The Podcast About Everything

Join me for a conversation with Author, Artist, Musician and Film Maker Steven Sherrill. We discuss the creative process, growing up in a small, industrial town and how one transcends ones roots to become a recognized author. This wide ranging conversations covers everything from ancient Greek mythology to where to find the best kimchi.

Steven's books can be found on Amazon, and you can follow his creative endeavors on his web site: http://stevensherrill.com and on Vimeo and on YouTube.

The opening excerpt from The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break used with permission of the Author.

Theme music used courtesy of Pixabay.

Join us as we explore the mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. The strange messages that suddenly appeared embedded in the streets of Philadelphia. Were they a prank, the ravings of a mad man, or a challenge from beyond?2 

In this bonus episode we take a look at the old Pennsylvania German Tradition of Groundhog Day.

A not so fond look back at the year 2020 with Historian Jared Frederick, and a discussion of his new Book, co authored with Erik Dorr.

We hope everyone is hungry, because we are going to be exploring Christmas traditions of food and drink through the ages!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

RESEARCH CREDITS: 

Food Timeline Library

Max Miller’s YouTube series: Tasting History who were sources for this episode

END OF SHOW MUSIC CREDIT:

Here We Come A Wassailing Acapella Choir with Lyrics of Christmas Carol sung by US Army Band Chorus.

Here We Come A Wassailing Acapella Choir with Lyrics of Traditional Christmas Carol sung by the US Army Band Chorus, verses 1 and 7 repeated. “Here We Come A-wassailing” (or “Here We Come A-caroling”) is a traditional English Christmas carol and New Year song, which was composed c. 1850. The term 'wassailing', refers to door to door carol singing wishing neighbors and residents good health. Good spirited householders would offer the singers a drink from their wassail bowl which would contain a warming concoction of beer, apples, spice and mead.  The song has been recorded by  range of performers including -  The Ray Conniff singers, Perry Como and the Ray Charles Singers, The King's Singers, Harry Secombe, and Kate Rusby. This A Capella vocal recording is by the famous US Army Band Chorus.

CONTACT US:

Contact Don by email at [email protected], Storyteller, and Co-Founder of Ruff House Marketing.

Contact Co-Host, Michael Allison by email at [email protected], Artist, Historian, Storyteller.  Owner of StudioEFX.

Follow us on Twitter @PodcastAboutEv2

Follow us on Instagram @podcastabouteverything

Follow us on Facebook @podcastabouteverything

On Christmas Day in 1863 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow continued to grieve the death of his beloved second wife Fannie who had died two years prior when her housedress caught fire. 

Longfellow himself tried to extinguish those flames with his own body but Fannie did not survive the accident. During the subsequent two years Henry's oldest son would enlist in the Union army to fight in the Civil War. 

On December 1 of that year, Henry would receive a telegram that his son had been shot during a battle of the Mine Run campaign. The location of the exit wound from the bullet would put his son at risk of being paralyzed.

This father of six, now widowed, worried for the future of his children, all while cannons thundered in the south, captured his feelings as he heard the bells that Christmas day in his poem titled, 'Christmas Bells'. 

Yesterday as we sang this poem (now song) in our church congregation, I felt as though I could relate a little more to Longfellow and his feelings of despair that were overcome with hope by what he chose to listen to. He chose amidst the grief, amidst the cannons, amidst the fighting and hate to listen to the bells of hope. Those bells would breathe peace into his life just as they have into mine.

I include below the words to the entire poem with verses that are not included in the song. They paint the beautiful picture of a man who found his hope as he bowed his head and listened more intently to his maker. "Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!"

I know that bowing our heads is the first step toward hope and peace in our lives.  - Don Mast

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! STOP

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

SONG CREDITS: 

1864 American Christmas Carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" written by Henry Longfellow, Johnny Marks and performed in Burl Ives with lyrics. 

It’s October, our favorite time of the year.  It’s the witching hour here at the Podcast About Everything, and we thought we would do a special Halloween episode. Tonight we will be reading a couple of our favorite scary stories just for you our faithful listeners.

STORY AND AUTHOR INFORMATION:

The Boarded Window (Old Reel To Reel Movie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7hVVIxCcVk

The Boarded Window Text: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/BoaWin.shtml

Ambrose Bierce Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ambrose-bierce

Ambrose Bierce Official Site: https://donswaim.com/

H.P. Lovecraft's "The Thing In The Moonlight": https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/tm.aspx

H.P. Lovecraft Website: https://www.hplovecraft.com/

MUSIC CREDITS: 

Opening Music By John Carpenter and Halloween Movie Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amZQdMtjNA8

Closing Music By John Carpenter and Alan Howarth from Halloween III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACtitWWhB7o

CONTACT US: 

Contact Don by email at [email protected], Storyteller, and Co-Founder of Ruff House Marketing. 

Contact Co-Host, Michael Allison by email at [email protected], Artist, Historian, Storyteller.  Owner of StudioEFX. 

Follow us on Twitter @PodcastAboutEv2

Follow us on Instagram @podcastabouteverything

Follow us on Facebook @podcastabouteverything