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How to Grow Up, According to M.By Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com My childhood memories of Coral Gables are mostly a blur of teal waters, scampering lizards, and pink mansions. I was a little girl in a tropical territory so far removed from my buttoned-up Washington that Miami only seemed magical by comparison. The scent of plantains frying on the grill became a potion and the roll of Cuban accents a spell. It never surprised me that people desperate to leave the memories of World War II behind them flocked to Florida for a new and otherworldly beginning in the 1950s. My personal temptress in this coconut land was a blue-eyed lady at least seven decades my senior. Her name was M. I remember few things from my early childhood as sharply as I do M. She had the beauty of a rare sea shell, turned smooth by the passing of many tides. Always tan with a spattering of liver spots, M. wore her hair in a halo of faded orange ringlets and pranced around in bright smocks from countries I was only beginning to know through books and television. She also had the wisdom and intellect of a literary sailor. M. read prolifically, kept up with current events, and watched enough films to earn the label of cinephile. She could speak at length about what she had recently learned without ever boring or patronizing you. But most of all M. could make you laugh, and when you laughed, she laughed, too. M. had a rich, layered laugh, like the sound of a million glass marbles plinking against a tin roof.
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You must be a gnome if...By Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com You have math. Gnomes can't count, let lane add. They would fail human kind garden. Luckily for them, gnome kindergarden requires knowledge of fox kits instead.
You eat human house keys. Serves those humans right, leaving their valuable possessions under fake rocks. You have never touched a razor in your life because Rumplestiltskin is your fashion idol. You don't drive a car to work. You ride a fox. And your version of a piece of junk is a snail. You don't trust cheese. It's human food. Besides, how are you going to make it--by milking chipmunks? You only buy one luxury item every century--an elegantly pointy, red hat. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Have a Folksy WinterBy QB Social Butterfly QuailBellMagazine.com _ Where, oh where, should a Quail Bell(e) spend some free time this winter? Why, the American Folk Art Museum in New York, of course. Check out their folksy events this winter:
January 20, 5:30 p.m. Free Music Fridays with Bucky Hayes, Jessi Robertson, and Meaner Pencil *this event will also be occurring on subsequent Friday evenings, with a variety of musical guests January 25, 2 p.m. Guitar Afternoon with Bill Wurtzel and guests Free admission *this event will also be occurring on subsequent Wednesday afternoons January 29, 10 a.m. Uncommon Artists XX Symposia and Lecture Free admission but reservation required February 2, 2:30 p.m. Folk Art Reflection for individuals with Alzheimer’s Free admission but reservation required *this event occurs on the first Thursday of every month 6 p.m. ReMake It! Soda Tab Bracelets with Tiffany Threadgould February 4, 1 p.m. Families and Folk Art for children four to ten years old Free admission The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Who's Topo Gigio?By Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com Meet Topo Gigio, a classic character in Spanish and Italian children's television programming, still beloved by many children and children-at-heart in Europe and Latin America. Artist Maria Perego created Topo Gigio in Italy in 1958. Endearing Italian audiences as early as 1959, the 10'' foam mouse puppet first introduced himself to the United States when he appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. Topo Gigio delighted Americans with his Italian expressions, cute costumes, and many talents in all fifty of “The Ed Sullivan” episodes in which he appeared.
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Nostalgia Abounds: Tea Sets Galore! By Jade Miller QuailBellMagazine.com _ Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to look forward to the next holiday when you can spoil your loved one. Instead of the traditional chocolates and flowers for this Valentine’s Day, instead bring back the time of simplicity and class and gift a tea set. A traditional tea set includes a teapot, tea cups with saucers, a sugar bowl and a creamer. The more formal you get, think silver tea sets from famous paintings, the more stuff that gets added to the service.
Tea sets started in China during the Han Dynasty in 206 BCE but tea was served in bricks and ground up with other spices and served in multi-function bowls rather than out of a teapot. Tea was also used mainly for medicinal purposes rather than just for drinking. Teapots themselves were developed during the Song Dynasty in 960 CE, as archaeological digs found a Yixing teapot dating to that time period. From then on, tea was a common occurrence and the teapot was the way to go. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
There Oughta Be a Law (or Maybe Not) |
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Shadows of Azaleas
By Christine Stoddard
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
Even in years when a less mild season sweeps snowflakes onto our lawns, leaving perfect white blankets of snowman building material, winter makes me long for the azaleas of Northside. I miss waking up to a glimpse of hot pink from my bedroom window. I miss wandering around Bryant park, listening to the buzzing of bees as they hover over shrubs full of orange and crimson blossoms. I miss the scent of azaleas that wafts from Brook to Hermitage.
Though I see the elegance in death, I prefer the beauty of birth. Nothing reminds me more of life and living than the mass awakening of the azaleas come spring. As they emerge from their slumber, so does the happiness I'd been hiding in my heart, chilly day after chilly day, from Thanksgiving through March.
When I first moved into my Bellevue home a couple summers ago, the azalea bushes that framed my house looked dead. They stood like bare stick sculptures, with only small tufts of leaves hanging from a few of their twiggish branches.
Sure, there were gorgeous azaleas gardens a mere fairy's flutter away in Bryant park, but I was greedy. I wanted azaleas of my own. I was also as lazy as a grasshopper when it came to gardening. I was a full-time college student with a job. I did not want to plant azaleas. I wanted them to simply be there, fresh and fragrant. Having grown up with azaleas in my childhood garden back in Arlington, Virginia, I lamented the loss of the azaleas I would never know in Richmond, Virginia.
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Tales from the Pond
By Belle Byrd
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
If it looks like a pond monster and smells like a pond monster, it must be...algae. That thick green goop forming a skin on that pond you use as a scenic location for romantic camping trips may be more dangerous than you think. And this has NOTHING to do with bad horror flicks. Sometimes green goop is toxic goop. How do you find out? By conducting good ol' water quality tests—though if you're not a trained scientist or at least being supervised by one, you might stand clear and read up on your local trophic state index instead.
Trophic state index (TSI) measures the quantities of biologically limiting factors, like the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous, present in water. This is one of those cases where less is more; lower numbers mean cleaner water. The higher the number, the more likely algaewill bloom beyond control. Algae, though seemingly unassuming in its mushy state to the untrained eye, can be deadly. The blooms can use a disproportionate amount of oxygen in the lake, causing fish and other animals to die.
As an example of how algae can terrorize a body of water, look at the toxic ponds and lakes of the Upper Midwestern United States. Overrun with algae, bodies of water like Wisconsin's Tainter Lake, have been known to kill dogs and induce skin and respiratory problems in humans.
Still not scared? Well, just wait until all that algae congeals into a real pond monster, equipped with gnashing teeth and burning red eyes. Or wait until something even scarier happens: all the local flora and fauna are put at risk, gradually dying one by one until not even the faerie folk can help them. Now that's scary. Treat the water right or you'll soon get bombarded with real life nightmares like those.
As an example of how algae can terrorize a body of water, look at the toxic ponds and lakes of the Upper Midwestern United States. Overrun with algae, bodies of water like Wisconsin's Tainter Lake, have been known to kill dogs and induce skin and respiratory problems in humans.
Still not scared? Well, just wait until all that algae congeals into a real pond monster, equipped with gnashing teeth and burning red eyes. Or wait until something even scarier happens: all the local flora and fauna are put at risk, gradually dying one by one until not even the faerie folk can help them. Now that's scary. Treat the water right or you'll soon get bombarded with real life nightmares like those.
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Green Eye for a Wintry White Sigh
By Luna Lark
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
I envy the Snow Queen for her year-round access to coziness.
In most parts of the world, mere mortals must face the four seasons and, therefore, the distinct lack of coziness ¾ of the year. You cannot be cozy in the summertime. Heat and humidity do not encourage snuggling, nor do they call for hot cider or burning tea. Unless you live far out on the tundra, spring and fall do not warrant much coziness, either.
But the Snow Queen—that lucky white-haired beauty—can fall asleep before the fireplace with her favorite book in her lap whenever she desires. She can shed her magnificently embroidered robes (sewn by chipmunk's dainty paws no less) and crumple up in a pair of silk Pjs (again, made by the paws of chipmunks) no problem. Her tiny feet shall wiggle their toes in fluffy slippers and her slender fingers shall wiggle in soft mittens. Hot chocolate? Snap, snap, the fairies will bring it. It's almost like she can be five years old forever.
Meanwhile, I have but one season to revel in the coziness of extra blankets and pillows and stuffed animals. I adore an autumn breeze and palette and I could not be happy without the blush of spring, but I do wish I could curl up and be cozy whenever I pleased.
Even the Snow Queen has that over the polar bears these days.
Meanwhile, I have but one season to revel in the coziness of extra blankets and pillows and stuffed animals. I adore an autumn breeze and palette and I could not be happy without the blush of spring, but I do wish I could curl up and be cozy whenever I pleased.
Even the Snow Queen has that over the polar bears these days.
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A Grave Career Choice
By Julie DiNisio
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
_ Not all college degrees are real-world practical. So you’ve graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Crafts. Or you’re one of dozens with a business degree. Or none of the more traditional careers excite you enough to spend thousands of dollars for a piece of paper. There is a way to set yourself apart when entering today’s highly competitive work force, but you have to be willing to deal with bodies…of the dead variety.
If you are still on board, a career in funeral services is actually a very stable one, even in an economic downturn. This is primarily due to the fact that people will continue to die with regularity and sentimental relatives will continue to shell out money for an expensive funeral.
There are mortuary schools spread out across the United States, and in Richmond, Virginia, John Tyler Community College offers a program for prospective students. This college is a typical example of the steps required to gain a degree in the funeral business. In fact, an Associate of Applied Science in Funeral Services is listed under Degrees for Immediate Employment.
It is a four semester long program and requires some basic prerequisites and classes on embalming, anatomy, chemistry, business management, psychology and death, and ethics. Labs are also required (I’ll just leave the rest of that up to your imagination). Graduates will be able to properly embalm or cremate cadavers, work as service directors, deal with contracts and business, and continue research on the scientific and social implications of funerals and death.
There are a variety of jobs in any given funeral home. Employees are hired to work with the deceased’s relatives regarding funeral preparations; others are paid to dress and makeup the body. The previously stated degree would most likely lead to a job in embalming. Oftentimes, those seeking to become Funeral Directors, one of the highest positions at a funeral home, will need a Bachelors in Funeral Home Management. This requires a few more semesters of school, and most Funeral Directors earn around $50-60,000 annually.
Graduates are not out of the woods yet, though. To be fully licensed, the National Board Examination needs to be taken and passed. This is in addition to a residency in a funeral home. John Tyler requires three thousand hours of training, making it clear that a career of this type is treated very gravely…pun absolutely intended.
So if you’re desperately seeking a stable career path and are willing to handle the slight bit of degradation you might get from your friends and relatives, mortuary school is worth considering.
If you are still on board, a career in funeral services is actually a very stable one, even in an economic downturn. This is primarily due to the fact that people will continue to die with regularity and sentimental relatives will continue to shell out money for an expensive funeral.
There are mortuary schools spread out across the United States, and in Richmond, Virginia, John Tyler Community College offers a program for prospective students. This college is a typical example of the steps required to gain a degree in the funeral business. In fact, an Associate of Applied Science in Funeral Services is listed under Degrees for Immediate Employment.
It is a four semester long program and requires some basic prerequisites and classes on embalming, anatomy, chemistry, business management, psychology and death, and ethics. Labs are also required (I’ll just leave the rest of that up to your imagination). Graduates will be able to properly embalm or cremate cadavers, work as service directors, deal with contracts and business, and continue research on the scientific and social implications of funerals and death.
There are a variety of jobs in any given funeral home. Employees are hired to work with the deceased’s relatives regarding funeral preparations; others are paid to dress and makeup the body. The previously stated degree would most likely lead to a job in embalming. Oftentimes, those seeking to become Funeral Directors, one of the highest positions at a funeral home, will need a Bachelors in Funeral Home Management. This requires a few more semesters of school, and most Funeral Directors earn around $50-60,000 annually.
Graduates are not out of the woods yet, though. To be fully licensed, the National Board Examination needs to be taken and passed. This is in addition to a residency in a funeral home. John Tyler requires three thousand hours of training, making it clear that a career of this type is treated very gravely…pun absolutely intended.
So if you’re desperately seeking a stable career path and are willing to handle the slight bit of degradation you might get from your friends and relatives, mortuary school is worth considering.
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Photo & Music History--AT THE SAME TIME!!!
By QB Social Butterfly
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
What Wikipedia calls the "first major museum exhibition of Rock music photography" has to be worth seeing. 'Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955-Present,' curated by Gail Buckland, features work from over 100 photographers over a span of over 50 years. With a total of 175 pieces, the works are divided into six sections: Behind the Scenes, Career Beginnings, Live Performances, Crowds & Fans, Portraits, and Images & Album Covers.
Though the exhibition started touring in 2009, you still have nearly the rest of the year to see it. You can find it at the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, AZ until January 15th. From February 11-May 13, you can catch it at the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, PA. Then it hits The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, CA from June 28-October 9.
Tell us what you think about it, fledglings!
Though the exhibition started touring in 2009, you still have nearly the rest of the year to see it. You can find it at the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, AZ until January 15th. From February 11-May 13, you can catch it at the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, PA. Then it hits The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, CA from June 28-October 9.
Tell us what you think about it, fledglings!
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Where the heck is this?
Calling all fledglings! Can you identify this historical monument? If so, tell us the name of the monument, its famous location, and the name of the city in which it's located.
You must send your answer to submissions@quailbellmagazine.com by 10 p.m. EST on February 10, 2012. Don't forget to include your name and mailing address.
We will choose ONE lucky winner to get a full year's subscription to Quail Bell Express.
Hint: Even with Tobacco Company and The Black Sheep, Southern Living still forgot us in "The South's Tastiest Town Awards."
You must send your answer to submissions@quailbellmagazine.com by 10 p.m. EST on February 10, 2012. Don't forget to include your name and mailing address.
We will choose ONE lucky winner to get a full year's subscription to Quail Bell Express.
Hint: Even with Tobacco Company and The Black Sheep, Southern Living still forgot us in "The South's Tastiest Town Awards."
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Ph.D. Digital History @ GMU
By QB Curator
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
None of The QB Crew has attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, but from scanning the school's website at least, The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History & New Media alone appears to be enough of a reason for a Quail Bell(e) to research GMU's History Ph.D. program. Founded in 1994, CHNM has attempted to popularize history education and historic preservation for a varied audience using digital technology, and has succeeded in doing so.
In their own words, "CHNM uses digital media and technology to preserve and present history online, transform scholarship across the humanities, and advance historical education and understanding. Each year CHNM's many project websites receive over 16 million visitors, and over a million people rely on its digital tools to teach, learn, and conduct research."
A few of their websites include TeachingHistory.org, History Matters, and Women in World History. Sample tools that CHNM has designed include Zotero, Omeka, Text Mining, ScholarPress, Essays on History + New Media, and Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web.
In their own words, "CHNM uses digital media and technology to preserve and present history online, transform scholarship across the humanities, and advance historical education and understanding. Each year CHNM's many project websites receive over 16 million visitors, and over a million people rely on its digital tools to teach, learn, and conduct research."
A few of their websites include TeachingHistory.org, History Matters, and Women in World History. Sample tools that CHNM has designed include Zotero, Omeka, Text Mining, ScholarPress, Essays on History + New Media, and Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web.
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Vintage Snowflake
Photography by Grenouille
Modeled by Doe Deere
QuailBellMagazine.com
Modeled by Doe Deere
QuailBellMagazine.com
Every time I look at this beautiful weather and realize we’re in the middle of winter, a fit of inward maniacal laughter comes over me. My first L.A. Christmas was glorious — 70 degrees/sunshine, bright blue skies, sandals and, finally, NO SNOW!!! (I often joke that if I liked the snow I’d still be living in Russia. Seriously, I’ll take the fake stuff at the mall over real any day!)
Anyway, this post is about the dress. I found it at a flea market in July and decided right then and there that it’s going to be my Christmas Dress. Do you ever do that? Buy something knowing it won’t get any wear until months later? I do, especially with Christmas it’s important to have the perfect frock stashed away…
The dress is vintage, possibly a square dance dress. It looks really good with a petticoat. My favorite part is the silver lace edging on each ruffle — so dainty and sweet!
The rest of the outfit came together spontaneously, mostly out of Christmas gifts. I got the red hat from Mark’s aunt, vintage muff from my sister, a tiny deer brooch from Mark’s mom. It all worked together so perfectly!
By the way, this holiday season I’ve resolved to wear a different shade of red every day — red lipstick, that is. Let me tell you, I did not regret it! It made me feel festive and upbeat every day, definitely doing it again next year.
Haha, someone said I look like a Raffaello! (Which incidentally happens to be my favorite candy.
Dress, hat, muff: vintage
Shoes: Poetic License
Socks: ASOS
The rest of the outfit came together spontaneously, mostly out of Christmas gifts. I got the red hat from Mark’s aunt, vintage muff from my sister, a tiny deer brooch from Mark’s mom. It all worked together so perfectly!
By the way, this holiday season I’ve resolved to wear a different shade of red every day — red lipstick, that is. Let me tell you, I did not regret it! It made me feel festive and upbeat every day, definitely doing it again next year.
Haha, someone said I look like a Raffaello! (Which incidentally happens to be my favorite candy.
Dress, hat, muff: vintage
Shoes: Poetic License
Socks: ASOS
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Gearhart the Gentleman: Marriage Proposals
By Sir Gearhart
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
Dear Sir Gearheart,
I'll be frank: I'm in love. What's the best way for a respectable young gentleman to propose marriage? If I don't marry this girl, I'll die.
Many thanks,
Lover Boy
Dear Lover Boy,
First I must congratulate you on experiencing one of life's supremest joys. Few things surpass falling in love—assuming that person returns your affections. I do hope the lady of whom you speak adores you as much as you adore her. Otherwise, proposing marriage could prove to be a humiliating episode. Your lady friend may reject you and perhaps with less kindness than she ought to reserve for such an answer. Even if she accepts your proposal, perhaps her guardians would not approve of such a union. So before you make haste, I suggest you investigate the situation as a whole.
First, ask yourself if your lady friend appears to be in love with you. Surely you will be biased in your evaluation of her feelings, but try to observe her behavior around you as objectively as possible. Common signs of love include blushing, excessive smiling, occasional difficulty in speaking, frequent touching, and the stealing of glances. I find it best to consult the wisdom of an older man or woman you trust. That person might be able to evaluate your lady friend's feelings for you, assuming you ask such a person to escort you the next time you call upon your lady friend. If it seems likely that your lady friend is in love with you, you may proceed to evaluating the next point.
First I must congratulate you on experiencing one of life's supremest joys. Few things surpass falling in love—assuming that person returns your affections. I do hope the lady of whom you speak adores you as much as you adore her. Otherwise, proposing marriage could prove to be a humiliating episode. Your lady friend may reject you and perhaps with less kindness than she ought to reserve for such an answer. Even if she accepts your proposal, perhaps her guardians would not approve of such a union. So before you make haste, I suggest you investigate the situation as a whole.
First, ask yourself if your lady friend appears to be in love with you. Surely you will be biased in your evaluation of her feelings, but try to observe her behavior around you as objectively as possible. Common signs of love include blushing, excessive smiling, occasional difficulty in speaking, frequent touching, and the stealing of glances. I find it best to consult the wisdom of an older man or woman you trust. That person might be able to evaluate your lady friend's feelings for you, assuming you ask such a person to escort you the next time you call upon your lady friend. If it seems likely that your lady friend is in love with you, you may proceed to evaluating the next point.
Secondly—but equally important if you are to behave as a “respectable young gentleman”--you must divine whether your lady friend's family approves of you. Ask yourself the following questions: Do you and your lady friend share the same social status? If not, are you at least higher in rank than she? (Aim for 'yes' to either question.) Have you committed any past transgressions against your lady friend or her family? If not, have you done so against anyone in a manner which may be made public? (Aim for 'no' to either question.) Have you gone to prison for any offense, no matter how seemingly small? (Again, aim for 'no.') Are you gainfully employed in a noble or, at least, decent profession? If not, have you a considerable inheritance? (Aim for 'yes' to either question.) Do you and your lady friend share the same race, ethnicity, and religion? (Aim for 'yes' to all. This is England, not the Colonies.)
If you can reasonably say your lady friend is in love with you and that her family approves of you, you have every right to propose. Simply bring your lady friend to a private location (but not one so private that you may be tempted to act in a most inappropriately amorous manner) and ask her if she wishes to be your bride. Should she say yes, your next duty is to request her parents' permission. There is no need to present a ring unless you plan for a long engagement.
Godspeed, Lover Boy!
Most admirably,
Sir Gearheart
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Repeat after me.
By Starling Root
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
Good evening,” said Belle Byrd, as she removed her black cloak to reveal her bright blue plumage. Each feather sparkled in the moonlight. Her eyes glistened with the luster of born nobility and twinkled with the slightest hint of sass purring beneath the calm. In a glimpse, you deemed her a beautiful paradox.
“I am, as you know, the Queen of the Quails. Before you continue reading QuailBellMagazine.com, I command you to recite the blog affirmation. Only then shall you join my coven of Quail Bell(e)s. Now please place your right wing over your heart and repeat after me:
We are all imaginative.
We are all nostalgic.
We cling to the strange, adore the very strange, and lust after the otherworldly.
We are all history geeks.
We are all folklore-lovers.
We believe in fairy tales—even if we're cynical about 'Happily ever after.'
We are all artists.
We are all storytellers.
We respect the desire, nay, need, to create—both within ourselves and others.
We are a community of dreamers.
We are all Quail Bell(e)s.”
Belle Byrd smiled serenely, the edges of her beak verging on cracking from elegant laughter. “There,” she said, “You belong. Now you may keep reading.”