Susie Duncan Sexton's Blog, page 17
July 17, 2014
the white sheep aren't as white as they appear...
"I may be the black sheep of the family, but some of the white sheep aren't as white as they appear..."
thanks to Black Pine Animal Sanctuary and to Indiana Pig Save for the timely sharing of my letter from last year "Pig wrestling, anyone? No, we will opt out."
the letter appeared in media throughout the State of Indiana - here is the link they both shared.
what struck me (and gave my saddened heart hope) were some of the comments the letter and the posts received ...
Scrat: "I think this is disgusting and makes the people of Kendallville and the fair-goers look like a bunch of redneck hillbillies. There's nothing fun or funny about this and I consider it animal abuse. SHOW SOME CLASS K'VILLE FAIR BOARD AND GET RID OF THIS TRASH."
For Animals: "I agree with Mrs. Sexton. In my attempts to understand this seemingly archaic form of 'fun', I researched what experts say and everything I learned about the proper and respectful handling and movement of pigs flies directly in the face of everything about pig wrestling. They are afraid of bright light, yelling, equipment noise, being separated from their herd-mates, have a 'flight' radius that is clearly infringed upon (why they squeal and run), and can DIE with even slight temperature variations combined with other forms of stress. I don't get it. I certainly don't support it."
Kirsten Cool: "My daughter saw a video on here last night of this at the Noble County Fair and was very upset. She was so sad that people would scare an animal in such a way for entertainment! It's disgusting!"
Lori Stimpson: "No! How barbaric to torture a poor animal for amusement. I for one am not amused or entertained only saddened and sorry for the pig!"
Missi Allen: "No. Leave those poor animals alone!"
Kathy Foster: "That's too bad, they looked pitiful, we were so saddened by their situation."
DeeDee Elder: "Why not just have the humans mud wrestle while the pigs cheer?"
Robin Lahrman: "No, that would be scary to be chased by giants."
Cheri Sibert: "I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture on the front page. It is very cruel!"
LeAnn Davis Leffel: "Makes me very sad! And to think others think of this an entertainment is terrible."
Corinne DiLorenzo: "The only other thing on this level of cruelty is the barnyard scramble."
Linda DeVoe Cridge: "What bullies. They are all smiling and celebrating their 'victory'. My jaw dropped looking at these pictures. What is WRONG with these people? Those poor pigs. Thanks for posting. This needs attention... Definitely makes Hoosiers look like a bunch of cruel rednecks."
Joel Kerr: "Can you guys really not find anything better to do with your time than terrify a helpless animal for fun? What terrible parents you are for teaching your children that this is acceptable."
Kara Singleton: "Oh my goodness, this is absolutely shameful! The qualities we should be teaching our children should be love and understanding, empathy and compassion for others. Instead, they are being taught that bullying highly intelligent creatures is a form of entertainment."
Jacqueline Schuh: "Shame on you all! What did these pigs do to deserve being terrorized by these kids?"
Laura Reed: "I will never understand the satisfaction one would get from this! I guess this is where our rapists/murders and deranged come from. Very very sad!"
Ashley Tinsley Moore: "Took the words out of my mouth, Laura. It's a sad sad world we are living in."
Glen Flaningham: "You people should be ashamed of yourselves for teaching children this kind of behavior and that animals are objects to use for fun and games."
Kim Elizabeth Johnson: "You go, Susie!! I am coming to the sad conclusion that living in the Midwest is like living in the animal torture center of the USA. WTF is wrong with the brains and hearts of these people?? I live in Michigan outside Detroit. Not much better with the exception of Ann Arbor."
Black Pine Animal Sanctuary: "Thank you for sharing this, and thank Susie for her blog! Impactful"
Indiana Pig Save: "Unique sport? What a bunch of a***holes, taking pleasure in terrifying these beautiful beings. When I first moved here, I wasn't vegan, or even vegetarian. When I saw transport trucks with pigs, I would get excited, thinking 'look at the cute pigs!' I was so blind to everything. Rescuing Fern (who came from an Amish farm, and was going to be shot when she was a tiny baby because she was injured, and wouldn't be able 'to make them money') changed my world. I opened my eyes and heart to what goes on with animals every single day. I guess I can't understand why so many people know, and they simply do not care."
you and me both! is it stupidity or mean-ness? apathy is pretty evil stuff when I stop to think about it...and very ignorant. really tired of zombies masquerading as human beings... what I truly am amazed at is the greed for food and money that allows the second by second mass slaughters to continue.
thanks to these commenting folks for their intelligence and heart. sometimes I feel all alone in my local support of these special sentient beings...I am so appalled that way too many kids are being influenced by the "marketing farm mentality" in the midwest. no vegetarianism instruction ever.
elementary kids have to go on field trips to meet their meat...cattle labeled "beef" and pigs as "pork, bacon, sausage" every spring around here. huge pig industry 10 miles north selling piglets to china ...or the pancreases of piglets -- and their moms as well...very lucrative...getting away with murder literally.
shameful pig wrestling. newspapers post hundreds of photos just to gain some readers I imagine...talk about overkill. I look at as many as I can bear...breaks my heart...the cluelessness of the humans astounds me almost as much as the fear of the poor victimized pigs.
I'm so glad I wrote that letter...I love pigs and all sentient beings...was hoping for buckets of rain to cancel this horror.
the sad frightened face of one of the most intelligent animals on earth, an innocent pig...having been "manhandled" (direct quote) by a team of four young human beings calling themselves a "team" while adults both sponsored and watched this happen to one pig after another this week... I only wish I had walked a mile to do something right Tuesday...in person!
I wish Christ would have visited the pig wrestling...and sent everyone home...like that moment with the money-changers...he told me he would...but there are pix all over Indiana newspapers ...
tabloid advertising the 4-H fair this year had on its cover the BACON BABES and the caption is "Pig wrestling will offer muddy entertainment to crowds at the grandstand Tuesday night. Pictured are the 2013 Bacon Babes celebrating their victory in manhandling the swine to the center pedestal." and the names of some of the teams were HAM SLAM, BACON BASHERS, HUNTING HOTTIES, HOTT BROWN SUGAR, AND SPAM SPANK...oh, and THE MEAT HOUSE. A crew called the Pig Police tours Indiana and just competed at the Noble County Fair and thought our turn-out was amazing! They came in 4th.
they criticize but they cannot BE criticized...
I don't care if they kill me...I am so sick and tired of this stuff I could have a heart attack...just so the donations go to animal welfare instead of smelly flower arrangements at my funeral!
are there ANY decent newspapers left?...that could serve as business models for fairness in reporting and that are focused on delivering information rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator?
never thought I could do without newspapers...changed my mind for sure!
Cheryl Robbins-Wood: "Susie, I don't think there are any newspapers anywhere that know the meaning of reporting and I mean reporting the news without trying to make the news."
so true...and even the editorial cartoons are outrageous...sexist and racist...I am stunned.
someone posted a cartoon of a woman scratching out the words "got milk" and replacing with "do you have any milk?" with the caption "when English teachers snap."
funny...I am not only a grammar Nazi...I detest milk and all of the deaths associated with milk....never could stand milk...guess I knew from the start how evil it is...appalling stuff! blood money industry! and cheese is sprinkled on every damned thing we buy at a fast food joint or restaurant. demonic and crazy is the dairy "industry" across the board. I ain't approving of the dairy industry!
the cows are so over-artificially inseminated and give birth so frequently-- to have their calves carted off for veal - that the milking MACHINES assure horrid infections in the udders...a thimbleful of pus in each glass of wholesome milk...and the cows are slaughtered at age 5 (28 is the age a healthy cow would die) and become fast food burgers...so depleted that they can no longer walk...nice, huh?
but I am on the warpath over PIG WRESTLING and the fact that small towns are celebrating it and rubbing our noses in it? arghhhhhhh...I do not feel sweet!
as an aside, do not call me and scold me about my updated facebook status? "yep, bull sh*t on the cheerleader's photo ops and cartwheels and splits...not my type of wholesome 'gal' at all...a true pisser!" (kendall jones, the goof-ass grinning teen-age YELL leader that adores photo ops with exotic African animals she supposedly has slain "all by her lonesome" was my topic and Jim Robertson and Connie Sills Klein LIKED my comment and I am proud!)
I am proud of allllll of the many people who speak up...and the numbers are growing. long overdue...all of the slaughtered animals and sentient beings we must just count it seems as martyrs for the cause.
click here for some happier pigs...
________________________
on one particular post, critical comments keep getting removed - many are captured above. more follow ...
Karen Perry Scott: "Pig wrestling? I have no words to express my shock and sadness. This is like dog fighting except it is between human and pig. Oh, and no animal dies, it is basically just tortured. Sad."
Linda DeVoe Cridge: "As previously posted, and deleted, you are bullies and give Hoosiers a reputation of being rednecks. Michael Vick called, he wondered if you would add dog fights next year. You should be ashamed beating up on a poor, scared innocent creature. Teaching children animal cruelty."
Joel Kerr: "Does your editor know what you are doing? So you're promoting animal cruelty (and very terrible parenting) and then deleting anyone who says so? Pretty shameful guys."
Erica Marie O'Neill: "Each and every one of you who participated in this, your karma is coming. You vile excuses for human beings. You are all disgusting."
Jacqueline Schuh: "Terrorizing innocent and defenseless animals = animal abuse. You do realize that's what this is, right?"
Cindy Harrison Bantista: "Horrible! Looks like the guys get their jollies watching?"
Karen Perry Scott: "Kids just don't realize what they are doing. Teenagers have a selfish, ignorant brain. I blame the promoters of this. Can't they think of anything else to offer teens?"
Debbie Dellinger: "It is so sad that this still goes on. It is wrong."
Jamie Rich: "Animal Abuse"
Cindy Harrison Bantista: "Disturbed people smiling while abusing animals. Makes 4-Hers look disturbed, too."
Joe Mitchell: "I love how you want to preserve this wholesome moment of animal abuse by deleting comments as they are entered. Instead of deleting my comments, allow them to stay so people can learn from this and let's all live in a more peaceful environment."
Shannon Basner: "Never will understand how 'human' mistreat so many other living beings. It is almost as if they forget what pain is, then when it happens to them, they become the victim, forgetting what they have done to others. Very disheartening. Compassion is what is needed."
Sasha Nash: "you think it is different because they are pigs, they are smarter than dogs, get yourself a real cruelty free hobby, stop abusing animals and evolve already!"
Laura Eyring: "Pig wrestling? Is this what we teach our children now? Not only that it is morally acceptable to raise animals, love them, and kill them, but to stress and frustrate them as well? I hope these children grow to be more compassionate and caring than the confused adults who coordinated this event."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
thanks to Black Pine Animal Sanctuary and to Indiana Pig Save for the timely sharing of my letter from last year "Pig wrestling, anyone? No, we will opt out."
the letter appeared in media throughout the State of Indiana - here is the link they both shared.
what struck me (and gave my saddened heart hope) were some of the comments the letter and the posts received ...
Scrat: "I think this is disgusting and makes the people of Kendallville and the fair-goers look like a bunch of redneck hillbillies. There's nothing fun or funny about this and I consider it animal abuse. SHOW SOME CLASS K'VILLE FAIR BOARD AND GET RID OF THIS TRASH."
For Animals: "I agree with Mrs. Sexton. In my attempts to understand this seemingly archaic form of 'fun', I researched what experts say and everything I learned about the proper and respectful handling and movement of pigs flies directly in the face of everything about pig wrestling. They are afraid of bright light, yelling, equipment noise, being separated from their herd-mates, have a 'flight' radius that is clearly infringed upon (why they squeal and run), and can DIE with even slight temperature variations combined with other forms of stress. I don't get it. I certainly don't support it."
Kirsten Cool: "My daughter saw a video on here last night of this at the Noble County Fair and was very upset. She was so sad that people would scare an animal in such a way for entertainment! It's disgusting!"
Lori Stimpson: "No! How barbaric to torture a poor animal for amusement. I for one am not amused or entertained only saddened and sorry for the pig!"
Missi Allen: "No. Leave those poor animals alone!"
Kathy Foster: "That's too bad, they looked pitiful, we were so saddened by their situation."
DeeDee Elder: "Why not just have the humans mud wrestle while the pigs cheer?"
Robin Lahrman: "No, that would be scary to be chased by giants."
Cheri Sibert: "I was thinking the same thing when I saw the picture on the front page. It is very cruel!"
LeAnn Davis Leffel: "Makes me very sad! And to think others think of this an entertainment is terrible."
Corinne DiLorenzo: "The only other thing on this level of cruelty is the barnyard scramble."
Linda DeVoe Cridge: "What bullies. They are all smiling and celebrating their 'victory'. My jaw dropped looking at these pictures. What is WRONG with these people? Those poor pigs. Thanks for posting. This needs attention... Definitely makes Hoosiers look like a bunch of cruel rednecks."
Joel Kerr: "Can you guys really not find anything better to do with your time than terrify a helpless animal for fun? What terrible parents you are for teaching your children that this is acceptable."
Kara Singleton: "Oh my goodness, this is absolutely shameful! The qualities we should be teaching our children should be love and understanding, empathy and compassion for others. Instead, they are being taught that bullying highly intelligent creatures is a form of entertainment."
Jacqueline Schuh: "Shame on you all! What did these pigs do to deserve being terrorized by these kids?"
Laura Reed: "I will never understand the satisfaction one would get from this! I guess this is where our rapists/murders and deranged come from. Very very sad!"
Ashley Tinsley Moore: "Took the words out of my mouth, Laura. It's a sad sad world we are living in."
Glen Flaningham: "You people should be ashamed of yourselves for teaching children this kind of behavior and that animals are objects to use for fun and games."
Kim Elizabeth Johnson: "You go, Susie!! I am coming to the sad conclusion that living in the Midwest is like living in the animal torture center of the USA. WTF is wrong with the brains and hearts of these people?? I live in Michigan outside Detroit. Not much better with the exception of Ann Arbor."
Black Pine Animal Sanctuary: "Thank you for sharing this, and thank Susie for her blog! Impactful"
Indiana Pig Save: "Unique sport? What a bunch of a***holes, taking pleasure in terrifying these beautiful beings. When I first moved here, I wasn't vegan, or even vegetarian. When I saw transport trucks with pigs, I would get excited, thinking 'look at the cute pigs!' I was so blind to everything. Rescuing Fern (who came from an Amish farm, and was going to be shot when she was a tiny baby because she was injured, and wouldn't be able 'to make them money') changed my world. I opened my eyes and heart to what goes on with animals every single day. I guess I can't understand why so many people know, and they simply do not care."
you and me both! is it stupidity or mean-ness? apathy is pretty evil stuff when I stop to think about it...and very ignorant. really tired of zombies masquerading as human beings... what I truly am amazed at is the greed for food and money that allows the second by second mass slaughters to continue.
thanks to these commenting folks for their intelligence and heart. sometimes I feel all alone in my local support of these special sentient beings...I am so appalled that way too many kids are being influenced by the "marketing farm mentality" in the midwest. no vegetarianism instruction ever.
elementary kids have to go on field trips to meet their meat...cattle labeled "beef" and pigs as "pork, bacon, sausage" every spring around here. huge pig industry 10 miles north selling piglets to china ...or the pancreases of piglets -- and their moms as well...very lucrative...getting away with murder literally.
shameful pig wrestling. newspapers post hundreds of photos just to gain some readers I imagine...talk about overkill. I look at as many as I can bear...breaks my heart...the cluelessness of the humans astounds me almost as much as the fear of the poor victimized pigs.
I'm so glad I wrote that letter...I love pigs and all sentient beings...was hoping for buckets of rain to cancel this horror.
the sad frightened face of one of the most intelligent animals on earth, an innocent pig...having been "manhandled" (direct quote) by a team of four young human beings calling themselves a "team" while adults both sponsored and watched this happen to one pig after another this week... I only wish I had walked a mile to do something right Tuesday...in person!
I wish Christ would have visited the pig wrestling...and sent everyone home...like that moment with the money-changers...he told me he would...but there are pix all over Indiana newspapers ...
tabloid advertising the 4-H fair this year had on its cover the BACON BABES and the caption is "Pig wrestling will offer muddy entertainment to crowds at the grandstand Tuesday night. Pictured are the 2013 Bacon Babes celebrating their victory in manhandling the swine to the center pedestal." and the names of some of the teams were HAM SLAM, BACON BASHERS, HUNTING HOTTIES, HOTT BROWN SUGAR, AND SPAM SPANK...oh, and THE MEAT HOUSE. A crew called the Pig Police tours Indiana and just competed at the Noble County Fair and thought our turn-out was amazing! They came in 4th.
they criticize but they cannot BE criticized...
I don't care if they kill me...I am so sick and tired of this stuff I could have a heart attack...just so the donations go to animal welfare instead of smelly flower arrangements at my funeral!
are there ANY decent newspapers left?...that could serve as business models for fairness in reporting and that are focused on delivering information rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator?
never thought I could do without newspapers...changed my mind for sure!
Cheryl Robbins-Wood: "Susie, I don't think there are any newspapers anywhere that know the meaning of reporting and I mean reporting the news without trying to make the news."
so true...and even the editorial cartoons are outrageous...sexist and racist...I am stunned.
someone posted a cartoon of a woman scratching out the words "got milk" and replacing with "do you have any milk?" with the caption "when English teachers snap."
funny...I am not only a grammar Nazi...I detest milk and all of the deaths associated with milk....never could stand milk...guess I knew from the start how evil it is...appalling stuff! blood money industry! and cheese is sprinkled on every damned thing we buy at a fast food joint or restaurant. demonic and crazy is the dairy "industry" across the board. I ain't approving of the dairy industry!
the cows are so over-artificially inseminated and give birth so frequently-- to have their calves carted off for veal - that the milking MACHINES assure horrid infections in the udders...a thimbleful of pus in each glass of wholesome milk...and the cows are slaughtered at age 5 (28 is the age a healthy cow would die) and become fast food burgers...so depleted that they can no longer walk...nice, huh?
but I am on the warpath over PIG WRESTLING and the fact that small towns are celebrating it and rubbing our noses in it? arghhhhhhh...I do not feel sweet!
as an aside, do not call me and scold me about my updated facebook status? "yep, bull sh*t on the cheerleader's photo ops and cartwheels and splits...not my type of wholesome 'gal' at all...a true pisser!" (kendall jones, the goof-ass grinning teen-age YELL leader that adores photo ops with exotic African animals she supposedly has slain "all by her lonesome" was my topic and Jim Robertson and Connie Sills Klein LIKED my comment and I am proud!)
I am proud of allllll of the many people who speak up...and the numbers are growing. long overdue...all of the slaughtered animals and sentient beings we must just count it seems as martyrs for the cause.
click here for some happier pigs...
________________________
on one particular post, critical comments keep getting removed - many are captured above. more follow ...
Karen Perry Scott: "Pig wrestling? I have no words to express my shock and sadness. This is like dog fighting except it is between human and pig. Oh, and no animal dies, it is basically just tortured. Sad."
Linda DeVoe Cridge: "As previously posted, and deleted, you are bullies and give Hoosiers a reputation of being rednecks. Michael Vick called, he wondered if you would add dog fights next year. You should be ashamed beating up on a poor, scared innocent creature. Teaching children animal cruelty."
Joel Kerr: "Does your editor know what you are doing? So you're promoting animal cruelty (and very terrible parenting) and then deleting anyone who says so? Pretty shameful guys."
Erica Marie O'Neill: "Each and every one of you who participated in this, your karma is coming. You vile excuses for human beings. You are all disgusting."
Jacqueline Schuh: "Terrorizing innocent and defenseless animals = animal abuse. You do realize that's what this is, right?"
Cindy Harrison Bantista: "Horrible! Looks like the guys get their jollies watching?"
Karen Perry Scott: "Kids just don't realize what they are doing. Teenagers have a selfish, ignorant brain. I blame the promoters of this. Can't they think of anything else to offer teens?"
Debbie Dellinger: "It is so sad that this still goes on. It is wrong."
Jamie Rich: "Animal Abuse"
Cindy Harrison Bantista: "Disturbed people smiling while abusing animals. Makes 4-Hers look disturbed, too."
Joe Mitchell: "I love how you want to preserve this wholesome moment of animal abuse by deleting comments as they are entered. Instead of deleting my comments, allow them to stay so people can learn from this and let's all live in a more peaceful environment."
Shannon Basner: "Never will understand how 'human' mistreat so many other living beings. It is almost as if they forget what pain is, then when it happens to them, they become the victim, forgetting what they have done to others. Very disheartening. Compassion is what is needed."
Sasha Nash: "you think it is different because they are pigs, they are smarter than dogs, get yourself a real cruelty free hobby, stop abusing animals and evolve already!"
Laura Eyring: "Pig wrestling? Is this what we teach our children now? Not only that it is morally acceptable to raise animals, love them, and kill them, but to stress and frustrate them as well? I hope these children grow to be more compassionate and caring than the confused adults who coordinated this event."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
July 15, 2014
that is my medicine
when my heart breaks I pet one of my adopted, rescued furry kids and I feel a bit better...or I share these orphans on facebook hoping others share...or adopt...
that is my medicine...to try to make a dent in this world of animals ... they all need to be acknowledged.
I counted up all of the babies I have adopted over the years...so I know I have pulled my weight as best I could...and most were mutts or strays...and the very happiest moments of my life have included my adopted "kids"... and my real one...and playing with paperdolls who are more congenial than real people? LOL! ;)
I love animals...much kinder than some people in my life to whom I am related! I kid you not! and I feel as homeless and unappreciated as they (the animals) are...have felt that way all of my life...I did have great parents and a great kid...that's about it! I don't advertise that all the time but it is the absolute truth.
thanks for these comments ...
Valerie Parent: "Heart the fur babies!"
Sarah MC: "my heart is broken"
Roberta Limoli Barufaldi: "still plan on purchasing your two books!"
Tammy Marshall: "Another great article, Susie Sexton! You can tell when someone puts their heart and soul in their craft."
Paul Hoofard: "I love your passion!"
Roy Sexton: "So, I'm going to lunch with Jan and our colleague Mike, and I see a Shih Tzu or something (no tags, but a collar) running about the busy traffic on Middlebelt. We lure the dog into a yard with a rattle-y container of gum, and the people who live in the house say, 'We saw him running around.' Really? And you didn't do anything? They give us some twine which we fashion into a leash. I wander about this neighborhood while Jan and Mike go to the drugstore to get a real leash (which of course they don't carry - my mom says, 'Always have a leash in your car.' I will now). As I wander around using this dog like a divining rod to see if he will lead me to his home (he didn't - he was kind of a cute dingbat), up rolls from within the neighborhood a Grand Marquis painted an ugly orange red and on tires the size of small boulders. The gentleman driving the car, not saying 'thank you,' grumbles, 'My dog.' I say, 'What's his name?' Surly reply, 'Bear.' (Really, a Shih Tzu named 'Bear'?) The dog did reply to the name, at which time the man got out of the car, lifted the dog roughly by the collar, smacked it on its side, and said, 'We're goin' home.' So, who wants to kidnap a Shih Tzu with me? Yes, we drove back through the neighborhood to confirm that he and 'Bear' do live there."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
that is my medicine...to try to make a dent in this world of animals ... they all need to be acknowledged.
I counted up all of the babies I have adopted over the years...so I know I have pulled my weight as best I could...and most were mutts or strays...and the very happiest moments of my life have included my adopted "kids"... and my real one...and playing with paperdolls who are more congenial than real people? LOL! ;)
I love animals...much kinder than some people in my life to whom I am related! I kid you not! and I feel as homeless and unappreciated as they (the animals) are...have felt that way all of my life...I did have great parents and a great kid...that's about it! I don't advertise that all the time but it is the absolute truth.
thanks for these comments ...
Valerie Parent: "Heart the fur babies!"
Sarah MC: "my heart is broken"
Roberta Limoli Barufaldi: "still plan on purchasing your two books!"
Tammy Marshall: "Another great article, Susie Sexton! You can tell when someone puts their heart and soul in their craft."
Paul Hoofard: "I love your passion!"
Roy Sexton: "So, I'm going to lunch with Jan and our colleague Mike, and I see a Shih Tzu or something (no tags, but a collar) running about the busy traffic on Middlebelt. We lure the dog into a yard with a rattle-y container of gum, and the people who live in the house say, 'We saw him running around.' Really? And you didn't do anything? They give us some twine which we fashion into a leash. I wander about this neighborhood while Jan and Mike go to the drugstore to get a real leash (which of course they don't carry - my mom says, 'Always have a leash in your car.' I will now). As I wander around using this dog like a divining rod to see if he will lead me to his home (he didn't - he was kind of a cute dingbat), up rolls from within the neighborhood a Grand Marquis painted an ugly orange red and on tires the size of small boulders. The gentleman driving the car, not saying 'thank you,' grumbles, 'My dog.' I say, 'What's his name?' Surly reply, 'Bear.' (Really, a Shih Tzu named 'Bear'?) The dog did reply to the name, at which time the man got out of the car, lifted the dog roughly by the collar, smacked it on its side, and said, 'We're goin' home.' So, who wants to kidnap a Shih Tzu with me? Yes, we drove back through the neighborhood to confirm that he and 'Bear' do live there."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
July 11, 2014
I'm a little like the lion in the wizard of oz
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” ― Vincent van Gogh
the word "timidity" popped into my head because I have gotten too brave for my own good...and I love the feeling...so I found a bunch of quotes from brave people whom I have always been impressed with. I'm a little like the lion in the wizard of oz...so I still need to earn my stripes and I am working on that very thing, too!
some jacka$$ posted a picture of a pitbull on craigslist saying he was giving her away because she was "useless" since he couldn't breed her any more (?!?!?).
craigslist, argh! ....some folks on FB repost so that these animals have a happier chance for survival than being on craigslist which is no kind of list to be on I understand!!!!! detest fools like this...his kind is becoming very unpopular in an enlightened world...thank heavens! I wish he would get pregnant....very pregnant!
my god...I cannot literally believe these nasty, ego-driven, money-hungry people can possibly exist...auctioning off animals, eating animals, MAN-handling animals, artificially inseminating animals to only dispose of the babies, experimenting on animals when that is totally ignorant and unnecessary, slaughtering animals for cash or for "sport", posing with murdered beings for photo ops, teaching children to hunt, ignoring the beauty and majesty of animals...
please boycott wool, fur, meat, "fairs" that victimize animals to serve up animal flesh and carcasses for a 5 minute lunch, or fund-raisers facilitating the killing and consuming of a particular unfortunate species to celebrate another...stop TODAY...speak up for compassion. do not be too shy to be kind...EVOLVE! fight apathy, encourage empathy...either teach or defy those who are too crass and self-centered to give one damn...pay attention to who those folks are. they are everywhere...sometimes sitting in church pews.
________________________
so very disappointed in Senator Donnelly and his stance on the ridiculously named "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act" ...losing patience...the country club cowboy swagger has got to go...democrats do not swagger...the good ones anyway. here was an automated message I got from him...
sigh.
________________________
thanks, Deborah Fields Perez, for this shout-out on facebook - she is such a kind and wonderful soul. you can find out more about her dance studio by clicking here ...
deborah is an angel!
wow! this is nice feedback!
Deborah Fields Perez: "Oh my gosh!! I can't believe she did that! How sweet!! Thank you so very much! What a complete love you are, Susie Sexton! Just a complete love. I'm so very touched...This is a perfect example of lifting each other up. I met Susie through facebook via other facebook friends. She is one of the rare kind souls who will fight for what is right and will move mountains to save a suffering animal. Thank you for being the loving soul that you are, Susie. Truly, thank you."
Lori Martin Vernon: "I agree it's all $$$$$$ - no love exist for these people...SAD SO SAD."
Stephen Salkin: "I'd rather lose a friend than lose a dog."
Lexi Preisser: "A dog is a loyal, lifetime friend. People have only disappointed or betrayed me."
Paul Hoofard: "Very impressive, Susie!"
Jill Winebrenner: "I agree, I think I'm like the Lion, my courage has helped me get on my own two feet.! "
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
the word "timidity" popped into my head because I have gotten too brave for my own good...and I love the feeling...so I found a bunch of quotes from brave people whom I have always been impressed with. I'm a little like the lion in the wizard of oz...so I still need to earn my stripes and I am working on that very thing, too!
some jacka$$ posted a picture of a pitbull on craigslist saying he was giving her away because she was "useless" since he couldn't breed her any more (?!?!?).
craigslist, argh! ....some folks on FB repost so that these animals have a happier chance for survival than being on craigslist which is no kind of list to be on I understand!!!!! detest fools like this...his kind is becoming very unpopular in an enlightened world...thank heavens! I wish he would get pregnant....very pregnant!
my god...I cannot literally believe these nasty, ego-driven, money-hungry people can possibly exist...auctioning off animals, eating animals, MAN-handling animals, artificially inseminating animals to only dispose of the babies, experimenting on animals when that is totally ignorant and unnecessary, slaughtering animals for cash or for "sport", posing with murdered beings for photo ops, teaching children to hunt, ignoring the beauty and majesty of animals...
please boycott wool, fur, meat, "fairs" that victimize animals to serve up animal flesh and carcasses for a 5 minute lunch, or fund-raisers facilitating the killing and consuming of a particular unfortunate species to celebrate another...stop TODAY...speak up for compassion. do not be too shy to be kind...EVOLVE! fight apathy, encourage empathy...either teach or defy those who are too crass and self-centered to give one damn...pay attention to who those folks are. they are everywhere...sometimes sitting in church pews.
________________________
so very disappointed in Senator Donnelly and his stance on the ridiculously named "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act" ...losing patience...the country club cowboy swagger has got to go...democrats do not swagger...the good ones anyway. here was an automated message I got from him...
Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014. Like you, I believe we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment and the living creatures with which we share it.
As you may know, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act was introduced in the Senate on July 9, 2014. The legislation includes reforms and habitat conservation provisions that, if enacted, would expand access to federal land for recreational activities like fishing and hunting. The bill would also ensure the continued use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle and reauthorize important habitat conservation programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (P.L. 101-233), which provides matching grants for the acquisition, restoration, and enhancement of wetlands critical to migratory birds. I joined 45 colleagues from both sides of the aisle in co-sponsoring the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act.
Despite my support, on July 10, 2014, the Senate failed to receive the sixty votes necessary to end debate and move to final passage with a vote of 41 to 56.
Fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation are a way of life to many in Indiana. The outdoors is also an important economic driver in our state, supporting Hoosier jobs and ensuring the strength of our communities. That's why it's critical we preserve our environment, while expanding access to public land for recreational activities.
sigh.
________________________
thanks, Deborah Fields Perez, for this shout-out on facebook - she is such a kind and wonderful soul. you can find out more about her dance studio by clicking here ...
Many of my students are writers. Examples: "The Flower Drum Song" by Mr. C.Y.Lee, "Ya'll Are Rude!" by Lora Cain, "Saying Goodbye to Someone You Love" by Fredda Wasserman, "The Red Dot Club" by Robert Rangel, "Secrets of an Old Typewriter" by Susie Sexton and "My Berlin" by Christel Alexander.
I've read all of these wonderful books and am amazed at their talent. The latest book I read was "My Berlin" by Christel Alexander. I'm not a big reader, but when I started reading this book, I simply couldn't put it down. I read the entire book, cover to cover, in one sitting!! I think I've only done that once before in my life. The stories of Christel's childhood stunned me to my core. I cannot imagine going through and seeing the things she did. What amazed me even further is to know Christel today. After enduring the hardships she had to face, you'd think she'd be bitter. She's not. She's as pleasant and happy a person as you'd ever hope to meet. People like Christel simply fascinate me. If you haven't read her book, you should. "My Berlin" will allow you to see the true life horror through a child's eyes.
If interested, you can get it on Amazon. Click here.
deborah is an angel!
wow! this is nice feedback!
Deborah Fields Perez: "Oh my gosh!! I can't believe she did that! How sweet!! Thank you so very much! What a complete love you are, Susie Sexton! Just a complete love. I'm so very touched...This is a perfect example of lifting each other up. I met Susie through facebook via other facebook friends. She is one of the rare kind souls who will fight for what is right and will move mountains to save a suffering animal. Thank you for being the loving soul that you are, Susie. Truly, thank you."
Lori Martin Vernon: "I agree it's all $$$$$$ - no love exist for these people...SAD SO SAD."
Stephen Salkin: "I'd rather lose a friend than lose a dog."
Lexi Preisser: "A dog is a loyal, lifetime friend. People have only disappointed or betrayed me."
Paul Hoofard: "Very impressive, Susie!"
Jill Winebrenner: "I agree, I think I'm like the Lion, my courage has helped me get on my own two feet.! "
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
July 8, 2014
realize your worth and ask for it
"They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find...and it's themselves." ~ Rod Serling, genius!
one picture worth a thousand words...we humans overpopulate to proportions way beyond that of rabbits...but we clear out animals and sentient beings of all varieties whom we judge to be in our way or who inconvenience us or whom we eat or whom we only view as entertainment or whom we victimize with our faux "sporting" mentality...
I looked for this over and over...because 4-H has been a mystery to me all of my life....some of us are outsiders and always think our own thoughts...as the "fair" opens, I am honor bound to register my sadness at the auctioning off of living beings...who pay with their lives. this must be read and maybe some converts will happen...I have always felt empathy for the frightened and the suffering...not for the mean...but for the downtrodden victims of apathy.
I am livid over pig wrestling "entertainment" next week at our "fair"...nothing fair about it...four human beings wallowing around in the mud like morons tormenting a helpless pig...bullying crap from adults for little kids to witness...in a churchy town. dammit. if we care about children, these demonstrations of crass cruelty must stop. wholesome "fun"? NOT!
please consider that these farm animals are NOT oblivious to the fate that awaits them. this is a special animal...they all are...who is telegraphing an important message to us all. I cannot look away...I cannot ignore this sadness. I am hopeful that the human animal is beginning to empathize. else why would we be blessed with the ability to think and with sensitivity...we must begin to use both of these abilities before we destroy the earth and ourselves.
I am heartbroken from the jabber-jawing spins and the selfishness and the apathy. must be grand to be able to just look away and pursue one's own happiness whatever the cost may be.
"A hundred years from now, it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove ... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of the animals and the creatures on this earth." - author unknown
furthermore, the gun nuts are causing an epidemic of belligerence and stupidity...this fireworks jazz is within the same category...
I am facebook friends with the former mayor of ft. wayne who was also a state legislator, and he contends that the fireworks lobby finances a bunch of TURDS (my word, not his) running for office ... therefore anything goes all year round and until all hours of the early morning
...like spoiled brats proving a point...
and some of the gun-loving (violence-loving) types also excel in bible thumping simultaneously? the world is going backward rapidly....to the dark ages. and I ain't just whistling Dixie!
never could abide fireworks...just odd concept...the "industry" (via humongous pressuring lobby efforts) funnels cash to the politicians who assure fireworks and explosives every day of the year crackling and exploding...and of course the retailers/wholesalers who count the money in their cash registers...and the fact that all of this creates a country of non-thinking zombies...those are folks who benefit...pretty huge crowd...the majority rules.
what and who suffer? intellectual activity, positive progress, the wonders of nature and animals whether domestic or wildlife (already at the bottom of the barrel), and kids who should be following more noble callings-- and deafening silence from folks who fear retributions for not following the crowd off the cliff...again...just like in high school/junior high...which way too many people never grow beyond.
amazing...sometimes ... really very often...I know that humans are the most clueless and stupid and mean species on earth...and the animals have to compensate for our ineptness. they are superior to the animal called humanoid. no question about it...my heart goes out to them every second.
awww, good luck, world...tough to figure you out sometimes...but tomorrow is another day...keep on turning! maybe peace can happen...nice thought!
"Keep your watch, Susie Sexton...with your keen vigilance we are all better informed, and perhaps, a bit better off..." - Drex Morton
if pastor drex were my minister, I might cooperate with Christianity. I am sure that I would!
p.s.
"My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet...is that they all realize their worth and ask for it." - Taylor Swift
you know...nobody ever suggested that to me...except my dad and my son...thanks to them for that...I love them both.
________________________
thanks for this feedback!
Jo Powers Biddle: "I feel the same about fireworks in their myriad forms. It has been 20 or more years since I have observed them. Not certain that anyone benefits from them; but I know who suffers from them."
Drex Morton added: "Susie, A beloved weather forecaster in our community was severely injured from a fireworks display gone wrong in Iowa. If some could be inspired to take the money they would spend on armaments next Fourth and instead invest in a rescue, maybe we would be better served as a populace. Maybe if every Christian and/or compassionate person of conscience would be willing to sponsor/adopt a child coming across the border (with no record of criminal activity), we would be seen as a people of hope... Take the monies we will exhaust housing and deporting and process those who are truly persecuted into loving homes..."
Drex is going to revive my Christian upbringing if I am not careful...where has he been all of my life? Yes, love and graciousness and generosity and speaking up for what is correct need to make a comeback in this strange era in American history...we must leave the dark ages and remember goodness and a spirit of cooperation and inclusiveness. so sorry about the injured fellow...fireworks should absolutely be banned. just like war. I am impressed with neither...never have been...never will be.
nor tours of duty...tours of duty needed every second on the streets of this country...not poses...the real nitty gritty...those kinds of tours of duty. reaching out to the disenfranchsed...and the poor and to, yes, animals who are imprisoned on farms and in shelters or braving the elements as well as caught up in our ridiculous heavy traffic patterns...we "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" and we are all paying the price.
Tammy Marshall: "I want to read your comments, Susie, but the little I read brought me to tears... I have a lot of personal changes to make so that I will feel like I have made a difference in the world... It's easy for me to feel overwhelmed because I refused for so long to share what I learned with others because I did not believe in myself... But while I was comforted in self-pity, there was a lot of injustice in the world.... There is no time to get comfortable about speaking out, or sharing what you know.... The time is now because tomorrow is not promised... I know that you are not sharing just for me, but your words speak to me in a way that make me confident in the things that I've always known to be true... Thank you so much for making me cry and helping me realize that my beliefs aren't garbage, just because others don't get it.... I don't live a lifestyle that you would be proud of but I get the lessons you want to teach.... I'm flawed, but I'm ready to teach what I know.... Thank you, Susie, for letting me feel loved and safe enough to not ignore things that I can change!"
oh, tammy...thanks for those words! they are wonderful as are you! and we do indeed love you!
________________________
hallelujah...while we are in the midst of animal auctions and "fairs", and judging whether or not a living being labeled "livestock" is to our culinary liking or not, this event shows us the way. THIS is a blessing...yes, THIS rescue of a deprived living being ...THIS is a blessing.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
one picture worth a thousand words...we humans overpopulate to proportions way beyond that of rabbits...but we clear out animals and sentient beings of all varieties whom we judge to be in our way or who inconvenience us or whom we eat or whom we only view as entertainment or whom we victimize with our faux "sporting" mentality...
I looked for this over and over...because 4-H has been a mystery to me all of my life....some of us are outsiders and always think our own thoughts...as the "fair" opens, I am honor bound to register my sadness at the auctioning off of living beings...who pay with their lives. this must be read and maybe some converts will happen...I have always felt empathy for the frightened and the suffering...not for the mean...but for the downtrodden victims of apathy.
I am livid over pig wrestling "entertainment" next week at our "fair"...nothing fair about it...four human beings wallowing around in the mud like morons tormenting a helpless pig...bullying crap from adults for little kids to witness...in a churchy town. dammit. if we care about children, these demonstrations of crass cruelty must stop. wholesome "fun"? NOT!
please consider that these farm animals are NOT oblivious to the fate that awaits them. this is a special animal...they all are...who is telegraphing an important message to us all. I cannot look away...I cannot ignore this sadness. I am hopeful that the human animal is beginning to empathize. else why would we be blessed with the ability to think and with sensitivity...we must begin to use both of these abilities before we destroy the earth and ourselves.
I am heartbroken from the jabber-jawing spins and the selfishness and the apathy. must be grand to be able to just look away and pursue one's own happiness whatever the cost may be.
"A hundred years from now, it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove ... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of the animals and the creatures on this earth." - author unknown
furthermore, the gun nuts are causing an epidemic of belligerence and stupidity...this fireworks jazz is within the same category...
I am facebook friends with the former mayor of ft. wayne who was also a state legislator, and he contends that the fireworks lobby finances a bunch of TURDS (my word, not his) running for office ... therefore anything goes all year round and until all hours of the early morning
...like spoiled brats proving a point...
and some of the gun-loving (violence-loving) types also excel in bible thumping simultaneously? the world is going backward rapidly....to the dark ages. and I ain't just whistling Dixie!
never could abide fireworks...just odd concept...the "industry" (via humongous pressuring lobby efforts) funnels cash to the politicians who assure fireworks and explosives every day of the year crackling and exploding...and of course the retailers/wholesalers who count the money in their cash registers...and the fact that all of this creates a country of non-thinking zombies...those are folks who benefit...pretty huge crowd...the majority rules.
what and who suffer? intellectual activity, positive progress, the wonders of nature and animals whether domestic or wildlife (already at the bottom of the barrel), and kids who should be following more noble callings-- and deafening silence from folks who fear retributions for not following the crowd off the cliff...again...just like in high school/junior high...which way too many people never grow beyond.
amazing...sometimes ... really very often...I know that humans are the most clueless and stupid and mean species on earth...and the animals have to compensate for our ineptness. they are superior to the animal called humanoid. no question about it...my heart goes out to them every second.
awww, good luck, world...tough to figure you out sometimes...but tomorrow is another day...keep on turning! maybe peace can happen...nice thought!
"Keep your watch, Susie Sexton...with your keen vigilance we are all better informed, and perhaps, a bit better off..." - Drex Morton
if pastor drex were my minister, I might cooperate with Christianity. I am sure that I would!
p.s.
"My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet...is that they all realize their worth and ask for it." - Taylor Swift
you know...nobody ever suggested that to me...except my dad and my son...thanks to them for that...I love them both.
________________________
thanks for this feedback!
Jo Powers Biddle: "I feel the same about fireworks in their myriad forms. It has been 20 or more years since I have observed them. Not certain that anyone benefits from them; but I know who suffers from them."
Drex Morton added: "Susie, A beloved weather forecaster in our community was severely injured from a fireworks display gone wrong in Iowa. If some could be inspired to take the money they would spend on armaments next Fourth and instead invest in a rescue, maybe we would be better served as a populace. Maybe if every Christian and/or compassionate person of conscience would be willing to sponsor/adopt a child coming across the border (with no record of criminal activity), we would be seen as a people of hope... Take the monies we will exhaust housing and deporting and process those who are truly persecuted into loving homes..."
Drex is going to revive my Christian upbringing if I am not careful...where has he been all of my life? Yes, love and graciousness and generosity and speaking up for what is correct need to make a comeback in this strange era in American history...we must leave the dark ages and remember goodness and a spirit of cooperation and inclusiveness. so sorry about the injured fellow...fireworks should absolutely be banned. just like war. I am impressed with neither...never have been...never will be.
nor tours of duty...tours of duty needed every second on the streets of this country...not poses...the real nitty gritty...those kinds of tours of duty. reaching out to the disenfranchsed...and the poor and to, yes, animals who are imprisoned on farms and in shelters or braving the elements as well as caught up in our ridiculous heavy traffic patterns...we "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" and we are all paying the price.
Tammy Marshall: "I want to read your comments, Susie, but the little I read brought me to tears... I have a lot of personal changes to make so that I will feel like I have made a difference in the world... It's easy for me to feel overwhelmed because I refused for so long to share what I learned with others because I did not believe in myself... But while I was comforted in self-pity, there was a lot of injustice in the world.... There is no time to get comfortable about speaking out, or sharing what you know.... The time is now because tomorrow is not promised... I know that you are not sharing just for me, but your words speak to me in a way that make me confident in the things that I've always known to be true... Thank you so much for making me cry and helping me realize that my beliefs aren't garbage, just because others don't get it.... I don't live a lifestyle that you would be proud of but I get the lessons you want to teach.... I'm flawed, but I'm ready to teach what I know.... Thank you, Susie, for letting me feel loved and safe enough to not ignore things that I can change!"
oh, tammy...thanks for those words! they are wonderful as are you! and we do indeed love you!
________________________
hallelujah...while we are in the midst of animal auctions and "fairs", and judging whether or not a living being labeled "livestock" is to our culinary liking or not, this event shows us the way. THIS is a blessing...yes, THIS rescue of a deprived living being ...THIS is a blessing.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
July 3, 2014
Homeward Angle: IN A CIRCLE AROUND MY HOUSE
As I gleefully recall, I honestly believe that Walt Disney's Cinderella provided my maiden voyage into the wonders of cinema. That event occurred so very many yesterdays ago when American animation would never be surpassed--a uniquely authentic and creative time arguably lost to us in our 21st century.
To this moment, whenever our courthouse clock issues forth its 12th chime--midnight-- I fear that I might misplace a glass slipper. Unless some handsome prince seeks out barefoot me to return my (size 10) party pump, I'll continue until the end of time sweeping floors for my spiteful step-sisters while confiding in woodland animals and blue birds -- my only friends. Likewise, the spooky, haunting, mournful yet promising sounds of train whistles moaning and massive steel wheels grinding and clickity clacking all along the rails, south of this tiny town, transport me to the early 50s. Stirred up are reminiscences of our parked ruby-colored Ford loaded with neighbor kids anticipating our collective mesmerized observation of another locomotive whizzing by, its passengers or cargo bound westward for near-by Chicago perhaps. We eagerly waved our little hands to connect with travelers who might smile back at us.
Thus, how fun it has been to re-establish contact with formerly local chums via Facebook--Tamara Estlick, Anne Giles, Jane Geiger, Cindy Ramsey, Judy Manago, Trish Walter, Jo Biddle, Susan Hood, Bonnie Miller! Those "girls" even ordered my books which are full to the brim with nostalgia --while adding their own memories of chalking up the sidewalks for hop-scotching, Vacation Bible School with Kool-Aid and cookies, engaging in endless rounds of sunny backyard Canasta tournaments upon spread out checkered table-cloths confiscated from our mamas' kitchens, attending double-features--during dreary rainy afternoons-- at the Columbia Theater within walking distance, catching THEN releasing lightning bugs, and giddy, precarious roller-skating (employing a single skate, in my case--to coast along effortlessly while the alternative earthbound foot provided welcome security!)
Although all of us eventually ventured varying distances from Columbia City, we still ought to be considered appropriately "local"--our memory "bank" remains intact while continually located within the same small, cozy spot with all avenues connecting each of us aforementioned "ladies". We're open for business all hours of the day and night. Although trends come and go, one inclination seems to be heading toward a comeback. Younger folks in record numbers have begun to scout about enthusiastically for one-of-a kind older homes with plenty of character as well as easy access to original, preserved landmarks located near the hearts of old timey towns. Glory be! Our beloved mid-20th-century lifestyle is enjoying a resurgence…popcorn, pretzels, lemonade, conversation, croquet with sticky wickets, street fairs, lawn chair lounging, jump ropes, shuffle-boarding, kiddie pools, sand-boxes, bikes, snow-angels and sledding (weather appropriate!), trikes, neighborliness, while combined with freedoms (that welcome and encourage individuality) once offered to all of us kids during our growing up days.
Long-ago-adults who resided in those memorable homes around my particular block -- and who caught fleeting glimpses of us youngsters skating, skipping or scootering by -- maintain their lofty status to this very day in my recollections. They laughed with us and not at us. They provided Band-Aids. They shared iced tea and lemonade. They inquired after our parents. Quite a listing of notables, happy and content right where they landed for years and years! One home for one lifetime it seemed for: Edith McNear--former secretary to Thomas Riley Marshall who himself eventually rose to Indiana governorship and vice-presidency of the United States; teachers Julia Snodgrass, Joe and Irene Shull, Mary Hill, Barbara Cotterly, Olive Sheehan, and "Maggie" Stultz; dentist Dr. Ralph Minear; druggist Walt Meyers; mortician Stuart Smith and wife Ada; "Dr. John" and Margo Langohr; tractor Salesman Gene More and wife Marge; lumberman Paul Morsches and wife Peggy; World War II pilot Bill Langohr and creative wife "Kit"; librarians at Peabody Free Library; department store owners Ben and Bea Blumenthal; hoteliers Dave, Rosemary, and Minnie Clugston; John and Virginia Lillich; Jim and Ora Elliott (with two "l's" and two "t's"); John Wilson with his parents--his dad a teacher (who once spanked my red-headed brother-in-law in high school, I think) and his pianist mom; attorney Jim Biddle and his wife Jeannette; optometrist Lon Sorey who walked his Dalmatian George twice daily -- his wife Beverly fed all of the neighborhood cats; Grandmother Whiteleather and her widowed daughter Velma; Marie Bloom whose husband (B.J.) served as mayor…and "mom & pop" grocery store owners Don and Marjorie Souder whose bustling, thriving business attracted all of these folks all day long every day! We teeter-tottering, swinging neighborhood kids viewed every one of their customers across the alley from the Duncan backyard. I should have sold tickets, maybe? (Oh, and never let us forget those revered Old World style, brick, spiry church buildings on every corner!)
Dr. Kenner and his wife, who looked as if she might have spent her youth as one of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's marcel-waved heroines, actually drove a vintage Model-T. Newspaper publishers John Q. and Hester Adams resided just up the alley and amazingly issued two editions per day, one for the town's Republicans and the other for a sprinkling of Democrats--back when the TWO-party system seemed alive and well in small Mid-western burgs. Fellow Lutheran Ona Eberhard, she of the ever-present and always elegant oversized gossip-columnist-Hedda-Hopper-inspired chapeaus propped atop a silvering French twisted hair-do…whoa, she lived on another block somewhat removed from my jurisdiction. She was so much fun that I thought she SHOULD have lived right next door!
One of my favorite musicians is a fellow named David Byrne, Scottish-born, who characterizes himself as legitimately suffering from borderline Asperger's and who shares my birthday. He provided the score for choreographer Twyla Tharp's ballet The Catherine Wheel which I still enjoy some 30 plus years after its debut. Byrne is left-handed but plays guitar right-handed. Byrne is his own person. He does not own a car and is obsessed with cycling, pedaling his bike all around New York City. He authored a 2009 book entitled Bicycle Diaries… he must be my brother from another mother. I quote here a smattering of some of his quirkiest lyrics which provided my title for today's column, highlighting a "chip off the old BLOCK", fondly cataloguing those who once surrounded me in my own house which I occasionally exited once in a while to mingle with people next door and up and down the street…loving every second spent prowling about that old neighborhood! How about LINE STREET/CHAUNCEY STREET/ MAIN STREET REDUX …consult a dictionary! We're never too old to learn…see you next month!
"…They're goin' out. They're comin' in…inside a circle around their house. These shoes don't fit. This tie don't match. I'm gonna throw it away… when I get home. I'm turned around. I'm doin' my best. I'm gonna wait… until the light comes on…" ~ David Byrne (www.susieduncansexton.com)
Postscript: J. B. Bernstein. upon whom the film Million Dollar Arm (reviewed by Roy Sexton in last month's Homeward Angle column) was based, wrote to us stating, "It means a lot to hear a review like this. This was a very personal story, and to know that I was able to reach even one person with our message it was worth all the work." How about that? (www.reelroyreviews.com)
thanks for these wonderful comments!
Terry Doran: "A masterful recollection of an era that is special to all of us who grew up in a time before technology. No computers, no cell phones, no cable. When trolleys ran supreme and you could ride your bike and play in the park all day long with no adult supervision and no worries about being kidnapped, assaulted, abused. I believe one of the worst things that happened was the creation of Little League, which turned kids play from being kid driven to pawns in adult fantasy world. I did a TFI on the subject 'When It Was a City' about Fort Wayne in the 40's and 50's, with the same theme and the same conclusions. And congratulations on the note from the Million Dollar Arm man."
Deb Lowrance: "It is really something to see all these names in Susie's column. I am currently transcribing the meeting notes for the Peabody Board. Most of these adult names appear on the lines....very cool."
Maureen D'Agostino: "Loved this masterpiece. Truly reminds me of my childhood, so similar to the story."
Ratna Sadal (www.facebook.com/TheSatvicChef): "She's a wonderful person!"
John Perkins: "Cool read!"
Jo Powers Biddle: "Loved reading your mom's recollections. Took me back faster than a 'speeding bullet.'"
Neil Simon: "Another great article! Have a great 4th!"
Betty Bob Buckley: "Really enjoyed reading your Mom's column. Thank you for sending it."
Elizabeth Lean: "One of my favourite ladies, and sorry I have been so busy saving the Romanian puppy, that I have neglected you. xxx"
B. Anne Giles Watson: "Applauding you, once again, for keeping our delightful memories of gone-by days!!! The best times of our lives, although we're taking those forward with us today!!!! Of course we'd buy your words! Soooo fun to remember! ... Love those pics!!!! I think I see Joanne Bates and Melinda Boyer and Loretta Beasley? Not sure of the other girls. Amazing memories, Susie Sexton. Thanks for sharing...Makes me wanna dig out some of my pics. On my list for the week! Some of the best times of our lives!"
Drex Morton: "Excellent read, especially on The 4th of July..."
Laura LS: "Wonderful! Makes ya reminisce about when we were kids, wonderful to bring back all those memories."
Emma Schumann: "Thank you, Susie - shared xx ... Have a happy & blessed 4th, you and your family."
Beth Kennedy: "What a joyful look back at simpler days, filled with all kinds of innocence and wonder. I loved your pictures!"
Julie Smith Rhodes: "Love this column; my husband and I just bought Lon Sorey's old home on Chauncey Street last summer. There are still parts of his office in the home, what a beautiful time in Whitley County history. Thank you Susie, and thank you for sharing, Roy."
thanks, julie...i bet you love that house! the soreys were like movie stars to us kids...gorgeous couple! wow, deb, how neat!!! i keep thinking of folks i missed listing! thanks, everybody!
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
To this moment, whenever our courthouse clock issues forth its 12th chime--midnight-- I fear that I might misplace a glass slipper. Unless some handsome prince seeks out barefoot me to return my (size 10) party pump, I'll continue until the end of time sweeping floors for my spiteful step-sisters while confiding in woodland animals and blue birds -- my only friends. Likewise, the spooky, haunting, mournful yet promising sounds of train whistles moaning and massive steel wheels grinding and clickity clacking all along the rails, south of this tiny town, transport me to the early 50s. Stirred up are reminiscences of our parked ruby-colored Ford loaded with neighbor kids anticipating our collective mesmerized observation of another locomotive whizzing by, its passengers or cargo bound westward for near-by Chicago perhaps. We eagerly waved our little hands to connect with travelers who might smile back at us.
Thus, how fun it has been to re-establish contact with formerly local chums via Facebook--Tamara Estlick, Anne Giles, Jane Geiger, Cindy Ramsey, Judy Manago, Trish Walter, Jo Biddle, Susan Hood, Bonnie Miller! Those "girls" even ordered my books which are full to the brim with nostalgia --while adding their own memories of chalking up the sidewalks for hop-scotching, Vacation Bible School with Kool-Aid and cookies, engaging in endless rounds of sunny backyard Canasta tournaments upon spread out checkered table-cloths confiscated from our mamas' kitchens, attending double-features--during dreary rainy afternoons-- at the Columbia Theater within walking distance, catching THEN releasing lightning bugs, and giddy, precarious roller-skating (employing a single skate, in my case--to coast along effortlessly while the alternative earthbound foot provided welcome security!)
Although all of us eventually ventured varying distances from Columbia City, we still ought to be considered appropriately "local"--our memory "bank" remains intact while continually located within the same small, cozy spot with all avenues connecting each of us aforementioned "ladies". We're open for business all hours of the day and night. Although trends come and go, one inclination seems to be heading toward a comeback. Younger folks in record numbers have begun to scout about enthusiastically for one-of-a kind older homes with plenty of character as well as easy access to original, preserved landmarks located near the hearts of old timey towns. Glory be! Our beloved mid-20th-century lifestyle is enjoying a resurgence…popcorn, pretzels, lemonade, conversation, croquet with sticky wickets, street fairs, lawn chair lounging, jump ropes, shuffle-boarding, kiddie pools, sand-boxes, bikes, snow-angels and sledding (weather appropriate!), trikes, neighborliness, while combined with freedoms (that welcome and encourage individuality) once offered to all of us kids during our growing up days.
Long-ago-adults who resided in those memorable homes around my particular block -- and who caught fleeting glimpses of us youngsters skating, skipping or scootering by -- maintain their lofty status to this very day in my recollections. They laughed with us and not at us. They provided Band-Aids. They shared iced tea and lemonade. They inquired after our parents. Quite a listing of notables, happy and content right where they landed for years and years! One home for one lifetime it seemed for: Edith McNear--former secretary to Thomas Riley Marshall who himself eventually rose to Indiana governorship and vice-presidency of the United States; teachers Julia Snodgrass, Joe and Irene Shull, Mary Hill, Barbara Cotterly, Olive Sheehan, and "Maggie" Stultz; dentist Dr. Ralph Minear; druggist Walt Meyers; mortician Stuart Smith and wife Ada; "Dr. John" and Margo Langohr; tractor Salesman Gene More and wife Marge; lumberman Paul Morsches and wife Peggy; World War II pilot Bill Langohr and creative wife "Kit"; librarians at Peabody Free Library; department store owners Ben and Bea Blumenthal; hoteliers Dave, Rosemary, and Minnie Clugston; John and Virginia Lillich; Jim and Ora Elliott (with two "l's" and two "t's"); John Wilson with his parents--his dad a teacher (who once spanked my red-headed brother-in-law in high school, I think) and his pianist mom; attorney Jim Biddle and his wife Jeannette; optometrist Lon Sorey who walked his Dalmatian George twice daily -- his wife Beverly fed all of the neighborhood cats; Grandmother Whiteleather and her widowed daughter Velma; Marie Bloom whose husband (B.J.) served as mayor…and "mom & pop" grocery store owners Don and Marjorie Souder whose bustling, thriving business attracted all of these folks all day long every day! We teeter-tottering, swinging neighborhood kids viewed every one of their customers across the alley from the Duncan backyard. I should have sold tickets, maybe? (Oh, and never let us forget those revered Old World style, brick, spiry church buildings on every corner!)
Dr. Kenner and his wife, who looked as if she might have spent her youth as one of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's marcel-waved heroines, actually drove a vintage Model-T. Newspaper publishers John Q. and Hester Adams resided just up the alley and amazingly issued two editions per day, one for the town's Republicans and the other for a sprinkling of Democrats--back when the TWO-party system seemed alive and well in small Mid-western burgs. Fellow Lutheran Ona Eberhard, she of the ever-present and always elegant oversized gossip-columnist-Hedda-Hopper-inspired chapeaus propped atop a silvering French twisted hair-do…whoa, she lived on another block somewhat removed from my jurisdiction. She was so much fun that I thought she SHOULD have lived right next door!
One of my favorite musicians is a fellow named David Byrne, Scottish-born, who characterizes himself as legitimately suffering from borderline Asperger's and who shares my birthday. He provided the score for choreographer Twyla Tharp's ballet The Catherine Wheel which I still enjoy some 30 plus years after its debut. Byrne is left-handed but plays guitar right-handed. Byrne is his own person. He does not own a car and is obsessed with cycling, pedaling his bike all around New York City. He authored a 2009 book entitled Bicycle Diaries… he must be my brother from another mother. I quote here a smattering of some of his quirkiest lyrics which provided my title for today's column, highlighting a "chip off the old BLOCK", fondly cataloguing those who once surrounded me in my own house which I occasionally exited once in a while to mingle with people next door and up and down the street…loving every second spent prowling about that old neighborhood! How about LINE STREET/CHAUNCEY STREET/ MAIN STREET REDUX …consult a dictionary! We're never too old to learn…see you next month!
"…They're goin' out. They're comin' in…inside a circle around their house. These shoes don't fit. This tie don't match. I'm gonna throw it away… when I get home. I'm turned around. I'm doin' my best. I'm gonna wait… until the light comes on…" ~ David Byrne (www.susieduncansexton.com)
Postscript: J. B. Bernstein. upon whom the film Million Dollar Arm (reviewed by Roy Sexton in last month's Homeward Angle column) was based, wrote to us stating, "It means a lot to hear a review like this. This was a very personal story, and to know that I was able to reach even one person with our message it was worth all the work." How about that? (www.reelroyreviews.com)
thanks for these wonderful comments!
Terry Doran: "A masterful recollection of an era that is special to all of us who grew up in a time before technology. No computers, no cell phones, no cable. When trolleys ran supreme and you could ride your bike and play in the park all day long with no adult supervision and no worries about being kidnapped, assaulted, abused. I believe one of the worst things that happened was the creation of Little League, which turned kids play from being kid driven to pawns in adult fantasy world. I did a TFI on the subject 'When It Was a City' about Fort Wayne in the 40's and 50's, with the same theme and the same conclusions. And congratulations on the note from the Million Dollar Arm man."
Deb Lowrance: "It is really something to see all these names in Susie's column. I am currently transcribing the meeting notes for the Peabody Board. Most of these adult names appear on the lines....very cool."
Maureen D'Agostino: "Loved this masterpiece. Truly reminds me of my childhood, so similar to the story."
Ratna Sadal (www.facebook.com/TheSatvicChef): "She's a wonderful person!"
John Perkins: "Cool read!"
Jo Powers Biddle: "Loved reading your mom's recollections. Took me back faster than a 'speeding bullet.'"
Neil Simon: "Another great article! Have a great 4th!"
Betty Bob Buckley: "Really enjoyed reading your Mom's column. Thank you for sending it."
Elizabeth Lean: "One of my favourite ladies, and sorry I have been so busy saving the Romanian puppy, that I have neglected you. xxx"
B. Anne Giles Watson: "Applauding you, once again, for keeping our delightful memories of gone-by days!!! The best times of our lives, although we're taking those forward with us today!!!! Of course we'd buy your words! Soooo fun to remember! ... Love those pics!!!! I think I see Joanne Bates and Melinda Boyer and Loretta Beasley? Not sure of the other girls. Amazing memories, Susie Sexton. Thanks for sharing...Makes me wanna dig out some of my pics. On my list for the week! Some of the best times of our lives!"
Drex Morton: "Excellent read, especially on The 4th of July..."
Laura LS: "Wonderful! Makes ya reminisce about when we were kids, wonderful to bring back all those memories."
Emma Schumann: "Thank you, Susie - shared xx ... Have a happy & blessed 4th, you and your family."
Beth Kennedy: "What a joyful look back at simpler days, filled with all kinds of innocence and wonder. I loved your pictures!"
Julie Smith Rhodes: "Love this column; my husband and I just bought Lon Sorey's old home on Chauncey Street last summer. There are still parts of his office in the home, what a beautiful time in Whitley County history. Thank you Susie, and thank you for sharing, Roy."
thanks, julie...i bet you love that house! the soreys were like movie stars to us kids...gorgeous couple! wow, deb, how neat!!! i keep thinking of folks i missed listing! thanks, everybody!
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
June 26, 2014
ENDING THE APATHY THAT ALLOWS SUCH BRUTALITY WHICH RESULTS FROM SHEER GREED
The following is a letter in response to Undercover Exposé—Pigs Suffer and Die at Top Breeder. Part of this letter is boilerplate provided by PETA and part is my own invention - that would be the part in ALL CAPS. What can I say? Animal rights are close to my heart, and I find this situation particularly infuriating. Please click the link above and send your own letter - you can use their language or modify as you see fit.
Dear Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack,
(Please read my addition to this form letter...I thank you in advance...the final paragraphs contain my thoughts...actually my prayer directed to you who can alleviate this suffering in real time...that time being now!)
I understand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to cut funding for slaughterhouse inspections and slash the number of federal inspectors on chicken and turkey slaughter lines, leaving slaughterhouses to police themselves with almost no government oversight. I am writing to ask you instead to pursue more funding--and inspectors.
With even fewer federal inspectors to observe live-hanging and to recognize bruising, injuries, and other signs of cruel handling practices, let alone the kind of wanton abuse that PETA has documented in bird slaughter plants (including that workers kicked birds, sexually abused them, stomped on their heads, slammed them into walls, and squeezed their innards out just for fun while the birds were still alive), these unacceptable practices will only get worse.
Please pursue more funding--not less--for the USDA's inspection programs at pig, cow, bird, and all slaughterhouses.
ACTUALLY, I AM ADVOCATING FOR: NO MORE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION AND THE IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF RIDICULOUSLY OBSCENE OVER-BREEDING OF THESE POOR SENTIENT BEINGS...AND THE ABSOLUTE END TO SLAUGHTERHOUSES ... CERTAINLY PROPER STANDARDS AND INSPECTIONS ACCOMPLISHED IN A VERY RIGOROUS MANNER -- ALL ARE PART OF THE ABOVE MESSAGE...
BUT MY ADDITION IS THAT THESE PURPOSEFULLY ENGINEERED BIRTHS AND DEATHS BY THE SECOND ARE BEYOND TRAGIC IN THIS 21ST CENTURY. LIFE MATTERS...ALL LIVING BEINGS MATTER. WE MUST LEAD THE WAY. THIS IS AMERICA. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE PRECARIOUS MOUNTAINS OF LIVES.
THE MADNESS AND HORROR MUST CEASE...
animal experiments, turning living beings into meat and exacerbating the poverty and hunger of children in third world environments whose crops are consumed by our insane populations of farm animals WHO ARE BRED to be terrorized, torn apart and consumed.
THANK YOU FOR CHANGING THIS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. I LIVE 10 MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM A STARTLINGLY LUCRATIVE OPERATION CONSISTING OF PIGS AND PIGLETS SOLD TO CHINA BY A VETERINARIAN...AND I AM IN NORTHERN INDIANA. I AM HEARTSICK EVERY DAY KNOWING OF THIS COLLUSION AND THE BLOOD MONEY CHANGING HANDS.
THANK YOU FOR READING AND EMPATHIZING AND FOR STOPPING THESE ATROCITIES AND ENDING THE APATHY THAT ALLOWS SUCH BRUTALITY WHICH RESULTS FROM SHEER GREED.
________________________
The face of organic milk by Joanna Lucas ... read here ... quote:
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
Dear Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack,
(Please read my addition to this form letter...I thank you in advance...the final paragraphs contain my thoughts...actually my prayer directed to you who can alleviate this suffering in real time...that time being now!)
I understand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to cut funding for slaughterhouse inspections and slash the number of federal inspectors on chicken and turkey slaughter lines, leaving slaughterhouses to police themselves with almost no government oversight. I am writing to ask you instead to pursue more funding--and inspectors.
With even fewer federal inspectors to observe live-hanging and to recognize bruising, injuries, and other signs of cruel handling practices, let alone the kind of wanton abuse that PETA has documented in bird slaughter plants (including that workers kicked birds, sexually abused them, stomped on their heads, slammed them into walls, and squeezed their innards out just for fun while the birds were still alive), these unacceptable practices will only get worse.
Please pursue more funding--not less--for the USDA's inspection programs at pig, cow, bird, and all slaughterhouses.
ACTUALLY, I AM ADVOCATING FOR: NO MORE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION AND THE IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF RIDICULOUSLY OBSCENE OVER-BREEDING OF THESE POOR SENTIENT BEINGS...AND THE ABSOLUTE END TO SLAUGHTERHOUSES ... CERTAINLY PROPER STANDARDS AND INSPECTIONS ACCOMPLISHED IN A VERY RIGOROUS MANNER -- ALL ARE PART OF THE ABOVE MESSAGE...
BUT MY ADDITION IS THAT THESE PURPOSEFULLY ENGINEERED BIRTHS AND DEATHS BY THE SECOND ARE BEYOND TRAGIC IN THIS 21ST CENTURY. LIFE MATTERS...ALL LIVING BEINGS MATTER. WE MUST LEAD THE WAY. THIS IS AMERICA. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE PRECARIOUS MOUNTAINS OF LIVES.
THE MADNESS AND HORROR MUST CEASE...
animal experiments, turning living beings into meat and exacerbating the poverty and hunger of children in third world environments whose crops are consumed by our insane populations of farm animals WHO ARE BRED to be terrorized, torn apart and consumed.
THANK YOU FOR CHANGING THIS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. I LIVE 10 MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM A STARTLINGLY LUCRATIVE OPERATION CONSISTING OF PIGS AND PIGLETS SOLD TO CHINA BY A VETERINARIAN...AND I AM IN NORTHERN INDIANA. I AM HEARTSICK EVERY DAY KNOWING OF THIS COLLUSION AND THE BLOOD MONEY CHANGING HANDS.
THANK YOU FOR READING AND EMPATHIZING AND FOR STOPPING THESE ATROCITIES AND ENDING THE APATHY THAT ALLOWS SUCH BRUTALITY WHICH RESULTS FROM SHEER GREED.
________________________
The face of organic milk by Joanna Lucas ... read here ... quote:
A first time mother. She is frantic. Her baby is missing. She is pacing desperately up and down the paddock, bellowing and crying, and calling for her lost boy, fearing the worst, having her fears confirmed. She is one of the thousands of ...defenseless females born into a quaint, verdant, organic dairy farm. She will spend her entire short life grieving the loss of baby after baby. She will be milked relentlessly through repeated cycles of pregnancies and bereavements. Her only experience of motherhood will be that of a mother's worst loss. In the prime of her life, her body will give, her spirit will break, her milk "production" will decline, and she will be sent to a horrifying slaughter, along with other grieving, defeated, "spent" mothers like herself.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
June 23, 2014
THINK, FEEL, EMPATHIZE! Misguided fundraisers, kind words, and bad movies
h*ll, no, we won't go...to "fundraisers" or festivals specializing in hog roasts, port-a-pit chicken, barbecue ribs, fried pigeons, etc. huh-uh. whatever happened to car washes and rummage sales? especially when raising money to support other animal ventures?
must not butcher certain unfortunate animals to raise revenue for other animals...or for any reason whatsoever.
how ghoulish and tragic. boycott death. celebrate life...for all! become creative...think outside the box...the coffin box! THINK, FEEL, EMPATHIZE! encourage respect for all living beings every chance we get. that's the ticket!
________________________
Thanks to Debbie Lannen for this fabulous review (just posted here!) of my book Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels :
“Susie Duncan Sexton has a way of opening your eyes into a world long gone. Her unique style invites you to imagine as she guides you through her experiences. A delightful book. I enjoy her references to musicals, theatre, and music of all types. It is a book that can be read in one sitting or enjoyed throughout a series of sittings, as I have. Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy!”
Check out Debbie’s just-published We Won You in a Raffle: An Adoption Story here.
________________________
And, finally, please check out this Reel Roy Reviews guest blog entry by yours truly regarding the 1965 film “Darling” – quote: “so atrocious…as if marlo thomas’ That Girl went ape-sh*t and became accidentally more comedic than one could ever imagine…move over holly golightly…welcome ‘holly go-darkly.’ awkwardly thunky…one of the worst movies I have ever seen.”
Read the rest of my take here.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
must not butcher certain unfortunate animals to raise revenue for other animals...or for any reason whatsoever.
how ghoulish and tragic. boycott death. celebrate life...for all! become creative...think outside the box...the coffin box! THINK, FEEL, EMPATHIZE! encourage respect for all living beings every chance we get. that's the ticket!
________________________
Thanks to Debbie Lannen for this fabulous review (just posted here!) of my book Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels :
“Susie Duncan Sexton has a way of opening your eyes into a world long gone. Her unique style invites you to imagine as she guides you through her experiences. A delightful book. I enjoy her references to musicals, theatre, and music of all types. It is a book that can be read in one sitting or enjoyed throughout a series of sittings, as I have. Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy!”
Check out Debbie’s just-published We Won You in a Raffle: An Adoption Story here.
________________________
And, finally, please check out this Reel Roy Reviews guest blog entry by yours truly regarding the 1965 film “Darling” – quote: “so atrocious…as if marlo thomas’ That Girl went ape-sh*t and became accidentally more comedic than one could ever imagine…move over holly golightly…welcome ‘holly go-darkly.’ awkwardly thunky…one of the worst movies I have ever seen.”
Read the rest of my take here.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
June 14, 2014
A WILD AND WOOLLY AND COMFORTING AND HARROWING AND CHECKERED AND HILARIOUS AND ULCER-PRODUCING AND EXORCISING AND CATHARTIC RIDE AND A HALF
"Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
i wrote to indiana's sen. donnelly...a very long treatise...and got his explanation/rationalization for mass buffalo killing? from a democrat? from a liberal? and it was computer generated...automatic response ....and to think I was pleased when he got elected? and he "country clubbed" with "rednecks in suits" dining on raccoon and quail or some such feast in the past few months? so I know whereof you speak/write! I have stopped voting these days...what a mess this country, not to mention this hoosier state, is/are in.... tired of even trying to worry about the sadness of democracy gone horribly wrong.
from www.buffalofieldcampaign.org ...
wow? whatever happened to peace and understanding and inclusion and kindness? once learned all of those virtues at sunday school and church...why are we returning to barbaric behavior and simple-mindedness and pompous hypocrisy?
Why is one of the nation's most prominent Catholic archbishops scheduled to speak at a virulently anti-gay rally? - more info here ...
monkeys who are more gifted and athletic than human beings…must not serve as entertainment as if they are in an arena during the decadent days of a failing roman empire…NO to victimizing monkeys at a ridiculous rodeo…please reconsider…zillions of us DO care about poor taste and victimization of living beings! listen to us and thank you!
Kalamazoo Growlers 'cowboy monkey rodeo' promotion draws protests from primate advocacy group - more info here ...
another reason to stop breeding animals for slaughtering to be consumed by the animals called "human"...21st century...evolve!
cash crosses open palms and nothing else matters to the profiteers...start with breeding for slaughter...evil in my book...evil people breed these sentient beings to be slaughtered and for profit...end of statement...nothing about this can be rationalized...no bible verses can be quoted. just mean and horrible.
A Global March against Slaughter- idealistic, extremist or realistic? - more info here ...
thanks to kind and wonderful Jo Powers Biddle for these remarks: "Nearly finished reading your second book. So enjoying the experience. Next week I begin with (and hope to be able to stay with all 600 pages) of Hard Choices. I positively know that I won't enjoy Hill's book as much as I have enjoyed yours."
JO, YOU JUST MADE MY DAY! WHAT I SHOULD WRITE NEXT WOULD BE THE TALE OF COUNTLESS JOYS AND HEARTACHES OF THIS EXPERIENCE OF WRITING TWO BOOKS AND 100 PLUS COLUMNS AND INNUMERABLE LETTERS TO EDITORS...IT HAS BEEN A WILD AND WOOLLY AND COMFORTING AND HARROWING AND CHECKERED AND HILARIOUS AND ULCER-PRODUCING AND EXORCISING AND CATHARTIC RIDE AND A HALF...I AM STILL RECOVERING...THE SIDE STORIES ARE THE REAL BOOK. I KID YOU NOT! I SHALL NEVER BE THE SAME AFTER THIS...MERCY! ONLY TOOK ABOUT 10 YEARS...OR MAYBE MORE ACCURATELY A LIFETIME IS ALL!
check out the latest Old Type Writer column wherein my son roy recounts our delightful experience meeting tony award-winner laura benanti - read here ...
thanks for these comments!
Carol Baker: "I've yet to understand how lack of kindness toward the wild beasts, tolerance for the bahaviors of people that have no effect on us whatsoever, somehow seems to loft a politician or any American for that matter into some higher moral plane. I struggle every day in my southern hideaway living among those who think nothing of using racial epithets in casual conversation with strangers while installing that new rifle rack in the header of their broken down pickup trucks. They complain about the 'queers' and the blacks who feel they deserve special treatment. He fails to mention he's gotta hurry getting that gun rack he just paid for with his disability check installed so he can get to the food pantry on time to get some of that free Gub'mint cheese he loves so much. They rarely see their own disconnected cognitive dissonance, Susie. I've stopped trying to find logic and reason where none exists. We write about these things not to change the minds of others, but because we must. As always, so nice to read the thoughts of a kindred spirit. For some of us, compassion never goes out of style."
oh, my, carol...stunning and truthful! thanks for being real. I am a damned yankee...the only one in the immediate family...i used to feel totally left out regardless of southern hospitality surrounding my clueless butt -- being ostracized, you know? which made me sad? now I am pleased that I am so far removed from that dubious mind-set and really always have been. what is particularly alien to me is the syrup and cool whip and a shallow sprinkling of bible "thumping" veneer over those stubborn, misguided, ancient group-think prejudices -- devised to disguise the mean-spiritedness. guess I won't be going home again real soon, y'heah? BTW, a redneck is a redneck is a redneck or so said Gertrude Stein...ha! a surplus of neanderthals up north, too...evolution got stuck and set in reverse in many pockets dotting (or enveloping) the American landscape.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
i wrote to indiana's sen. donnelly...a very long treatise...and got his explanation/rationalization for mass buffalo killing? from a democrat? from a liberal? and it was computer generated...automatic response ....and to think I was pleased when he got elected? and he "country clubbed" with "rednecks in suits" dining on raccoon and quail or some such feast in the past few months? so I know whereof you speak/write! I have stopped voting these days...what a mess this country, not to mention this hoosier state, is/are in.... tired of even trying to worry about the sadness of democracy gone horribly wrong.
from www.buffalofieldcampaign.org ...
Wild buffalo run down the east bluffs of the Madison River, right at the boundary of Yellowstone National Park, to get a drink from a tributary. A lovely shot, but this was taken during a hazing operation. Buffalo had been forced off of Horse Butte, enduring nearly 10 miles of harassment and abuse without being allowed to get a drink, or calves being allowed to nurse. State and federal agents dressed up as cowboys use federal tax dollars to harm, kill and harass America's last wild buffalo. This is right on the western edge of Yellowstone National Park in southwest Montana. Buffalo Field Campaign is here to defend wild buffalo on the ground they choose to be on and share their story with everyone so we can create positive change for these awesome gentle giants. ROAM FREE!
wow? whatever happened to peace and understanding and inclusion and kindness? once learned all of those virtues at sunday school and church...why are we returning to barbaric behavior and simple-mindedness and pompous hypocrisy?
Why is one of the nation's most prominent Catholic archbishops scheduled to speak at a virulently anti-gay rally? - more info here ...
monkeys who are more gifted and athletic than human beings…must not serve as entertainment as if they are in an arena during the decadent days of a failing roman empire…NO to victimizing monkeys at a ridiculous rodeo…please reconsider…zillions of us DO care about poor taste and victimization of living beings! listen to us and thank you!
Kalamazoo Growlers 'cowboy monkey rodeo' promotion draws protests from primate advocacy group - more info here ...
another reason to stop breeding animals for slaughtering to be consumed by the animals called "human"...21st century...evolve!
cash crosses open palms and nothing else matters to the profiteers...start with breeding for slaughter...evil in my book...evil people breed these sentient beings to be slaughtered and for profit...end of statement...nothing about this can be rationalized...no bible verses can be quoted. just mean and horrible.
A Global March against Slaughter- idealistic, extremist or realistic? - more info here ...
thanks to kind and wonderful Jo Powers Biddle for these remarks: "Nearly finished reading your second book. So enjoying the experience. Next week I begin with (and hope to be able to stay with all 600 pages) of Hard Choices. I positively know that I won't enjoy Hill's book as much as I have enjoyed yours."
JO, YOU JUST MADE MY DAY! WHAT I SHOULD WRITE NEXT WOULD BE THE TALE OF COUNTLESS JOYS AND HEARTACHES OF THIS EXPERIENCE OF WRITING TWO BOOKS AND 100 PLUS COLUMNS AND INNUMERABLE LETTERS TO EDITORS...IT HAS BEEN A WILD AND WOOLLY AND COMFORTING AND HARROWING AND CHECKERED AND HILARIOUS AND ULCER-PRODUCING AND EXORCISING AND CATHARTIC RIDE AND A HALF...I AM STILL RECOVERING...THE SIDE STORIES ARE THE REAL BOOK. I KID YOU NOT! I SHALL NEVER BE THE SAME AFTER THIS...MERCY! ONLY TOOK ABOUT 10 YEARS...OR MAYBE MORE ACCURATELY A LIFETIME IS ALL!
check out the latest Old Type Writer column wherein my son roy recounts our delightful experience meeting tony award-winner laura benanti - read here ...
thanks for these comments!
Carol Baker: "I've yet to understand how lack of kindness toward the wild beasts, tolerance for the bahaviors of people that have no effect on us whatsoever, somehow seems to loft a politician or any American for that matter into some higher moral plane. I struggle every day in my southern hideaway living among those who think nothing of using racial epithets in casual conversation with strangers while installing that new rifle rack in the header of their broken down pickup trucks. They complain about the 'queers' and the blacks who feel they deserve special treatment. He fails to mention he's gotta hurry getting that gun rack he just paid for with his disability check installed so he can get to the food pantry on time to get some of that free Gub'mint cheese he loves so much. They rarely see their own disconnected cognitive dissonance, Susie. I've stopped trying to find logic and reason where none exists. We write about these things not to change the minds of others, but because we must. As always, so nice to read the thoughts of a kindred spirit. For some of us, compassion never goes out of style."
oh, my, carol...stunning and truthful! thanks for being real. I am a damned yankee...the only one in the immediate family...i used to feel totally left out regardless of southern hospitality surrounding my clueless butt -- being ostracized, you know? which made me sad? now I am pleased that I am so far removed from that dubious mind-set and really always have been. what is particularly alien to me is the syrup and cool whip and a shallow sprinkling of bible "thumping" veneer over those stubborn, misguided, ancient group-think prejudices -- devised to disguise the mean-spiritedness. guess I won't be going home again real soon, y'heah? BTW, a redneck is a redneck is a redneck or so said Gertrude Stein...ha! a surplus of neanderthals up north, too...evolution got stuck and set in reverse in many pockets dotting (or enveloping) the American landscape.
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
June 5, 2014
Homeward Angle: Don Draper redeemed ... Million Dollar Arm
I'm turning my column this month over to my kid Roy "Inky" Sexton (www.reelroyreviews.com).
I was so taken by the message in this review he did of a movie I absolutely loved - Million Dollar Arm - that I wanted to share it with you. The concepts of appreciation and of kindness, of living in the moment and of acknowledging the contributions of others are so crucial, no matter your background or philosophy. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did! ... and I am Don Draper's and Jerry Van Dyke's love child, I figured out!
You can read his original post here.
Here's an excerpt: "No one can play an admirable cad quite like Hamm, and, as noted above, he is subtle perfection, no easy feat in a Disney summer blockbuster. His transformation from a machine who views his fellow man as 'investments' to someone who appreciates the heart and soul, fears and hopes intrinsic in us all is more inspiring than any slow-mo, symphonic-scored baseball-pitching at the film’s conclusion."
________________________
For those of you in the Fort Wayne, Indiana-area, save the date as I have filmed an episode of the "Patty's Page" talk show with wonderful Patty Hunter. The show will air Saturday, June 7, 5:30 pm and Sunday, June 8, 9:30 am on 55 (comcast) and 25 (frontier).
For those not in Northeast Indiana, the show will also be posted by Patty on YouTube shortly following the broadcast.
thanks for this feedback!
Alice Rivera: "What a great family you are. I can feel the love you have through the computer. God has blessed you both so much already, with the love money couldn't ever buy."
Roberta Limoli Barufaldi: "Love to see this movie."
Kirk DeHayes: "I just read the latest issue of your newspaper and notice the article on 'Carol and Corkie wherever they may be.' Well my stepmom is Carol Bennett and I thought I would let you know in case you wanted to talk to her. She is doing well and staying very busy. Just let me know."
Anne Giles: "As you are aware, my posts are totally random, and this time is no different. I'm going back to a time of (mostly) innocence...back to a young girl's fun-loving, safe, lightning bug catching, playing with cutouts on a blanket in the shade in the hot summer in Columbia City, Ind. (that used to be our state's abbrev.)! This is to Susie Sexton and her darling book 'Secrets of an Old Typewriter'! Love it! I've laughed and been moved to tears during the first two chapters...I did NOT like PE either, but I sure loved living in a small town! Thanks for sharing! If you're from CC too, back when most pics were in b&w, you'd love the book! Did you roller skate on the sidewalk...read in the summer reading program...swim at Burnworth Pool? Ahhhhh, those were the days. Thanks for making me smile!"
WOW, Anne, you just made my day, my week, my month of June, etc! Your description there says to me that YOU need to join me in writing up memories because LIFE truly was grand in those days...we are not making that up! Love this and your endorsement means everything to me, and thanks to Bonnie and Judy (Judy Manago, we sat on a checkered tablecloth in your backyard or Judy Brallier's and played canasta until either the sun set or the cards blew away via the summer breeze...I bet Anne remembers that as well!) Thanks to the three of you...! Those "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" are precious to me still! I love you all!
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
I was so taken by the message in this review he did of a movie I absolutely loved - Million Dollar Arm - that I wanted to share it with you. The concepts of appreciation and of kindness, of living in the moment and of acknowledging the contributions of others are so crucial, no matter your background or philosophy. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did! ... and I am Don Draper's and Jerry Van Dyke's love child, I figured out!
You can read his original post here.
Here's an excerpt: "No one can play an admirable cad quite like Hamm, and, as noted above, he is subtle perfection, no easy feat in a Disney summer blockbuster. His transformation from a machine who views his fellow man as 'investments' to someone who appreciates the heart and soul, fears and hopes intrinsic in us all is more inspiring than any slow-mo, symphonic-scored baseball-pitching at the film’s conclusion."
________________________
For those of you in the Fort Wayne, Indiana-area, save the date as I have filmed an episode of the "Patty's Page" talk show with wonderful Patty Hunter. The show will air Saturday, June 7, 5:30 pm and Sunday, June 8, 9:30 am on 55 (comcast) and 25 (frontier).
For those not in Northeast Indiana, the show will also be posted by Patty on YouTube shortly following the broadcast.
thanks for this feedback!
Alice Rivera: "What a great family you are. I can feel the love you have through the computer. God has blessed you both so much already, with the love money couldn't ever buy."
Roberta Limoli Barufaldi: "Love to see this movie."
Kirk DeHayes: "I just read the latest issue of your newspaper and notice the article on 'Carol and Corkie wherever they may be.' Well my stepmom is Carol Bennett and I thought I would let you know in case you wanted to talk to her. She is doing well and staying very busy. Just let me know."
Anne Giles: "As you are aware, my posts are totally random, and this time is no different. I'm going back to a time of (mostly) innocence...back to a young girl's fun-loving, safe, lightning bug catching, playing with cutouts on a blanket in the shade in the hot summer in Columbia City, Ind. (that used to be our state's abbrev.)! This is to Susie Sexton and her darling book 'Secrets of an Old Typewriter'! Love it! I've laughed and been moved to tears during the first two chapters...I did NOT like PE either, but I sure loved living in a small town! Thanks for sharing! If you're from CC too, back when most pics were in b&w, you'd love the book! Did you roller skate on the sidewalk...read in the summer reading program...swim at Burnworth Pool? Ahhhhh, those were the days. Thanks for making me smile!"
WOW, Anne, you just made my day, my week, my month of June, etc! Your description there says to me that YOU need to join me in writing up memories because LIFE truly was grand in those days...we are not making that up! Love this and your endorsement means everything to me, and thanks to Bonnie and Judy (Judy Manago, we sat on a checkered tablecloth in your backyard or Judy Brallier's and played canasta until either the sun set or the cards blew away via the summer breeze...I bet Anne remembers that as well!) Thanks to the three of you...! Those "lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" are precious to me still! I love you all!
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
June 1, 2014
Yours truly featured this week - in Senior Life and on TV!
Thanks to Deb Patterson and Senior Life for running this piece by yours truly dedicated to Northeast Indiana 1950s classic kids' TV icons "Carol and Corkie" - you can read the original piece at this link and enjoy the scanned copy here ...
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Also, for those of you in the Fort Wayne, Indiana-area, save the date as I have filmed an episode of the "Patty's Page" talk show with wonderful Patty Hunter. The show will air Saturday, June 7, 5:30 pm and Sunday, June 8, 9:30 am on 55 (comcast) and 25 (frontier). For those not in Northeast Indiana, the show will also be posted by Patty on YouTube shortly following the broadcast.
a share is a prayer...a kind baby step in a world which too often does not care. please "share" when a "share" is requested...I try to do this...my reason for facebooking. happy to do so...but sad that such steps are necessary for the beautiful, important, special animal kingdom to survive and to be safe from harm at the hands of apathetic or cruel or self-serving- or "spinning" humanKIND?
share information about animal welfare every chance you get...share the plights of sentient beings and promote the orphaned who languish in shelter situations...thanks for caring. PEACEFUL KINGDOMS near and far...at home and globally...let's all consider ourselves "local" because we are! we must share this Earth...room for all who are already here. over-population must stop...killing must stop...peace is so possible.
________________________
thanks for this feedback!
Martina Fox Berry Perella: "I decided to 'just take a peep'....I ended up reading and reading and enjoying every minute of it. As I always tell my friends 'memories are God's special gifts to us.' Susie and Roy have shown us proof of that."
Beth Kennedy: "talk about a tv icon in the making......"
Carol Baker: "I love this. For me, it was Dr. Max and Mambo the Clown who lasted in my Iowa town for 25 years or so. They were hasty replacements for the cowboy who came on the air drunk as a skunk, told them to start playing a cartoon and then said on live TV, 'That ought to hold the little bast**ds for a while.' Not many of us left to remember that great moment in television history. As always, great form, Susie. Thanks for the memories."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Also, for those of you in the Fort Wayne, Indiana-area, save the date as I have filmed an episode of the "Patty's Page" talk show with wonderful Patty Hunter. The show will air Saturday, June 7, 5:30 pm and Sunday, June 8, 9:30 am on 55 (comcast) and 25 (frontier). For those not in Northeast Indiana, the show will also be posted by Patty on YouTube shortly following the broadcast.
a share is a prayer...a kind baby step in a world which too often does not care. please "share" when a "share" is requested...I try to do this...my reason for facebooking. happy to do so...but sad that such steps are necessary for the beautiful, important, special animal kingdom to survive and to be safe from harm at the hands of apathetic or cruel or self-serving- or "spinning" humanKIND?
share information about animal welfare every chance you get...share the plights of sentient beings and promote the orphaned who languish in shelter situations...thanks for caring. PEACEFUL KINGDOMS near and far...at home and globally...let's all consider ourselves "local" because we are! we must share this Earth...room for all who are already here. over-population must stop...killing must stop...peace is so possible.
________________________
thanks for this feedback!
Martina Fox Berry Perella: "I decided to 'just take a peep'....I ended up reading and reading and enjoying every minute of it. As I always tell my friends 'memories are God's special gifts to us.' Susie and Roy have shown us proof of that."
Beth Kennedy: "talk about a tv icon in the making......"
Carol Baker: "I love this. For me, it was Dr. Max and Mambo the Clown who lasted in my Iowa town for 25 years or so. They were hasty replacements for the cowboy who came on the air drunk as a skunk, told them to start playing a cartoon and then said on live TV, 'That ought to hold the little bast**ds for a while.' Not many of us left to remember that great moment in television history. As always, great form, Susie. Thanks for the memories."
________________________
Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).
The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language; Columbia City's Memory Lane, North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark.
And you can download from iTunes.
Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page
Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com
Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't
