The Pink Book 4

The Lindy Hop is what gave birth to the phrase "cut a rug", as it was such an energetic dance that it gave the appearance of gashes to any underfoot carpeting. AKA the jitterbug, this dance was invented in the heart of 1920s Black America: Harlem, New York City.

Consider all the terpsichorean delights that you can chop up the carpet with. My faves are tango, mash potato, rhumba - I've done them all and frequently eat one of them. I also taught two of them (guess which) at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Vancouver, B.C., along with some other fancy footwork, such as the cha-cha and the foxtrot.

Also, I'm a big twist and shout fan. You know you wanna, so go ahead!

Then stop and smell the roses. Take a deep inhale of any flower, thinking how the flower is becoming a part of you - imagine all that scent in your lungs. Exhale and think about all the beauty you're giving back to the world. Wouldn't it be wild if your breath smelled like hyacinths or lilies?

Now pick up a good book...or indulge in some more Vocal stories -

Or -

Feathers. I know some people who think finding one is good luck.

I realized one day that those particular people think that feathers are good luck because they think angels have feathers. Why? Because in many depictions of angels, they have wings and their wings are made of feathers, like birds. (In the Bible angels don’t have wings).

The feather-angel-luck thing is a nice idea but pretty wacky. Think it through. Or don't, because it's a strange rabbit hole to descend into. I mean, these same people who think angels have plumage refer to them as either one of two genders, with most of them being he-angels (my term).

I just don't think spirits have genitals, but this seems to be how these folks have determined their angels' genders. Angels also wouldn't have chromosomes, but if they did, their gender would be way more complicated than the binary suggests. See what I mean about that rabbit hole?

I prefer the spiritual and non-physical nature of angels. Leave the feathers to the birds. On the upside, the downy angel belief system did make me appreciate found feathers more.

From feathers to stones -

The ocean is far from me but there's a river just a stroll away. But I think you could also toss your collected stones into a garden. Or a quarry. I don't really know of any quarries around here. Isn't that where stones come from in the first place? And isn't that where Blanche Dubois suggests she and her pals take a moonlight swim? I've heard it's inviting but dangerous to swim in a quarry. Blanche had her problems and so she wanted to take a dive and disappear for awhile. But you don't need to swim in a quarry. Also beware of riptides and undercurrents (see Pink Book Part 1).

And that brings me to these cats. They took their boat-tubs into some very tumultuous waters. Once they got out of that jam, I hope they listened to Lucah -

Lucah Rosenberg-Lee produced the fascinating documentary: Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. A beautiful film about a beautiful woman.

Does anyone wear a hat anymore?

I do* (see my last link here)

Once you tip your fedora, move on -

You might want to stick around and spread your magic - sow seeds of wonder, like throwing stones into a quarry or tossing feathers to the wind -

Epitaph:

"My C.A.T." is code. You can't decipher it - but stay tuned (subscribe even) and I might reveal its meaning.

*Les chapeaux:

Thanks for reading! Check my profile page if you missed Parts 1, 2 & 3.