Nancy Luce, Chicken Lady of Martha’s Vineyard

A few years ago, visiting the island of Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast, I learned of Nancy Luce (1814-1890). An eccentric loner artist who self-published her own poetry--mainly devoted to her beloved pet chickens--and buried the birds with fully engraved headstones, she is the subject of a biography still available on the island at various gift shops: Consider Poor I by Walter Magnes Teller. You can read what The New York Times had to say about the book here. You might even be so moved as to purchase a lovely woodcut print of Luce here.


Perhaps we should commemorate Luce with a sample of her poetry:

POOR LITTLE HEARTS
Poor little Ada Queetie has departed this life,
Never to be here no more,
No more to love, no more to speak,
No more to be my friend.
O how I long to see her with me alive and well,
Her heart and mine was united,
Love and feelings deeply rooted for each other,
She and I could never part,
I am left broken hearted....

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 10, 2008 - Comments (10)
Category: Animals, Domestic, Eccentrics, Literature, Books, Writers, Regionalism, Nineteenth Century

Follies of the Mad Men #25

Didn't you enjoy the vivacious and perkily sexy Tad Tadlock in yesterday's DESIGN FOR DREAMING? How could anyone resist a sequel?

Let's watch A TOUCH OF MAGIC.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 08, 2008 - Comments (8)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Marriage, Family, Husbands, Wives, Food, Futurism, History, Inventions, Movies, Pop Culture, Technology, Sex Symbols, 1960s, Dance, Cars, Yesterday’s Tomorrows

Follies of the Mad Men #24

And now, something different for this series: a video titled DESIGN FOR DREAMING.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 07, 2008 - Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Fashion, Futurism, Inventions, Technology, Sex Symbols, 1950s, Cars

Follies of the Mad Men #19

[From Life for December 11 1964.]

Those darn males! We've already seen that they need to be spritzed regularly with Poo-Pourri, and now we find out that they make three times as much mucus as women!

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 31, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Domestic, Hygiene, Body Fluids, Gender, 1960s, Couples

Wild Women of Wongo

I'm just now recovered from my viewing of THE WILD WOMEN OF WONGO. But I still cannot say what my favorite moment is from the film. Perhaps the wild dance ordered by the High Priestess. Perhaps the endless scene where our heroine, the cute-as-a-button redhead Jean Hawkshaw, to the right here, wrestles underwater with a rubber alligator.

You'll have to decide for yourself. First, take a look at the unfortunately bleached-out trailer. Then view the whole film--in glorious "Pathecolor"--on YouTube, in several parts, with the first one featured after the trailer.

Also on YouTube is the MST3K version.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 26, 2008 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Domestic, Marriage, Family, Hollywood, Movies, Gender, Men, Women, Foreign Customs, 1950s, Dance

Poo-Pourri

There are no words for this.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 20, 2008 - Comments (13)
Category: Business, Products, Domestic, Hygiene, Excrement, Inventions, Scatology

Real Horse That Looks Like Stuffed Toy

Here at WU Central, the proprietors believe in training up the next generation to be observant and appreciative of all things weird. Hence the photo you see here.

This image was taken by my tweener niece, Becky Fuller, at the farm my brother Frank and his wife Beverly own in Medford, Oregon. It depicts a curious beast Becky calls "the curly horse."

Becky is enrolled in 4-H, and they've plainly been conducting secret experiments to hybridize sheep and horses. How else to explain the odd woolly fur of this anomalous quadruped, its mullet-like mane, or the unnaturally symmetrical appearance of its brown "stockings"?

Be afraid--be very afraid!

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 14, 2008 - Comments (6)
Category: Agriculture, Animals, Domestic, Family, Photography and Photographers

Follies of the Mad Men #11

Just one comment on this ad: why is this woman trying to scorch her own eyeball? Is this a hairdryer aimed at masochists?

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 13, 2008 - Comments (10)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Fashion, Hair Styling, Torture, 1950s, Women

Home Intruder

I have no explanation for this video. But it seemed to belong on WEIRD UNIVERSE.

You have been warned.

ADDENDUM: Clear-headed and far-sighted reader Fitz identifies the URL touted onscreen here as totally NSFW. I found the video itself on YouTube.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 04, 2008 - Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Buildings and Other Structures, Domestic, Unsolved Mysteries

Divorce Deli

Minister Chuck points me toward the Divorce Deli. It remains a question as to whether pickles are extra.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 31, 2008 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Domestic, Divorce, Food