"LORENA" -- SWEETHEART SONG OF THE CIVIL WAR

This song was sung by soldiers on both sides during the CIvil War as they thought of their wives and girl friends back home. One Confederate officer blamed the South's defeat on the song. He thought that hearing the tender ballad made the soldiers so homesick that they lost their effectiveness in battle.

The lyrics were penned by a young Zanesville, Ohio minister in 1856, Rev. H.D. Webster. He fell for a Miss Blockson of his congregation. She lived with her sister who did not approve her becoming involved with a poor young minister. They had to call off their relationship. Brokenhearted he resigned his church and left Ohio. He then wrote a poem about his lost love.

He later met Joseph P. Webster who had previously written the music to the hymn "In the Sweet By and By." They changed the name in the poem to Lorena to get three syllables and Joseph wrote the beautiful tune we know by that name. The song was published in 1858 by Higgins Brothers of Chicago.

Those familiar with the tune will recognize it in a number of movies, such as The Horse Soldiers and The Searchers. Ken Burns used it in 1990 in his lengthy and excellent documentary on the Civil War. Though some of the stanzas may seem mournful or "dated", it is truly a genuine "slice of Americana."
The first stanza is quoted here:

The years creep slowly by Lorena,
The snow is on the grass again.
The sun's low down the sky Lorena,
The frost gleams where the flowers have been.
But the heart throbs on as warmly now
As when the summer days were nigh;
Oh, the sun can never dip so low
A-down affection's cloudless sky.

If you are not familiar with the tune, by all means, look it up. (Some renditions are better than others.)
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"ETERNAL FATHER, STRONG TO SAVE"

The words of this great hymn were written in 1860 by William Whiting of Winchester, England, for a student friend who was sailing to the United States. It is based on various Scriptures including Psalm 104:5-9.
The majestic and stately hymn tune was written by the minister John Bacchus Dykes, and named "Melita" (Malta) after the island where St Paul was shipwrecked in the New Testament. John Dykes also gave us other fine hymn tunes such as, "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Nearer My God, to Thee," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," and "Lead, Kindly Light."

This hymn is also known as "The Navy Hymn," because of it's sea-related text and the fact that it is used regularly at the US Naval Academy. It is also sung on British ships. Verses have been added in recent years relating to airmen and submariners.

Though it has a sea-related text and most of us are not seamen, it can easily be thought of as a metaphor for life: "Oh hear us when we cry to Thee for those in peril on the sea of life!" All of us....when we ponder the heavens and the wondrous works on every hand, what better hymn is there that captures the eternality of God like this one? A moment ago when I played the Naval Cadet Glee Club's rendition, I had goose bumps all over.

"Eternal Father" was the favorite hymn of FDR and used at his funeral. It was used at the JFK funeral. It was the favorite of Teddy Roosevelt. It was used at the Houston service a few years ago for the astronauts.
The writer knows of no finer, more moving, and inspiring hymn than this. Much is owed to the marvelous tune. Out of many years of studying and directing hymns, it is MY FAVORITE.

The first two stanzas are quoted here:
Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm doth bind the restless wave, Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.
O Saviour, whose almighty word, The winds and waves submissive heard, Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst it's rage did sleep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea.
(Suggest-- Go to "Navy Hymn" on your computer and select 2 minute rendition by the US Naval Academy Choir. Other box choices will appear. Writer's note: If you've never heard this hymn, you owe it to yourself to listen to it.)   Here is a link:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iu8y2pvuRg

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE OVEN!

Early December, and when I saw the "pecan pie filling in a jar", I ordered it immediately. What better way to show the family what a great cook I was than to surprise them with MY VERY OWN-BAKED PECAN PIE!!

I waited until the wife went Christmas shopping one day and then found a pie crust in the freezer and began my adventure. There were no instructions on the jar so I thought...."well, filling, pie crust, oven--what more do you need?" (Evidently the recipe was supposed to be attached to the lid of jar, as I later discovered.)

So, being a cook (?), I put that filling in the shell and put that sucker in the oven at 350*. I began to tidy up my minor mess in the kitchen when...uh oh...the wife returned unexpectedly and said,"What's this?" Caught with no lines...and no writer...I said,"It's not what it looks like."

My surprise being ruined I proceeded to elicit her advice. The pie was bubbling and bubbling and she asked about the recipe. I said,"Thar waran't none." Puzzled, she said, "Well, cook it some more." It bubbled and bubbled. I put it out to cool and later when I went to proudly sample it, it couldn't be sliced,  not even with a chisel.  So, humming a few bars of "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie," I sadly tossed it. 

On Monday morning I was on the phone to the pie company and the most courteous lady there, when she heard my tale of woe, said: " O-O-OH we are going to send you a replacement jar. You should have had a recipe stuck to the lid."

It came and I opened the little three-fold-lid-sized-round-recipe-thing on the lid and saw at a quick glance things like eggs, flour, butter, and then put the jar in the pantry. Out of sight, out of mind.

Three months later, the wife said,"The kids are coming-don't you want to make your pecan pie now?" "Oh, okay, I guess so." I went to fetch the jar. To digress...can we talk? are you sympathetic readers? Are you ready for this? As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes,"time and chance happeneth..." When I went to open my little fold-out lid recipe ( which separates non-chisel-able pies from nice slice-able ones) it was STUCK TOGETHER.  It was welded together, no joke, I'm serious here. I know,  the title of this story should be: "Real Cooks Don't Weep."

Anyway, resourceful I said to myself: "Look in a recipe book or consult Henry (my I PAD) and find a good recipe." So that's what happened. I figured out what was probably lacking and added it to the filling. You know, my last-pecan pie-that-I-will- ever-bake didn't turn out too badly. And if you ever need a good pecan pie recipe, Henry has 600, give or take.

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WOE IS I? WOE IS HE WHO THINKS IT IS WOE IS ME!

What's happened to us ? Everywhere, in books, movies, and television we hear pronouns being used incorrectly. Here is my theory: We have said it wrongly...so long...that it sounds right. Nowadays, sometimes when you hear a pronoun used correctly, it sounds "hoity-toity".

The correct rules I believe are, briefly: (1) use subjective pronouns I/we as the subject of a verb,
(2) use objective case pronouns me/us as the objects of verbs or prepositions,(3) never use a reflexive such as "myself" as a subject or an object. Example, "John and myself went to town." Wrong. Or, "The package was sent to John and myself." Wrong.

Neither do we say: "Me and John went to town." We say, "John and I went..." and we don't say,"The package was sent to John and I"---Correct is, "sent to John and me." So if we don't need the above reminders, we can disregard.

Sometimes I think people just throw in a token "she and I" or whatever because they think it is "probably about time" to use those. As in, "I know the darn things go somewhere."
Try this---for about two weeks, write on a pad every time you hear a pronoun misused, in a book or the media. It will amaze you.

So, the question is: Will this incorrect usage become "correct" eventually, finally approved by words gurus, just because of common usage?

Two of the greatest books I know on English usage are Patricia T. O'Conner's "Woe Is I" and
"Origins of the Specious." Get them while you can! Wonderful puns in the second one.

Bye, bye, from I. (OOPS!) Mil

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"OH, THAT SORITICISM!"

The writer has been blessed with a good many very intelligent and informed friends (and a bright wife), therefore it behooves him to continue his own pursuit of ideas and excellence to hopefully keep up with them. That being said, here is a cute little story.

In my correspondence, there are two particular gentlemen who LOVE WORDS and their meanings perhaps more than most people. One is a brilliant economist who has been interviewed on national television. Yes, I watched it!! Anyway, recently I sent him two words from one of my very favorite books, "Between Silk and Cyanide" by Leo Marks; the words were "incunabula" and "soriticism."

He wrote back," I found the first one, but not the second so I guess I am a half-scholar." I replied: "Now soriticism I had to search and it is as obvious as the nose on your face, and when you find out what it means...you will kick yourself. Definition--a polysyllogism in which the premises are arranged so that intermediate conclusions are omitted, being understood.

An example given by author Marks, 'If you say a man with one hair is bald, then a man with ten thousand hairs is ten thousand times as bald.' " "So," I said, "if you really knew it all the time, then you are really not a half-scholar but a whole
one!"

He wrote back: "OH, THAT SORITICISM!"

(Mil's Place: Look for coming attractions--"Tomatoes, Part Two"; "Antarctica"; "I'm My Own Grandpa/Totally Removed"; "Where'd You Get the Cowboy?"; and "You're Standing on My Oxygen Hose." Many thanks for your comments, O WONDERFUL READERS!)

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"I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' STEER MANURE"

BECAUSE I now grow my tomatoes in boxes!!!!! Thereby hangs a tale...

Circa thirty years ago I lived at a place which was all grass outside and there was no room for a garden. Coming from a farming family, I was used to home-grown vine-ripened tomatoes as a boy. One day, during this period at my old place, I was visiting a client and had a tour of his garden. I said,"What is the secret of these great tomatoes?" "Steer manure, in the off season," was his answer. (Now we all know that to grow tomatoes in the same place every year takes some serious fertilizing so that sounded like....a plan...to me.)

So I went home and converted some lawn into flower beds, put down manure, and among the flowers started growing great tomatoes. Even my farming father was envious! There was plenty of sun out there, and sun you need. On moving to our "new house" 26 years ago, outside was all lawn and gravel; thus we were without tomatoes again, and I had no brilliant plans. (As yet, that is; I hadn't yet heard of "Earth Boxes").

About February, 2005, I saw this brochure advertisement for growing all manner of flowers and veggies in heavy plastic-type boxes, about 15x30 inches, "Earth Boxes". I figured the rough cost, with shipping and "store-boughten" fertilizer would be better than fifty dollars per box. Also I had to get some soil, good soil.
I thought, "Well, that's out; management (the wife) will never approve that." But surprisingly management did salivatingly (my word) okay the whole idea and I ordered FIVE of these. (To be used every year!!!). No veggies or flowers for me, I can get those; it's the VINE-RIPENED
tomatoes I want!

( To be continued, See "Tomatoes in Boxes: How I do It")

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"HE SKUN A GUY DOWN IN TEXAS"

    Bruce Dern and Donald Pleasence in "Will Penny"

Have you ever researched the participation of our admired movie stars in the great conflict, WW2? Movies were a big thing on those days as there was not that much entertainment. Among the actors there were quite a few who served and a good number of real heroes, among them Audie Murphy (most decorated soldier of WW2), Eddie Albert, Charles Durning, James Stewart, and on and on.

Today we are looking at an unlikely one---one who has played many hateful and villainous roles in movies. Our subject is English actor Donald Pleasence, who was at his notorious best ( and worst!) in one of Charleton Heston's favorite movies, "Will Penny". In the movie, 49 year old rootless, roving Will Penny (Heston) is hired to go out into the deep boonies and serve as "line shack rider" for a big ranch in the winter. Pleasence, father and prophet-like leader of his raggledy family of rednecks, get it in for Penny and capture him and strip him down to his red long johns. Pleasance in a great line drones (he drones generally instead of talks): "I have a good mind to just have Rafe (grinning, dirty, son) here to just skin you alive right now; YOU KNOW HE SKUN A GUY DOWN IN TEXAS ONCE!"

I have always loved that line. it has inspired many questionable past tenses in our humorous family conversations.Pleasence was an aviator who was shot down and wound up in the famous and notorious four- or- five story mansion prison--Colditz, in eastern Germany. I believe he escaped. He played in a large number of creepy horror films. he played a prisoner of war in "The Great Escape." Never better than in Will Penny--I admired him greatly.  

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