Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 418
July 28, 2015
Hisbits: Ernest T Of The Bronx
Did you know Ernest T. Bass was born in the Bronx? Howard Morris, the actor who made the mountain man famous was born to a Jewish family in 1919. He, Carl Reiner, and the future Commandant Klink of Hogan’s Heroes, Werner Klemperer, were in the same unit in World War II. It was a company of actors assigned to entertain the troups in the Pacific. Samantha Stevens father on Bewitched, Maurice Evans, was the company commander.
Howard was a classically trained Shakespearean actor, who found fame playing numerous roles on Sid Caesar’s Show Of Shows. Most people today aren’t familiar with the comedy sketch program, but Howard Morris delivered some extremely hilarious performances, viewable on YouTube. As I mentioned, this same man, comfortable with Hamlet and Macbeth, will forever be to us, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s Ernest T.” He picked up his southern accent while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In addition to Ernest T, Howard directed episodes of the series, appeared on Broadway, and guest starred on series such as the Dick Van Dyke show. In the early 1960’s, Howard began to do voice work for cartoons. He was the first Mr. Peebles on Magilla Gorilla and the first Adam Ant. You may know him as the Gopher on Winnie the Pooh, Wade the duck on Garfield, or as the voice of the Hamburgler.
He continued to act and direct for most of his life, including reprising Ernest T’s role in Return To Mayberry. While Howard passed away at 85, his image has and will continue to entertain generations. All who love Mayberry will keep laughing at the smile that launched rocks, broke windows, and crossed Kelsey’s ocean.
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July 27, 2015
Discovery
Discovery, the action or process itself, keeps life vibrant. The possibilities are endless, and the joy is in the pursuit of knowledge. I would like to share with you three suggestions I feel will add value to your life, in a meaningful way.
Life should contain mystery, as well as opportunity. Men have explored continents, located cures for tropical diseases, and won Pulitzer Prizes for two reasons. First, the need was both real and great. Second, the pursuit was noble and exciting. Your time on Earth can hold meaning and adventure, no matter what your age, situation, or circumstance.
The first topic I recommend is a very personal one to me, the study of Scripture. I believe that the combination of hearing the Word taught, and private study will enhance every day of your life. It’s this twofold application that will perform, and transform your life on multiple levels.
Chiefly of which is to enhance your spiritual journey. It will strengthen, comfort, and counsel you. Life is hard, your problems are serious, and you don’t have to solve them alone. His Word can insulate you from the conditions that surround you, and give you the peace to continue on.
The second topic is something that I’m also currently experiencing, learning a second language. If you’re like me, you don’t currently have time for a class, and many of the ways you’ve tried to learn haven’t worked for you. Recently I began something that, for me at least, is a wonderful solution.
The app I’m using is called Duolingo, a tool that has combined fun and function. It is designed somewhat like a game, and through the process of repetition, I’m learning French. Although there are several languages to choose from. I don’t expect to hop a plane to Paris anytime soon, but I am learning and having a good time.
Learning a second language has several benefits, but part of it is the challenge. It is working my brain, exploring an area of interest, and challenging me in a new and different way. As we get older, keeping engaged mentally will enhance our thinking, keeping us sharp.
The last topic may seem trivial, but in reality it really it’s not, and that is a personal interest. It could be most anything, a sports statistician, a mystery buff, or a sci-fi fan. Either way, you’ll learn facts, figures, and bits of trivia that you’ll be able to recall at a moments notice.
Why is that important? Because it not only keeps you sharp, it makes you happy. The pursuit of life was meant to be enjoyable, and even that has a side benefit. When you are happy, you’re more engaged. You’re plugged in to what’s going on around you.
Life holds challenges and surprises that can seem overwhelming. That’s why personal devotion, learning a new language, and private interests can help you. They will give you perspective, provide a challenge, and being you joy. It’s the attempt as much as the find itself that makes us better. Today I encourage you, pick a subject you’ve not tackled before, and start the process of discovery.
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July 26, 2015
iPainting: The Raccoon
We hope you enjoy this Sunday Afternoon Art Post, “The Raccoon”.
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July 25, 2015
The Sea Horse: New In Town
Mimic had chosen a costume. He wasn’t unaccustomed to them, having acted all his life. This would be different, it was his first public persona as a Baronet of The Society Of Thieves. Prior to now, he had worked in the shadows, preferring to build his public reputation as head of the Almeric Group.
Leonard Almeric would have to learn to juggle two faces. One legitimate, and the other totally opposite. His costume needed flair, it needed class, it needed “an ascot.” He laughed at his own style. He was a Baronet, a General of con men, he would mimic famous leaders and disarm others with his flamboyant but dangerous image.
He wore a bronze metal mask with the features of a skinny Henry VIII. A Napoleonic crown topped the mask, while a shogun’s robe covered his torso, exposing the red ascot and black camouflage jumpsuit underneath. His weapon of choice, a small rifle fashioned with the same coloring and pearl accents as Patton’s prize side arms. Black knee high boots finished the outfit. Mimic’s voice was disguised to give him a Swedish accent.
He wanted to leave an impression beyond fashion. So as his first public exhibit, he kidnapped the Mayor of Oceania in broad daylight. Dropping down from a helicopter during the Mayor’s press conference on the steps of City Hall. “The ransom is one billion dollars or the Sea Horse’s freedom. Oceania, you have forty eight hours to comply. If not, I suggest you hold a new election, and interview another hero.”
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July 24, 2015
iPainting: Venice At Dusk
Today we have a special, bonus iPainting, “Venice At Dusk”. We hope you enjoy this extra special print from PruittWrites.
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#CollageFriday: Artists
We hope you enjoy this #CollageFriday’s look at “Artists”.
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July 23, 2015
Book Club 5th Edition: 7 Habits
I was reminded yesterday of this wonderful book, The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People, by Dr. Stephen Covey. As with many of the important books in my life, it was recommended by a friend and mentor, Pastor Denny Livingston. This book will encourage you to view things from a different perspective than you may have previously. It is a classic that is still a must read for anyone that wishes to continue to grow and learn.
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July 22, 2015
Art and My Grandparents
Art, what is it, why is it important, and how can it benefit you? Those three questions are the first ones that you must answer if you want to get someone interested in the art world. I’d like to share with you my answers to these questions.
First, what is it?
It’s anything that has a beauty to it, whether it’s a classic Vermeer, or a walking stick carved in my hometown. It’s not the price tag that makes it special. It’s the craftsmanship, the technique, and the sentiment attached. A work of art may never become valuable to your wallet, but it can to your heart.
Life sprang forth not still, but animated, vibrant, and brilliant. Can you imagine the masterpiece that was creation?
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A family portrait is a great example, it may never be valuable to anyone outside of the family, but it wasn’t made for them anyway. Three of my favorite painters are probably not on most people’s lists. Thomas Kinkade, Tony Bennett, and George W. Bush are among my favorites, because they are important to me.
The way that Thomas Kinkade captured light in his paintings, especially his Christmas and city scenes, are among my favorites. Thomas Kinkade, Tony Bennett and George W. Bush inspired me to start painting. They also share something with my beautiful Wife Ashley. She, and their example, inspired me to start painting again after giving it up years before.
If I’m bored, taking a few minutes to look at Tony Bennett’s paintings helps inspire me. While his is a different style than mine, I love most the joy that George W. Bush gets out of painting. That is one of the main catalyst that brought art back into my life.
Why is it important?
I think the most powerful reason is that it reflects a positive outlook. This world is filled with negativity, and there is a lot of reality to it. Art reminds us to look for the beauty in our situation, our work, and the relationships of our lives.
I believe that art brings us closer to our Creator. If you mix paint for a sky, or a flower, or a face, you’ll learn something. They aren’t one color, or one hue. The subtleties that it takes to reproduce a still image, are nothing to what it took to speak a cardinal into existence. The Bible says that the sea brought forth the living creature. Life sprang forth not still, but animated, vibrant, and brilliant. Can you imagine the masterpiece that was creation?
How can it benefit you?
I didn’t learn to love art in some museum. My Grandparents, C.A. and Virginia Hill are one of the main reasons I love art. I’m proud to say that he wasn’t an art critic, he was a coal miner, and a Minister. I’ll never forget the painting that hung in the mobile home for years. He was a craftsman in carpentry, and he appreciated the beauty of art. My Grandmother loved to watch a German and an American painter on the local PBS station every week.
I hope, first it shows you how down to Earth art can be. In every race, nation, and people there are artists. Men and women who produce something for the joy of others. Art crosses cultures, breaks down economic barriers, and has a message that anyone can be a part of it. For too long, people have viewed it as some high society pursuit.
To me, the definition of true art, is something that produces joy for the artist and for others. If that is the case, then art should be a part of everyone’s life. What we produce should bring happiness to us and all around us.
Your work should be given the attention an artist would a canvas. What you produce is as much a signature piece as a sculptor’s statue. Your family life should reflect the colors of love, laughter, and convictions. Our actions produce prints called memories in our children’s lives. As a Christian, I believe that one’s commitment to their faith should be treated with a committed and delicate hand just like the brush strokes of a landscape.
I collect art, it’s in the relationships I value, the memories I cherish, and in things that remind me of them. If you want to start collecting art, it’s really all around you. As for the painted kind, I’ve found Pinterest is a great place to collect that won’t endanger your finances. I have two different boards that I pin art too. More important than the painting itself, is the connection that it gives me to those I love.
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July 21, 2015
Hisbits: Theodore Roosevelt Part Two
Public Domain Picture
My fellow-citizens, no people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, … with gratitude to the Giver of Good who has blessed us with the conditions which have enabled us to achieve so large a measure of well-being and of happiness.To do so we must show, not merely in great crises, but in the everyday affairs of life, the qualities … which made great the men who founded this Republic in the days of Washington, which made great the men who preserved this Republic in the days of Abraham Lincoln.
Those two paragraphs are the first and last of Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration speech. When I think of Roosevelt, I think of a dynamo, a devoted son, a loving father, and a brave warrior. This speech shows that he thought of himself as something else, “My fellow citizens…” In other words, not above or superior to any in his birthright, for all in this marvelous land were Americans. That’s one of the things that I love about Roosevelt, more than anything else, he was a product of his country.
He loved, slept, ate, and breathed with a fascination of our land. That does not mean that he did not see the ills of it. One of his first acts as President, upon the assassination of President McKinley, was to promote fair labor for the working man. His entire policy towards business and labor was in this philosophy, “a square deal for every man.” Roosevelt wasn’t in favor of advantage on either side, but instead, a level playing field for healthy competition.
Fascination with our country did not limit his view of the world however. When Russia and Japan could find no solution to their war, he offered to broker peace. On top of the end to that war, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Another issue loomed beyond our borders that he felt needed his attention. Since 1534, a water passage through the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean, was desired by world leaders from Spain Thomas Jefferson, but it took Theodore Roosevelt to make it a reality.
As President, he would take time for countless projects, but most of all he took time for his children. He was as rambunctious as they were, taking great joy in their antics and animals. The White House was more than a capital, or a symbol, it was a home. Theodore Roosevelt made sure that the business of the Presidency never interfered with his calling as a father.
By the time he spoke the first two paragraphs that began this post, Theodore Roosevelt had been President three years. Made President by an assassin’s bullet, he was elected in his own right in 1904, and promised not to seek a second term. He kept that promise, campaigning for William Howard Taft. As time went on, he did not agree with Taft’s policies, so he ran against him in the next election, splitting the vote three ways.
We think of Roosevelt as a man who always won, but it’s how a man handles loss that shows his character. He had experienced the death of his first Wife early in life. After a tragedy such as that, anything else pales in comparison. He could handle much minor losses, including a reelection to the Presidency.
In this case, the “Bull moose” and his third party, would not succeed. While he failed to win, a would be assassin also failed to kill him. The bullet went through his coat, and lodged in his chest muscle, never to be removed. The papers of his speech were credited with keeping the bullet from penetrating further. Even in defeat, Roosevelt withstood attack.
After this, along with his son Kermit, he went on an expedition to South America. It did not go as planned, tropical fever almost killed him, but again he survived. He would be plagued by reoccurring illness, as the result, for the rest of his life.
Later in life, Taft and Roosevelt would rekindle their friendship, knowing that it was more important than politics. It was not long before his death in 1919, that the once close friends mended their feud. It shows that forgiveness should always be given a chance, no matter the age or the argument.
Throughout his many setbacks, Theodore Roosevelt continued to love his God, his family, and his country. A man of faith, he loved to sing in Church, he enjoyed spending time with his family, and defending his country. Roosevelt knew what was important above all other things.
His greatest loss came late in life. It was that of his son Quentin, a fighter pilot, shot down over German lines. Distraught, the former president sought permission to lead a volunteer regiment overseas during World War 1, but it was never granted. Unable to do so, he did what he could to support the War stateside. Roosevelt was a man never ready to stop fighting or learning. The morning after his death, they found a book under his pillow that he had been reading.
The Colonel, one of his favorite titles, had many throughout his lifetime. Son, brother, husband, father, Police Commissioner. A member of the New York Assembly, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Rough Rider, Governor, Vice President, and President. These are only a few of the offices that he held during his life, but without a doubt, one he was proudest of, was that of a citizen of these United States Of America.
Click here for Part One of our look at Theodore Roosevelt
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July 19, 2015
iPainting: Church By The Water
This Sunday Afternoon Art Post continues our Church series with “Church By The Water”.
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