For our second year we spent an enjoyable day at the local convention of Sacred Harps singers. There were several hundred singers, plus several more hundred people who were there just to listen. They provide loaner hymn books, so we tried to follow along as best we could while they called number after number and sang on and on. They started singing about 9AM or so, took one morning and one afternoon break, and stopped for lunch, but the rest of the time until about 3PM they were singing their hearts out.
This is a music tradition that has been preserved in the Deep South for the last 200 plus years. It has found new life as people all over the United States, and even in other parts of the world, have taken up the singing of these ancient Christian hymns. It's based on 4 shaped notes: fa is a triangle; sol is an oval; la is a rectangle; and mi is a diamond. The whole octave goes like this - fa sol la fa sol la mi fa, unlike music notation most people are used to that goes do, re, mi,etc.
It's a little hard to explain just how powerfully some of these hymns hit me. I could feel tears welling up, as I was taken to a level of praise of God that I rarely feel from music. Now I'm not saying I like all the hymns, but my hubby and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely! It made for a wonderful Date Day.
We bought a cd set that is supposed to teach the rudiments of Sacred Harp music, so maybe by the time next year's convention comes around we'll be able to sing along more than our weak attempts this year. Yes, both of us made efforts to sing with quite a few of the hymns - pitiful, but still better than we did last year.
One thing's for sure, those of us who were not participating in the convention didn't have to worry about our voices "ruining" the sound of the singers. If there's a one word description for this style of music ... it's LOUD! We get there early so we can sit on the back pew of the church, and it still reverberates in the ears. I don't know how their voices can sustain such a long day of singing at that volume, but they do.
Our first introduction to this ancient singing was from the movie Cold Mountain. There were several Sacred Harp hymns in the sound track, if you have it. One is sung by a group in Alabama, where we live. I prefer the slower, more majestic tunes, but a lot of them are very lively.
If you'd like to learn more about this ole time singing style, the Wikipedia entry on Sacred Harp music is excellent.Labels: Date Day, Sacred Harp
I received this email from John, who has a unique item going up for auction at Stout Auctions in PA. It sounds so unusual and interesting that I thought I would share it with you.
A toy train set with cross appeal will be going on the auction block in June. It is a limited edition item, never offered for sale to the public. It is new in box, and still has the original shipping shrink wrap around the box. The certificate of authenticity states the above, and further explains that it was offered as a premium to salesmen for selling parts and accessories.
It is the Zenith Video Express, and all the cars have the Zenith Radio and Television logo, and I know one box car has " Chromacolor " on the side.
He continues:
I do have a personal stake in this and I will explain! My mother died on the first of February of this year, and was preceeded by my father 2 years prior. The train set was given to him, as he was a Field Engineer for Zenith. I did not want to sell it here in the boondocks of PA, so I sent it to Stout Auctions, since they specialize in train hobbyist auctions.
Unfortunately, I purchased a digital camera after sending it to Stout Auctions, so I have no picture. They do sell catalogs of upcoming auctions, but I know that you can personally contact them, and they would probably send you a picture. I will try to describe it the best my 53 year old memory can muster.
The set was manufactured exclusively for the Zenith Radio and Television Corporation by Bachmann. It is HO scale and contains the locomotive and four other cars laid sideways, in the original box through the clear plastic windows. The outer, cosmetic parts of the cars are some form of heavy duty plastic. The outer shrink wrap has never been touched, save for a small tear, and a slight indentation on one of the plastic windows just beneath. No damage to the car underneath! All of the colors on both the display box and train are as vivid as the day produced. It has never been in a high heat, or direct sunlight situation.
In closing, link/contact info is: www.stoutauctions.com, e mail Katy ( Really nice girl ) katy@stoutauctions.com, ph # 724.528.1500.
Sounds interesting, doesn't it??!!Labels: auction, collectibles, train set, vintage, Zenith
I've been dealing with strep throat, laryngitis, and a hacking cough for several weeks now. The penicillin shot and oral antibiotics cleared up the strep, but nothing the doctor has prescribed has stopped this heavy mucus cough I've had. So, I called yesterday to see if they could prescribe a different cough syrup. Instead, they sent me off to get a chest X-ray, to rule out pneumonia, I guess. I don't have a fever any more, so pneumonia doesn't make sense to me, but maybe the X-ray does.
That's quite a different order to doing things than the way it used to be done. Used to be, if you went to the doctor with chest congestion, the very first thing the doctor would do would be to get an X-ray, not the last thing. That difference is definitely due to the cost of testing and the pressure to keep costs low for the doctor. Insurance companies push for less testing, too. So, the whole process of diagnosis has changed considerably over the years.
Our little rural town clinic had their own x-ray equipment, where this fancy clinic I go to now doesn't even do their own. They had to send me to lab in the same building to get blood drawn when they tested me for diabetes and down the road to a diagnostic center to have the x-ray done.
Other than looking in ears and mouth, feeling around a little on my neck, and taking a look at the localized inflammation I developed from the penicillin shot - this doctor didn't even touch me.
People nowadays don't have a more personal medical experience to compare to, so they don't know any better. But those of us with gray hair remember when....Labels: diagnosis, doctors, insurance
Searching - INFORMATION Jewel Tea CREAM WOODEN CANISTER with BLACK HANDLES
I have had things on eBay in the past. My name is glassy-chic.
I am not looking for the piece, I have the piece. I am 71 years old, and it was my grandmother's. I have tried to search it, and I don't see anything like it. I don't even know what it is called, but I know that my grandmother had flour in it..
Thank you,
Shirley
If you can help Shirley with information about her antique wooden flower canister please
Contact Us, including Post Code #031009-1 in your reply.
Labels: canister, childhood memories, collectibles, Jewel Tea Co.
Terry is searching for the July, 1982 issue of Compute! Magazine (Issue 26, Vol. 4, No. 7). He would like to purchase one or more copies (depending on the price) as it has an article written by his future father-in-law! If you have this magazine or know where he might locate it, please Contact Us.
I think it would help a lot if he could post his request on a computer collectibles forum, so if someone could suggest a place for him to post his request that would be great!Labels: Compute, computers, Searching for, vintage
The fellow who bought Daddy's car was so excited to get it that I just know it went to the right person. I'm sure Daddy is pleased. If I think really hard I can almost see him smiling in my mind. He had such a dry sense of humor. There was definitely a reason why Mama called him Sunny Jim!! And I can honestly say I was glad to see him drive off, enjoying the car just as Daddy had all those years.
I'm keeping the web pages I made of the car for myself, so in a way I will always have the car, where it matters - in my heart.
Yes, Daddy always dated every major event in his life by remembering the car he had at the time, and now Daddy's last car has been passed along to start a new life with a new owner who will love and enjoy it, too.Labels: 1969 Chevrolet Caprice, Daddy, Daddy's Cars, In Memory
Searching - INFORMATION about POSSIBLE JEWEL TEA COMPANY Premium TEA POT
Joan writes:I have a brown ceramic tea pot with , I think, pewter trim. I thought my grandmother got it as a premium from the Jewel Tea Co.
I don't have a picture, but the tea pot stands about 6 1/2 inches tall. It has a rather ornate pewter spout, with attached lid and handle. It is chocolate brown with speckles in it. On the bottom it is stamped "Manning Quality Bowman, Meriden,Conn.08273".
I had another one, which was slightly large, probably about 7 1/2 inches tall. I took it to an antique shop on consignment, and it went out of business, and I never saw it again.
Any info would be appreciated.
If you can help Joan with more information about her teapot, please Contact Us or Comment below, using POST CODE #020209-1 in your comment.Labels: childhood memories, Family Memories, identifying antiques, Jewel Tea Co., Premiums, vintage
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