**Special warning: If you plan to listen to this with little ones, please run through it first yourself.
Due to the very nature of our subject matter, there is unavoidable and graphic violence, though brief, in this episode!
Get out your best china and polish that silver! Don a feathered turban, and settle in for a chat about a woman who was not only one of the greatest hostesses in the history of party throwing, but a woman who was an extraordinary networker, before networking was cool. Not just another first lady…the first, First Lady.
In this episode we shine the spotlight on a woman who lived in one, Dolley Payne Todd Madison.
Dolley after shedding her Quaker garb
Dolley Payne was not born of high society, but into a simple Quaker family in North Carolina in 1768. Dolley- her given name- true!- was the third of eight children born to John and Mary Payne. The family moved when Dolley was young, first to Virginia and then to Philadelphia.
This tall, dark haired, blue eyed beauty married a Quaker lawyer, John Todd when she was 21. The couple had two sons. Tragically, John and the youngest son ( who was only 3 months at the time) died of yellow fever when Dolley is 25. This event unleashes the rest of her life that plays out like a classy, well mannered, dynamic soap opera!
<em> <strong>(Click here for more fabulous shownotes!)</strong> </em>!
Dearest Friends,
Greetings from this side of the page and mic.
The woman that we discuss in this episode lived a life of devotion and sacrifice during an exciting, yet turbulent, period of American History. By all accounts she was an intelligent wife, mother, patriot, home fire-tender, Second Lady, First Lady and oh, yes, mother of the sixth president of the United States. As if that were not enough, she was a self-educated, letter writing machine!
A young Abigail Smith Adams
Abigail Smith was born in November 1, 1744, the second of four children to William and Elizabeth Quincy Smith in Weymouth, MA. Her father was a Congregationalist minister and her mother’s family was rooted in politics- Abigail’s grandfather held the position of Speaker for Massachusetts for 40 years. Abigail’s life was lived out during the formative, and historically thrilling, early years of the United States.
It’s easy to get lost in all the Quincys, Smiths and Johns in her life, we’ll admit that. But wade through them because this remarkably resilient and faith driven woman lived a rather difficult life of sacrifice as she strove for the greater good. Even if all you know at this point is that she was the wife of one of the early presidents, and something about “remember the ladies!”- you should put on your thinking caps. This woman was an intellectual powerhouse! PLUS, her marriage was one based in a very real romance, intellectual stimulation and mutual respect. We all can learn a lot from her.
<em> <strong>(Click here for more fabulous shownotes!)</strong> </em>!
What big eyes you have!
The better to see you with…
What big ears you have!
The better to listen to this Little Red Riding Hood mini-cast with!
(Sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Little Red Riding Hood by Annie Rodrigue (used with permission) We LOVE this illustration!!
For this minicast, we talk about the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. Oral history puts the origins way back in the 14th century Europe. Some versions starred werewolves, some with ogres or wolves, but similar tales of a little girl fooled and led to a dire situation by a masculine animal creature were common throughtout rural Italy and France.
<em> <strong>(Click here for more fabulous shownotes!)</strong> </em>!
Once upon a time, in ancient Egypt, a princess was born. But before her happily ever after, she had to live a challenging life of servitude, duty, and a deep belief in her own character. The long life of the woman that we discuss in this episode not only crosses cultural, territorial and social lines but in terms of fashion, she has quite a shoe collection to help her dance through all time.
History!
Royalty!
Drama!
True Love!
SHOES!
Surely, you see why we picked this woman as our first fictional character?
Cinderella, the iconic persecuted heroine, began life as the oral tale of Rhodopis, in ancient Egypt about 500 BC. Given her nickname for the color her fair skinned cheeks turned in the desert sun, she was a Greek slave brought to Egypt in this rags to riches tale. Her special rose colored dance slippers were given to her by her Master, and spirited away by the god Horus, in the form of a falcon, to be deposited in the lap of Pharaoh, her future groom.
<em> <strong>(Click here for more fabulous shownotes!)</strong> </em>!
We try to keep the podcasts to an hour, and well…we got rather chatty about Laura Ingalls Wilder and didn’t cover all of the Little House Books in review. So, during this mini-cast we finish the final three books of the series. Beginning with Little Town On The Prairie, and ending with The First Four Years – which was published, unedited, posthumously in 1971.
In addition to the brief book summaries, and several tangents, we got so involved talking about oranges that we forgot to mention the SECOND major thing that happened to Laura on the day of Ben Woodworth’s party – she experienced electricity for the very first time! Was, in fact, ZAPPED, by it – not sounding too fun from over here. Here is a machine from about fifteen years after this party – when you got to PAY for your torture- er, curing what ails you.
Ow. Ow. Ow. Wonder why you don’t see these around anymore?
Because we just can’t drop the oranges, here is another tidbit: Laura had mentioned having an orange just once before this: At the church Christmas tree in Walnut Grove, each child received a little bag of popcorn with an orange at the bottom. However, this was edited out of the final manuscript!
Often times we are so organic in our discussions, we like to have the chance to clarify, you know, round out the information. For instance, Nellie Oleson was a completely fictional character based on three separate “mean girls” from Laura’s childhood:
When asked by children after the books were published “What happened to Nellie,” Laura often referred to Genevieve Masters’ move back East and her early death from pneumonia – so we’re going to give the “Nellie Oleson” title to Ms. Masters… but how much of the bad behavior was based in fact, there’s just no way to know.
Our parting advice: Be nice to your elementary school friends, kids! You never know who just might write a book!
As always, music for our podcast comes courtesy of Music Alley. Visit them at music.mevio.com.
