Tag: Ben South

“The JOYrontologist” is saluting joy-seeking explorers this Columbus Day holiday. As we raise flutes of Prosecco and chow down on veal pizza (recipe below),...

“If we all just lend a hand, we can lift some hearts.”—Melody Minagar  HEART IN HAND is a centuries-old symbol of compassion and a willingness...

“When do we learn that the world, like any diner worth its salt, is open 24 hours a day?”—Daniel Handler  American diners are the perfect...

Remember when America was all about freedom-loving fun and people fought for “The Right to Party?” Even in 1773 (evening of December 16), our...

                                                        ODE TO JOY-ZINES                                    A self-pub, a journal, a dream board, a zine;                                    All the positivity one might glean.                                    For you and by you,...

                                                                      ODE TO MY DAD                             Dad, I’m glad you were one of my favorite parents,                             Even though we disagreed about most sermons and nearly...

NEVER TRUST A GERONTOLOGIST UNDER 70! Please hear me saying that playfully. However, I’ve done my 70 years and spent much of it studying...

                                                                       ODE TO SUMMER                                                   My longtime favorite season is summer.                                                   Though fall, spring nor winter is a bummer.                                                   At 70, this thought’s not a...

                                                        AMERICAN HEROES by Cheryl Alexander (American poet, Cheryl Alexander, about her ode to heroes: “This poem is dedicated to all the heroes in our...

I LOVE LIBRARIES and I have a dream of a beautiful, FREE, public one with happy colors, patron-selected seating, art murals, craft/study/activity areas, cubbies,...

                                                             When I get the urge to purge,                                                              I first put on some music.                                                              A little more punk and a little less dirge,                                                              Then...

                                                                ODE TO ZZZ                                                      ZZZ are A-okay methinks,                                                      Each regarded with great esteem.                                                      A long sleep or just 40 winks,                                                      To doze, perchance to...

                                                                    ODE TO WANDERLUST                                                  I long to walk there, maybe there and then there.                                                  More joy-filled I’ll return, you may surely trust.                                                  In my...

                                                                ODE TO BLOOMING                                                 Stealthily, they commanded the hill,                                                 Though no cannons nor bombs were booming.                                                 No movement detected, all seemed deadly still.                                                 Then,...

                                                              ODE TO REINVENTING                                                   Any given day can be a time to start over,                                                   It just takes hard work, luck and good intention.                                                   So,...

                                                                ODE TO JOY BIRDS                                                   The singing kind are such joy birds,                                                   One rarely hears a whiner.                                                   Chirping, tweeting, hummingbirds                                                   Make a fine day...

CULLMAN, Ala. - Over the course of its history, Cullman has been home to many great creators and artists in all mediums. One hometown...

                                                              ODE TO FOUR, JOYFUL SEASONS                                                          Spring is joyful, then there is also this,                                                          Summer is such sunny bliss.                                                          Autumn is a sweet molasses...

                                                       ODE TO A PLANTRY                                      Old Mother Gantry went to her pantry,                                      Looked angry, then trashed it all, blankly.                                      She restocked as a fun,...

                                                                      ODE TO A FUN, HEALTHY DIET                                                                           Try as I might,                                                                           A fun, healthy diet                                                                           Seems an oxymoron in daylight                                                                           And a darker mystery...

                                                          LAFF EVRY DAY!                                      Laff, laff for your brain and your heart.                                      Laffing makes you strong.                                      Laffing makes you smart.                                      Laffter is good for...

                                                        Too Young to Be Seventy—by Judith Viorst* Deep in my heart I believe I’m Too young to be seventy. There are times when I’m wearing my...

                                                               AN ODE TO GARDEN JOY                                      A book and a glass of wine in a garden is all I need;                                      A sip, the sunshine,...

                                        ODE TO BOOK JOY                             Books are magic transportable.                             Free libraries make them quite affordable.                             It is well-known but still reportable,                             Libraries need us...

                                                ODE TO S.U.N.S.*            Smile-making is thinking and doing, all positively done.            Uniting is connecting with someone and with everyone.            Neighboring is sharing and...

ODE TO SPELLBINDING                                                      Hocus pocus, fully focus.                                                      Cast off the spell of the phone,                                                      And fully succumb to the joy zone.                                                      Presto, change-o, feel...

ODE TO NEIGHBORING                                          Neighbors come in lots of flavors;                                          Lovers, haters, givers, takers.                                          Not to belabor, though no message greater,                                          Love all neighbors on...

                                                              ODE TO UNITING                                  (Dedicated to John Lennon and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) I have a dream and I’m inviting All to end the fighting...

                                               ODE TO SMILE-MAKING When you’re smiling, the muscles it takes are 17. But, when you’re scowling, it takes 43 and looks so mean. When you’re smiling,...

Ode to AMERICAN JOY-GIVERS My country ‘tis a sunny land of joy-giving heroines and heroes, Like Don Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Allen Poe and Rudolph Valentino. And,...

“Let’s get away from sleigh bells. Let’s get away from snow. Let’s make a break this holiday, dear, I know the place to go. How’d ya...

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” These words, spoken by U.S. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, inspire all to create joy and cultivate optimism...

“Starry Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most joy-giving paintings in the history of art, is a major crowd-pleaser at MOMA...

“The Wonderful World of Disney,” a hugely popular television show on Sunday nights for 25 years, gathered America around a tribal fire for magical...

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings,” wrote American joy-giver, Robert Benchley. Another music critic...

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Only the most-accomplished performers play Carnegie Hall. Built in 1891 by the philanthropist visionary...

“Oh Mickey, you so fine.” At “The O Happy Day Birthday Party,” we’ll see ya round like a doughnut with Mickey Mouse, Georgia O’Keeffe,...

Royal Princess Grace Kelly grew up in a charming two-and-half-story American Colonial-style house at 3901 Henry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. This is our destination for...

The invitation for “The Trick or Treat Birthday Party” this Halloween weekend suggested fun costumes inspired by the American West—“YEEHAW, y’all come as your...

(Announcer): “From ‘Television City’ in beautiful Burbank, California—It’s ‘The Tonight Show Birthday Party’ with Johnny Carson and this week’s special, joy-giving guests: singer/songwriter Katy...

The Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC is our destination for “The Joy to the Max Birthday Party.” Completed in 1917,...

We are in Bedford, New York about an hour north of Manhattan for “The I Love Saturday Night Birthday Party.” Set amid 250 acres...

We are twistin’ and turnin’ on a plywood structure built atop a barber chair. This gyrating contraption was created in the early days of...

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is now a literal “thing,” not just the title of a Truman Capote novella and an Audrey Hepburn movie. Inside Tiffany...

When fire-hot lightning strikes sandy beaches, naturally occurring glass sculptures are often created below the melted sand. Sandy beaches surround all sides of Seattle,...

We cruise through acres and acres of red dirt, northern Alabama cottonfields to our destination for “The Whatcha’ Got Cookin’ Birthday Party.” In the...

America has loved “Grandma” Moses and her art from the moment we saw one of her joy-giving paintings. For “The Crazy for Loving You...

It’s late-August and we are cooling off with the joy-giving, cool kids on a giant ice ring at “The Ringy-Dingy Birthday Party.”  The United States...

“We’re singin’ in the rain, just singin’ in the rain. What a glorious feeling, we’re happy, again. We’re laughing at clouds, so dark up...

We are inspired to greater heights by each of the 365 American joy-givers celebrated in this series, but for “The Bon, Bon, Bon Appetit...

“Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you…No, you can’t…Yes, I can. No, you can’t. Yes, I...

“Destination Moon” is our destination for “The Giant Steps Birthday Party.” We are being given a preview of this exhibition which promises to be...

We’ll see ya in the funny papers collection of the National Museum of American History for our next fun, birthday party. Located on Constitution...

This week, we’re in San Francisco at a luxurious, Victorian residence located at 2640 Steiner St. for “The Nanu-Nanu Birthday Party.” This was the...

The most famous “kettle hole” in America is the setting for “The Elements of Style Birthday Party.” It was formed by retreating glaciers 10,000-12,000...

“Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages…welcome to “The Greatest Birthday Party on Earth!” The circus is about to begin!  Let our joy-givers lead you...

This week, we are in Manhattan’s famed Duffy Square between Broadway and Seventh Avenue for “The Yankee Doodle Birthday Party.” The décor centerpiece is...

When we arrive at “The Accent on Fun Birthday Party,” we hear women speaking in the next room. Judging by all the accents, it...

This spring at a yard sale, St. Bernard Abbey was selling some outdated student desks. My dad had been a professor at the college,...

Hearst Castle, aka “San Simeon,” is a National Historic Landmark in California built on 40,000 acres of privately owned, Hearst family property. All the...

Ladies and germs, STOP ME if you’ve heard this joke. “Three Jewish mothers are sitting on a bench, arguing over which one’s son loves...

The USO (United Services Organization) was created early in World War II to provide “home away from home” for everyone in our military. The...

CULLMAN, Ala. - The Ave Maria Grotto at St. Bernard Abbey has earned its place as one of the top must-see tourist destinations in...

John Wayne’s last movie, “The Shootist,” was scheduled for filming in El Paso, Texas but “The Duke,” changed the script to move production near...

This week, our “BOSSYPANTS Birthday Party” is in a factory in Queens, New York City. Hey now, don’t be so bossy about it, this...

America has many natural wonders: our national parks and forests, majestic mountains, giant Redwoods and Sequoias, Louisiana bayous and the Florida Everglades. And, thanks...

CULLMAN, Ala. - Mother's Day 2021 will be the online debut of a new "community arts event" from the mind of Cullman-based playwright Ben...

We’re partying at 167 West 12th Street in New York City, in the cookbook-lined library of The James Beard House. Mr. B was “The...

The Great Lawn of Central Park in the middle of bustling Manhattan is the setting for “The Leaves of Funny Grass Birthday Party.” At...

The setting for “The Good Ship Enterprise Birthday Party” could have been on the Good Ship Lollypop with Shirley Temple or another good ship,...

The lush, verdant setting for our “April Shower of Stars Birthday Party” is in Kentucky. Loretta Lynn proudly hails from this state, but instead...

You might have anticipated the setting for the “Betty, Bette and The Boys Birthday Party” would be one of Hugh Hefner’s swanky mansions or...

Brooke Astor was known as “The Queen of New York.” Her beloved country house, “Holly Hill,” in Briarcliff, New York is the regal setting...

We are headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to celebrate this week’s American joy-givers birthday party in a recreated set of the popular WQED children’s television...

“The Greatest Party in American History” may have been the famous “Black and White Masked Ball” created by author Truman Capote, which he hosted...

The party tent is a giant, transparent, “Lawrence Welk” bubble inflated over a lighted, chessboard-inspired dance floor. The air is fresh and fragrant with...

The playful “pop-up party tent” is designed by the artist many critics believe to be “The Greatest Architect of Our Time,” Frank Gehry. He...

Howdy pardner, make yourself comfortable. This midwinter birthday party is beautiful but casual. We are surrounded by the grandeur of Ansel Adams’ large-scale, black-and-white...

What great AMERICAN JOY-GIVER said this? “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women...

Thomas Edison, one of the American joy-givers whose birthdays we are celebrating this week, was called “The Wizard of Menlo Park, New Jersey.” That...

Illustrative (il-lus-tra-tive) adj/ serving as a true example, designed to illustrate/ “Freedom from Want” is a work of art, cherished by Americans as being one...

Do you recall the ecstatic joy you felt when you watched the historic news video of real-life hero Captain Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger successfully...

Dolly Parton greets you at the door with a big, warm hug and the first words out of her mouth are, “I love that...

You sense the joy the minute you enter the room. HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! This is a party to celebrate the birthdays this week...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! Last year in the first, joy-challenged months of the pandemic, the weekly “A ROUND OF APPLAUSE” series was launched to...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. The “local” version of this fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people,...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

CULLMAN, Ala. - Local artists Ben South and Seth Miller recently collaborated to create a piece of art in hopes of raising money to...

Jesse Priest will be LIVE at Southern Eats (221A Second Ave. SE, Cullman) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 for an open-to-the-public tasting of...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...

HOORAY FOR THE JOY-GIVERS! We always need more smiles, music and laughter. This fun series salutes those seriously unsolemn people, places and things that...