Two parties in one day.... Poem: A 90-word Tribute to Kullie Mellor

What a genius I am! I figgered out how to download The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman playing together at the Detroit Music Festival.

Is there still a Detroit? What about all those refugees coming out of Hungary and into Germany. Let's give it up for Angela and the humanitarian Germans.  

From the Times:  Reaction to the photos [lil drowned boy] has been swift: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President François Hollande of France issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for “a permanent and obligatory mechanism” to allocate refugees among the 28 member states of the European Union and for new reception centers in Italy and Greece. Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, whose government has balked at allowing in any refugees from the Continent, said Friday that Britain would take in “thousands” of refugees from camps near the fighting in Syria.

 And now our wonderful Pope Francis has

Pope Calls on All of Europe’s Catholics to House Refugees

Even though I went to bed at 5 am (submitting stories) I awoke at 8 am, drove to the Giant and picked up food for my party later today.

Set up the entire living room with nosherei, plus Iced Starbux Coffee in fridge and Lemonade

 and then I left for Kullie Mellor's birfday party at Abington Art Center.

Are we allowed to drink so early in the morning? I asked a caterer from Joshua's Catering, as he poured pinot noir into a champagne glass.

I met the most interesting people at Kullie's party.

Everyone wore a name tag.

Shall I wear it around town? Ruth Deming, Willow Grove, PA, WRITER, LIBRARY CLUB COLLEAGUE

You know what? That makes me feel TERRIFIC! A real sense of belonging. I sat at Table No. 4 with other octogenarians and felt so comfortable I could tell fluent stories, which I have a tuff time doing in other scenarios.

What made this so different?

Here's Kullie Mellor who made a lil speech. She was planning her funeral and thought, Gosh what fun all those people will have. Why don't I have a party instead so I can enjoy it!

Kullie has blue eyes, her late husband Jack had blue eyes, their four children have blue eyes and so do most of their many grandchildren.



The three-page sheet has a list of everyone who attended the party.

How smart!

Kullie was sitting next to her longtime friend, Diantha Johnson, PhD. Dee and I had been chatting as we walked through the rooms of the art center, wine glasses in hand. Trained at Bryn Mawr College in archeology, she went on digs in Turkey.

She hails now from Lawrence, KS.

The tallest man there was taking photos with his huge Nikon.

Lemme guess how tall you are, I said.

Six-foot ten!  How did I know?

  My comedian-friend Jim McCauley is six-ten.

 After his performance on August 23, he gave me a Jimzilla T-shirt.

 I pinned it up last night in my quest to fix up my house for today's party.  It's in my upstairs office.

On the empty door in the middle bedroom, I hung up one of my acryllic paintings. As I said to my guest Martha at my party, I like everything my eyes light upon in my home to bring me pleasure and make me feel good.

This tapestry, or whatever the heck it is - it looks like refugees in a boat - has been patiently awaiting its new placement. Last nite, I stood on a lil bench and with a rolling pin hammered push pins into the wall to hang it up.

Just called Mom to see what the Yiddish word for rolling pin is. 

I love the colors!

 At Table Four were this husband-wife traveling team of puppeteers. They'll be at the Boileau Festival this month.

Their last name is so unusual - five letters - something like NAFTAL - I can't remember it. (Don't tell anyone but my memory is very bad!)

But consulting my records, here, I see she is ROBIN TAFEL from Hatboro or SUE TAFEL. Above photo.

Jeannie and Mary are from the Upper Moreland Book Club.

Is that a crab cake? Nope. The lady next to me, a math teacher at Maternity BVM in Northeast Philly ordered these eggs benedict.

 Ah, here's my salad and Pop-Tart!  Actually it's salmon with icing on top. Jeannie, who sat next to me, said her g'daughter was in Alaska and caught a huge sockeye salmon.

 Here's Kullie at Table No. One.

The puppeteer sits next to a nice gal who lives in a retirement community. BUT the real reason I took this photo is to get this gorgeous young man and his pompadour-like hairdo.

I told me seatmates I was gonna 'sneak out' cause I was having a party at my house at 2 pm. It was now 1 pm and I was prouda myself was allowing myself enuf time.

See! Sometimes I act like a responsible grown-up. 

 I thanked Kullie for the fantastic party! She's a warm affectionate woman.

 I escaped through the sculpture garden.

Passing through, passing through.

 Click twice to see what the sign says. BTW, this is the former home of Julius Rosenwald, co-owner of Sears and a noted philanthropist.

Wait a minute! This is the home of Julius's son Lessing J Rosenwald.

What the heck dyou think the house is called? Free kidney transplant if you know the answer. Below is an Einstein hospital magnet, which is where I got my now five-year-old kidney.

 Here are my guests. One woman didn't want her photo taken.

Hello, Martha from our Writers' Group. 

 Manny likes watching Japanese cartoons on his i Phone. He also has a set of songs he loves at the ready, just like I have my YouTube songs I listen to, like the track for the film Mommy.

Guest what? Mommy just called with the Yiddish word for rolling pin.

Volga-haltz, she said, but don't ask her to spell it.

Lee is a realtor. He's a friend of my son Dan and is gonna help our cousin, Charlie Graham, sell his dad's house, since his mom just died.

Just came home from a 12-minute walk around the block. 

Am sipping on my refreshed Starbucks Iced Coffee.

At the party, I served roasted unsalted cashews and pretzels that contain no sugar.

 An amazing thing happened while we were talking. A hummingbird flew right up to the window. A magical sight and a premonition that good things are coming our way. 

When the party was over, I went next door to Scott's, hoping we could walk at the Pennypack.

Zzzzzzzz.

Yes, the little fellow was fast asleep.

Here's the poem I composed for Kullie, about an hour before I left home for the Abington Art Center.

First, tho, let's find out the name of Lessing Rosenwald's estate.

Alverthorpe Manor. Read this for a good history. Yes, I know I ask a lot of you, Dear Reader.

Here's my poem.

90 WORD TRIBUTE TO KULLIE MELLOR

Blue eyes flash at the end of our library table, Jack’s Girl.

A mystery about her, lives lived since the dawn of the

Jazz Age and Tender is the Night.

Ninety years ago today – September 6 – the world changed

Mussolini came to power, and we read Italo Calvino’s

If on a Winter’s Night, we wept as our Kullie wasn’t there,

A flimsy excuse about out-of-town guests

Norway’s capital changed its name from Christiana to

Oslo. We read the melancholic Out Stealing Horses, grateful that we dwell

in the land of the four seasons, as we pour thick maple syrup

on our johnnycakes.

And many more.

  From White Dog Cafe.