Last week, Valentine’s Day morphed into Ash Wednesday. And now we’re into the church season where I’m supposed to live like I know that I’m dying. It’s not hard because every single day my body finds new ways to turn to stone or mush.
Aging’s not all bad because I know that if you wait long enough, everything old becomes new again. Not my body, unfortunately. But I recently discovered that Lamb Chop is performing again! Yes, that Lamb Chop, the puppet from my early childhood who was voiced by the incomparable Shari Lewis.
I just saw a video on Instagram of Shari’s daughter, Mallory Lewis, who performs now with the super cute puppet. I love Lamb Chop even more today because I can fully appreciate that while she is whimsical, she is never cloying.
In the latest video I watched, Lamb Chop confidentially tells the audience that besides Shari, Mallory is the only person that she ever let put their hand up her …
Mallory quickly clamped Lamp Chop’s mouth shut and gently reprimanded her with “No, no, no,” and I laughed so hard tears sprang into my eyes.
As I thought about Lamb Chop, a memory flooded in. I’m four or five, sprawled on the floor in the living room in front of our black and white TV. “The Shari Lewis Show” is playing. Mom and Dad sit on the couch behind me. They laugh so hard, I turn around to see what is so funny. My mom swipes at tears. My dad shakes as he guffaws. The joke must have been funnier than I thought, so I laugh even more heartily to show them their little girl really gets it. Which only makes them laugh harder, which puzzles me, which makes them laugh even harder. I don’t recall they explained the joke.
Wouldn’t it be great if the joke about sticking a hand up somewhere was what set my parents off 60+ years ago? If so, Shari Lewis was a censor ducking genius. It’s obvious she was a comedic genius.
Humor that tickles kids and adults living on entirely different planes is hard to perfect. Here’s to Mallory Lewis for continuing that brilliant legacy.
Speaking of loving things, I want to tell you about three books that I discovered recently and really love. Maybe you’ll love them, too!
The first book is “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” by Michael Harriot. If you think that Abraham Lincoln was the WHITE knight who rode in and freed a bunch of people who weren’t fighting for themselves, this book is for you. It’s an easy-to-read approach to the brutal history of the people known as slaves that we didn’t learn in school. Harriot is factual and honest. While he makes you cry about what happened, he isn’t above letting humor come alongside when warranted. I learned so much and am keeping this book for future reference.
Another book I just finished is “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden,” by Camille T. Dungy. Dungy is a professor at Colorado State University and lives on the other side of Fort Collins from me. This is my Good Reads review: Professor Dungy takes a look at the world around us through the filter of gardening in the unforgiving clay soil of Northern Colorado. Dungy's stories and musings about her family, social justice, history, botany, writers, wildfires, and bunnies have a transcendence that goes far beyond her thriving gardens. Her warmth, wit, and intelligence have inspired me to continue to seek unity and justice for all, and to do better in my sad little garden in Northern Colorado.
And finally, how about a little romance for the month of love? Here’s my review of “Game On,” by Seressia Glass. “If you're a romance novel fan, read this book. If you know or don't know what #misogynoir is, read this book. If you love gaming or if you don't know a thing about gaming culture, read this book. I appreciated the insights into the disparate worlds of gaming and C-level corporate working and living. I laughed out loud at the description of the BBQ hierarchy, drooled at the descriptions of the houses, and held my breath to see if and how things would work out.”
What have you loved recently? Please drop a comment and let me know where to find my next read or watch.
Thanks for reading! Blessings and peace to you.