The Friday Recap: A Book, a Beagle, and a Buffalo Drawing

What have you been up to? It's fun to take stock

What was your week like? What did you do for fun and profit?

Friday is a nice day to take stock of your recent doings. Here are a few things I did. Tell me what your week was like, if you like. There is a comment section below.

A Drawing I Did

On Wednesday I think it was, it was windy and kind of chilly however the sky was that blue that we get in October, and I loved the clouds, and I tried to draw what I saw.

I did this drawing at a picnic table with these cheap oil pastels I got a few years ago at Michael’s. The set left some things to be desired — for instance, there was no green close to what I was actually seeing on the trees. So I was trying to include some reds and browns to try to get the effect I wanted. The pink flowers were not actually there. I was just having fun so I threw them in.

When I got home I brushed it up a bit, blended the colors where I could, but I did not change it too much.

It looks windy! And for me it captured the day.

A Book I Read

I do not read many books so this will likely not be a recurring feature. However this week I did read Nancy Horan’s “Loving Frank,” this novel about the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, the wife of one of his clients. You pronounce “Mamah” “MAY-mah.” That is one thing I learned.

You know how Wegmans has Food You Feel Good About? This is not exactly a book you feel good about. The writing is fine but at the end I felt I had wasted my time on this story about these crappy people whose ideals I did not admire. I like Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I have a membership to the Darwin Martin House and have plans to go to Graycliff this week. But still.

And then there is the ending. Reading reviews online I see people shy away from revealing what happens, because they don’t want to ruin the “surprise.” However I am sorry, it is basic Frank Lloyd Wright history. And seeing that Wright is pretty much an honorary Buffalonian, we should all know it, how this crazy servant of theirs set fire to Taliesin, his residence and studio, when he wasn’t home, barred the doors so that Mamah and her children couldn’t get out, and burned and axed them to death. It is terrible to read about. But then I could not not read about it. I couldn’t just take the book back to the library before I finished it, oh no. It was like the proverbial car wreck, I couldn’t look away. This woman is a good writer, she writes vividly, and I was left with these horrible images in my head. Which brings me to the next item on my list …

Things I Bought

I went to Dollar Tree and bought cleaning items! Because I am never going to have servants after what happened at Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio. I will just clean my own house, thank you very much.

Dollar Tree has great cleaning items. The Totally Awesome brand lives up to its name. I also got new dish sponges and dish soap. I know, my exciting life.

Then I went to Hyatt’s. Do we have other Hyatt’s fans out there? It is amazing, this giant art store right in our own back yard. I went to the oil pastel department and after long consideration and consultations with the staff, I got Pentel oil pastels. Oil pastels are so cheap, you can splurge on a 50-pack, which is what this was, for about $10. Next time I go sketching in Delaware Park I am going to have the right green.

Here We Come A-Caroling!

I sing in the St. Louis Choir, and at our rehearsal this week came a shock: our first run-through of Christmas carols. “Once in Royal David’s City”; “O Come All Ye Faithul”; “What Child Is This” … I got misty, the way I get misty every year when I see the first snowflakes in the air.

Enjoyable Discussions

Monday we continued the discussion on summer things that are actually better in the winter. These were suggestions from Facebook friends.

On a walk through Delaware Park we watched a hawk eat a squirrel. Click the link to see the video. Be warned, it might not be as gruesome as the ending to “Loving Frank,” but still, it is not pretty.

On Wednesday we explored St. Michael’s Church and made the case that it should not close, damn the torpedoes.

The St. Michael’s Church story brought inquiries about how it came to be that I did not go to confession for several decades, and what exactly happened when I went into the confessional at St. Michael’s. I will have to answer all those questions in the coming days. It is quite the story! Also it is a great topic for October when our minds turn naturally to the supernatural.

Speaking of the coming days… I am thinking it might be a nice schedule to post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If that is too many emails for you, let me know! I need to write a lot. I am like a trained horse from all my work at The Buffalo News and we have a lot to cover. However I do not want to deluge anyone with emails. Is Monday, Wednesday and Friday too much for you? Let me know.

I am also dreaming up ways to show my thanks to my paid subscribers. To this elite group, it makes me so happy you like what I do enough to contribute like that. I am so grateful to everyone, free and paid, who are supporting me in this adventure. Thank you!

Pet of the Week

Delaware Park is full of dogs. I met this one and thought he was so cute in his Bills get-up. I have seen other dogs in similar outfits however no beagles. I do not see as many beagles around now as I used to when I was a kid.

The dog. So cute!!! Look at him in the picture. His name is Royal. His owner’s name is Terry. Terry adopted Royal from the downtown animal shelter and said the fee was only $96 and covered everything.

Here is a closeup of Royal in his royal blue. He did not want to get his picture taken. He is not a publicity hound!

Quote

“There are better things than even Mozart, Shakespeare, and the Bills.”

— Priest in his sermon at Mass, attempting to describe the joys of heaven