Category Archives: Columns

Part III: More Typewriter Notes

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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More Notes from the Bookworm’s Typewriter

The response from readers to last week’s column filled with notes from a public Remington typewriter in Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm in Camarillo was so profuse and positive, an encore of more messages in the bottle from bookstore patrons seems merited.

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“If you haven’t noticed already, its hard to use a ty-pewriter. YOUL write a lot of jum bles before it wo-rks out. But somehow, i am ok with that.”

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“I do like the carriage return. It reminds me of the slot pull handles in Vegas.”

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“Life. Give it a whirl! Love Yourself Forever. Peace love and happiness”

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“Give of yourself. the results may surprise you.”

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“Letters – Seconds / Words – Minutes / Sentences – Hours / Paragraphs – Weeks / Chapters – Months / Essays – Years / Novels – Decades / Series – Centuries / The written/typed word – Timeless”

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“Please be kind to everyone you meet. You don’t know what kind of day they are having.”

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“PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

“It is a very challenging disability. It is a very misunderstood disability. It is a very illusive disability. Not visible except through behaviors and how I physically am affected.

“Some of my behaviors while triggered can easily be mistaken as those of a person who has poor social skills and graces, some people have mistaken my being triggered as being drunk.

“Seldom is there someone who truly recognizes that I am deeply in pain emotionally and to avoid judgment or condemnation, but to say to me they see I am struggling, and ask me if I need assistance, and if so, what they can do.

“For the general public: The smallest acts of respect can make a world of difference.”

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“have hope and smile”

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“Note to self. When the ink on this typewriter seems to have run out, before asking Mrs. Figs for a new ink ribbon, first check the right side of the typewriter where the tab with three colors is, and ensure it is NOT set on white or red.

For those not familiar with the term “ink ribbon”, that is the precursor to things like “toner” and “ink cartridges”.

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“Is the ink in this fading? Do we need more toner? A new ink cartridge is needed for this ; ) ”

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“dude be nice”

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“How you treat those in need reflects your true colors.”

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“I had a trip on the Amtrak train from Camarillo to San Francisco; it reminded me of those old black & white movies and TV shows where train was the main source of transportation.”

(The note writer’s train of thought continues on for quite a while.)

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“dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”

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“I am blessed with many friends, but my dogs are just as dear. Dogs give and give and give long past common sense. They believe in us long before we might believe in ourselves as children. ADOPT IF YOU CAN. Blessings to you.”

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“Love Molecules

“I miss the molecules that make / up our friendship and the tiny / space between our heartbeats / when we hug.”

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“This is a magical place! Filled with magical stories and people. xo”

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“annabelle loves the bookworm the bookworm is amazing reading is fun the bookworm is the best”

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“go outside instead of going on an ipad. and read a book.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

 

Part II: Bookworm’s Typewriter

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Part II: Notes From a Bookstore’s Typewriter

The vintage Remington typewriter on display in Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm, an enchanted independent bookstore in Camarillo, could not be more irresistible were it to have a “Do Not Touch” sign on it.

Instead, a note invites patrons to sit down and type. As further encouragement, a sheet of paper always awaits in the carriage. Hundreds of people, many of them youngster who have never before used such a relic, have accepted the invitation.

Typing my own message on Mrs. Figs’ typewriter.

Some typists take their messages with them as keepsakes, but most tuck their “Notes from a Public Typewriter” – that being the title of the book that inspired this special nook – into a memento jar.

Connie Halpern – dear “Mrs. Figs” herself – recently allowed me to open the stuffed jar and read its contents. Some of the notes are silly, others heartfelt. Many are like short fortune-cookie adages, others much longer. Some have the typist’s name, but most are anonymous. More than a few have endearing typos and misstrikes.

Here is a sampling . . .

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“me and my sister rachel are in a book store and i found this awesome typewriter and i am sooo fascinated with how this works and i love it.”

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“hello. Typing on a typewriter is fun.”

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“hello my name is eli and I am awesome. This typewriter is cool.”

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“Hello world i am here”

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“Ben the Incredible was here.”

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“Sometimes you see a friend . . . just see their face, and your entire world brightens.”

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“Some days feel like they may be an ‘upside down’ day, but then life happens and the day turns out to be just beautiful and ‘upright!’ Thank. You. Life.”

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The one and only Mrs. Figs — Connie Halpern.

“i LOVE u”

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“ ‘I love you.’ Language is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

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“I LOVE THIS TYPEWRITER”

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“Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type Why do people still have typewriters?”

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“this is an old piece of technology. this thing does not always make the letter appear you must press hard.”

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“memories of the past this typewriter brings each finger presses a key to create the words my fingers are tired.”

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“The most valued gifts to someone are: Your time, your attention, and your respect : ) ”

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“KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER

“I am a disabled veteran who went to In-N-Out Burger on Independence Day to avoid the fireworks because the sound and sight and shockwaves put me in a bad place emotionally. And, while there, wearing a hat which identified myself as a veteran, I had two teens approach me. I had never met them before. They both said ‘Thank you for doing all you have done’.

“Then each of the two young men shook my hand. It was a very good feeling, being recognized even in the high-paced and crowded place that is In-N-Out. Thank you to those two young lads who made my Independence Day”

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“I love reading. I love books. I love Mrs. Figs!”

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“hi im a geek I love harry potter.”

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“Do you REALLY want people to treat you the way you treat them?”

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“Sometimes we don’t think things are working out, but they are.”

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“Don’t forget to sing. Please.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Bookworm’s Readers Also Type

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

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1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Bookworm’s Readers Encouraged to Type

Visitors to Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm, a magical independent bookstore in Camarillo, take in a wonderful greeting upon entering. I am not talking about a warm hello, although always they receive this as well.

Rather, three steps inside the front door and straight ahead so as not to be missed, The Typewriter Nook beckons.

Specifically, a grey 1955 Remington Quiet-Riter manual typewriter rests on a small table with a chair before it. There is always a sheet of paper in the vintage machine.

Also on the table, to the right of the typewriter, is a small, thin, red hardback titled: “Notes from a Public Typewriter.” The book is about a typewriter set out in a similar fashion for patrons of a bookstore in Ann Arbor to type messages. It was the inspiration for this special nook 2,300 miles away.FIGS_Typewriter

A few months past, Connie Halpern – also knows as Mrs. Figs – sent a copy of the little red book to Michael Mariani. She thought Michael, a Venturan who collects vintage typewriters, would relish it.

Connie, as usual with her book recommendations, was spot on. As a thank you, Michael gave the Quiet-Riter from his collection to Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm so its patrons could have a similar opportunity to express themselves on a public typewriter.

“It was a huge surprise,” Connie says of the refurbished antique gift. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

And so The Typewriter Nook came to be.

As a further welcome and enticement to sit down and express oneself, on the table just to the left of the typewriter is this message: “Valued Friend. You are important. Please enjoy this space. Take your message with you. Or leave it her to be shared with others.”

For the latter, there rests on the table a square jar labeled: “Messages in a Bottle!” Hundreds of notes, many brief and others quite lengthy, have filled the glass vessel to overflowing.

1figsme

“Mrs. Figs” aka the wonderful Connie Halpern

“At least once a day, someone sits at the typewriter,” Connie says. “Always with a big smile on their face!”

She adds: “I would say the majority of the typists are youngsters – who have a giggling parent standing by, sharing how they used to type on one.”

Nostalgia for the grownups is new-fangled for the kids.

“Most will ask for help,” Connie shares. “Some frequent and repetitive – and precious and priceless – questions have been:

“How do you turn it on?” (You don’t need to, she answers.)

“Where is the number 1?” (You have to use a lower case “L” on this model, she tells them.)

“Where is the exclamation point?” (You have to use a period, then backspace and use an apostrophe over the period, she directs.)

“Where is the delete button?” (Mrs. Figs tries not to laugh.)

Connie continues: “There has not been one face that is not smiling, ear to ear, while exploring the typewriter.”

Has this enchanted reaction surprised her?

“To be honest, no,” Connie answers. “Because when I sat down to type on it the very first time – it had been almost 35 years since I had used one – I nearly cried tears of joy. I squealed! So I immediately knew that joy would be the overwhelming reaction.”

Always a lovely place to be, when someone sits down at the Quiet-Riter and the clickity-clack-click typing begins, Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm becomes even more so.

“If I were asked to describe the melody of the typewriter,” Connie says, “I would say it sounds like Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach Cello Suite No. 1.”

Next week, I will share some of the “musical” notes played in the Bookworm to date.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Today’s Column is a “Safe Space”

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

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1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

‘Safe Space’ Free of Depressing News

Today’s column is hereby declared a “Safe Space” like those designated spots on college campuses where uncomfortable and upsetting topics are banned. For the next 600 words, this zone will be a haven of positivity.

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I was catching up with a dear friend at a local coffee cafe recently when a man – probably homeless; certainly with mental challenges – approached our al fresco table asking for a handout.

Normally I am a soft touch, even though those who work in the trenches implore us not to give money handouts. Rather, they say the best way to help a homeless person is to donate to programs focused on helping. This time, I heeded those words.

My friend, a small business owner, reacted differently. She greeted the man by first name and then, realizing she had no cash, kindly told him to walk to her store where $5 would be waiting to buy lunch. As the man walked away, my friend phoned her shop assistant and instructed her as such.1smile

I smiled at my friend’s big heart even as I felt a little small. I know the $5 may not have gone towards lunch. All the same, I confess that the next time I will have a hard time doing as those in the know advise.

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My column last week about Jim Murray and mentoring brought in a flood of emails. Here is one from Glen Zeider:

“I first started reading Jim Murray when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was one of those terrible readers that languished in the ‘D’ reading group. The one thing I loved was baseball.

“My mom would save the sports section for me after my dad left for work, and exposed me to Mr. Murray. He changed my life in many profound ways. Learning to appreciate how words can convey ideas, knowledge and emotions has been one of the great joys in my life.”

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Jim Murray, and sports, sparked Oxnard’s Bill Organ to share this memory from his childhood in Long Beach.

“The Country Club had decent tennis courts so they hired a tennis pro. My little sister, Susan, enrolled along with her school buddy, Susan Williams, and another friend.

“Susan Williams was clearly good at the game and after a few months the pro confided to my mom that he thought my sister also had great potential, but doubted their other friend would ever be any good at the game.

“Sister Susan gave up tennis soon after but we all greatly enjoyed watching what became of her other friend, Billie Jean Moffitt (King).”

For the record, King won 12 Grand Slam singles titles on her way to the Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Let me finish with an encounter shared by a friend, whose own friends in the story wish to remain anonymous.

Four sisters went with their mom to their dance recital. Their dad couldn’t attend, but was in a generous mood and gave each daughter $25 to spend at the mall afterward as a reward for all their hard work.

At lunch, on the way to shopping, their waitress noticed the dance clothes and told the girls she, too, had danced when she was younger. Conversation ensued, and the waitress revealed she was a single mom with 3-year-old twin girls and a 4-year-old son. To make ends meet she has two other part-time jobs.

While the waitress was serving another table, the daughters took a vote and it was unanimous – they pooled their spending money gave all $100 as a tip.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Mentoring: Take Baton, Pass It On

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Mentoring is a Relay: Take Baton, Pass It On

For the longest time, I never quite understood why Jim Murray wrote me a return letter and later became my mentor.

After all, “Mr. Murray” – I never could call him “Jim” despite his request – was already on the Mount Rushmore of Sportswriters while I was a just college senior seeking career counsel.

That was 36 years ago, long before the ease of email, and Mr. Murray penned me a thoughtful page-long handwritten reply that included this gem: “If you are meant to be a writer, you will be. No one can stop a writer from writing. Not even Hitler could do that.”

This Thursday – Aug. 16 – marked the 20th anniversary of Murray’s death. My goodness, what a debt I will forever owe him. He not only helped me become a better writer, but a better person as well.

Woody_and_Jim_Murray

With my writing idol and mentor, Jim Murray

For example, my annual Holiday Ball Drive has his fingerprints all over it. Reading “The Best of Jim Murray” three decades past, I was deeply moved by a passage about his pre-sports days as a crime reporter. Specifically, he told of his heartache doing a story on a little girl who lost her leg after being run over by a truck.

“The thought of her going though life that way made me shrink,” Murray wrote.

My literary hero took $8 he had left from his paycheck – “which was only $38 to begin with in those days” – and bought the girl an armful of toys and took them to her in the hospital.

That next Christmas, I bought an armful of basketballs and donated them to the Special Olympics. Later, when I saw a young boy ruining a keepsake autographed basketball because he had no other basketball to play with, it was only natural to start an official ball drive.

Further emulating Murray, when I received a letter from a 13-year-old Thousand Oaks boy about 20 years ago, I responded. Fast forward: Jon Gold is now a gifted sportswriter proving he can make it anywhere by making it in New York City.

Three Februarys past, that boy-turned-man made me feel like a Pulitzer Prize winner by inviting me, out of the blue, to his wedding. More unbelievably, he told me I was his Jim Murray.

“I couldn’t wait to read your sports column,” Jon shared. His words that followed caressed my heart: “What you wrote back to me is something I carry with me to this day. You were a hero, are a hero, and more, a friend.”

My goodness, I hope my similar sentiments expressed to Mr. Murray made him feel half as wonderful.

Another wonderful feeling was mine when Camarillo resident Stephen Jester sent me a copy of his new book of poetry – with a surprising dedication page for all to see: “To Woody Woodburn, my friend, mentor and fellow author.”

I was floored. What had I done to deserve such an honor? It seems that after Stephen had been harshly told to give up his dream of becoming a writer, I simply sent him words of encouragement. Probably, I even quoted Mr. Murray’s Hitler line.

“Telling someone to continue to follow their dreams, and you’re proud of them, is a powerful message that goes right to the heart,” Stephen told me recently. “You inspire and encourage me to continue my writing journey. That’s why you’re on the dedication page.”

Mentoring is a relay event in life. Take the baton, run, pass it on. As John Wooden said: “I have lived my life to be a mentor, and to be mentored, constantly.”

I’m thankful Jim Murray felt likewise.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Using Darkness For Illumination

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Darkness as Source of Illumination

The stories stay with me, unforgettable in their clarity, haunting as tales told around a campfire often are.

I speak not of ghost stories, however. And instead of being told to a gathering of youths by an adult, it was the children themselves orating to a camp counselor.

The stories, plural, were really one singular story told time and again to my daughter when she was in college and serving as a counselor/educator at a weeklong summer camp.

Held in the San Bernardino Mountains for 200 disadvantaged fourth- and fifth-graders from the inner city, the retreat offered typical camp activities like arts and crafts and games, horseback riding, singing and dancing.

Also, naturally, there were gatherings around a campfire each night. It was here that one youngster after another said, in different ways but with a shared tone of awe: “Wow! I’ve never seen the stars before!”

Can you even imagine that? Being 10 or 11 years old and, because of light pollution and because you have never before traveled outside the city limits, never having seen stars except on a movie screen or TV or in a book?

Not being able to pick out The Big Dipper or Orion or Cassiopeia is one thing, but to be blind to the twinkling night sky is quite another. This all comes to mind now because of the ninth annual “2018 Wild and Scenic Film Festival” to be held Aug. 18 on the Ventura County Credit Union’s campus on Vista Del Mar Drive in Ventura. (Ticket information: venturalandtrust.org/2018_wsff )1lostlight

Specifically, “Lost in Light” – one of the festival’s 11 short films – has me thinking of those wide-eyed summer camp kids. Shot mostly in California, the 3-minute film shows how light pollution affects our night skies. Opening with a skyline view of San Jose with the stars completely erased from visibility by Light Pollution Level 8, the time-elapsed scene shifts to Level 7 in Mountain View with a few scattered celestial pinpricks discernible.

The night skies slowly come alive as the film moves through Light Pollution Levels 6, 5, 4 and 3. Reaching Level 2, at Mt. Shasta, the heavens sparkle in breathtaking fashion and in Death Valley, Level 1, the firmament seems like a luminous blizzard where each snowflake is a star.

Other short films (all range from 3 to 17 minutes) at the festival include “Water Take One: Ventura Land Trust” showcasing VLT’s work to protect and preserve Ventura County’s open space and natural resources; “Brothers of Climbing” highlighting diversity in the rock climbing community; “Dragging 235 lbs. Uphill Both Ways” about a mother’s effort to help her four children unplug from electronics and embrace the outdoors; and “Grandad” about a man rising at dawn for a daily meditative journey rowing around a lake.1level1

Back to “Lost in Light.” Filmmaker Sriram Murali writes of his visual creation: “The night skies remind us of our place in the Universe. Imagine if we lived under skies full of stars. That reminder that we are a tiny part of this cosmos, the awe and a special connection with this remarkable world, would make us much better beings – more thoughtful, inquisitive, empathetic, kind and caring.

“Imagine kids growing up passionate about astronomy looking for answers and how advanced humankind would be, how connected and caring we’d feel with one another, how noble and adventurous we’d be. How compassionate with fellow species on Earth and how one with Nature we’d feel.”

Masterful as it is, I wish Murali’s film was one minute longer – with the illuminated faces of children seeing the stars for the very first time.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Life Stories Written ‘On the Road’

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Writing Life Stories ‘On the Road’

Jack Kerouac, in his 1957 masterstroke novel “On the Road,” wrote: “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”

In my mind’s eye, I also see old-time commemorative luggage stickers from different destinations around the country, and globe, bedecking the battered suitcases. Those sticky souvenirs, popular in the early 20th century, provided a personal reminder of journeys taken while quietly shouting to others, “Look where I’ve been!”

Travel is on my mind because the Ventura Storytellers Project, hosted by The Star and starring local residents, will hold two shows Saturday evening with the Keroucian theme “On the Road.”

(Both shows at the Bell Arts Factory are sold out but will be available on-line at a future date. Visit www.storytellersproject.com/ventura for more information.)

To get the wheels rolling, below are some of my favorite observations on travel from a few writers wise on the subject.1ontheroad

Mark Twain pointed out why we should travel, writing: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

In his on-the-road memoir “We Stood Upon Stars,” Ventura author Roger Thompson adds an additional command to Explore, Dream and Discover – Get Lost. He writes:

“While traveling I’ll often veer onto a road that wasn’t on my route. This is the beginning of adventure. It’s how I’ve discovered tiny towns and sunsets and secret fishing holes and the Philipsburg Brewing Company in Montana. It’s also how I’ve gotten myself desperately lost. And since it takes an act of Congress to get me to turn around, I keep going over switchbacks and single-lane roads until either the curiosity is cured or I run out of snacks. Before turning back I get out and survey the landscape, looking to mountain peaks or rivers or stars for clues. It’s always there, deep in the wilderness, with my wife or my kids or my buddies or alone, where – in desperation for answers or simply curiosity – I am met by God.”

Another Venturan, award-winning travel writer and novelist Ken McAlpine, who has visited the earth’s four corners, always reminds me before I embark on the road: “Be sure to turn down a hidden alleyway or go inside a quiet doorway off the beaten path because that’s where you’ll find some of the most memorable experiences.”

Wise advice, indeed, for no less a philosopher than Ralph Waldo Emerson memorably beseeched: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Or, as Robert Frost poetically noted, take the road less traveled by for that will make all the difference.

Emerson’s younger contemporary, Henry David Thoreau, put it this way: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

Were he on the “On the Road” stage Saturday night, Dave Stancliff, my first newspaper editor, would surely include his observation: “There’s many things to see in this world that aren’t in tourist guides for one reason or another.”

In other words, grab your battered suitcase, throw off the bowlines, go down a hidden alleyway, step to the music you alone hear, get desperately lost and, coming full circle to Kerouac, “lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Part 2: Return Letter From Mister Rogers

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Part 1 link from last week:

http://woodywoodburn.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3721&action=edit)

Part 2: Return Letter From Mister Rogers

It was a beautiful day in a Ventura neighborhood for a three-and-half-year-old boy when he received an answer to a letter he had mailed a few weeks earlier.

It arrived on letterhead with alternating purple, gold and pink letters reading “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” at the top and dated January 2001. At the page’s bottom is an image of the familiar red Neighborhood Trolley.

One more thing of interest: One cannot help but read it and in their mind’s ears hear Mister Rogers’ familiar and friendly television voice.

“Dear Franklin,

“It meant a lot to me that you wanted to send me a letter. It was kind of your mother to help by typing the words into the computer. You are fortunate to have a mother who cares so much about you and about your ideas and questions.

“Franklin, I also liked the way you wrote your name on the letter and the way you put all kinds of fancy stickers on the letter and envelope. You certainly have good ideas.

A postcard sent personally from Mister Rogers to Franklin

A picture sent personally from Mister Rogers to Franklin

“It’s wonderful to know you’re interested in how people make different things. You told us you’d like to have a book that explains how people make different things or a video of our factory visits. There are some books in the library about how people make different things. Maybe a librarian could help you and your mother to find those books. There are many ways to learn more about the things that interest you.

“We haven’t made one video with our factory visits, but we’re glad to send our calendars to your family so you can know when we’ll be showing how people make different things.

“It’s good to know you are someone who wonders about things and asks questions. Wondering and asking are important for growing and learning. I’m proud of the many ways you’re growing, and I hope you are, too.

“You are special, and you make each day a special day – just because you’re you.

“Your television friend,

“Mister Rogers” (signed in blue ink)

If this note were not remarkable enough, there was something more. A second letter:

“Dear Mrs. Hansen,

“Thank you for helping your son Franklin send us his delightful letter and also for taking the time to add your own warm comments about our programs. You and your son have truly made this a more beautiful day in our Neighborhood – in many ways!

“Nothing could please us more than to know there’s a second generation in your family growing up with our Neighborhood, and we’re glad you have such good feelings about what your children experience with us. Thank you, too, for your kind words about our articles in Ladybug Magazine.

“While we’re honored to know how much your family appreciates what we offer, at the same time, we want you to know that we are very much aware that children who seem to like our Neighborhood best are the ones who have already experienced the deep investment of love in their own families, and so they are able to understand what we offer. That was certainly confirmed once again in your kind note to us and in the attention you gave Franklin’s questions for us, and I couldn’t help but think how fortunate your children are to be growing up in your caring home.”

The letter continues onto another page and concludes:

“Please give everyone in your family our kindest regards. We will remember with great pleasure that the Hansens are a part of our Neighborhood . . . and that we’re part of yours.

“Sincerely,

“Fred Rogers” (signed in blue ink)

* * *

Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

 

Part 1: A Boy’s Letter to Mister Rogers

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Beautiful Day in a Neighborhood

Writing a letter to a famous television personality and expecting a reply is not dissimilar from putting a message in a bottle and throwing it into the sea.

Yet that is what a young boy in a Ventura neighborhood did, with the help of his mother, eighteen years past. Composed by Franklin, typed by his mom and printed in Arial font, the letter read:

“December 13, 2000

“Dear Mr. Rogers,

“My name is Franklin and I am 3 and a half years old. My mommy is computing this for me. I’d like to have a book about how to do things. You know how everything works, so maybe you know this book? I wish you could put all of your ‘how’ movies together and send it to me.

A postcard sent personally from Mister Rogers to Franklin

A postcard sent from Mister Rogers to Franklin

“I want to know how you make plastic and how plastic gets squished into shape like a cowboy hat. Mommy says plastic starts with oil, but how does black stuff become a shiny hat? Mommy told me how to make people and deer but how do you make glass and windows? I want to know how they make this keyboard. I also want to know how to read letters.

“Can you please help me?

“I love you,

“Franklin Hansen”

Beneath Franklin’s carefully printed signature was a typed postscript:

“A note from Mom: Thank you for so many wonderful years of ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood’ and for your essays in ‘Ladybug’ magazine. I am learning as much about ‘how’ now as when I was a child and I am so grateful that my children can relax with you and learn how to be better people: nicer, kinder, and more open-minded. I am still learning from you and my son’s curiosity is a wonderful excuse to say thank-you. I am sad about your retirement but as long as PBS keeps airing your shows (how do I ensure this?) my kids will continue to grow with your wisdom.

“Sincerely,

“Cindy Hansen”

All these years later, Cindy retells: “We were watching one of the shows and Franklin absolutely adored those factory segments. So after one of the shows we were talking about them and all of the things he wanted to know. He wanted to ask/wish why Mister Rogers didn’t have a show that was just those factory visits.”

The magnificent mother of two sons adds: “I was very glad that my boys enjoyed him as much as I had when I was younger. When we went to the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum (around 2010), we were so excited to see the set with Trolley moving through the Neighborhood. As we drove through town the boys kept saying, ‘He filmed it here Mom!’ Of course, this was his Neighborhood.”

Launched in 1968, the beloved “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” television show aired original episodes until 2001 – two years before the host’s death at age 74. Marking the iconic educational show’s 50th anniversary, a new film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is the highest grossing documentary of 2018. Moreover, Tom Hanks will star in another movie about the late Fred Rogers, “You Are My Friend,” to be released next year.

Back in 2000, back when Franklin was “3 and a half” and wrote a letter filled with questions, Mister Rogers was a big deal and surely too busy to personally answer it.

And yet in early January of 2001, it was a beautiful day in a Ventura neighborhood because a letter arrived from Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. The envelope was addressed to Cindy Hansen, but inside was a letter written to her son.

Next week, we will see Mister Rogers’ remarkable reply.

* * *

Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Sharing From The Email In-Box

by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Clearing Out The Email In-Box A Little

Time and again, I find that writing about the personal is also universal. Such was indeed the case with my column last week “Lowlights From High in the Sky” about some of my encounters while flying.

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“Having traveled extensively hither and yon on airlines, my wife and I are just amazed at the way people dress, or perhaps undress, when air traveling today,” Rick Throckmorton wrote in an email.

“We haven’t quite seen a ‘Shorty Shorts’ (yet), but on our last trip back East recently, we were rather appalled at a traveling group of young women who seemed to be in a contest of who could wear the least and still get boarded.

“Then there are those traveling in dirty work clothes, pajamas (adults not kids), flip flops and the like. And my recent flight from Denver to K.C. in a small turbo-prop commuter, when my seatmate, weighing (no exaggeration) 400 pounds, literally forced me into the window seat, so that I could barely move.  Thank goodness it was only a 90-minute flight.

“Ever seen the John Wayne movie ‘The High in the Mighty’? This movie, panned later in the comedy ‘Airport,’ shows how people in the 1950’s dressed when flying. While we don’t expect evening dresses, high heels and suits and ties anymore, people could/should wear business or sports attire when paying hundreds of dollars for their airline tickets.

“If not that, at least to show less of one’s body when perhaps more should be covered up.”

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1MailbagTypewriterFrom Cecilia Weismann: “My only story is about the woman across the aisle from me who took off her flip flops and proceeded to put her feet up on the arm rest only to expose the filthy black bottoms of her feet!”

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“I had an experience on a Greyhound bus from San Francisco to Santa Barbara,” shared Peggy Poehler. “A very large man sat next to me on this trip and fell asleep. As he slept, he ‘grew’!

“He took over all of his seat and was spreading out onto my seat. I had to move toward the center aisle of the bus to get any room for me to sit. I actually had to ‘elbow him’ to keep him from taking over both of the seats!”

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“Thank you for giving the story a voice,” Ventura Judith Smith wrote in response to my column about her autistic nephew Riffy’s caregiver driver, Sunshine, who has hit on hard times and is in danger of losing the mini-van she uses to assist those in need.

“Sunshine saw a rainbow,” Judith added in an update. “An anonymous person is providing an interest free loan.”

Moreover, Star readers have generously contributed more than $1,000 to the Go Fund Me campaign (www.gofundme.com/sunshine-driving-service) to help Sunshine.

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Responding to my column about visiting my son in New York City, and specifically my getting lost en route to the NY Public Library, Bill Grewe wrote:

“Woody, I enjoyed hearing about your trip. When that woman raced back at the subway station to find you and point you in the correct direction, you had found gold. Your trip could have ended then and you would have taken home a lasting memory.

“Like the guy who offered you ice-cold bottled water when he saw you in need at a local park, who are these kind people? I don’t know, but they are worthy of hopping a plane or running a mile to meet.”

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Who are these kind people? You had found gold?

That is precisely how I feel about my readers.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …