Madeline (Giles) DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She graduated from Dexter High School in 1960 and Southeast Missouri State in 1964. She can be contacted at advancensc@sbcglobal.net.

notes from memphis on my mini

Posted Monday, December 7, 2009, at 6:24 AM

My daughter's fat cat Shea keeps me company, as I peck a story out on my mini.

this morning i'm in memphis sitting under a blanket on the futon in my daughters living room. why no caps and punct, you ask? most unusual for old english teacher. answer is simple. am typing on my cute little dell mini laptop, which computer friend todd in advance calls a notebook. advantages of mini: 1) compact enough to carry in large purse. 2) cheaper than full-size laptop. disadvantages: keyboard so tiny i would have to have fairy-sized hands to fit fingers on keys. 2) punctuation keys are in different locations than reg keyboard. 3) touch mouse tricky, and keyless mouse requires mousepad and flat surface. (i have computer perched on lap so can feel warmth of heating pad on back.) 4) wrong move can lose all work done.

would help if i got my glasses out of purse but i would have to get out from under blanket to do so -- and its COLD!

daughter rents cute little house in subdivision near university of memphis and built during ww2-- 1942. (good year i might add. some good people born that year! )

yesterday we went to big flea market advertised as 'the BIG CHRISTMAS flea market'! there was a lot of stuff but not many people. huge parking lot almost empty. three dollars to get in to look. interesting but no purchases for madeline.

kristin says that mid-south fair not in memphis anymore because of high crime, too many cars broken into. she thinks fair moved to desoto miss. mmmm...i've never heard of that town.

in afternoon we went to see oprah-recommended movie "precious'" poignant story (novel 'push') about very obese black girl's struggle to overcome poverty and abuse to get education. girl who plays lead has no acting training but does very a good job.

as teacher i recognized so many of the girl's problems, though i doubt i've ever had a child so downtro0dden in one of my classes.

mariah carey plays a sympathetic social worker but i didn't recognize her. they had to ugly her up for the role. monique (comedianne) plays a chillingly abusive mother. wouldn't be surprised if she gets an academy award nomination for that role.

last night it was "monster in law' with j. lopez and jane fonda. omg! did you see fonda's ARMS??? she is obviously still working out.

it was a movie weekend. so nice to watch tv. when i get home, there'll be no more tv. we also watched "war of the worlds" (new one) and a hilarios british comedy called "hot fuzz." tough london cop is assigned to small seeming peaceful village where cops drink beer and support status quo. nobody gets killed but there are buckets of fake blood.

now time to go home.............bye, memphis, see you next time!

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Surely you remember 'Desoto' the famous Spanish explorer, (that's Desoto County), he passed through Mississippi once looking for a pretty face...hehehe. Did you know there's a Sledge, Nitta Yuma, Bude, Arm, Crotts, and Improve, I've traveled extensively throughout Mississippi, it's an interesting state.

Keep us informed as to how you enjoy the new notebook. Sounds interesting. It's cold here in Stoddard County also.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Sun, Dec 6, 2009, at 1:20 PM
My favorite Mississippi towns are Oxford (beloved Ole Miss) and Bay St. Louis......The reason Mississippi rebounded from Katrina and New Orleans has not, is Mississippi residents helped themselves and New Orleans residents are still waiting for the government to do it. Mississippi residents worked day and night to clean up debris, repair and rebuild what they could...Our church sent teams to both places to help out in the weeks and months after Katrina and the difference in the attitude of the people in the two areas was astounding.

-- Posted by cheers4dhs on Sun, Dec 6, 2009, at 2:24 PM

Madeline DeJournett's response:
Oh, my, you two have some interesting observations.
Yes, Dexter, I remember the explorer DeSoto. Mmmm...was he the one who was looking for the fountain of youth or was that LaSalle? or Ponce de Leon? Oh, my -- time to break out the history books!! Madeline's mind is turning to mush!!
md, your "mini" turns you into the second coming of ee cummings! (for the uninitiated he was a poet who irregularly used capital letters and often used creative punctuation!) what the heck, it is a bit of a pain to bother with capitalizing letters. so maybe ee's way is a better way?!(~) whoever designed your mini seems to think so!

-- Posted by FJGuy on Sun, Dec 6, 2009, at 7:24 PM

Madeline DeJournett's response:
E.e. cummings??! You really know how to make a writer feel good, FJ!
I guess it's possible to master a mini's punctuation, if one worked at it hard enough, but I choose a full-size computer whenever I have the opportunity. My daughter has one, but I write early in the morning, and it's just easier and warmer) to sit on the couch.
I don't believe mini's will take over the world...
Best I remember it was Ponce de Leon looking for the fountain of youth, but instead found Orlando (Disneyland ) now.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Sun, Dec 6, 2009, at 9:31 PM
Haha! Dexterite, you're rewriting history!! Ponce de Leon discovered Disneyland!! I love it!! Hey...come to think of it, Disneyland IS the "Fountain of Youth"!!!

Who was it who searched for Eldorado - the City of Gold? Was it Coronado?

-- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Dec 7, 2009, at 6:17 AM
There's much discussion on searching for the city of gold. Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the first to search for the legendary city where the ruler was covered in gold. Later in life Sir Walter Raleigh sent his son searching for the city. John Wayne starred in a early movie featuring the mythical city, thought to be located in California. Of course John Wayne was never successful in this venture.

My apology, sure a long way from the discussion of a mini tablet in a cold city. Sorry.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Mon, Dec 7, 2009, at 6:59 AM
My wife and her family are from Mississippi. Her folks and their neighbors were out taking care of things as soon as Katrina was over with.

I admire the people from that state, they saw the need and worked together to get it done. Our people from Missouri and Mississipi are a lot alike when it comes to matter like that.

-- Posted by mythought on Mon, Dec 7, 2009, at 9:05 AM
there's md, couch and cat and mini lap-top, partying in memphis AGAIN!!!! care to venture a surmise as to the origin of the name of one of our fair river towns, i.e. NEW MADRID???? could it be from De Soto's expedition up the river?? had to put in that dos centavos worth... md, tell m.a. hey for me at the next historical society meeting....stay warm and pet the cats for moi, later, kk

-- Posted by kkcaver47 on Mon, Dec 7, 2009, at 11:57 AM
I spotted a sign for "Two Egg" MS while traveling thru that fair state and found it intriguing.

-- Posted by judy.gregory@sbcglobal.net on Wed, Dec 9, 2009, at 8:13 AM
Dang!!! That is not a fat cat, its belly is so big that it looks like its legs may not reach the ground!! Does it slither, or does it rock from side to side as it makes its way to and from the food bowl!!

-- Posted by FJGuy on Thu, Dec 10, 2009, at 8:10 PM
Shame on you, FJ, for making fun of a vertically-challenged feline!

-- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Dec 14, 2009, at 9:12 AM

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