days. I am so grateful for the readers for their reviews.
The book’s reviews have been excellent, but they are coming in very slowly. I don’t think readers realize that even a one sentence review on Amazon helps the algorithms immensely.
It’s tough going to sell a book, even one with good reviews. And then the path to the reviews is kind of tortuous (medical term hah). I like how Ellen Morris Prewitt describes it in her blog post The Kindness of Strangers. She says:
This authoring business is a Blanche DuBois undertaking. Like the heroine in A Streetcar Named Desire, authors must depend on the kindness of strangers. First, an author asks people to come to their event. Then, when the guests arrive, you want them to buy a book. After that, you’re hoping they crack open the book and read it. Once they’ve read it, here comes another ask: will you tell people you like the book? That’s four things you’re asking of a person. Four. That seems like a lot to me.
You can translate that first one, the event, in my case as to read my social media, blog posts, substack notes, etc. So I am humbly asking for those other three things if you’re reading this post: a) buy the book, b) read the book, c) review the book with even one sentence. Actually I am pleased if you do a, and thrilled if you do b. I am downright relieved if you do c.
Anyway, here’s a little pic of the darker side of Scrap as a reward for reading through the above words (mine, not Ellen’s). Then I want to update you about Lily.
Hah, isn’t that cool? Playing around with Book Brush, as you can see.
So Lily. She had stopped eating and I had to bring her to the vet last week. She then had a dental procedure because she had a big resorbing tooth that had to be removed. After the surgery on Thursday, she ate and then Friday she seemed as if she was recovering well. She ate and took her meds.
But then yesterday, Saturday, she did not eat all day. She didn’t act like herself.
Today she still wasn’t eating, and I had to take her to the vet. This new vet is open Sundays, but not Saturdays. Her meds got changed around and she got fluids because she was dehydrated again. Tomorrow I have to take her in for fluids again. I won’t do them myself as I did that with Felix years ago for some time, and it drove a wedge between us as he hated it.
I hate making this about myself (instead of Lily) but actually I’m getting PTSD over my cats.
I don’t want Lily to be part of the prevailing pattern.
For instance, from July 2021 to June 2022, I lost four cats. Three of them were from July to September!
Then in 2024 I lost Kana. Not part of a pattern.
However, in February of this year I lost Meesker and then on June 28 the King of All Cats, Perry.
I wonder if Lily is doing what Pear Blossom did when Mac died in 2015. She stopped eating completely. I tried desperately to get her to eat, but she would not. Our vet thought she was going to die. Then one day she just started eating again.
However, I do think I must have gotten a bit of nourishment down her somehow. Lily is refusing ANYTHING.
What if Lily just doesn’t start eating in time? Cats can only go for a short time without food or they get a life-threatening condition called hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).
Filed under #ScrapSalvagingFamily, Book Review, Cats and Other Animals
Anthony Avina has published a guest post on his blog. I wrote about the time period of my memoir Scrap: Salvaging a Family and included anecdotes and photographs (antique or nearly so) not found in the book. Fedora stand explanation is found in the guest post!
I hope you enjoy reading about some of what didn’t make it into the book itself.
###
Perry’s ashes were hand delivered to us by the cremation company. I cleared off a shelf to store them, his photo, and the picture book I used to read him every day when he was in the shelter.
Lily now lives alone on the kitchen side of the house with Sloopy Anne on the bedroom side. I wonder if Lily now regrets being so mean to Sloops because she’s suffering from loneliness and grief. I had to take her to the vet yesterday (yes, she has an urgent care open on Sundays) and get her fluids and Gabapentin because she wasn’t eating or pooping. She’s doing a little better with much TLC from the Gardener and me.
It’s my turn to sleep on the couch with her tonight because last night was the Gardener’s turn.
A while back Zingara Poetry Review held a daily prompt challenge for a month. Then we were encouraged to submit poems written during that time for publication. I submitted this poem for the challenge JOURNAL MINING where I mined my old journals that I discovered in a suitcase. Thanks to EIC Lisa Hase-Jackson.
The gardener and I watched Hudson overnight, so I’m going to take a nap now!!!
Thanks to photographer https://unsplash.com/@mrcalvert
Filed under #poetrycommunity, Grandparenting, Literary Journals, Poetry, Publishing
After dumping that saddest post on you last time, I thought I would share something positive. I think Perry has sent me presents from beyond the rainbow bridge.
Before I leave you with these images of renewal, let me say that I lost my mind and ordered the fanciest cremation package, a cardstock photo of Perry from Shutterfly, and a copy of Curious George Goes to An Ice Cream Shop, the book I used to read Perry every day when he was at the rescue. I’ll clear off a shelf in the kitchen near my computer for these items, including his ashes.
The mamas and babies below remind me of the year that my father and my cat Mac died. My father died on May 14 and Mac on June 28. After my father died, a hummingbird returned to the nest where she had just raised a pair of twins and laid another two eggs. I got to video her teaching one of her chicks to fly. I re-published the lyric essay/flash nonfiction story I wrote about these events on Substack: Leaving, Changing, Returning
And now this year:
First there was the mama quail and her huge covey of chicks. Daddy not available at the time of this video.
Then the gardener showed me the hummingbird mama on her nest right outside our door. See how she’s built it on the underside of a lantern.
hummingbird mama on her nest
Later, the gardener told me where to find the mourning dove (how appropriate) nest on top of a patio speaker. Look closely to see two babies sitting in the nest. Sorry the video keeps moving too far down.
Filed under Writing
