Farewell Bozo...

I am, I guess, of a certain age...and this guy, slightly scary and brilliant, was somewhat of a formative influence along with Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans. Larry Harmon was not the creator of the character of Bozo, nor was he the first actor to play Bozo, but he was smart enough to trademark the character and then spent the rest of his life carefully training and licensing Bozos across the country. The show was actually produced until 2001, and seats in the studio audience were sold out for years in advance.

Most TV characters like this last only 3 to 4 years, but Bozo kept going strong for over 50. This is due in no small part to Harmon's positive attitude. love of the character, and careful attention to detail in the licensing process.

RIP Bozo!

RIP Daisy....aka Lovebird....

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

She lived fast and she flamed out too young...Daisy was my favorite bird and my faithful companion who was always snuggled on my shoulder making a little clicking sound, riding inside my shirt, or hanging on by a fingernail from my jeans. She was sweet, playful, troublesome, loving, nippy when cranky, and she bit my nose last night so hard that it bled....but she was my girl, and everyone's favorite. Sunday isnt going to be the same without her to help us read the newspaper and cut the coupons, and reading the mail is going to be lacking without her beak shaped stamp of receipt on all the bills. Daisy loved paper...any kind of paper. She also loved a certain stuffed black spider who was magnetized to a light in my office.
I don't know why these things happen, just like I don't know what exactly happened to Daisy this morning. It was a normal morning and she was playing around as usual... and when she felt bad, she made it upstairs to Will, (who is down with what has become very bad pneumonia,) and then into his hands...and then she went to where little birds go when they die.... It sounded to me like a stroke, and that can happen from shock even if a car just backfires. It could have been any number of things, really...they can live a very long time and they are so very smart, but they are also fragile...and this one was a daredevil from the first moment we met and she stood up in the middle of a pile of baby birds in the middle of a nursery tank and ran towards the me she saw through the glass. Later, when I'd hold her perching on my finger, she would kamakazie towards my face over and over.
Daisy was probably the bird who was closest to me, and I liked her more than I like most humans. She was a no nonsense girl, with a mind of her own, and when she was put in a cage she would pace and fret until she was released. When she slept in a cage at night, she hung on the corner frantically waiting till daylight...and when I went out, she sat either on top of Kitty's cage in one spot, or on a curtain rod by the door waiting....
She was a really special little girl and I don't know if her space will ever be filled...its already really quiet around here.
Godspeed Daisy...you were loved and I'll miss you...horribly...

So Long to Kurt Vonnegut...Catch You on the Flip Side: RIP....

Kurt Vonnegut died last night at 85, after a fall left him with brain injuries. The NY Times has a great slide show and article about him...need I say more? What a spirit...what an interesting guy...irreplacable....he will be missed.