"Let's Take The Scenic Route" ~Me

I received some emails about the availability of the snail pattern in Sunday's post. I designed "Scenic Route" last year, but never published it . . . and so, it's posted here, as a freebie chart.

The photo shows a version stitched with Presidential Blue (voila! -- a Lincoln connection, lol) floss by The Gentle Art. The linen is a favorite -- 28-count Magnolia by Lakeside Linens. Because it's a monochromatic design, it can be stitched in any bold color for a silhouette-like effect.

Good 'ol Largo The Snail . . . he always stops to smell the roses. (Point taken!)

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time" ~Abraham Lincoln

It's graduation season, when commencement speakers seek to inspire new graduates by using a quote like this one. The concept of "one day at a time" had to have been a survival technique for President Lincoln who, along with duties as the nation's chief executive, was charged with the task of prosecuting a war to preserve the Union.

Whenever I think I have a lot on my plate, I think of President Lincoln's to-do list and, whoa -- there's instant perspective.

We all seem busier than ever these days. Forget about the Joneses -- I'm just trying to keep up with myself, or the concept of where I should be. But still, is it simply human nature to think that we're busier than our ancestors? Was life really simpler then? Or did our great grandparents recall the carefree days of their own childhoods -- as they tried to grind out a living, raise kids and keep house? I suspect they did.

(Sampler Update: It's coming along . . . onward to July 4th.)

My goal for this summer is to relax and slow down a bit. Like Largo the Snail in the photo, instead of seeking the shortest distance between A and B, I'm going to take the scenic route. Shall we? Good! Meet you in the park in 15 minutes . . .

"that the government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth" ~Abraham Lincoln

The sampler is coming along slowly, but surely -- this photo captures a section of the first 100 words. I'm way behind, as I should have been farther along as if this date. (Sigh) Work, life, stuff -- they're wild cards. I'm getting concerned about making my July 4th deadline, but there's still time to regroup . . . eek, I better get back on schedule!

The next time you write a speech, be sure to study the Gettysburg Address for form and function. Abraham Lincoln uses an age-old oratorical technique called parallel construction -- rhythmic word/sound repetition. The stunning last phrase -- "of the people, by the people and for the people" -- is an example of this technique.

Parallel construction has been around for centuries -- consider Julius Caesar's not-so-humble "Veni, Vidi, Vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered"). Not a day goes by when we don't see VENI clued as "Part one of Great Caesar's boast" in a crossword puzzle.

And there's . . . Henry David Thoreau's "Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity!" Timothy Leary's psychedlic credo of the 1960s, "Turn on, tune in, drop out." (Dopey advice, if you'll pardon the pun.) And Gertrude Stein's mantra-like "rose is a rose is a rose is a rose."

Apropos to the mission of this blog, one of the most notable examples occurred in August 1963 -- 100 years after the Gettysburg Address, when Martin Luther King delivered a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King repeated the phrase "I have a dream . . ." so memorably that the speech is referred to as the "I Have A Dream" speech.

And King sustains the momentum. He repeats "Let Freedom Ring . . . " (evoking the image of a ringing Liberty Bell perhaps) that leads to the final parallel construction: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

* * * * *

Happy Mother's Day to all . . . this earlier essay pays tribute through Lincoln's words about his own mother.

"I hope your life will open into perpetual beauty and goodness" ~Abraham Lincoln

On November 18, 1863 President Lincoln arrived by train at Gettysburg, Pennsylania -- one day before he would deliver his address at the burial ground. Among the greeters at the station was a little girl who offered a bouquet of rosebuds, saying "Flowers for the President!" Touched by the gesture, the President bent down, kissed the child and said: "You're a sweet little rose-bud yourself. I hope your life will open into perpetual beauty and goodness."

Perfect words for the occasion -- Lincoln stayed in the moment. That sentiment -- of one's life opening into beauty and goodness -- is especially meaningful on a spring day, like today . . . to take a moment and enjoy the park, the garden, the patio, a newly-planted window box. More and more I find myself detaching from the endless (and predictably meaningless) media chatter of daily life, delivered via computers, cell phones, iPods and Blackberrys.

I've become highly selective about reading, listening, viewing. John Meyer on a Twitter feed? I love his music . . . but his Twittering self? No thanks. I'd rather practice the guitar. And then there's the Blackberry, aka the Crackberry . . . .a useful tool, except when it becomes a pulsating pocketbook fascist (that is, if we allow technology to boss us around).

Perhaps that's why we're drawn to stitching. The tools haven't changed in centuries -- linen, thread, needle, scissors. These tools are so honest -- they won't spam you, vibrate, ring or buzz. They won't freeze up or crash so that you lose all the work you've done for the past four hours. And you don't have to download a security patch to use the scissors you bought six months ago.

Sampler Update: This week I'll post a photo of the first 100 words of the sampler. Looks like I'll have to pull some all-nighters between now and July 4 -- eek! A number of you have asked about the historical sources I rely on. My main reference is David Herbert Donald's superb biography -- Lincoln.

Tomorrow is a day off from all work . . . Christopher and I will catch the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and then dinner at one of the excellent restaurants in Brooklyn we've yet to try (about 5,292 of them). Gosh, I really need to recharge my mental batteries by -- celebrating hanami, communing with nature, having a few Sour Apple Martinis . . . and then back to work on Monday.

Happy May weekend to all!

" If people said what they thought, most conversations would be brief " ~Author Unknown

Though this quote isn't ascribed to Abraham Lincoln, it sounds like something he'd say.

Brevity -- the soul of wit, according to Shakespeare. It's also the mark of a great writer. In this case, Abraham Lincoln used brevity -- a solemn, dignified brevity -- to honor the memory of fallen soldiers. Few orators -- indeed perhaps only those at President Lincoln's level -- could write a two-page speech that would become one of the most quoted addresses in American history. The Gettysburg Address contains 272 words, arranged in only ten sentences.

The Gettysburg Address is shorter than this blog entry.

As you can see, I decided to make the upper-case letters, the sentence starters, extra large -- to break up the density of the text. The sampler is configured in an east-west design, with sweeping lines of text, running from coast to coast. Those extra-large capital letters add variety to the long lines. I think they'll make the prose easier to read.

And now, it's time to introduce two hard-working cast members: Linen and Thread. [Polite applause.]

The sampler is stitched (over two threads) on 32-count Lambswool Linen from Wichelt Imports. The thread is Nutmeg from The Gentle Art. This design calls for a huge amount of Nutmeg -- enough to spice up 272 gallons of egg nog.

Why am I even thinking about egg nog today? It's 91 degrees in New York City. You could fry a block of tofu on the sidewalk. Entirely too hot and humid for April! We have no choice but to cool off with the appropriate beverages. This evening we'll mix up some Sour Apple Martinis (Apple Schnapps, Vodka, Maraschino Cherry, Ice, Ice, Ice). Jeeves, please turn on the Casablanca fan . . .

I wonder if The Gentle Art makes Sour Apple Martini thread . . . Happy Sunday to all, and I hope you'll partake in some pre-prandial beverages this evening!

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

~Abraham Lincoln

Something tells me that President Lincoln's mum, Nancy, would have approved of a Gettysburg Address sampler.

In the early 1800s, Nancy Hanks was working as a seamstress when she met Thomas Lincoln, a carpenter. Historians describe Nancy as a top-notch needlewoman who crafted all manner of clothing, from wedding clothes to funeral attire and everything in between. Nancy and Thomas were married in 1806, and three years later Abraham was born.

Nancy strived to give her children the opportunities she and her husband never had. Intelligent and hard-working, she was loved by family and friends. Sadly, she died young of milk sickness. Nancy Hanks was only 34 years old.

I had planned to save today's quote for Mother's Day, but I thought -- why wait for a Hallmark holiday to show appreciation for our mothers? I love Lincoln's quote because he expresses my feelings for my own mother -- she is my hero. My mom is a seamstress who taught me how to stitch and sew -- but more importantly, she taught me how to learn and take risks. Thank you, mom!

Now, here's a wild bit of trivia . . . Tom Hanks, the actor, is a distant cousin of Nancy Hanks, the mother of the 16th President of the United States. He is related to Abraham Lincoln. Imagine that -- Sleepless in Seattle Tom Hanks, You've Got Mail Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan Tom Hanks!

I always liked Tom Hanks and I wonder if he'd consider playing Abraham Lincoln in a film. Can't you imagine him wearing a stovepipe hat?

". . . a new nation, conceived in Liberty . . . "

~The Gettysburg Address~

As research for the "272 Words" sampler, I looked at Lincoln's transcriptions of the Gettysburg Address, in his own handwriting. He starts with these words: "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Lincoln uses "Liberty" in mid-sentence, with a capital "L," referring to the country's birth in 1776. We see many capitalized words in The Declaration of Independence, where "unalienable Rights" are "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Lincoln, by contrast, uses few caps . . . to me, that makes "Liberty" stand out.

The concept of Liberty is often depicted as a female figure, and very successfully -- in Eugene Delacroix's 1830 painting, Liberty Leading the People. In Frederic Bartholdi's design (France's gift to the U.S. in 1886) of The Statue of Liberty. On U.S. coinage, as Liberty Walking -- the 1916 design by Adolph Weinman. And more recently -- The New York Liberty, the women's basketball team of the WNBA founded in 1997.

It's fantastic to see Liberty associated with female strength, bravery, and resolve. How many of our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends would fit that description? Quite a few -- no doubt about it. Now that I think of it, Liberty with a capital "L" makes perfect sense.

Liberty . . . you go, girl!