Not the real “Puff” – but it’s close enough…..
Years ago, we acquired a big, fat, fluffy grey kitten. She was the cutest little puffball, so we named her “Puff”. A few weeks later, we noticed a couple of symmetrical protuberances near her tail – turns out “she” was a “he”….
Well, no self-respecting male cat wants to be called “Puff”, so we did the next best thing and renamed him.
“Puff Daddy”
In the heat of the summer, what better song to share than the haunting “Summertime” from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess“?
Here is Harolyn Blackwell’s ethereal performance (Paula Ingram plays the role of “Clara” in this 1993 “American Playhouse” staging; her voice is dubbed by Blackwell) – my all-time favorite version of this American classic:
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If you are interested, the “American Playhouse” video is available on Amazon, as well as the music from the soundtrack – a truly amazing performance!
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Most of the time, Bill Whittle says it much better than I ever could – this is no exception:
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[Cross-posted at RedState]
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Liberals in this country have brought about their own demise – they just don’t realize it yet.
Ever since the Sexual Revolution, liberals have been on a path of species self-destruction. Through their “enlightened” policies over the past 40 – 50 years, they have quite literally managed to socially engineer themselves into obscurity.
In another 20 years it is quite possible that Liberals will no longer be able to drive the national conversation, because they will have ceased to be relevant. They will have become just another minority; they are already well on their way down that path.
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Since Sarah moved back in with us, she has been helping out a lot around the house. It’s been a real godsend for Paul and me, because she has taken over a lot of the tasks that I am no longer able to do.
I know that Paul rests easier knowing that Sarah is taking care of Rebecca and me while he is at work, and I am enjoying getting to spend time with her and watch her grow into a delightful and responsible young woman.
One of the things that she has recently started doing is brushing up her culinary skills. We’re her guinea pigs as she tries out new recipes before getting married, moving to England, and springing them on The Boy.
Knowing what we do (or think that we do) about Down syndrome, I didn’t think that we would ever have to worry about Rebecca sneaking out at night, but now I’m not so sure….
I was walking by her bedroom yesterday morning and did a double take. I would have sworn that she was already downstairs with Sarah, so I was somewhat confused when I caught a quick glimpse of a Rebecca-sized “lump” in the middle of her bed:
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There are so many wonderful versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” out there – originally covered by John Cale, the version performed by the late Jeff Buckley is perhaps the most well-known of them all (the song has also been covered by Bon Jovi).
I think the first time that I heard this song was on the movie “Shrek” (sung by Rufus Wainwright). There is an amazing 4-part arrangement out there by the Norwegian quartet Lind, Nilsen, Fuentes, and Holm. Heck, it even sounds good in Italian when performed by Il Divo.
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One of the joys of having a child with Down syndrome is that they are constantly reminding you of the truly important things in life, simply by living a life full of joy and happiness. They live each day to the fullest, and they live each day full of love.
For Rebecca’s birthday, we took her to see the new Pixar movie “Brave”. Rachel was in town on a business trip, so she met us at the theater. It was a real treat for Rebecca to have her big sister there – it meant an extra lap that she could sit in if things got too scary.
The movie was REALLY good – if you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend it. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it; suffice it to say that it is a wonderful movie about the bonds within a family and the power of love.
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On this day 52 years ago, a very special little boy was born.
I just LOVE Birthdays! (Especially mine….)
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Yesterday was Rebecca’s birthday, and since she has Celiac Disease, we can’t just go to the store and buy a pre-made cake. Sarah has been doing more cooking around the house, so while she was at the grocery store getting stuff to make dinner, she also bought a box of GF cake mix to make a birthday cake for Rebecca.
This being the Koch family, it was inevitable that things got “interesting”….
The Fat Lady Has Sung
