Gallimaufry Friday

Gallimaufry Friday is a new feature at the Cath in the Hat. As word buffs probably know, gallimaufry, which originally referred to stew, means a motley assortment, and that's what I'll be offering at the end of each week, a collection of odds and ends that made me purr.

What the Dickens! Tuesday, February 7th, was Charles Dickens's 200th birthday. You can join in the celebration by visiting the British Museum's site for original source material concerning one of the greatest novelists of all time. If you feel up to the challenge, you can also take this quiz from the Guardian, but beware, to do well you really have to know your Dickens.

For Dr. Seuss fans (of which I am one), take a gander at this collection of some of his advertisements. I'm especially partial to his rendering of hell. Doesn't Satan look a bit like the Grinch?

Garth William's illustrations for Charlotte's Web can't be separated from the text, at least not for me. Here are some of his original sketches. The image of Fern cradling Wilbur has been my favorite ever since I first read that amazing book as a child. Naturally I wanted my own little pig. I think it's the reason I so love pugs. They remind me of piglets.

Janice Voss, a space shuttle astronaut and scientist, died on Monday at the age of 55. Among her many accomplishments, she was one of only six women to venture into space five times. As I was reading her obit in the New York Times, I learned that what inspired her career in science was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, which she first read as a six-year-old. What a fitting tribute to this remarkable book, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.




I'll end with a bit of fun. My sister was visiting last weekend and she turned me on to "What's Your Blues Name?" Mine is Sticky Fingers Thomkins. What's yours?