National Grandparents Day 2020

MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS ARE FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

I don't want the day to pass without mentioning that today, being the first Sunday after Labor Day, is a holiday known as National Grandparents Day. According to Holiday Insights the holiday "originated in 1978 when then President Jimmy Carter declared it to be the first Sunday after Labor Day."

I've read that "the impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide."

I am the first grandchild of my maternal grandparents (they can be seen in the snapshot, atop this entry as well as in the image below which I featured in a recent post here on Blogger.

MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS ARE FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

In any event, both of these photos were taken in bygone — way bygone — years and I hope the Welsh proverb, "perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild," proved true for my maternal grandparents.

I feel very fortunate to have grown up near my maternal grandparents' home, and I've always been appreciative of the wisdom, as well as the heritage they provided — although my maternal grandmother might've begged to differ a she never liked the fact that I moved to New York City.

Monday Musings: August 24th

MY GRANDPARENTS ARE FEATURED IN MANY POSTS

Today is my birthday and if truth be told for the most part, I have always disliked the fact that it falls on August 24th. This is because in college days (which were not good for me) orientations and class registration were taking place. Moreover, I've had an aversion to to the date, August 24th, as it is often the day either the RNC or DNC begins (or began).

BUT when unpleasant thoughts occur surrounding the date of August 24th, I think of one reason (and IT'S A GOOD ONE), to have been born on this day: I am my maternal grandparents first grandchild and I was born on their anniversary.

They can be seen in the picture (atop this entry) celebrating my birthday in bygone (way bygone) years as my dearly departed maternal aunt watches me open a gift.

Many people now know of my grandparents through posts on this blog and because the narrator of my book series, Words In Our Beak, (pictured below) is a female cardinal named Cam.

MY BOOK SERIES

The name Cam is in honor of my maternal grandparents, a fact I've mentioned  in my cyber-venues over the years, where I've explained the "C" in Cam's name is for my grandmother, Clara. The "a" in Cam's name is for my maternal grandfather, Albert. And the "m" in Cam's name is for their surname, Melahn.

Remembering Clara May Fitchie Melahn

CLARA MAY FITCHIE WITH SIBLINGS

My maternal grandmother, Clara May Fitchie Melahn, was born on this day of July 23rd in the 1900. She always hated the fact that she was born within that year because her age could be calculated so easily. In any event, she can be seen (standing at the right) in the back row with her siblings in the photo atop this entry (which has been featured in a number of entries here on Blogger).

July 23rd is Gorgeous Grandma Day! (Tuesday's Truths WK 135)

Today, July 23rd 2019, would be my maternal grandmothers's (Clara Fitchie Melahn) one hundred and nineteenth birthday had she not died (in 1987) at the age of eighty-six, four days before what would have been her eighty-seventh birthday.

She was born on July 23rd in 1900 and always hated being born in that year because it was easy for folks to do the math to determine her age. She can be seen in the photo (back row on the right) atop this entry with her siblings.

Her day of birth now coincides with a holiday known as Gorgeous Grandma Day which was evidently established by Alice Solomon in 1984.

I am her first grandchild and have written about her within a number of entries on this blog, where in some of them, I have explained that Cam, the story teller of my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak is named for her and my maternal grandfather, Albert Melahn.  She is standing next to him in the last snapshot included here.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

Mothers Day 2018

I'm thinking of both my parents on this Mother's Day. Thoughts are with my mother for obvious reasons, who can be seen in the photo atop this entry, where she is pregnant with me; and they are also with my dearly departed father, who would be celebrating his birthday, had he not died from septic shock in 1995.

My grandmother is on my mind too, for without grandmothers, there would be no mothers, eh?

In any event, she can be seen with yours truly — giving a high five — in the next picture (which is a photo I've featured in at least one prior entry (in bygone years) here on Blogger).

One of the last things she said to me before she died was that she thought I should get back to  my writing, which I have through this blog, through my work on tumblr and hometalk, and my book series, Words In Our Beak  (pictured below).

VOLUMES ONE AND TWO

In spite of this, due to many health related issues, I may not be able to keep my endeavors with my writing, but I hope my circumstances don't force me to do that.

Meanwhile, I wish all of my readers who are mothers, a blessed Mother's Day.

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

Hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can be found wherever books are sold.

MY BOOK SERIES

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books. Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2021:

When the third volume of the hard-cover version of Words In Our Beak was released, I withdrew from promoting my former versions of Words In Our Beak. 

The very first one is an iBook and went into Apple's book store in 2015.

This was followed by an ePub version...

... that is available on Amazon and was also published in 2015.

Subsequently, Words In Our Beak's digital versions were published as a soft-cover book (with slight variations) by MagCloud in 2017.

Its press release can be read by clicking here.  

Now with the release of BIRD TALES....

... I've been advised to make mention of my early versions of volume one of Words In Our Beak, they do vary ever so slightly in content from the hard-cover version of volume one.

As of this addendum, I do not intend to create digital or soft-cover versions of Words In Our Beak Volume Two or Words In Our Beak Volume Three.

It's National Grandparents Day!

It's National Grandparents Day! The holiday falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It was initiated at the grassroots level by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade (seen in the image atop this entry) with the behind-the-scenes support of her husband Joseph L. McQuade.

This photograph is from a web-page, which discusses a number of interesting facts regarding  National Grandparents Day; including the truism that "it's not a holiday invented to sell cards and flowers."

In Remembrance of Clara May Fitchie Melahn (Born 7-23-1900 Died 7-19-1987)

I am my maternal grandparents first grandchild, and was born on their wedding anniversary. In the image atop this entry, my grandmother can be seen holding me. You might recognize the picture as I have featured it in at least one of my prior entries here on Blogger.

She died on this day of July 19th in 1987; and, her parting words to me were ones that urged me to get back to my writing.

National Grandparents Day 2016

MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS ARE FEATURED IN MANY BLOG POSTS

The picture atop this blog entry is of my maternal grandparents, taken long before I was even a glimmer in their daughter's eye, in fact, it was taken long before she was a glimmer in their eye! But one might surmise from looking at this picture, someone was sure to more than a glimmer in an eye, and be born to this couple, as my mother ultimately was!

I'm including this image in this entry in honor of the holiday known as Grandparents Day. According to Holiday Insights, "National Grandparent's Day originated in 1978. Then President Jimmy Carter declared it to be the first Sunday after Labor Day." 

As you know, dear reader, in this year of 2016, the first Sunday after Labor Day fell on September the Eleventh, which also happened to be the fifteenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorists attacks on our country. Therefore, I did not post anything re Grandparents Day on its actual date, as I wanted to be quiet about other matters on the solemn anniversary. However, I still want to give a shout out to my dearly departed grandparents and to grandparents everywhere.

I've read that "the impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with , a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide."

"Perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild." REPRISED

Once upon a time, here on blogger, I pointed out that according to a Welsh proverb, "perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild."

And I stated that I "imagine perfect love probably comes with any grandchild, or child for that matter (although I have neither, and my maternal instincts are mainly exercised in the extreme care I offer in tending my terrace garden as well as tending to the needs of the birds that visit it). In any event, whether perfect love comes with the first grandchild or not, the fact that I am my maternal grandparents' first grandchild causes me to like to believe that the proverb is true! Not only am I my grandparents' first grandchild, but I was born on their wedding anniversary!"

In any event, my wonderful grandmother died a number of years ago, but before she passed, she said to me that I "should get back to writing,"  which I finally am.

And if she were alive today, I would certainly give her a copy of the book, "Words In Our Beak Volume One," which Cam, the cardinal  who visits my urban (NYC) garden, wrote with me.

If, dear reader, you are fourtunate enough to still have your grandmother, you might want to consider giving her the gift of Cam, which according to my "love birds" makes a wonderful Valentines gift!

Perhaps some of you are grandparents, and if so, you must know all about perfect love and grandchildren bringing it into your lives! Since children have also enjoyed Cam, you might want to consider expressing your love for your grandchildren by sharing Cam with them for Valentines Day.

The V day holiday is only eight days away so I'm just sayin....

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The non-hardcover version (or versions)  of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

"Perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild." (Welsh Proverb)

According to a Welsh proverb, "perfect love sometimes does not come until after the first grandchild". Does this mean that perfect love comes immediately — or soon after — the birth of the first grandchild? Or, does this mean that after the first grandchild is born, perfect love does not come until after another grandchild is born?

How My Urban Garden Grows: The Highly Probable Influence of my Grandfather, Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn

I have always appreciated gardens as well as the containers that provide a home for plants, and the image posted above this entry is one I created after happening upon an abandoned greenhouse. By "demand," I have rendered this image into a limited edition of prints which are available in varying sizes. Information relating to this image (as well as other black and white photographs that I have created) can be found in the print collection pages on my web-site. This image is also available as a note-card.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about being without access to a greenhouse, because at my upper-west side apartment in New York City, I've planted and maintained a lovely terrace garden that is now caked in snow, and with this final "clarification" post, I'd like to tell you a little bit of background about my gardening endeavors.