The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,892 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,416 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ
Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
For this week’s Each Other/Know Your Roots Expert Level Merit Badge, I continued where my Intermediate Level left off.
Right at the intersection of Mysterious and Secrets. At the corner of Suspicious and Questions. At the … well, you get my drift.
I was adrift at sea in an ocean of unanswered questions. Call me overly poetic and dramatic, but something was definitely up with my Grandma Barbie. First, she got all weird on me when I mentioned someone named Blaine, and then she hung up on me! Grandmas aren’t allowed to hang up on their granddaughters.
And now, of all the nerve, she is so totally avoiding my phone calls. Ever one step ahead from my ornery grandmother, I borrowed Midge’s phone and dialed the retirement home in Florida one more time.
Not recognizing the number, Grandma Barbie answered cheerfully. “Why, hello, Midge, darling! I’m so glad you called. Could you do me a favor and tell Jane I went away on a cruise or something?”
Me: “Gramma! You are in so much trouble!”
I hear the sound of the phone dropping. Then, “Oh dear. Dear, dear. Well, I always knew this day would come. Hang on, sweetie, I need to refresh my sweet tea if we’re going to go over family history.” I hear her gulp thirstily.
I drum my nails loudly into the speaker as a subtle hint. “You hung up on me, Gramma.”
G.B.: “Yes, I know, dear. I was just so surprised to hear you mention his name after all these years.”
Me: “Who? Blaine? This mysterious fellow from the Outback of Broken Hearts? This Australian Casanova? This …”
G.B.: “You’re being overly dramatic. Now stop getting your knickers in a twist, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Just the facts, ma’am.” The thought of my elderly grandmother getting cozy with anyone gives me a bad case of the no-thank-yous. “Who’s Blaine?”
G.B.: “Well, it was the summer your grandfather and I broke up. It was the late ’60s, you understand, and a time of free love and …”
Me: “BLECH! Get to the point, Grammy!”
G.B.: “Don’t sass me, young lady. Where was I?”
Me: “Making my stomach knot with unnecessary mind pictures.”
G.B.: “Right. Well, anyway, Ken disappeared that year and Blaine was introduced. He was my friend, Summer’s, brother. Remember Summer?”
Me: “Blue hair? Bad driver?”
G.B.: “Well, not back then, but yes. Blaine and I went together for a while. It was a wild time. He was very sweet.”
Me: “Well? And what happened then?”
G.B.: “Well, nothing really. We broke up because Ken came back. Midge started dating Alan. Skipper and Stacie took up a lot of my time. The rest is history.”
Me: “That’s it? Why’d you hang up on me? I thought you were going to reveal some big family secret!”
Grandma laughs. “Oh, Janie, you always were such a worry wart. Now stop poking your nose into my love life, and get crackin’ on yours. Okay, darling?”
I frown. Trust Gramma to spin the situation around. “Okay. But …”
G.B.: “Oh dear, sounds like there’s a bad connection again! Ffklj! Kklmnw?”
Me: “Gramma, you’re just putting your hand over the mouthpiece and making funny noises again, aren’t you?”
G.B.: “Lmeoico? Ajfft!”
Click.
Some critics have called my Grandmother a dumb blonde, but I’m telling you … she’s tricked them all. That woman is deep.
And the winner is:
Robin Blitchok, who said on March 31, 2014:
“Love all the vintage musicals, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Audrey Hepburn, and Julie Andrews.”
Robin, watch for an e-mail from the farm so we can get your new movie, Calamity Jane, on its way to you!
And the original post was:
“Yippeeeee! It’s the Big Bonanza in Musical Extravaganza!” reads the cover of this 1953 classic, starring Doris Day in the title role and Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok.
“At first, curvaceous Calamity is too durned busy fighting Indians and cracking a bullwhip to pay mind to such girlie what-alls as dresses and perfume. And Wild Bill is too danged busy wooing a dainty chanteuse to give a hoot about a hot-headed tomboy. But things change in a rootin’, tootin’, big way when each becomes love’s target. These are wide-open Technicolor Western spaces, lots of high-stepping dances, and a hummable humdinger of a score.”
How the West was sung!
If you like vintage musicals, you’re going to love this DVD! Leave a comment telling us who’s your favorite musical comedy star, and we’ll enter you in our giveaway. We’ll put your name in a hat and pull out the winner … stay tuned!
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … CJ Armstrong!!!
CJ Armstrong (ceejay48, #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert Level Weather Merit Badge!
BEGINNER:
How does one describe the Earth’s atmosphere and weather? A very complicated, complex process that we can only begin to understand. Earth’s atmosphere is briefly described as “layers of gas,” which are mostly nitrogen, but contain some oxygen. The short term is “air.” Often, certain air masses remain stationary over certain areas for a time; for example, the air over a tropical climate would become hot and humid. But the masses can shift and could bring changes to an area that are not typical for that region. But the atmosphere is ever-changing and moving, causing a variety of weather conditions. Part of that process causes changes in the atmospheric pressure, and a high-pressure system would indicate good weather, while a low-pressure system means clouds and precipitation are probably in the works.
A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure and can indicate short-term changes in the weather.
Wind is basically movement of air and, briefly described, is formed with changes in the Earth temperatures, with different heating patterns between the equator and the poles, and is affected by the planet’s rotation. Wind is also difficult to describe.
Studying all the elements of how weather is formed is very interesting and very intricate. Some of the other areas I have studied that impact weather are air masses, process of evaporation, jet streams, and El Niño.
INTERMEDIATE:
One could study clouds for a long time and one could watch them form and move on for hours. They are beautiful, interesting, and ever-changing. Basically, clouds are formed of condensed water/ice and are formed when rising air expands and cools to the point that molecules clump together faster than they are torn apart by thermal energy.
Common types of clouds are:
Cumulus, meaning “heap”
Stratus, meaning “layer”
Cirrus, meaning “curl of hair”
Nimbus, meaning “rain”
There are also classifications of high-level, mid-level, low-level, and vertically formed clouds.
I learned to classify clouds a long time ago as a child in school. It’s something that my husband and I still practice so that we have sense of what weather might be coming our way, and it’s something we taught our daughter when she was in school. Very intriguing practice!
EXPERT:
Because of our need to know what weather might impact travel, gardening, building projects, outdoor activities, and numerous other situations or activities, my husband and I have been charting weather in our area for a long time.
We are mindful of what might be ahead before planning any activity or project that is going to be greatly affected by the weather.”
I’m obsessed with words, letters, quotes, etc. You know, inspiration here, inspiration over there. Eventually, my walls will be covered in big letters, little letters, important words, and inspiring quotes. But I’ve never thought to do so in my own handwriting. Until now. Until I found the book, The Art of Whimsical Lettering by Joanne Sharpe. With my love for all things letters and words, the words “whimsical” and “lettering” were combined, and well, let’s just say I was intrigued.
Sharpe’s work is presented beautifully in illustrated color throughout, and within its pages, I found encouragement to take the time to practice and explore ways of using handwriting as my own personal expression, to develop my own “inner font.” Sharpe says, “My artful lettering theory revolves around the concept of designing handmade, stylized writing and expressions that extend from an individual’s knowledge of basic print and cursive writing.”
The first section of the book gives a run-down of Joanne’s favorite tools, including pens, paints, mediums, and paper. The next section shares techniques that Joanne uses in her own art practice and the fundamentals of whimsical lettering. Fifteen “Artistic Alphabets” are included in the third section, with lots of encouragement and instruction from the artist detailing how to practice with them to expand your own personal style. In the last section, Joanne gives insight into how she creates different styles on her pages and discusses how one might go about integrating their lettering into art. An artist gallery and a collection of favorite phrases and quotes are also included to inspire you on your lettering journey. I’m smitten with the idea of creating an alphabet of my very own!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
