Povey Prattle

It’s been a cold, cloudy and rainy day (Feb 27th 2010) here in Sarasota. The morning temperature did not rise above 45 degrees F (7 degrees C). That may seem warm for those of you who live in the Atlantic and New England States of the U.S.A, or in southern England and Wales, but it felt miserable for those of us who live in Florida (the “Sunshine State”). At about10:00 a.m. I parked my car near a thrift store, where I’d planned to buy a warm sweatshirt. No sooner I had gotten out of my car when an older man approached me and said: “Sunshine Club?” I thought that he was “tongue in cheek” referring to our miserable weather. So I suggested that the sun was shining in other States by saying “Hawaii?” with an implied question in my tone of voice. He replied (having mis-heard me) “I am fine thanks”. After a few seconds we realised that our conversation was off-balance. It turns out that the parking lot was a gathering place for the “Sunshine Auto Club”, of which I knew ...

I am grateful to my friend Megan T –B who sent me an e-mail with this quotation from Butch Hancock     “Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love.” Megan’s e-mail led me to these other bon-mots from Butch. “ Christian Fundamentalism: The doctrine that there is an absolutely powerful, infinitely knowledgeable, universe spanning entity that is deeply and personally concerned about my sex life ” “ Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer sex raises some pretty good questions ” “ How did sex come to be thought of as dirty in the first place? God must have been a Republican. ” Butch Hancock was a founding member of the Flatlanders.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flatlanders

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE PETS, THIS IS A TRUE STORY.  FOR THOSE THAT DON'T, IT IS A TRUE STORY. The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door . Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know t...

I have made previous reference to the fact that Sarasota is home to many Amish and Mennonite Christians. Some are "snow birds". Others are "year-rounders". I scanned the following photo' from a local weekly newspaper, hence its less than perfect quality. It is a cool photo' of a group of Mennonite women, and one man, as they wait for a local 'bus.

On Sunday last I, with my guest Betsy, went to a performance by “Circus Sarasota”. It was magnificent. “Circus Sarasota” was founded in 1997 by Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs. Dolly is a daughter of the famous American Clown, Lou Jacobs. (see http://www.loujacobs.com/index.htm) The mission of “Circus Sarasota” is to “Entertain, Educate, and Enrich”. Enrich . C.S. has a year round programme called “Laughter Unlimited” which enriches the lives of seniors in nursing homes, children in hospitals, and people with cancer. Educate. C.S. has a State of Florida approved educational program with school-children in grades K – 8. This program enables sciences such as “physics” to come alive as the students consider (say) juggling or wire walking. “What are the physics of juggling?” Think about that for a while! Entertain. C.S. has a one ring circus which takes us back to the days before “Circus” was absorbed into “show-biz” or the entertainment industry. By that I mean that ...

I have been tour guide all day for my friend Betsy who is visiting from Pittsfield, and we've yet to go out for dinner! So I will do my circus blog tomorrow,

The transformation of Sarasota from a sleepy fishing town to a major resort is due to two people.  There was the famous and brilliant Bertha Honore Palmer, about whom I’ll write some more another day. And there was John Ringling, world famous for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.  Ringling made (and then lost in the great depression) a great fortune, not from circus, but from land purchase and development. But his circus had its winter quarters in Sarasota from 1927 – 1960.  That’s led to a great historical identification of Sarasota with circus. (My home is built on land which had been those winter quarters!). See these links for some stuff about circus and Sarasota. http://www.squidoo.com/Circus-Sarasota http://www.sarasotacircushistory.com/ Tomorrow I’ll tell you more about my attendance  at  “Circus Sarasota”  -  a fabulous experience of  “old time circus”.