orange socks and Fred Astaire
[email protected]
I wrote this on the New Mexico Homeschooling list. I had asked there if
people knew where I might find orange knee socks. There were a few leads, Holly
and I spent some time at Coronado Mall, and I reported back to the list.
Thought I'd share it here too.
<<I might be too late, but I would try the soccer stores. I seem to remember
being on a team as a child that required orange socks. >>
Thanks.
They had orange and white, I learned by phone, but not solid orange.
Macy's had some nice long white cotton socks, and we got two pairs and some
dye from Langell's (Rit didn't have orange or I probably would've have used the
cheap grocery store dye). Then we had to buy soda ash to follow the
instructions. Then I realized the instructions are overkill, to make the dye bright
and life-long-lasting, and we only needed them for Halloween. <g>
But at the same time we got a pair for Holly's fairy costume and dyed them
opposite stripes (small purple and large pink stripes on one, and the other way
on the other).
Expensive project, for two pairs of socks, and my fingers are still purplish,
but while I did that Holly carved a couple of jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins
we grew, and we listened to Fred Astaire (one of Holly's favorites and
interests, and fairly foreign to me because I generally avoided that kind of music
most of my life). I really like it when one of my kids knows more about
something and shares that interest with me.
So if we'd found orange socks it would've been easier, but I wouldn't have
been in the kitchen for an hour and fifteen minutes discussing small jazz band
vs. "big band" music, and Irving Berlin, and black and white movies vs. color
movies. Holly knows Madelyn Kahn from both Paper Moon and Young Frankenstein,
both of which are in black and white although they were filmed in the 1970's.
Each of those movies has an Irving Berlin song, and both those songs were on
the Fred Astaire CD we were listening to. But Fred Astaire doesn't sing them
in the movies. One is done by Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle as Frankenstein and
the monster ("Puttin' on the Ritz") and the other done by Tatum O'Neal as
Addie ("Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee," which she sings parts of to herself
while putting on her new hat and looking forward to getting a piano, I think it
is, and after hearing that part Holly wanted to learn the whole song which led
me to buying the same CD).
Everything's connected!
Sandra
------------
Another thing from that conversation was Holly asking me "Was Fred Astaire an
actor?"
Good question. She meant what was he primarily considered. I said, since we
were listening to a CD of music, he was "a crooner," the word for singers of
that style. But that above singing and acting, he was considered "a hoofer,"
a stage dancer. He was an actor too, but he sure wasn't acting like he was
singing or dancing. <g>
Nowadays sometimes that's faked, but in the 1930's there was no way and no
reason, really. Fred Astaire wasn't really "good looking" by modern standards
(or even by the standards of his day), but he was so talented and charismatic
that the idea of a funny-looking guy who could fit in any company and be
gentlemanly was a big, attractive deal to men and women both.
Sandra
people knew where I might find orange knee socks. There were a few leads, Holly
and I spent some time at Coronado Mall, and I reported back to the list.
Thought I'd share it here too.
<<I might be too late, but I would try the soccer stores. I seem to remember
being on a team as a child that required orange socks. >>
Thanks.
They had orange and white, I learned by phone, but not solid orange.
Macy's had some nice long white cotton socks, and we got two pairs and some
dye from Langell's (Rit didn't have orange or I probably would've have used the
cheap grocery store dye). Then we had to buy soda ash to follow the
instructions. Then I realized the instructions are overkill, to make the dye bright
and life-long-lasting, and we only needed them for Halloween. <g>
But at the same time we got a pair for Holly's fairy costume and dyed them
opposite stripes (small purple and large pink stripes on one, and the other way
on the other).
Expensive project, for two pairs of socks, and my fingers are still purplish,
but while I did that Holly carved a couple of jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins
we grew, and we listened to Fred Astaire (one of Holly's favorites and
interests, and fairly foreign to me because I generally avoided that kind of music
most of my life). I really like it when one of my kids knows more about
something and shares that interest with me.
So if we'd found orange socks it would've been easier, but I wouldn't have
been in the kitchen for an hour and fifteen minutes discussing small jazz band
vs. "big band" music, and Irving Berlin, and black and white movies vs. color
movies. Holly knows Madelyn Kahn from both Paper Moon and Young Frankenstein,
both of which are in black and white although they were filmed in the 1970's.
Each of those movies has an Irving Berlin song, and both those songs were on
the Fred Astaire CD we were listening to. But Fred Astaire doesn't sing them
in the movies. One is done by Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle as Frankenstein and
the monster ("Puttin' on the Ritz") and the other done by Tatum O'Neal as
Addie ("Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee," which she sings parts of to herself
while putting on her new hat and looking forward to getting a piano, I think it
is, and after hearing that part Holly wanted to learn the whole song which led
me to buying the same CD).
Everything's connected!
Sandra
------------
Another thing from that conversation was Holly asking me "Was Fred Astaire an
actor?"
Good question. She meant what was he primarily considered. I said, since we
were listening to a CD of music, he was "a crooner," the word for singers of
that style. But that above singing and acting, he was considered "a hoofer,"
a stage dancer. He was an actor too, but he sure wasn't acting like he was
singing or dancing. <g>
Nowadays sometimes that's faked, but in the 1930's there was no way and no
reason, really. Fred Astaire wasn't really "good looking" by modern standards
(or even by the standards of his day), but he was so talented and charismatic
that the idea of a funny-looking guy who could fit in any company and be
gentlemanly was a big, attractive deal to men and women both.
Sandra
Holly Furgason
--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
...And we listened to Fred Astaire (one of Holly's favorites and
> interests, and fairly foreign to me because I generally avoided
that kind of music
> most of my life).
My kids like Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and others of
that era. I found it almost too weird to comprehend but then I
listened while they played it and it is pretty good music. I
realized I was just prejudice because it was my parent's music and it
would have been so uncool to listen to. My kids don't have those
prejudices and have no need to be cool so they find what they like.
Courtney, my 16 yo, is doing a Kander and Ebb revue at her college.
One of their songs is New York, New York. She was the only student
who already knew it.
Holly
2 COOL 4 SCHOOL
Unschooling t-shirts and more!
http://www.cafepress.com/2cool4school
pam sorooshian
On Oct 31, 2004, at 5:18 AM, Holly Furgason wrote:
especially of my dad, who always had Perry Como or Sinatra or somebody
similar going on the hi-fi - to have my children supplying those
memories to me is so weird - and somehow so right.
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.
> My kids like Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and others ofSame here. And that music brings back such a flood of memories,
> that era. I found it almost too weird to comprehend but then I
> listened while they played it and it is pretty good music. I
> realized I was just prejudice because it was my parent's music and it
> would have been so uncool to listen to.
especially of my dad, who always had Perry Como or Sinatra or somebody
similar going on the hi-fi - to have my children supplying those
memories to me is so weird - and somehow so right.
-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.