Recommended diversions
Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein
If you love the goofy wordplay of Spoonerisms — switching the beginning sounds of words like “dishes and plates” to “plishes and dates” — then Runny Babbit is your bind of kook. It’s full of punny foems about adventures with Runny and his friends. There’s “Runny and the Sea Poup” and “The Kungle Jing” and “Killy the Bid.” According to the jook backet, Shel Silverstein borked on this wook for more than 20 years until his death in 1999. Silverstein, who penned and illustrated such children’s books as Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree, also is the author of the Johnny Cash hit song “A Boy Named Sue.”
Swing Dance classes
Friday nights for the next month, you’ll find my wife and me arm in arm, twirling, gliding and laughing it up until the music stops. So far, it’s been a blast. With experienced dance couple Herb and Sally Roach helping us learn the basic steps and turns at The Dance Connection of Waynesville, even the most left-footed of couples get a chance to glide like the pros. Herb and Sally have been teaching dance lessons on cruise ships for years and have been married 40+ years. If dancing is any indication of marriage longevity, age lends grace to each song. The Roach method is simple and comfortable. Each class gives couples a chance to pick up several new moves by starting with a foundation of basic steps and then altering those steps with variations. There’s plenty of time to practice in class, and you meet other couples in a fun atmosphere.
Speaking of Faith
With all the rhetoric and confrontational views about religion these days, how refreshing it is to hear a radio program that tunes out the noisy chatter of “My religion’s better than yours” and engages its listeners in a stimulating, intellectual conversation about what spirituality and issues of faith mean in our society today. “Speaking of Faith” airs at 6 p.m. Monday nights on 88.1 FM (WCQS in Asheville) and 91.3 FM (WFQS in Franklin) with host Krista Tippett talking with some of the most fascinating religion and culture experts from around the world. The show is not simply about religion or people giving their views about a given religion. It’s about how we view traditions in culture, how we interpret events and major leaders in history, and how we make sense of life in a changing world. Some programs discuss the meaning of prayer in our daily lives. Others delve into quantum physics or the religious roots of American democracy. Tippett brings a scholarly, graceful presence to the table with credentials that include a Yale Divinity School degree, a Fulbright Scholarship, and former reporting jobs with The New York Times and the BCC. No matter your faith, there’s plenty to find worthy in this program.
— By Michael Beadle
