Posted in A&I

Concerts and Performances March – April 2024

submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Manor Auditorium 7-8 p.m.  

Events listed in italics are tentative

Links connect to performer bios and/or programs

Programming subject to change.    Programs will NOT be broadcast on Channel 900.

Manor Express available until 8:30 p.m. Thursdays

Call Security for transportation after  8:00 p.m. other days

 

Thursday               03/14          Tutunov Piano Students recital

Thursday               03/21          Jaron Cannon: piano

Thursday               03/28         Ann Southcombe: “Tales from Gorilla Girl”

Thursday               04/04         Jon Galfano:  piano/guitar

Thursday               04/11           Coco Bender: piano

Thursday               04/18          Trio Briccone: piano, violin, cello

Thursday               04/25          Chuan Choy: piano

Thursday               05/02          North Medford High Jazz Band

Thursday               05/09          YSSO Orchstra

Thursday               05/16           Trio La Forza: piano, clarinet, bassoon

Thursday               05/23           Joyful Voices

Thursday               05/30          The Grapefruits: piano, horn

 

 

 

 

A Guide for Trackers on Campus

For those seeking to learn who else is on campus there are identifying signs, tracks, trails and homes. Just a few examples are given below

 

Deer and squirrels are largely responsible for trails; the latter like to make trails to oak trees (for acorns).

The Columbian Black-Tail, Mule Deer, herd roams our campus.

 

Dog tracks are rare because they seldom leave paved areas.

Turkey tracks are easy to identify because of their large size.

Some ground squirrels will have neighboring burrows; all with more than one entrance/exit.

Raccoon scat contains the remains of the critter’s last meal.

Antlions are a group of insects whose larvae build traps for ants and other tiny victims. Step on the loose soil and slide into he hole.

Every once in a while a mole will push its tunnel dirt above ground to form a mound. Moles eat groups and other tiny critters.   Moles dig tunnels partly underground for hunting. Deeper tunnels are for safety and the location of  their bedroom.

 

 

 

 

Most people stay on pavement, seldom leaving tracks.

January in the Library: Hawaii

by Anne Newins

December readers may be feeling a tad chilled after reading books from our  Scandinavian display so we thought we should highlight warmer climes in January.  Since we have many residents from Hawaii living at RVM, including authors, we try to maintain a robust collection of books with Hawaiian themes or locations.  Our Manor authors include Tom Conger, Jan Hines, Jill Engledow, Madge Walls, Judy Van Zile, and Pratibha Eastwood, who all write in different genres.

I can’t resist including a Hawaiian word that may be unfamiliar to many people.  “Heluhelu” means “to read,” according to former Hawaiian resident Jan Hines.

If you would like heluhelu some of the display books, you might consider the following:

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, has been popular with Manor readers.  It tells the story of a young girl who adapts to a new life after she is removed from her Honolulu home when she develops leprosy in the 1890’s.

Hula, by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes, is highly recommended.  More than a novel about hula dancing, it “offers a rare glimpse into a forgotten kingdom that still exists in the heart of its people.”

Facing the Mountain: a true story of Japanese American heroes in World War II, by Daniel James Brown, is included in the display.  This non-fiction book tells the story of a Japanese-American Army unit, many of whose members came from Hawaii, that fought brutal battles in Europe, even while their families were incarcerated in camps back home.

Explosive Eighteen, by Janet Evanovich, may be a stretch, but her funny tales about bounty hunter Stephanie Plum are a guilty pleasure for otherwise “serious” readers.  In this one, even before Stephanie gets off a flight from Hawaii to Newark, she already is in trouble.

Bonus Suggestions!  The upcoming Inquiring Minds schedule includes programs featuring dance ethnology and Papua New Guinea, each of which have a connection to our theme and will be on the display table.

Perspectives on Korean Dance was written by resident Judy Van Zile, who is an emeritus professor at the University of Hawaii.  She will be teaching an informative class about dance ethnology beginning on January 9.  The book is a comprehensive guide to Korean dance, which is comprised of many complex forms.

Throwim Way Leg:  tree-kangaroos, possums, and penis gourds–on the track of unknown mammals in wildest New Guinea, by Tim F. Flannery, will be a change of pace.  This lively book examines the indigenous peoples and natural history of New Guinea and would be a good add-on to the upcoming class about New Guinea, taught by Bob Buddemeier.  It begins January 16.

Aloha from your library volunteers!

Pictured below:  Resident Ann Starego thinks a trip to Hawaii sounds appealing.

Concerts and Performances February – March 2024

submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Manor Auditorium 7-8 p.m.  

Events listed in italics are tentative

Links connect to performer bios and/or programs

Programming subject to change.    Programs will NOT be broadcast on Channel 900.

Manor Express available until 8:30 p.m. Thursdays

Call Security for transportation after  8:00 p.m. other days

 

Thursday               02/08         Scott Soltermann:  Easy-listening piano

Thursday               02/15          YSSO Chamber Groups

Thursday               02/22          Duo Jette:  Palzewicz/O’Scannell

Thursday               02/29          Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra

     TUESDAY            03/05             Angelucci:  “Songs of  The Working Folk”

Thursday               03/07          Ellie Alexander — Ashland mystery author

Thursday               03/14          Tutunov Piano Students recital

Thursday               03/21          Jaron Cannon: piano

Thursday               03/28         Ann Southcombe: “Tales from Gorilla Girl”

 

 

 

 

Cryptocritters

The Word Nerd Strikes Again

It’s a puzzle, it’s a game, it’s a mildly amusing waste of time

  1. Find the name(s) of the animals in the word:  giANT, CATalog,  RATCATcher, or
  2. See how long a list you can make up

Rules:  You get to make them up, but here are some ideas –

The Purist Version – (a) the animal name can’t mean the actual animal (e.g. you don’t take credit for 2 animals in ratcatcher because rat really means rat).  (b) You only get to use a common prefix (anti-, ante-) or suffix (-cate) once. (c) Only one form of the containing word (grate, grater, grates are all the same).  Extra points for multiple or nested names in the same word  (e.g., CLAMBer).

The Greedy Scorer Version – anything that has an animal name in another word counts.

Original version allows anything alive that is not a plant or a fungus; you can make it anything alive, or do just plants, or divide it up into smaller groups.

Sample starter set:

dynamite                                      beetroot                                 blouse

scowl                                            sewer                                       spigot

entitled                                        steerage                                  probing

classy                                           unbearable                             prayerful

encode                                        whenever                                resealing

whelk                                          flywheel                                  escrow

Got it?  Make up your own and put them in REPLY.

Book Review: War Librarian

by Bonnie Tollefson

War Librarian, Addison Armstrong, Thorndike Press, 2022.

Historical Fiction is not my favorite genre, so I resisted reading this book for several months. However, as a retired librarian I finally gave in and am I glad I checked it out!

War Librarian intertwines the stories of Emmaline Balakin and Kathleen Carre. In 1918, Emmaline is working in the dead letter office in Washington DC. World War I is raging in Europe and a letter crosses her desk that moves her to become a volunteer librarian at a hospital in France near the front lines. In 1976, Kathleen is working a dead end job for a dentist while she dreams of attending the United States Naval Academy. Kathleen is selected as member of the very first class to enroll women.

While Emmaline falls in love with a soldier who is a friend from childhood and makes a friend who becomes as close as a sister, she also finds her voice in standing up for what is wrong, be it segregation or censorship. Kathleen finds it a man’s world at the Academy and while losing her beloved Nana who raised her, also finds within herself the strength and determination to make friends, trust others and succeed. While the primary characters in this book are entirely fictional other events and characters are based on fact which the author discusses at the end of the book. Highly recommended even if Historical Fiction is not your favorite.

This book is available from the RVM library in large print.

Caleb and the Bakelite phone

by Eleanor Lippman

My son Rob and his family were living in an interesting house in Riverside, California; an old house that appeared to have been improved, endlessly remodeled, and added to over the years. The small back yard had a swimming pool which was unusual in that neighborhood. Obviously, the kitchen had been remodeled and enlarged probably more than once to make it more modern and user friendly. Unchanged was the front of the house because an enormous tree dominated the front yard and prevented any expansion in that direction.

One curious aspect in the kitchen area was a small, low desk-like area between two kitchen cabinets. A telephone jack was on its wall so it was actually intended be used as a desk. With their son Luke just learning to walk and exploring everything in his path, it wasn’t practical to plug a modern telephone into that jack as the desk was just low enough for their toddler to get his hands on anything sitting on the desk and as kids do, pull things on to the floor. He would either damage a phone or leave the hand piece and the phone body separated, making the phone go “live” with the possibility of the adults not being aware their phone would be unable to take incoming calls. To get around that problem, Rob acquired a very old black, and very heavy Bakelite rotary dial telephone, one that a toddler could not easily disturb. That old Bakelite telephone was their communication with the outside world.

Amy and my grandson, Jaylin, came from Las Vegas to visit us. It was during the summer and very hot, of course it was better to spend the day at Rob’s house so young Jaylin could swim in the pool than with me, Grandma, living in a boring house with no swimming pool and nothing to do. So, Amy and Jaylin invited Jaylin’s friend, Caleb, join them so the boys could play together all day.

As afternoon began turning into early evening, we adults sat around the pool and decided to order a pizza delivery for dinner and, of course, we invited Caleb to join us.

“Well,” he said happy for the invitation, “I have to ask my mother” which was just what we hoped to hear him say.

Rob told him that the telephone was on the desk in the kitchen and Caleb went into the house to call his mother.

After what seemed to me to be him taking a very long time to talk to his mother, I found Caleb standing by the phone with the saddest look on his face.

“Oh, Caleb,” I responded, “Don’t you remember your phone number?”

“I do.” he said. “Of course I do.”

He pointed to the antique black Bakelite telephone. “I know you are supposed to put your finger in one of the little holes but I don’t know what to do afterwards.” He had never seen a rotary dial telephone before in his life.

Caleb’s response reminds me when cellular telephones became popular, of elderly grandparents trying to deal with communicating with their children and grandchildren. Some things in life never change.

New, different, how does this darn thing work?  Maybe also, old, different, how does this darn thing work?

Embroidery

Louise Ekerson Embroidery

Louise Ekerson has been embroidering since she was a child. Above are samples of her work.

 

Concerts and Performances January – March 2024

submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Manor Auditorium 7-8 p.m.  

Events listed in italics are tentative

Links connect to performer bios and/or programs

Programming subject to change.    Programs will NOT be broadcast on Channel 900.

Manor Express available until 8:00 p.m.  Call Security for transportation after  8:00 p.m.

 

Thursday               01/11         Sitkovetsky Piano Trio  (CMC-sponsored)

Thursday               01/18         Dan Fellman Jazz Trio  

Thursday               01/25         Tiana & Joseph Wong:  Piano recital  

Thursday               02/01         Shannon Rio: Birding at the Manor

Thursday               02/08         Junghee Spicer:  Piano recital

Thursday               02/15          YSSO Chamber Groups

Thursday               02/22          Duo Jette:  Palzewicz/O’Scannell

Thursday               02/29          Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra

     TUESDAY            03/05             Angelucci:  “Songs of Workers”

Thursday               03/07          Ellie Alexander — Ashland mystery author

Thursday               03/14          Tutunov piano students recital

 

 

 

 

 

Concerts and Performances December 2023 – January 2024

submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Manor Auditorium 7-8 p.m.  

Events listed in italics are tentative

Links connect to performer bios and/or programs

Programming subject to change.    Programs will NOT be broadcast on Channel 900.

Manor Express available until 8:00 p.m.

     

 

 

      Tuesday          12/12        Kirby Shaw Singers

Thursday               12/14         Jaron Cannon:  Piano

      Tuesday          12/19         (3 p.m.)  Joyful Voices

Thursday               12/21         Rogue Valley Brass Quintet

Thursday               12/28         Trio La Forza: piano/clarinet/bassoon

Thursday               01/04         Jim Sitter/Marisso Trujillo:  guitar/vocal

Thursday               01/11         Sitkovetsky Piano Trio  (CMC-sponsored)

Thursday               01/18         Dan Fellman Jazz Trio  

Thursday               01/25         Tiana & Joseph Wong:  Piano recital