10-16-202  I bought this book back in early September. I shop whenever I’m watching an OSU football game. It’s a superstition, but it makes me feel like I’m doing my part to help the Buckeyes win.

September 3rd was their opening game against Notre Dame. I probably started shopping early in the 1st quarter, when Notre Dame scored first. At half-time they led, by 3 points.

OSU came back in the second half, scoring 2 touchdowns. It worked! I shopped, bought this book, and Notre Dame stopped scoring. I didn’t buy anything else, but I kept screen-shopping, just in case.

I read the 1st chapter later in September, and I discovered this is an unusual book . . . Each chapter has a set of trivia questions, followed by multiple-choice answers, and the explanation for those answers.

        Next Game Day Saturday, October 22nd, I’ll share how I did on chapter 1, and what I learned. 

Amazon’s Description:
Do you think you’re the ultimate superfan of the Ohio State Buckeyes? Do you have a friend who bleeds scarlet and gray? Do you want to learn about the history of your favorite Big Ten school’s football program?

Even if those questions don’t apply to you, The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book is the best book for learning about the Buckeyes and their history. This trivia book is packed with interesting facts about Ohio State football from cover to cover, taking you from the playing fields of Columbus to the being drafted into the National Football League.

In this book, you’ll discover the answers to such questions as:

• When did Ohio State win its first national title?
• Who holds the Ohio State record for career rushing touchdowns?
• Who was the first coach to lead the Buckeyes to an unbeaten season?
• Who was the first Ohio State player to be chosen in the 1st round of the NFL Draft?
• What was Les Horvath studying before he went on to win the Heisman Trophy?
  
  

Whether you are an Ohio State fanatic hungry for more information about the team, a Big Ten superfan craving knowledge about the teams in the league, or just someone who enjoys learning new, interesting facts, this book is right up your alley. You will not be disappointed in discovering the world of the Ohio State University Buckeyes, so just crack open the book, sit back, relax, and enjoy the wave of knowledge.

                             Game Day Saturday, October 22nd - Chapter 1 - How I did, and what I learned. 

Chapter 1: Origins & History Time: Welcome to University Hall! It was the first building to be built on campus in 1873, It was reconstructed in 1976, a year before I became a Buckeye. I started at the Lima Branch in 1977, and I went to the Main Campus in 1979.
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I thought I bled scarlet and grey, but I guess, not as much as I thought . . . On the first quiz I got 5 right, out of 20. JUST FIVE! I couldn’t believe it, but, the questions were really hard. I picked three to share with you.

                         #2 Ohio State’s first football game was played in May.  True or False?
True, and I got it right. It was a lucky guess! I looked up the reason behind the answer – the book didn’t explain why. The reason – They started trying to form a team in 1886, but it took until 1890. The very first OSU game was played on May 3, 1890 on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. There’s even a historical marker there to celebrate that very first game!
                                            Source: Ohio State Buckeyes football - Wikipedia

                 #17 Michigan is the only team to beat Ohio State more than 20 times.  True or False?
False. I got it right, but I misunderstood the question. I thought Michigan won LESS than 20 times. I was SO wrong! The teams met the first time October 16, 1897. The team up north (Michigan) won 34 to 0.

OSU and Michigan played 117 times so far. Michigan won 59 times. OSU 51, and there have been 7 ties. My favorite fact – OSU dominated this century. Michigan won in 2003, 2011, and last year, 2021. THREE TIMES! Woohoo! This year . . . yet to be played.
                                                Source: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry - Wikipedia

                               #18 What charm do Ohio State players receive for a win over Michigan?
                                    A. Gold “W”        B. Silver jersey        C. Gold buckeye        D. Gold pants       
                                             The answer – D! I missed it because C sounded better.

Here’s how the tradition started . . . from Michigan’s early domination, from 1897 to 1933. They won 22 times. OSU 6 times, and 2 ties.      

In 1934 OSU hired Francis Schmidt as head coach. When the local media got a chance to ask about that team up north, Schmidt said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.”
That’s when two Columbus businessmen formed the ‘Gold Pants Club.’ They created gold lapel pins, shaped like football pants. Each player and coach on that winning team gets a gold pin, engraved with their initials, game date, and the score.

The first year, 1934, Schmidt’s team won 34 – 0. OSU kept winning! They beat Michigan for the next four years. Talk about motivation! Here’s to gold pants in 2022!
                                             Source: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry - Wikipedia

                                 Game Day Saturday, October 22nd - Chapter 2 - How I did, and what I learned. 

Chapter 2: The Numbers Game:  I knew I was going down when I realized they were jersey numbers. I never paid attention to those. I was shocked! I got 7 right out of 20, TWO more than last week, but it was only lucky guessing.

This chapter was all about name dropping, and I thought I knew a bunch. Just 14, HALF! Like Archie Griffin, the Bosa Brothers, and Eddie George. But there were 14 I didn’t know, at all, like Kirk Herbstreet, you know the football commentator. YIKES!

Here’s this week’s Pick 3 – Three questions with three great answers . . . 
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                           #6 Which number did the Bosa brothers wear while terrorizing opposing
                                                       backfields for Ohio State?     94     96     97     98   
The answer – C! I picked B, a pure guess. Their dad John wore #97 when he played for the Miami Dolphins. Joey picked up his dad’s number from 2013 – 2015. Then Nick took over the family tradition from 2016 – 2018. For six years #97 led the way. It attacked and sacked quarterbacks across the Big Ten, and beyond.

      #19 Ohio State’s school colors of scarlet and gray predate the football program. True False?
True. One right! I can’t imagine OSU without scarlet and gray. They’ve been Buckeye colors since 1878. A team of three students picked them out. They thought it was a “pleasing combination,” and no one else used them. That first game – May 3, 1890!

                                          #20 What color are the buckeye decals given out to players during
                                 the season for big plays and consistency?     Black     Green     White     Scarlet
The answer – B! I guessed C. I thought the decals were mostly white, with black outlines. No other colors, but I was wrong again, but maybe I’m remembering the old ones. Today they’re the size of a quarter, with GREEN leaves.

I also thought they were a part of OSU tradition. Not! They first appeared on helmets in 1968 because the athletic trainer suggested it. Why? Ernie Biggs never explained, but everyone agreed they were the perfect motivator for college football players. After all, who wouldn’t want a helmet loaded with stickers?!

I didn’t know OSU coaches used them differently. For example – Woody Hayes, the first to get the decals, handed them out for big plays, or for consistency on the field. Later Jim Tressel used them to award groups of players. Everyone got a Buckeye for a win. A pair, if it was a Big Ten win. His units on the field would get one for an explosive play. The defense got them for three-and-outs . . . That’s when the other team tried three times for a first down, failed to get it, so they had to give the ball back to the Buckeye offense.

PS – #10 is one of those special numbers. It wasn’t in the book, but it belonged to Troy Smith. He won the 2006 Heisman Trophy. In 2014 OSU changed procedures. It didn’t retire his number, but it enshrined his jersey at the stadium to honor Troy’s Heisman, and good old #10 is still in circulation. Someday, someone else will wear it.
 
​Sources: 
Photo – By Fernando Martello, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91173769
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Information – Ohio State Buckeyes football - Wikipedia
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 – The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Buckeye Fans

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                              Game Day Saturday, November 3 - Chapter 3 - How I did, and what I learned. 

Chapter 3: Calling the Signals: I thought I might do a little better this time – today was all about quarterbacks. They’re the commanding officer on the offensive line. I did! I jumped into double digits . . . barely . . . 11 out of 20. Still failing, but it beats a 5 or a 7 😊

I recognize all of these quarterbacks from my days as a student, until now. Except for Les Horvath. He played QB for one year. It figures . . . in 1944. I wasn’t even born yet. I recognized 11 names in today’s quiz, but there were 9 I didn’t know. The big one I forgot – Joe Germaine – the QB from 1996-1998. Go figure!

Here’s my Pick 3 for this week – Three questions with three great answers . . . 

                               #1.  Cardale Jones easily holds the record for most wins without a loss
                 as an Ohio State starting quarterback, with how many victories?     9     11     13     14

The answer – B, 11 wins. I guessed 14, too high. I remember Cardale. He’s one of the most unusual quarterbacks in OSU history. He was the 3rd string QB who won the national championship. HOW?

Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were both injured. Cardale led the Buckeyes to the Big 10 Championship, the national semifinals, AND The National Championship! It was the first year for the REAL one, with three games between the top 4 teams. Alabama, who lost, said OSU didn’t belong in the semifinals. Guess who was wrong?!

Dr. Pepper even made a commercial based on the 3rd string quarterback who won the national championship. It was an incredible year for OSU, and Cardale!

                #22. Which of these quarterbacks did NOT win 30 games as the Buckeyes’ starter?
                       A. J.T. Barrett       B. Cornelius Greene       C. Braxton Miller       D. Bobby Hoying

The answer – C, Braxton Miller. I got it right – I guessed! I thought the others hit 30 games. I was SO glad it wasn’t Cornelius Greene. He’s one of the first quarterbacks I remember. I’d never heard his story, until today. Maybe I was too young, too protected to hear about it.

I didn’t realize he was OSU’s first black starting quarterback, and that a lot of people in 1973 didn’t like it. Cornelius got 50 letters a week from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other similar groups. People even called his dorm room with death threats. It all stopped when Cornelius led the Buckeyes to a 56-7 win in the first game of the season, against Minnesota. Cornelius finished his OSU career with 2000 passing and rushing yards. He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big 10 MVP (most valuable player).
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BTW – he didn’t have a chance at the Heisman. His roommate, Archie Griffin won it, in 1974 and 75. He’s still the only college player to win it, TWICE. Bam! He was a Buckeye! And so was Cornelius!

          #9.  Dwayne Haskins is responsible for all but one of the 400-yard passing performances
                                            in Ohio State history. Who is responsible for the other one?
                                       A. Troy Smith   B. J.T. Barrett   C. Art Schlichter   D. Cardale Jones

The answer – C, Art Schlichter. I got it right – It was a good guess, but Art was a very talented player, with a back story that’s better than I thought.

George Chaump was the first Buckeye coach to spot Art in high school. He showed Woody Hayes a couple reels of film, then got him to go to a game. Woody was sold, but Art was ready to sign up with Michigan. OOPS! I mean that team up North. But Woody got Art. HOW?

Woody promised that he’d start as a freshman, and that the Buckeyes would open up the offense for him. That they’d even let him pass the ball. Timing is everything! Woody made that promise the day before Bo Schembechler was scheduled for a visit. When Art’s dad told him about the promise, Bo stormed out shouting that Woody would never keep it.

He did. Art started as a freshman, and I was a sophomore. I couldn’t believe Woody actually started a freshman. OSU is so deep in talent. How could a freshman become the starting QB? I don’t think anyone has started another one since, until last year, with C.J. Stroud in 2021. 

BTW – I’d never heard of Kirk Herbstreit. Here’s his story . . . Kirk only started one year as QB, in 1992. It was nothing to write home about so he decided to take a corporate sales job with a nice salary, and matching perks. Then a Columbus radio station offered him much, much less, with no benefits. The job – to do an afternoon talk show and sideline gameday reports for the Buckeyes.

Kirk took it! Two years later ESPN2 hired him to make sideline reports. The rest – is history. In 1996 he made it all the way to College Gameday. Not bad! And it beats a sales job!


                                Game Day Saturday, November12 - Chapter 4 - How I did, and what I learned. 

​​Chapter 4: Between the Tackles: I got 11 right last week, but I slipped back to 5 again. It figures . . . this week was about running backs, records and awards. I never paid attention to those things. I watched the plays, the touchdowns, and wins. The important things!

​When I was looking for running backs, I found this screenshot. I recognized everyone, except Jim Otis. He started in 1967 – when I was 8. I recognized 9 players on the quiz, but I was clueless with 13.  
Here’s my Pick 3 for this week – Three questions, and three great answers . . .


                                 #5. Eddie George and Ezekiel Elliott are tied in the record books with
                            the most 200-yard games for the Buckeyes, with how many?     5     4     3     2

The answer – A . . . 5 games. I guessed 4, too low. Both Eddie and Ezekiel had five games with over 200 yards, but no one dreamed Eddie could do that when he arrived. He was a BIG guy!

OSU was the only school that gave Eddie a chance to run. The others thought he should be a linebacker. Everything looked good until the first game with Illinois. That’s when he fumbled, TWICE, on the 5-yard line. Fans were furious! They said he should transfer! That Eddie wasn’t running back material.

Eddie persevered. Three years later he set a record against Illinois. He ended the season with 1927 yards rushing (a school record). He missed the single-season touchdown record by one. He also brought home every award a running back could win, including the Heisman Trophy. Way to go, Eddie George!


                     #13. What was Les Horvath’s career high for rushing yards in a game, set during
               his Heisman-winning 1944 season?      114 yards       128 yards       141 yards     157 yards

                 And the answer – C . . . 141 yards. I guessed too high – 157. Close doesn’t count in trivia.
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The funny thing about that 1944 season . . . Les wasn’t supposed to play. He retired from football in 1942 after winning the national title. He started dental school in 1943. But in 1944 the coach asked Les to come back for one last season. Why? There weren’t enough players. They were off fighting in World War II.
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The NCAA made players like Les eligible to play. And coach promised Les could skip practice AND fly to games, so he didn’t miss out on his dental work. Thanks to the war and the NCAA, Les rushed for 924 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He was also OSU’s first Heisman winner, thanks to one last, unexpected season. 
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      17. Which of these Ohio State running backs was NOT a three-time first-team All-American?  
                             A. Lew Hinchman    B. Howard Cassidy     C. Chic Harley    D. Archie Griffin
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And the answer – B . . . Howard Cassidy. I guessed wrong. I was torn between Lew Hinchman and Chic Harley because I didn’t know them. I picked Lew, wrong.  He was a first team All-American from 1930-1932, but he’s not well known. Everyone knows Archie Griffin. He’s the only player to win the Heisman twice, in college football history.
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Meet Chic Harley, the first OSU superstar. He played during the 1916 and 17 seasons, but skipped out in 1918. He enlisted as a soldier in World War 1. It ended so Chic came back in 1919 and won first team All-American again, for the third time.
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I didn’t know Chic was so popular that he put OSU football on the map. He was also the driving force behind building the Shoe. It used to be called the ‘House that Harley Built,’ but the important thing . . . it’s where the Buckeyes play!
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Sources: The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book

-  QB/HB Lew Hinchman (3-time All-American) | BuckeyePlanet
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-   Ohio Stadium - Wikipedia

​-  Howard Cassady - Wikipedia

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​                              Game Day Saturday, November 12 - Chapter 5 - How I did, and what I learned. 
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Chapter 5: Catching the Ball: I caught 5 answers, the same as last week. It figures – I’ve never been good at catching anything. And the answers I did manage to catch – the true and false kind. YIKES!

As for name recognition, I knew 7 . . . but not the other 14. AND worst of all, none of the book’s answers resonated with me.  
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      So for this week’s Pick 3 – Three True & False Questions – And my research into their answers. 
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                                           #2. Only five Ohio State receivers have gone over 1,000
                                                 receiving yards in a season.      A. True     B. False

The answer – A . . . True. I said false. I was sure there had to be more than 5. So here are the FIVE best receivers in OSU history . . .
                                                                In 1998 David Boston made 85 catches for 1435 yards.
                                                                In 1995 Terry Glenn only made 64 catches. He gained 1411 yards.
                                                                In 1986 Cris Carter caught 69 passes for 1127 yards.
                                                                In 2002 Michael Jenkins caught 61 passes for 1076 yards
                                      And finally in 2018 Parris Campbell joined the group with 82 catches for 1006 yards. 

Source: Parris Campbell Becomes Fifth Ohio State Receiver With 1,000 Yards Receiving in a Single Season | Eleven Warriors

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                                      #13. No Ohio State receiver has ever won the Biletnikoff Award ​for the
                                                        best wide receiver in the country.     A. True     B. False

                          And the answer – B . . . False. I knew it! At least one Buckeye had to win. REALLY!

But it turns out only ONE Buckeye did, Terry Glenn. He won in 1995, the 2nd year the award was given out, and he’s THE only finalist from OSU, ever. You have to be one of the top-three vote-getters to be a finalist. No one else broke through – not David Boston. Not Michael Jenkins. Not even Parris Campbell. It’s hard to believe with all the talented wide receivers that no other Buckeye ever got a nod. Unbelievable!

Source: After Ohio State football’s Biletnikoff Award snub, can Jaxon Smith-Njigba break the drought in 2022? - cleveland.com
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​                                               #19. Ohio State has NOT had a receiver with 200 receiving yards
                                                     in a game in the twenty-first century.      A. True     B. False
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And the answer – B . . . False. It had to be false. Surely SOME Buckeye had to have over 200 yards receiving in a game, since the year 2000. Surely!

In OSU history there have only been four 200-yard receiving games, ever. SOME Buckeye did, since the year 2000 – and it was Jaxon Smith Njigba – twice, last year.

That means OSU is up to six games with 200 receiving yards, but I couldn’t find the other receivers. I looked for almost an hour, sorry. My guess is that Terry Glenn had one of those games, maybe two, but I have no idea on the others. Maybe a super-fan will comment and share those answers with all of us.
 
Source: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Breaks Rose Bowl Receiving Record as OSU Tops Utah in Thriller | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
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​                              Game Day Saturday, November 26 - Chapter 6 - How I did, and what I learned. 

​Chapter 6: Trench Warfare:  I pictured the trenches of World War I when I read the title, but these are on the football field. The kind that the offensive and defensive linemen fight over. Today was the first game the OSU linemen failed, especially in the 2nd half, and it was against that Team Up North, but Coach Day and his assistants will analyze and tighten those lines. Come Bowl time, they’ll be ready. I have a feeling, Michigan won’t. They won, and they feel confident. They’re in for a brawl in the National Championships, and I’m not sure that they can handle it.
​

I thought lineman. Then uh-oh, but I got the same score as I did last week . . . not worse! I got 5 answers right again – 3 weeks in a row. I didn’t do as well on True/False, but I actually got some multiple-choice answers right. Sometimes good guesses pay off.

As for name recognition, I knew 12 linemen, more than last week, but there were way more names I didn’t know . . . 26. Ouch!
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Here are this week’s Pick 3, but think of them as a Pick 5. The first three questions are all about the same person, and I got 2 right. Woohoo!
​

This one was born when I picked Anzac Ted to read for Veteran’s Day, 2022. I thought with a teddy bear, it would be a great fit for young children who are ready to discover Veteran’s Day.
​
Anzac Ted turned out to be so much more. It’s the story of the ANZAC soldiers who fought alongside Great Britain during World War I. I only read the first half of the book. It’s perfect for littles. The other half tells Ted’s story as he supported those Anzac soldiers, and I still think it works for young children.
​

​Part 1 – What is an Azac?  Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, ANZAC. The division was formed in December 1914, in Egypt, during World War 1. They were supposed to be stationed in Britain, but plans changed because there wasn’t room, or supplies. The Anzac units were sent to Egypt . . . the weather was a better fit. December is summer down under for Anzac soldiers.

This is a 1915 camp of soldiers from New Zealand. Its name – ANZAC Cove. They were commanded by General William Birdwood, an officer from the British Indian Army. He brought in soldiers from India, Ceylon, Britain, and Ireland. He even had a Jewish unit with volunteers from Russia, Canada, and the US, but it was mainly made up of those Anzac soldiers.  

This illustration of the Anzac troops came out after the battle at Gallipoli. George R.I said, “The Australian and New Zealand troops have indeed proved themselves worthy sons of the Empire.” That seemed odd . . . George I died after the American Revolution. George V was king during WWI, and he was also the last ruler of the British Empire. It began dissolving after WWI and eventually turned into the British Commonwealth of Nations.
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​And the Gallipoli campaign – it started on February 17, 1915. It ended on January 19, 1916. It had three goals – To weaken and defeat the Ottoman Empire. To keep the Suez Canal safe, and to open up shipping to Russian ports. BTW, that’s when the Russian czar and the British king were cousins, and they worked together against another cousin, the German kaiser.

The Gallipoli campaign didn’t work out as planned. The February land invasion failed, but the Allies didn’t quit. On April 25 they sent the Anzac soldiers to land on the Turkish beaches. That failed too. Finally in January 1916 the allies gave up and withdrew their forces. For Turkey, it became a defining moment in their history, the beginning of the road to becoming their own country.
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In Australia and New Zealand, they saw Gallipoli as a baptism of fire. It was also the beginning of their journey to become independent countries too. 

The Anzac troops left Greece on April 23 and 24 of 1941. Most of them were sent to Crete to bolster its defense against an upcoming German air and sea invasion. That battle began May 20. It ended 10 days later. The Germans – overwhelming.  
​
The Royal Navy rescued most of the men, but some hid out in mountains. They survived thanks to the people of Crete.  Others were found, captured, and sent to Prisoner of War camps in Europe (POW).
I searched but couldn’t find the date this monument was built, but I’m glad it honors those who fell in Greece, then in Crete. They may have lost those battles, but their efforts helped win World War II. 
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​​Welcome to the Be’er Sheva Anzac Memorial Centre. You’ll find it in Be’eri Forest near Negev, Israel. It’s a monument to the Anzac soldiers who gave their lives in Palestine during World War 1. That was in April, 1917. (Palestine is now the country of Israel.)

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​The Memorial Centre was dedicated on the 100th anniversary of Be’er Sheva’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire. You can interact with the Anzac story inside the museum. Outside you’ll be walking on hallowed ground, where the two battles of Gaza were fought.

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Information Sources:
Anzac Ted – Written and Illustrated by Belinda Landsberry

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - Wikipedia

​Gallipoli campaign - Wikipedia

Anzac Memorial (Israel) - Wikipedia
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The Be'er-Sheva ANAZC Memorial Centre - אטרקציות בבאר שבע - כל האטרקציות בבאר שבע : תיירות באר שבע (visitbr7.co.il)

​Everyone deals with fear. I wrote about mine . . . getting lost, failing, the unknown, but the most important part – getting past them. I also wrote about the fears I’ve survived, like aging and ahlzheimers, diabetes and death. Plus, how I did it.

If you’d like to read that post, click on this link:
http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/the-things-i-fear

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​Quote #1 – Stop making excuses; you’re the only one stopping you.
 
Who said it?    ​Issa Rae

My guess – Issa Rae learned to stop making excuses as a child. She went through so many changes, so many moves. She had to adjust. Issa was born in LA, lived in Dakar, Senegal, before moving to Potomac, Maryland. Her family made all those moves before or during elementary school. Every time you move, it’s scary, for grown-ups too.
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After 6th grade her family moved to LA again. Another new neighborhood, and another new school. No room for excuses. When your family moves, you do too.

In high school Issa went to one that specialized in science and medicine. It’s also where she got involved in acting, and her parents divorced. Issa didn’t make excuses. She looked for opportunities and found them in the theatre.

Issa Rae went on to study and graduate from Stanford University in 2007. That’s where she created Awkward Black Girl.  Issa continued to work and study until the play took off in 2011, but she didn’t stop there. She took those ideas and turned them into a New York Times best seller in 2015. No excuses, but lots of hard work!
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Issa was already working on other things too. In 2013 she started writing a pilot for a comedy series. It became Insecure, and it debuted in 2016. The final episode aired on December 26, 2021, but Issa had finished the next project. It netted her a five-year film and television deal with Warner Media.
Magic didn’t make Issa’s ideas come to life. Hard work did – no excuses, procrastination, or doubt. Issa looked at her goals and worked until she found a way to make them happen.
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Information Sources:
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Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
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Issa Rae - Wikipedia


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​Quote #2 – The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
 
Who said it?    ​Sylvia Plath

Sylvia was a talented poet, born in 1932. She kept daily diaries and journals as a child. Kids don’t do that on their own, unless they love writing. Sylvia’s first poem was published in The Boston Herald Children’s Section. She was only eight. It sounds like she had a wonderful childhood, with only a little self-doubt, and lots of creativity.

College was good until her third year, 1953. That’s when she won a job at Mademoiselle Magazine. That meant she got to spend a month in New York City. It’s funny sometimes how wonderful can turn into awful. It also started a cycle of depression and hurting herself that she’d battle for the next ten years. Sylvia died in 1963.

Sylvia experienced success, when she pushed away self-doubt. She married and had two children. She was the author of four books. Two of them she lived to see – The Colossus and Other Poems (1960) and The Bell Jar (1963). Would you believe her most famous work, The Bell Jar, had its roots in that awful summer of 1953? I’m glad Sylvia took the lessons she learned and channeled them into a book. I read it in high school. Now I understand why it was so gloomy.

Sylvia also had two pieces published after her death – Ariel (1965) and The Collected Poems (1981). That collection won her a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1982, 19 years after her death. I wish she had known. I also wish the things we know about depression and suicide now, were available for Sylvia and her family back then.

This story about Sylvia makes me happy. At Smith College she wrote in her journal about being conflicted about a decision – whether to stay at college for a summer writing class, or to take it off. She decided to go home. She believed you could write about anything in life, if you had the guts to do it. She decided she could skip the class, and her creativity would be just fine. My wish – that she could have hugged that lesson tight during the awful times. That she could have recognized her own self-worth and lived to tell, with more stories for us, and for her two children.
​
My wish for you – that when you’re feeling self-doubt, that you talk to someone. That you ask them for reasons to believe in yourself. It’s what I do when I doubt myself, and my writing. Here’s to fighting doubts – for you and for me.
​

Information Sources:

​Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
​
Sylvia Plath - Wikipedia
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​Quote #3 – Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
 
Who said it?    ​Marie Curie or Madame Curie

​Marie lived a fearless life. She pushed it aside to search for knowledge and understanding. Her hunt led her away from home in Poland. She moved to France to live with her big sister. She wanted to study and experiment with science.  That was 1891, and Marie was 24.

Marie married Pierre Curie in 1895. They both loved science, and together they researched radioactivity, Marie’s word for the material they experimented on. In 1903 their work earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics. They were the first married couple to win the award, and Marie the first woman.

Pierre died in 1906, but Marie continued her drive to learn more, and to share that knowledge. In 1906 she became the first female professor at the University of Paris. She was fearless in her pursuit of science.

Marie continued to work on isolating radioactive isotopes. She discovered two new elements – polonium and radium. That earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, her second. Eventually she’d earn five.

Marie uncovered medical applications for radioactivity. She developed mobile X-ray units to help soldiers survive the First World War, from 1914 – 1918, but Marie didn’t stop there. She founded two institutes devoted to medical research. One in Paris in 1920, and another in Warsaw, Poland in 1932.

Marie’s work with radium shortened her life, but it gave us so much . . .  like X-rays and cancer radiation treatments. Her words about fear and understanding came after learning she had leukemia. She pushed fear away during those final days and concentrated on learning and understanding. Marie died in 1934.
​

​
Information Sources:
 
Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
​
Marie Curie - Wikipedia

Elizabeth is the only Queen I’ve ever known. There may have been other queens around the world, but they weren’t famous in the US like Elizabeth II. I missed her coronation, June 2, 1953 by six years. That’s because I wasn’t born until May of 1959. At least I can watch the next one – for her son, Charles III, and it will happen sometime in 2023. The date – yet to be determined.

Part 1 – The Queen I Knew: I wasn’t a fan in the 90’s of the Queen, or Charles because of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was his first wife, and she was treated horribly by the royal family. I could identify with her . . . I didn’t always get along with my in-laws, but it’s true . . . time heals most wounds.

When Diana died in 1997 in a car accident, I didn’t think I could ever forgive the Queen, or Charles. That I could ever see Camilla as his wife, but time passed. Charles and Camilla married in 2005. Enough time had passed that it felt OK, and now enough time has passed that it feels OK for Camilla to be Queen Consort. I read that some people are still being horrible to them. After 17 years of marriage, it feels like it’s time to let it go, to let them be.
​

Now I’m happy to look back, to remember Queen Elizabeth II. This is her with her husband on her Coronation Day back in 1953. Elizabeth had been queen since February 6, 1952, the day her father, George VI died. Elizabeth became queen immediately, but coronations take time to plan and practice.

Elizabeth served the United Kingdom for 70 years. She’s the longest reigning monarch in British history. One of the lines I heard repeated the week after her death was something Elizabeth said when she was 21. “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,”
​
Elizabeth kept her promise, for 70 years. That’s an incredible record! Near the end of her life, she was reported to have said the moment I stop, is the moment I drop. She kept going, until the day before she died.

​​These are Elizabeth’s last two prime ministers. She met with them both at Balmoral Castle on September 6th, two days before she died. She received Boris Johnson’s resignation first. Later in the day she met with Liz Truss and asked her to form a new government.

​Over the 70 years Elizabeth reigned, she worked with 15 prime ministers. They met once a week to discuss the state of the country. That’s a lot of meetings! She started with Sir Winston Churchill in 1952. She ended with Liz Truss in September of 2022.
​

On September 7th, Elizabeth skipped the Privy Council meeting with her advisors. She probably wanted to attend, but her doctors said rest.
​
On the 8th, her family flew in, trying for one last visit. Some made it. Some didn’t. Elizabeth died at 4:30 PM British time. Her people were told at 6:30 PM. That’s when Charles officially became king.

Part 2 – Scotland Says Goodbye to the Queen:
When the Queen died on September 8th, Operation London Bridge began. It’s a group of plans that Elizabeth made for her family, and for her country. She might have set them up years ago. She probably made changes over the years. London Bridge included a national period of mourning that lasted for 10 days. It started on  September 8th  with her death, and it ended on the 19th with her funeral.

Operation Unicorn was the set of plans made just for Scotland. The Queen’s body remained at Balmoral from the 8th until the 11th. That’s the day her funeral cortege of cars left Balmoral at 10:46AM to travel to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

​​ I took a screenshot of Scotland from Bing Images. The Princess Anne followed her mother’s car the whole way through Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Fife, for 175 miles. If you look at the map, you can find Aberdeen, where the Queen’s voyage began, and Edinburgh, where it ended. Angus and Fife must be somewhere in-between.

​Along the road people stood to show their respect, to say goodbye. A group of farmers even formed an honor guard of tractors for their Queen. It was another way to thank Elizabeth for her service.

Elizabeth’s cortege of cars arrived at Holyrood Palace at 16:23. That’s 4:23 PM. In England they use a 24-hour clock, like US military time. Elizabeth’s coffin was placed in the Throne Room.

​Holyroodhouse is where the Queen used to spend a week at the beginning of summer. She’d attend official engagements and ceremonies. On September 11th and 12 she said her official goodbyes to Scotland and its people.

Elizabeth’s coffin left Holyroodhouse on September 12. She was driven up the Royal Mile one last time to St Giles’ Cathedral. The Bearer Party from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Company of Archers escorted her cortege.

​Her four children followed on foot – King Charles III, Princess Anne and her husband, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. The Queen Consort and Edward’s wife followed by car. Guns were fired from Edinburgh Castle each minute as the Queen traveled up the Royal Mile, one last time.

When Elizabeth arrived, her coffin was carried into the church, and the Crown of Scotland was placed on top. Its history – it’s also known as the James V crown. It was falling apart so he had it remade in 1540. That’s when the first Queen Elizabeth was 6 or 7 years old. ​

Then St. Giles’ held a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the second Elizabeth, and her service to Scotland.

​ The Queen lay in state for 24 hours, guarded by the Royal Company of Archers. Her children stood guard for 10 minutes. It’s a new tradition that started with Elizabeth’s father, George, but only his sons watched over him. Not his daughter. This time Princess Anne joined in too. 

On September 14th Elizabeth was on the move again. A military procession carried her coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Her children, Charles I, Anne, Andrew, and Edward, marched along behind her.
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The sounds – overwhelming! Bands playing marches. Big Ben, the world’s most recognizable clock, tolling out each minute, and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery – they were firing their guns from Hyde Park. 
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Soldiers from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, carried Elizabeth’s coffin into the Hall. They set it on a platform. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Westminster delivered the service for Elizabeth’s family. And for her country.

​ The Queen lay in state in Westminster Hall from 2:00PM September 14th until 6:30AM on the 19th. This is a map of that queue. That’s what the Brits call a line you stand in. The Queen’s – its maximum length was 10 miles. The longest waiting time – over 24 hours.

During those five days, over 250,000 people waited to say goodbye. The line ran for 96 hours. When I did the math, they were able to send 2604 people by, each hour. 

This is the queu that crossed Lambeth Bridge. It stretched from one side of the Thames to the other. I wonder if it’s the spot where the red line on the map crosses the river at Westminster.

​I can’t imagine standing in line for 24 hours, but at least they used arm bands to take breaks – to sit down, get something to eat, or visit the bathroom. I’ve heard no one does lines like the British, and no one does ceremonies like them either. 

​​Here’s Westminster Hall again. The queue passed the queen’s coffin on both sides.

The coffin was guarded by the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and the Household Division. On it sat the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign’s Orb and Scepter, and flowers from Balmoral and Windsor Castles.

Did you see the queue on American TV? I did. I also saw the Vigil of the Princes. That’s when Elizabeth’s children stood guard for ten minutes on September 16th, like they did in Edinburgh. Her eight grandchildren stood guard on the 17th. The youngest was 14. The oldest, 44. Can you imagine standing at complete attention, with TV cameras watching, and trying not to cry? I can’t!
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Elizabeth’s coffin left Westminster Hall at 10:44AM on September 19th. She was carried by the Royal Navy’s Gun Carriage to Westminster Abbey. King Charles, the royal family, and part of the King’s household followed. Queen Victoria started the tradition in 1901, for her funeral.  

A wreath of flowers sat on the coffin, with a note from King Charles. A bell tolled 96 times, to remember each year of the Queen’s life. Elizabeth’s coffin arrived at 10:52, and the funeral service began at 11AM. It was attended by leaders and reigning monarchs from all over the world. Over 2000 people came, to celebrate Elizabeth’s life. 
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The first funeral procession left Westminster Abbey at 12:15, headed toward Wellington Arch. This is the arcch. It sits in the middle of a traffic island between Hyde Park and Green Park. Her four children marched behind the coffin. Seven military bands and 3000 military personnel joined in. The royal family followed by car. Elizabeth’s procession was over a mile-long, and approximately a million people lined its route.

Next Elizabeth’s coffin travelled by hearse. It left the Wellington arch at 1:30PM. Her driver didn’t use the motorway, their interstate. They took the A roads so people could watch along the way. Their A roads are like American highways. 

Elizabeth arrived at 3:00 for the final procession, down the Long Walk to Windsor Castle. I watched, and it was amazing. One thousand military personnel took part. Around 97,000 people lined either side of the walk.

Her pony Emma stood to the side. So did her corgis, Muick and Sandy. All those people, but all I heard was the march of feet. Amazing, so many people, so silent and still.

​The King and the royal family joined the procession at the Quadrangle. That’s the lawn inside the castle grounds. Then bells tolled from two towers. The King’s Troop, the Royal Horse Artillery, fired guns from the castle’s east lawn. 

An honor guard from the 1st Battalion Grenadiers carried her coffin into St. George’s Chapel, inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Elizabeth’s service began at 4PM. The 800 people in attendance, they were mostly members of the royal household and the staff from the Queen’s private estates. They served Elizabeth over the days, months, even years of her lifetime. 

The seats were also filled by the royal family, the British governors general of the Commonwealth Nations, their prime ministers, and reigning monarchs from around the world. 

The Dean of Winsor conducted the funeral service. He used the same order that had been used for Elizabeth’s grandparents and her father, George VI.
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​These were Queen Elizabeth’s Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign’s Orb, and Scepter. They’ll be safe in storage until sometime in 2023, when it’s time to pass them onto Charles III, at his coronation.
 

Part 4 – Missing the Queen? Here are 4 books to help you and your little ones remember Queen Elizabeth II. One of the things I learned after she died, was how devoted she was to her family, and to her people.  

I wrote a review of The Queen’s Hat back in June of 2017. Here’s a link to that review: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-the-queens-hat

And here are the Amazon Descriptions of the books in the Queen collection . . . 

The Queen’s Hat – A sudden gust of wind sets off a marvelous adventure for the Queen, lots of Queen's men, and one very special hat. Just where will that hat land? Following a hysterical, epic hat chase, the Queen is reunited with her hat -- and the royal baby! AKA, Princess Charlotte, who now in 2022 got her way and attended her great-grandmother’s funeral.
 
The Queen’s Present – The Queen is off on a round-the-world tour in search of the perfect Christmas present. And she's not alone... Father Christmas is here to help!
 
The Queen’s Handbag – A very naughty thief has stolen the Queen's handbag! There's only one thing to do: chase the thief all over the landmarks of Great Britain! Hold on to your hats and join the Queen in this epic wild goose chase after one sneaky swan by car.
 
The Queen’s Lift-Off – The Queen's off to space! Travelling at the speed of light, she goes where no man (or Queen) has gone before. From the Moon to Mars, via Mercury. No planet is left unexplored. But will she be back in time for tea?

Photo Sources for Part 1:
​Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson - By Ben Shread / Cabinet Office, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83764351

​The New Prime Minister Liz Truss - y Prime Minister's Office - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-minister-liz-trusss-statement-6-september-2022, OGL 3,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122729965
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Balmoral Castle - By Stuart Yeates from Oxford, UK - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=728182

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​                                                                             Photo Sources for Part 2:

Screenshot of the Queue from Wikipedia

Queue at Lambeth Bridge – CC BY-SA 4.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71772152

Westminster Hall – By Katie Chan - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123134491

Westminster Abbey – By Σπάρτακος (changes by Rabanus Flavus) - File: Westminster-Abbey.JPG, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76031882
 
Wellington Arch – By Ermell - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55560305
 
Windsor Palace - By Diliff - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3811084
 
St. George’s Chapel Exterior – By Aurelien Guichard from London, United Kingdom (changes by Rabanus Flavus) - File:St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle (1).jpg, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67647692
 
St. George’s Chapel Interior – By Jack Pease, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39655608

Information Sources for this Post: 
​

 
Timeline of Queen Elizabeth II's death (yahoo.com)
 
Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II - Wikipedia
 
Crown Jeweler Removes Crown, Sceptre and Orb from Queen Elizabeth's Coffin Before Her Interment (people.com)
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​I firmly believe that if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. Self-care is more than eating nutritional foods. More than exercising. It’s believing in, and having confidence in yourself. It’s allowing yourself to make mistakes, and learn from them.

That’s what this post is all about . . . caring for your own self-concept, for your own belief in yourself. It’s still true . . . if you don’t do it, no one else will.

Quote #1 – As one goes through life,
one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.
​
Who said it? ​

Katharine was an actress. She paddled her own canoe from the moment she stepped onstage in 1928 until she took her last curtain call for a TV movie in 1994. She was 87 years young.

Katharine was known for the roles she played – strong-willed and sophisticated women, and they matched who she was in real life – with her headstrong independence, spirited personality, and outspokenness. She was one of my childhood heroines. When I grew up, I wanted to be as strong and independent as she was.  

Katherine was part of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but she did it her way. She wore pants before other celebrities did, way before I was born in 1959. I remember wearing dresses to school, and that was in the 60’s. We weren’t even allowed to wear culotte’s (shorts with a skirt in front) until 4th grade. That’s the year we were finally allowed to wear pants. THAT was a HUGE deal. 
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Sources:
​1.  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
2.  Katharine Hepburn - Wikipedia

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Quote #2 - You will either step forward into growth,
or you will step backward into safety. 

Who said it? ​

​Abraham Maslow
​

​Abraham was an American psychologist. He stepped forward into something new when he focused on the positives of his patients. He believed they were more than a bag of symptoms. Abraham could have stepped backwards by focusing on the abnormal, the ill. He refused.
 
Abraham taught psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research, and Columbia University. He is best known for creating a hierarchy of needs. When I went to college to become a teacher back in 1977, I learned about that hierarchy. It made a lot of sense then, and I think it still does.

​This looks like a chart I would have studied in the 70’s. What stayed with me, all these years later – the needs at the bottom must be met first. If you don’t have food, water, warmth, and rest, it’s hard to move up to your need to be safe. It’s like the foundation of a house, if you don’t have a good one, it’s hard to build the upper floors of Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization. 

​If you’re living in the suburbs and suddenly lose your job, esteem and self-actualization are a lot less important. You’ll be focused on getting food, water, utilities, and shelter, the things you really need to survive.

• Sources:
• 1.  Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes

2.  Abraham Maslow - Wikipedia

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Photo Sources: 
1.   Abraham Maslow By -  
http://www.celebriton.com/abraham_maslow/photo/a_photo_of_abraham_maslow,
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34062949

2.  Maslow's Hierarchy By - 
Androidmarsexpress - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93026655

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Quote #3 - Try not to become a person of success,
but rather try to become a person of value. 


Who said it? ​

​Albert Einstein
​

Albert was a theoretical physicist born in Germany. He immigrated to the US during WWII and became a citizen. He’s one of the few physicists who’s known around the world, but he’s also known for his values.
 
Albert is famous for his theory of relativity. Have you heard of E = mc2? That’s his equation! He’s also known for his work in quantum mechanics. Together they form the heart of modern physics.
 
Albert won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, partly because of his work in theoretical physics, but mostly because he discovered the photoelectric effect. He noticed when light strikes and hits something, electrons bounce off and become photoelectrons. 

​Albert wasn’t afraid to be different. He believed nature worked systematically, not randomly, like throwing a dice. He also came up with the unified field theory, which I can’t even begin to understand, or explain. What I do get – he was willing to work outside the mainstream of physics.  
 
Albert could change his mind when the data changed. He joined several European scientists before the US joined WWII. They sent a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning him that the Germans were building nuclear weapons. They said the Americans should too. After the war, he said that letter was the great mistake of his life. He joined ten scientists, and they sent another letter. This time they warned the world about the danger of nuclear weapons.  

Have you heard about Christmas in July? I had, but I thought it was a Hallmark thing to promote their movies, Christmas ornaments, and other products. It turns out Christmas in July goes FAR beyond Hallmark. Here are two sources I dug into, to learn more.
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1 - What is Christmas in July? How to Celebrate Properly - Open for Christmas
2 - Christmas in July: What It Is, How It Started, and Why You Should Celebrate This Year | Real Simple

I was surprised that both sources said Christmas in July started at the same place . . .  Keystone Summer Camp for Girls in Brevard, North Carolina. They also had the same dates for that first Christmas – July 24th and 25th of 1933. Would you believe it’s still going strong? I wonder if Keystone Camp inspired the writers at Hallmark. One of this year’s featured movies was Campfire Christmas. Who knows?!

Christmas in July has spread all over the globe. Today it’s celebrated in the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. If you lived in the southern hemisphere, you could celebrate a July Christmas with snow and cocoa. December ones probably look more like a Florida Christmas.
​
Christmas in July is all about Hallmark Christmas movies for me. My husband thinks it’s crazy, but I love escaping into stories with a little Christmas spirit. It always brings out the best in people. I need that when July makes us all hot and sticky!


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​ My All-Time Favorite Hallmark Chrismas Movie:  This is it! Why do I love it so much? First, the script is so well done. It’s a lovely blend of sarcasm and wit that it’s pure fun to watch.
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Second, the writers used bits of A Christmas Carol in it. You know the Christmas story with Ebenezer Scrooge? He’s visited by the ghosts of Christmas present, past, and future.

Third, the cast! Candace Cameron Bure and Jean Smart are a dynamic duo. They work well together, and they play off of each other. I can’t believe they don’t list Jean Smart on this cover. She was Charlene on Designing Women, and she’s just as funny in this role as she was back then.

Fourth, I love the Christian connection in this one. Jean Smart’s character is an angel who’s sent to get Candace’s character back on track. Candace doesn’t understand until Jean tells a story of how God sent a sleigh to save a man who’s buried in the snow. He got three chances but didn’t take any of them. When he dies, he asks St. Peter why God didn’t save him. Peter answers that God sent the sleigh to him three times, but he never took it. It’s a small reference, but I appreciate Hallmark keeping Christ in Christmas.

Finally, and most of all, it’s the shoes! Candace gets to wear some great ones that are full of possibilities. Guys like my husband don’t get it, but I do. When you put on the right outfit, it can change your day, maybe even your life. One of my favorite scenes in the movie shows a Christmas tree made out of shoes.

PS - Would you believe I had a 2nd grade boy ask how many shoes I had? I said I didn’t know, but one can never have too many shoes! He nodded like he understood. I hope he did!
​​
Amazon’s Description:
As Christmas approaches, Noelle (Candace Cameron Bure) is at a crossroads in her life when it seems that love, a connection with her father, and her dream career are out of reach. When she stays late at her job in a department store on a snowy Christmas Eve, she accidentally gets locked in after closing. She isn't too concerned about the prospect of spending the night in the store… until a quirky woman (Jean Smart) appears out of nowhere in the shoe department and tells Noelle that she's her guardian angel. Soon, Noelle finds herself revisiting Christmases past, present, and future as she must work with her new neighbor, a handsome, Christmas-loving firefighter, to plan the annual Christmas Charity Gala. Will visiting the holidays of yesterday and tomorrow help Noelle take new chances and discover the true spirit of Christmas? And in realizing that the only thing standing in her way of leading a fulfilling life is herself, will the love she has longed for all her life be the best surprise gift of all?

​Neil’s 1946 tunnel was way better than mine . . . he used a real propeller. It had lots of lift! It knocked his mom’s robe off and sent the model through the window. Cole Roberts did a great job illustrating it for my book.

​

Kevin gave me two things, free. I didn’t ask for them, but I love them both. First, this Ohio patch. The stars around the state represent cities who are space-famous. The two up north, Wapakoneta and Cleveland. Wapak’s known for Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Cleveland’s famous for the NASA Glenn Visitor Center.
​
The two down south are Dayton and Cambridge. Dayton’s the home of the Wright Brothers, the ones who were first in flight. Cambridge is the home of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.
​

​​Tale #2 – A Piece of the Couch: Kevin also gave me this little piece of plastic. He said I’d flip over it. I did . . . after he told me what it was.
​

It’s a tiny piece of fabric sealed in plastic. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s part of a couch, the one Viola Armstrong sat on, on a long-ago day back in 1969.The day her son walked on the moon. Now, I have a tiny piece of history! WOW! Kevin was right . . . I just flipped!

​​ Tale #3 – It’s Rocket Science: And I found it in the museum parking lot. That’s where I met a few people with the Wright Stuff. The real ‘Right Stuff’ comes from a 1983 movie about the Mercury 7, our first 7 NASA astronauts. One of them was Ohio’s own John Glenn.
​

The ones in the museum parking lot were the Wright Stuff Rocketeers. They’re from Dayton and named after that famous pair of brothers. The Rocketeers travel all over Ohio helping kids build and launch model rockets. The kids in Wapak were thrilled when the Rocketeers spent a rainy Saturday afternoon helping them build rockets, but I bet they were disappointed when the Rocketeers had to cancel Sunday’s launch . . . too rainy.
​
My biggest thrill – the Rocketeers checked out my wind tunnel when I unloaded it. My biggest disappointment – I didn’t get to see them in action, working with kids. Maybe next time!   


PS – I could barely post last night (9/19). I wrote the rough draft, but I could only revise the first section. Then I hit a wall with the Space Hipsters. It was midnight, and I was exhausted. Sometimes you have to know when . . . When to push through . . . When to stop and take that break. I’m glad I did . . . Tonight’s revision was easy-peasy!

PPS – I thought I’d post Part 2 last night (9/21). COULDN’T! Not even a rough draft. I tried! For 2 or 3 hours. I finally gave up and posted my pictures. Then I could finally start writing phrases, and a rough draft. Editing tonight was easy  peasy again. Sometimes – you have to wait for the words to come.
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​Tale #4 – Cutting Class: Welcome to Purdue! It’s the university Neil picked to study aeronautical engineering, at age 17. I don’t think Neil ever cut class, but the engineering students at Purdue did . . . whenever Neil returned for a visit . . .  unannounced. He never told anyone he was coming, and that is so quintessentially Neil.
​

I heard this story from a Purdue aeronautical engineering grad. I’m not sure when he went to Purdue, but he told me how he’d walk into class . . . and find an empty room. He knew immediately that Neil was in the lounge. So was the rest of his class, and they were listening to Neil. But the saddest part of his story – he didn’t get to. His professor made him stay for class. If I’d been that professor, I’d have headed to the lounge to talk to Neil too.

PS – Happy Ending – My new friend got to skip class. He finally got the news in time, and he made it to the lounge so he could listen and talk to Neil. I wish I’d been there too.

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​​Tale #5 – Instructables, Anyone?  I shared my book and my wind tunnel with museum visitors, but I shared something else – Instructables. I found my wind tunnel there. I needed one because I couldn’t write about wind tunnels – unless I understood them. The best way – to build one.
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The best part – I’m sharing my Instructable story right now. I added the link in the back matter section of my book, How to Build a Wind Tunnel. I also shared it with museum visitors. They didn’t have to buy a book. They just took a picture of the link inside. Here’s the new version: Cardboard Wind Tunnel : 6 Steps - Instructables

Goalieguy wrote his Instructable back in 7th grade. I found him in 2019, messaged, and asked to use his pictures in my back matter. He had already graduated from college and had a job building robots in California. WOW! That’s what Instructables did for him, and they can do it for you too.

And, they have all kinds of projects to try – with 3D printers . . .  crafts . . .  electronics . . . food. If you come up with a new and terrific project, you could enter it in one of their contests – maybe even win a prize! If you want to learn more, here’s the link to their homepage: Yours for the making - Instructables       

PS – My Purdue friend has a daughter going to college for aerospace engineering, just like he did. Just like Neil did. Guess what site she met after taking a few precollege engineering classes! If you guessed Instructables, you’re right! She said she could go back to her dorm room and build my wind tunnel. If she does, I bet hers will be better than mine.
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​​Tale #6 – A Single Disappointment: From the outside looking in, Neil lived a charmed life. He set goals, and achieved them . . . from the first airplane he built at age two, to setting foot on the moon.
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Neil did so many fabulous things. It’s hard to believe that he had disappointments, but someone from the museum told me he did. His . . . Neil never designed and built commercial airplanes.

It just goes to show that even Neil didn’t get everything he dreamed of. Nobody does. The sad part for me – knowing how much he loved making planes, and making each one better – That he didn’t get to build real commercial airliners. I’m disappointed for him. My story about Neil started when he discovered planes at age two, and it’s where this one ends, with his disappointment about the thing he never achieved.

​ Meet Henry’s Queens. I’ve been reading about them over the last two months.
I realized a few ways they’re alike, but a lot of ways they’re different. 

         Part 1 – Comparing Henry’s Queens:
​        Here are six ways his queens were the same. Finding similarities wasn’t easy.

1. They all married Henry, of course.
2. Each queen had a special trait that brought her to Henry’s attention. In time it also turned him against her.
3. They each owned and wore the crown jewels, then returned them.
4. Each one had a political faction pushing for her, and fighting against her too.
5. They all lived and died during the 16th century (the 1500’s).
6. They all died and are buried in England.

      Part 2 – Contrasting Henry’s Queens:
     Here are 12 ways they’re different. Finding them was easy!

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1. Nationality:
- From England – Four of Henry’s queens came from the UK.
- From Abroad – The other two came from Spain (Catherine of Aragon) and Germany (Anne of Cleves).
 
2. Their age when they married Henry:
- Teen – Catherine Howard
- Twenties – Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Anne of Cleves 
- Thirties – Catherine Parr.
Interesting . . . his last two queens were his youngest, and oldest.
 
3. Henry’s age and health when he married them:
- Young and fit – Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn
- Old and heavy, with leg wounds – The rest of his queens

​4. Education:
- Most educated – Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine Parr. All three learned Latin and Religion. Most girls didn’t. Those were boys’ subjects.
- Basic Education – Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves. They were taught basic household skills, plus reading, writing, and a little math.
- Least educated – Catherine Howard. She had tutors, but she’d rather sing and dance than read or write.
 
5. Why Henry picked them:
- Political alliances – Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves
- For knowledge and personality – Anne Boleyn
- For kindness – Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr
 
6. Religion:
- Catholic – Catherine of Aragon
- Church of England - Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Howard. According to the novels which are historical fiction, Jane, Anne, Catherine, and their families, leaned toward the Catholic faith, privately. Anne of Cleves was chosen because her brother belonged to a Protestant league of German princes, but she was Catholic, like her mother.
- Protestant – Anne Boleyn and Catherine Parr. Catherine was almost arrested for heresy, for being too Protestant in her beliefs. I didn’t know the Church of England was more like the Catholic church than the Protestant one.

​​7. Crowned:
- Henry crowned his first two queens, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. He made the others wait until they produced that all-important son. They didn’t. Jane Seymour died giving birth to one. Unfortunately, she was never crowned.

1. 8.  Married to someone who wasn’t Henry:

- Two queens married someone else. Catherine of Aragon was married to Henry’s brother, Arthur. Their marriage was annulled after Arthur died. Later Henry used it to divorce Catherine. Catherine Parr was married twice before Henry, and once afterward. She is still the most married queen in English history.
- Anne of Cleves was betrothed to the Duke of Lorraine’s son, but the betrothal was broken. Later Henry used it to delay, then annul his marriage to Anne.
- Catherine Howard got involved in common law marriages before she married Henry. It was one of the things that brought her down.

9. Children: - His first three queens had children – Catherine of Aragon (Mary), Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth), and Jane Seymour (Edward, that all-important son)
- His last three queens – Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr
- All of Henry’s queens had miscarriages. Those babies didn’t make it to full term.
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​10. The end to their marriages :
- Divorced – Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves, the foreign princesses.
- Beheaded – Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The nieces of Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk. He helped them become queen. Then he helped convict them. Nice uncle!
- Died – Jane Seymour – She was Henry’s favorite wife . . . She gave him that son.
- Lived – Catherine Parr – She was the only queen to outlive Henry. He died first. Anne of Cleves lived longer than Catherine, but she wasn’t queen. Thank goodness Henry divorced her!
- BTW – In England they say there’s a pattern to the six queens. Divorced, beheaded, died. Repeat . . . Divorced, beheaded, lived. I read it in another series starring three of Henry’s queens.

1. 11. Lived during the16th Century :

- All six queens lived and died during the 1500’s.
- The exception, Catherine of Aragon, who was born in 1485.

12. Birthdays :
- Known dates with year/month/date – Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves
- Circa dates – Anne Boleyn (Between 1501-1507), Jane Seymour (Sometime in 1508), Catherine Howard (1521-1525), Catherine Parr (August 1512). It’s sad! No one took the time to record the year Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard were born.

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In 1965 a song came out about Henry VIII. I thought Henry was the king who’d had 6 wives. This Henry, but I was wrong.

I just looked up the song and reread the lyrics. It turns out the song’s Henry married a widow from next door, and she’d married seven other Henry’s. That made him the widow’s eighth Henry.


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Here’s the cover from that 1965 song. It hit #1 on the US charts, and it was the fastest selling song in history, back then.

It’s still one of the shortest songs in chart history. That’s because it only used the chorus. There are actually three verses, but Herman’s Hermits didn’t use any of them. I guess they wanted their song short and snappy.
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The Hermits skipped the verses, but they kept the Cockney accent from the original song. It was written back in 1910. Their Henry is pronounced Enery, with three syllables.
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​Would you like to hear The Hermits?  Click this link.
Link: henry viii i am song - Search (bing.com)

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​Would you like to learn more about the song, Henry VIII? Click this link.
Link: I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am - Wikipedia
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Photo Source: By MGM Records - Stereo Gum, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62053039

My grandkids have given me a couple of book ideas, but I never thought my grandmother, Rinda Hoskins Wilson would inspire one. I never met her, ever. She died when my mom was two. Then I read a book, and my grandma inspired this blog post, and eventually a story, I hope. 

Part 1 – A Mentor Book Gives Me Inspiration: This book is beautiful, inside and out. It’s a grandma story I found for Saturday Reads, but I didn’t read it. Why not? The story wasn’t about my grandmother.

It was about the author’s, or one she’d heard about. Suhalla, the main character, asks her Mama what her Grandma Annie was like. It’s funny, I’ve always wondered about mine too.

Mama answers. She tells Suhalla how Grandma loved the moon. How she’d help anyone who needed a hand. Then the most amazing thing happens . . . Grandma comes down the ladder to Suhalla’s window, and they have an adventure . . . on the moon!

It’s a lovely story, but it doesn’t have my grandmother in it. I tried to find her, but I couldn’t. I was hoping somehow, through the power of story, I’d see a tiny piece of her.

Then a few days later I got an idea. . . . Why not write a grandma story about mine? I don’t know where it’s going, but I have to flesh it out . . . Story magic keeps nudging me to figure it out.

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Part 2 – The Search for Inspiration in Two Old Blog Posts: Inspiration is the spark, but it needs fuel to grow. My only source right now is two old posts I wrote about her, but it’s a start . . .

​When I moved to the lake, I also found three stories my mom had never heard about a switch, a rabid dog, and a handkerchief. If I’ve made you curious, here’s the link to those stories: 
​Link:  http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/a-chair-for-my-grandmother-or-me-and-my-grandmother
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​​One of my cousins sent these two photos after I published the first post. I’d never seen them before. The first one is my grandmother, grandfather, and their four oldest children. My mom and her brother Don aren’t there . . . They weren’t born yet. 
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The second one is my Great Grandfather George’s family. He was a widower with two daughters. He married my Great Grandmother Mary, and they had two little girls and two little boys. They’re in the light-colored clothing. Grandma Rinda’s on the far right. Mom said I looked like her when I was 7.  I think it’s because she fixed my hair that way for school pictures, on purpose.

This post, Tracing Rinda’s Roots, took me backward in time. I followed my grandfather’s family back to 1772 when they left Scotland. Here’s the link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/tracing-rindas-roots

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​Part 3 – Finding a Story for Me and My Grandmother: Here are the two of us together. Now my challenge – to find a way to put us into a story together.

It’s funny, the last thing I wrote in my July 2017 post was a bucket list. I said stories have a way of finding me, and that I hoped to find a few from visiting the past. This one came from a Mother’s Day picture book that didn’t make it into Saturday Reads. It feels like Story Magic’s giving me a prompt, again.

​                            To develop the story, I’ll need to ask myself a few key questions.

* What kind of book should this be?  A picture book, chapter book, or middle grade?
It depends on the story and its audience.

*  Who’s the best audience for it? A young child or a teen?

*  How will I find my grandma? Will I see her in the mirror, hear her whisper in the wind, see her in the clouds, or find her in my dreams? Any of these are possible.
Maybe I’ll combine them, or maybe there’s a better idea I haven’t thought of, yet.

*  What’s at stake for me/my main character? What do I get if I find grandma?
What do I lose if I don’t?
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For now . . . I’ll let my ideas marinate . . . until I can find my way into the story.
​I hope it’s soon, for Me and My Grandmother.