BOOK REVIEW: Images of America: Metropolis by Michael E. Bragg and Jon M. Bragg

Synopsis of the Book (Taken From the Back of the Book):

     When William McBane and James Wilcox envisioned founding a bustling city on the banks of the Ohio River, they hoped it would be a center of commerce at the gateway to the ever-expanding American West. They needed a name befitting their ambitious vision, and though it may not have matched the grandeur of its founders' intent, Metropolis, Illinois, is the only place in the world that can claim that name as anything more than a descriptor. Located near historic Fort Massac, Metropolis played a vital part in the booming river traffic of the 1800s and was an important manufacturer of steamboats. In addition to its pleasant small-town atmosphere and wide, expansive boulevards ready for the explosive growth that never quite made it there, Metropolis is the hometown of notable figures John Marvin Steele, the D-Day paratrooper made famous in The Longest Day, and the "Man of Steel" himself--Superman.

     Father and son Michael E. and Jon M. Bragg, both graduates of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, have roots in southern Illinois that extend back to the mid-1800s.  They compiled this book with the invaluable assistance of the Massac County Historical Society and local residents.

     The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country.  Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today.  Arcadia [Publishing] is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all. 

My Thoughts: 

I love local history and this book didn't disappoint.

I've only lived here (in Metropolis, Illinois) for about 8 years, but in that small amount of time, my fiance' (a lifelong resident of Metropolis) and I have accumulated some neat pieces of history from this town.  This book is now a part of that collection.

This book makes a great "Coffee Table Book".

I Recommend This Book To:

• Current residents of Metropolis, Illinois
• Past residents of Metropolis, Illinois
• Anyone who likes local history
• Fans of Southern Illinois history 

 

This book has great pictures of days gone by and is full of history about the early days of this town.  It also has great stories/descriptions of some of this town's influential people.

And That's What Sarah Says!!!

Sarah SINGS What?!?!?!? She Sings Adele!

I love the unique voice of Adele, and found a song that she recorded that I thought that I didn't sound too bad singing.  I wanted to share that recording with you, my faithful readers!


So without further adieu....."To Make You Feel My Love" in the style of Adele by SuperGirly (Also known as ME!)






I know that this post is short (like me), but rest assured that I AM working on other things and plan to share them with you in the very near future!

Until then.....

That's What Sarah Says (And Sings)!!!

Congress wants to enact a federal sales tax!

Don't be fooled by this bit of legislation,  This is the federal government getting involved in states rights.
A major strike to the interstate commerce act if this passes congress.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/07/the-end-of-tax-free-online-shopping

My Thoughts on "3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows" by Ann Brasheres

The synopsis of the book (taken from the author):

summer is a time to grow 

seeds
Polly has an idea that she can't stop thinking about, one that involves changing a few things about herself. She's setting her sights on a more glamorous life, but it's going to take all of her focus. At least that way she won't have to watch her friends moving so far ahead. 

roots
Jo is spending the summer at her family's beach house, working as a busgirl and bonding with the older, cooler girls she'll see at high school come September. She didn't count on a brief fling with a cute boy changing her entire summer. Or feeling embarrassed by her middle school friends. And she didn't count on her family at all. . . 

leaves
Ama is not an outdoorsy girl. She wanted to be at an academic camp, doing research in an air-conditioned library, earning A's. Instead her summer scholarship lands her on a wilderness trip full of flirting teenagers, blisters, impossible hiking trails, and a sad lack of hair products.
It is a new summer. And a new sisterhood. Come grow with them.

My thoughts: 

I was a big fan of Brasheres' "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" books and with that being said, I didn't think that she could produce another series like it.

When I started to read this book, I didn't have high expectations for it, but the more I read it, the more I began to like it and found myself getting anxious about what would happen next to the characters.

It was nice to see a few of the characters from the original "Sisterhood" make an appearance.

I hope that Brasheres continues with the lives of the three characters in this book like she did with the girls from the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"!!


I recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed Ann Brasheres' "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" books, anyone who likes to read "Chick-Lit", young adult readers, or anyone who is looking for a heartwarming, coming of age book.

And That's What Sarah Says!!! 

A Little Bit About Me....I have Rheumatoid Arthritis...Does It Have Me?

Rheumatoid Arthritis has been a part of my life from the very beginning. I didn't get diagnosed with RA until my early 20's, but it still affected me.

You see, my mom has RA and first started showing signs of it in her early 20's. Growing up, I would ask if I was going to get it too. She didn't know and neither did I. I had to help her get dressed and undressed, wash her hair, and when she was still working, I cooked dinner for our family most nights. I saw first-hand what my mom went through with surgeries and the everyday task of just getting out of bed.

My RA progressed faster than hers did. I think it's because she had my brothers and I in her 20's and that slowed her RA down. She always said that she felt better when she was pregnant (and I've heard that from other people with RA), but the pain would come back at about the time that extra strength was needed to open baby food jars. My mom tried many "remedies", but her RA would always return to rear its ugly head.

I write this today, from a hospital bed in the middle of the family room of the house that I share with my fiance, our Merle Great Dane, Charlie, and our Norwegian Dwarf rabbit, Jake. I've had total knee replacements on both knees and spent eighteen months in a nursing home.

Oh yeah, I'm just 32 (33 in July) years old.

In the next few months, I will be visiting doctors to see about getting my right ankle fused because my foot has turned in (due to the RA) and I am no longer able to walk. Once my ankle surgery is done, I will hopefully start trying to walk again. Then, I can focus on getting my hips replaced, because the RA has destroyed them.

I am wheelchair bound, but I still like to get around. In fact, in a few weeks, we're heading to Walt Disney World.

Me & Yoda On One of Our Past Trips to Disney World!

With the help of MANY medications (my pharmacy loves me), I am able to get the pain of RA to where it is tolerable. Thank goodness for the advances in medicines that have been made just in the last few years!

I wish that more people knew what RA was and how it affects people. I get looks from people when we're out in public, because I don't look sick. I'm sure they're wondering why I am in a wheelchair.


So, yes, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and some days it DOES have me, but I am working on changing that!

And That's What Sarah Says!!!

Rest In Peace, Mr. Earl Scruggs!! You Will Be Missed!

Yesterday, March 28, 2012, the world lost a great musician and singer, Mr. Earl Scruggs.

If you're thinking to yourself that you don't know who he is/was, you're probably wrong.

Do you recognize the lyrics listed below?:

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude.


That's right, that's the first verse to "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", also known as the theme song to the classic TV show, "The Beverly Hillbillies".  Mr. Scruggs, along with Lester Flatt and Jerry Scroggins recorded this song back in 1962.

Mr. Flatt and Mr. Scruggs even appeared on "The Beverly Hillbillies" in several episodes as family friends of the Clampetts.

In their first appearance, they portray themselves in the show and perform both the theme song and "Pearl Pearl Pearl".

While reading up on Mr. Scruggs, I found that he (along with Lester Flatt) was a part of  Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.  For those not familiar with Bill Monroe, he is known as "The Father of Bluegrass", because he created the style of music known as Bluegrass. 

In 1948 Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt left Monroe's band and formed the "Foggy Mountain Boys", also later known simply as "Flatt and Scruggs".  In 1969, they broke up, and Scruggs started a new band, the "Earl Scruggs Revue", featuring several of his sons.


So, why did I decide to write a blog post about Mr. Scruggs?  Well, because thanks to Brett, I like Bluegrass music.  I'm not a huge Country music fan, but Bluegrass is a little different in my opinion.  I like the sounds of the banjos and fiddles.  You hardly ever hear a sad song with a banjo.

I was going to share an up to date recording of me doing a song in honor of Mr. Scruggs, but Mother Nature and her friends called "allergies" had other plans.  Instead, I dug into the archives of my recordings and found a couple of versions of "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

The first one is in the style of Loretta Lynn and the second is in the style of Jimmy Martin.  I'm sharing both because I couldn't decide which on that I liked better.  I decided to set up a poll and let you readers decide which one y'all like the best.

The poll is below the recordings, so once you've listened to each version, please answer the poll question.


In the Style of Loretta Lynn:







In the Style of Jimmy Martin:

Which Version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" Do You Like Better?

• Loretta Lynn's
• Jimmy Martin's
• I Can't Decide.
• I Like Both Versions.
• I Don't Care For Either One.

Acepolls 

More polls: mikrolån smslån Free online polls

If you would like to leave me a comment about my recordings, please do so!! I love hearing from my readers!!!


Thanks for taking the time to listen to my recordings and to answer my poll!

And That's What Sarah Says!!!

Sarah SINGS What?!?!?!? Sarah Sings Some Susan Boyle Songs! (Say that 5 Times Fast!!)

I was listening to some of my older recordings that I've done on SingSnap.com, and ran across two songs that grabbed my attention.  They just happened to be by the same artist...Susan Boyle!

If you're not familiar with Susan Boyle, I urge you to look her up, because her story is quite inspirational and so is her voice!!  She may not be much to look at, but my word, can she sing!!!

The first song that I'm going to share with you is Susan's arrangement of "How Great Thou Art".  When I heard this version of the Gospel song, I immediately fell in love with it and knew that I wanted to record it, so I did just that.








The other Susan Boyle song that I have chosen to share with you is her version of "Daydream Believer".  This song was originally done by The Monkees.  Their version is upbeat, but Susan's is more of a ballad, and I love  her version of this song.
 





I hope that you enjoyed my recordings.  If you did, feel free to drop me a line and let me know that you listened!

And That's What Sarah Says...AND SINGS!!