Around here, this week has been busy.
Dentist, hair and chiropractor appointments early in the week, busy days at work, a blood drive donation, and an excellent concert one night kept me hustling and on the road a lot. I also got a new phone which has caused another layer of complications.
Unfortunately, I had some sleepless nights too.
Around here we value sleep as a means for overall wellness and it just wasn’t coming. In addition to the tired, I have felt dehydrated and off balance.
This is not a great combination.
So I had a chat with Scout last night. As I carried him to bed, I explained how badly I needed to get some rest. Could he please play quietly if he woke up before me?
Would you believe I didn’t hear a peep out of that little cat for fourteen hours? Long story short, I slept till after noon today – something so rare I can’t recall the last time it happened.
And I’m still kind of tired.
So around here today, I’m thinking it’s going to be a hot shower and fresh pjs kind of day. I am going to light a fall scented candle (because if I don’t go outside it can be any season I want) and curl up with books (maybe even something with illustrations) and pretend that feeling rested and reading is my only job.
Have a great Saturday, friends! At least what’s left of it!
It’s Friday and I’m grateful.
I went to see Lukas Nelson last night on the campus of my alma mater, Ohio University. He did a terrific show that was high energy and nonstop music. If you aren’t familiar, he is incredibly talented with a unique timbre that reminds you of his dad Willie – but his own style.
I’m going to need to channel some of that energy today since I got home well past my bedtime and then couldn’t sleep. But it was worth sacrificing a little sleep. Plus, I got a few snaps of the college green and Court Street which was crawling with young bobcats.
Maybe some of those photos will wind up here. For now, here are a few.
Happy Friday Friends. Let’s go get ‘em!
Along the Lincoln Highway in Bedford, PA, there’s a remnant of a time when automobile travel was in full swing and businesses took pride in creating unique spaces to stop for a while.
This is Dunkle’s Gulf Station which was opened by Dick Dunkle in 1933, according to the sign out front.
Isn’t it fabulous?
The tile facade in all its art deco glory was designed to draw the eye and cause a motorist to pull in and ask the attendant to “fill’er up!” They also repaired cars and could tip off your fluids and air up the tires while you waited.
Man, what I wouldn’t give for a full service gas station sometimes when it’s raining or humid or when I’m dressed up to be somewhere.
Mr Dunkle is now gone as is his son who inherited the place so it is now closed. I worry for its future but hope someone with deep pockets finds a way to repurpose the space for future generations to enjoy. It is truly the most beautiful service station I’ve seen and it’s worth saving.
The Lincoln Highway was the first coast-to-coast road in America, cutting through fourteen states over more than 3,000 miles. Long ago replaced by interstate and no longer used for those long road trips, much of the Lincoln Highway still exists and makes for amazing off the beaten path exploring. I would love to hear stories of things you have seen along the Lincoln Highway in your travels.
Celebrity culture has never been my thing but I always thought of Dolly Parton as more than just a celebrity.
She held a lot of her opinions close but her actions spoke far more loudly than words ever could. She had fame and fortune but chose to use it largely to help others. She led by example and chose kindness, actively avoiding saying anything nasty or harmful in public.
Rather than follow in the path of other billionaires who build themselves up while tearing down everything good around them, Dolly was a builder of others, a helper, a philanthropist, a songbird, a philosopher, a savvy business woman, and so much more.
She used what she had to contribute rather than take.
When the Smoky Mountains burned from wildfires, Dolly supported hundreds of families who lost their homes. She supported hurricane relief and funded cancer research. Scholarships for local kids and free tuition for her employees’ families are just a few ways she helped people better themselves.
She believe that being a big name was no excuse for making others feel small.
Interestingly, in a country prepared to argue over every last thing, it seems like everyone liked Dolly Parton. That’s saying something.
But the thing I appreciated about her the very most is the work she did to promote literacy. She started her Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father who never learned to read or write.
Each child registered receives one age appropriate book a month from birth until they turn five. She has given over 300 million books to children across the U.S., Canada and the UK.
Dolly understood the value of giving children their own books to hold and keep. She understood the value of using books to inspire kids to expand their imaginations and to dream. Humans who read are more empathetic and they’re better at critical thinking. Stepping inside the shoes of another through their character in a book is how we learn and grow.
She turned her father’s hardship into an investment in children everywhere.
From Imaginationlibrary.com:
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Dolly Parton
What she did for the world by giving away books to children is one of the most remarkable acts of generosity I can imagine.
Today as we tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen to pour ourselves a cup of ambition, we will do so in a world that was made a little smarter and a lot better by a country singer who understood she could leverage her assets into tools for helping others.
Maybe we could try following in her footsteps, even just a little. Volunteer in your community, buy a book for a child, read to a child, recommend a book to a friend, support your local bookstore, find some way to contribute that would make Dolly proud.
If you ever find yourself in the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pa. you will likely be impressed by the variety of things to see and appreciate.
There’s one in particular piece you should look for while exploring. In a rather unremarkable stairwell, there is a large Dale Chihuly glass chandelier. You can stand under it on the stairs or you can appreciate it at eye level from a hallway.
Chihuly’s work is recognizable because it’s so different than what most glass artists are doing. He mimics shapes found in nature, the colors are brilliant even when he’s using a monochromatic scheme, and the scale is typically quite large.
A lot of places would be tempted to hang this piece in their lobby so you can’t help to see it. They would want to show it off . At Westmoreland, it’s placed somewhere quiet, somewhere that you feel like you’re discovering it, and where you can quietly contemplate how the glass handles the light.
Interested in the Westmoreland? It is worth the trip. Read about it here.