Friday, July 31, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Jerry Keil and Timothy Keil


Timothy G. Keil Obituary 
      Timothy G. Keil 


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

Jerry Keil, husband of Betty MacDonald's daughter Joan MacDonald Keil passed away 15 years ago. 

He died of cancer at the age of 77 on April 22, 2000.

Jerry became an FBI agent based in Seattle in 1947. 


Betty MacDonald describes this in her book 'Onions in the Stew'.

According to Wolfgang Hampel, author of the Betty MacDonald Biography and interviewer of Betty MacDonald's family and friends, published on CD and DVD by Betty MacDonald Fan Club, Jerry Keil was the kindest man on earth. Jerry was unique and answered every letter and many questions from Betty MacDonald Fans all over the world. 


Jerry Keil became Joan MacDonald Keil's adviser as she lobbied publishers to reprint the out-of-print "Nancy and Plum." When publishers rejected the reissue, Jerry and Joan printed and distributed the book themselves.

They included some beautiful family photos in this very special edition of Nancy and Plum. Both did a great work to bring Nancy and Plum back to the audience.



Jerry and Joan's son Timothy Keil, 61, was killed in a head-on collision on South Whidbey Saturday on February 14, 2015.

The accident occurred in the evening on Highway 525 near the intersection of Coles Road. 

( see obituaries below )

Jerry Keil and Timothy Keil are deeply missed.

We are sending all our love and support to the family.
 


Sabrina 


Vita Magica



Jerry Keil Obituary 


Jerry' Keil used skills honed in FBI career to prompte book

By Carole Beers

Seattle Times staff reporter

Girard "Jerry" Keil won awards as a special-agent supervisor in the FBI's Seattle office.

He taught marksmanship and defensive tactics and later did similar work for Paccar, setting up a security plan for the firm's offices nationwide.

It seemed like an about-face when he retired in 1982 to help his wife, Joan MacDonald Keil, republish her mother Betty MacDonald's "Nancy and Plum" book about a pair of orphaned sisters.

But the task drew on skills he sharpened in the FBI: talking to a variety of people and getting them to do the right thing.

Mr. Keil died Saturday (April 22) of cancer. He was 77.

"He was meticulous, and liked to talk and be in charge," said his son Timothy Keil of Whidbey Island. "He enjoyed that discipline. He kept busy promoting the books and took it upon himself to answer every letter from every kid who enjoyed the books."

First he became Joan MacDonald Keil's adviser as she lobbied publishers to reprint the out-of-print "Nancy and Plum." When publishers rejected the reissue, Mr. Keil and his wife, whom he wed 50 years ago, printed and distributed the book themselves.

Later they saw MacDonald's "The Egg and I" book reissued.

Born in Royal Oak, Mich., he graduated from high school in Decatur, Mich. He was class president and played basketball and tennis.

He also was class president at James Milligan University in Decatur, where he earned a degree in business administration before becoming a navigator in the Army Air Forces during World War II.

He became an FBI agent based in Seattle in 1947. He also helped found the Northwest Forum business club.

From 1978 to 1982 he directed security for Paccar.

He then became vice president of Joan Keil Enterprises, his wife's book-promotion firm.

One of his recent joys was sitting on a bench in Kirkland's Marina Park and chatting with people. His family will dedicate a new bench to him and to his daughter Rebecca Keil, who died in 1998.

Surviving besides his wife and son are children Toby Keil of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Heidi Richards of Bellevue; brothers Otto Keil of Pennsylvania and Edwin Keil of Spokane; and seven grandchildren.

Services will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at First Congregational Church, 752 108th Ave. N.E., Bellevue.

Remembrances may go to Evergreen Hospice and Health Care Foundation, 12910 Totem Lake Blvd. N.E., Suite 200, Kirkland, WA 98034.

Carole Beers' e-mail address is cbeers@seattletimes.com

Copyright (c) 2000 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.


Update: South End crash claims one, injures another

State police and South Whidbey Fire/EMS firefighters work at a fatal accident scene near Coles Road on South Whidbey Saturday night. - Justin Burnett / The Record
State police and South Whidbey Fire/EMS firefighters 
work at a fatal accident scene near 
Coles Road on South Whidbey Saturday night.
— image credit: Justin Burnett / The Record



Alcohol a suspected factor, state police investigate survivor for vehicular homicide investigation

By JUSTIN BURNETT

South Whidbey Record

Freeland is mourning the loss of one of its own this week.

Timothy Keil, 61, was killed in a head-on collision on South Whidbey Saturday. The accident occurred in the evening on Highway 525 near the intersection of Coles Road. Keil was pronounced dead at the scene.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo, children and grandchildren.

“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” said Pastor Jim Lindus, of Trinity Lutheran Church. “We have a community that’s heartbroken.”

Keil retired about 15 months ago from a career with the City of Bothell. A member of Trinity’s congregation, he was getting into a new rhythm of life, spending time with family and volunteering with the church, Lindus said.

He was especially active with His Hands Extended program, which works to feed and cloth Seattle’s homeless twice a month. He was a dedicated supporter and volunteer for the charity, according to Lindus.

“He was a great guy,” he said. “He had a soft and tender heart.”

“I just can’t say enough nice things about Tim,” Lindus added.

Thomas Beard, also of Freeland, was a friend of Keil’s for about 20 years. He described him as a father, a grandfather, a friend and, to some, a mentor. When he asked how you were doing, he really wanted to know, Beard said.

“He was a caring, gentle soul,” he said.


The other driver in the crash was Michelle Nichols of Clinton. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from the accident scene. She was in intensive care Sunday and her condition has since been downgraded from “serious” to “satisfactory,” a hospital spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the accident happened at 8:40 p.m. Nichols, 46, was southbound on Highway 525 in a white 1988 Ford Van and had just passed Coles Road when her vehicle collided with the guardrail on the right side of the state route. The van then crossed the centerline and stuck a northbound vehicle, a silver 1993 Honda Accord, driven by Keil.

Keil, 61, died at the scene. His next of kin were notified by a state trooper and the Island County coroner, a press memo said.

According to the release, the cause of the crash was crossing the centerline; alcohol is believed to have been involved, and Nichols is under investigation for vehicular homicide, the memo said.

“At the time of the accident there was an odor of alcohol,” said Trooper Mark Francis, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol in a follow-up interview.

He added that police obtained a search warrant to take blood samples to determine her blood/alcohol content level. The results won’t be determined for several weeks, but she was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide that night, he said.

Nichols is a family woman with several children, and is a longtime bus driver for the South Whidbey School District, according to her Facebook page.

The affected section of the highway was closed at Craw and Maxwelton roads. An emergency landing zone was set up on the highway and an air ambulance landed and picked up Nichols. The scene was processed by Highway Patrol accident technicians, police said.

The closure lasted about four and half hours.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Betty MacDonald's friends

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

it's International Friendship Day today. 

Don Woodfin was a very good friend of Betty and Donald MacDonald.

Don's son, artist and poet Perry Woodfin is Betty MacDonald fan club honor member.


Don and Perry Woodfin will be included in Wolfgang Hampel's new project Vita Magica.

Don't miss a new great breakfast with Brad and Nick, please.

Yours,

Brigitte


The Thrills of Owning a Chicken Ranch

One hundred years ago today, Vashon Island's own Betty MacDonald was born. The author of The Egg & I, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and many other books, MacDonald garnered a worldwide following and still has millions of fans today.

Why do I care? Number one, if you can't celebrate your local heroes, what the F can you do? Number two, my grandfather Don Woodfin had a chicken farm in Lisabeula (an area on Vashon) in the 1940s and '50s, and was a good friend of Betty and her family. He built them a barn, chicken coup, and caretaker house, all of which are now recognized National Historical Landmarks. Don was immortalized as "the unforgettable Marine" in Betty's book Onions in the Stew, her story of life on Vashon. After 9/11, many members of the international Betty MacDonald Fan Club e-mailed me to offer their best wishes and let us know that they were thinking of us, all because he had built her barn. It was really nice.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and the smling courage of Betty MacDonald's friend Monica Sone

 

Monica Sone (September 1, 1919 – September 5, 2011), born Kazuko Itoi, was a Japanese American writer, best known for her 1953 autobiographical memoir Nisei Daughter, which tells of the Japanese American experience in Seattle during the 1920s and 1930s, and in the World War II internment camps and which is an important text in Asian American and Women's Studies courses.
 more from Wikipedia


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Monica Sone ( Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I )  is the author of Nisei Daughter. 

Monica Sone and her family had run a hotel in Seattle before Executive Order 9066 sent all West Coast Japanese Americans into exile.

With charm, humor, and deep understanding, a Japanese American woman tells how it was to grow up on Seattle's waterfront in the 1930s and to be subjected to "relocation" dring World War II. Along with some 120,000 other persons of Japanese ancestry-77,000 of whom were U.S. citizens-she and her family were uprooted from their home and imprisoned in a camp. 


In this book, first published in 1953, she provides a unique personal account of these experiences.

"Monica Sone's account of life in the relocation camps is both fair and unsparing. It is also deeply touching, and occasionally hilarious."-New York Herald Tribune

"The deepest impression that this unaffected, honest little story made on me was of smiling courage."-San Francisco Chronicle

Wolfgang Hampel, Monica Sone's friend -  author of Betty MacDonald biography and winner of first Betty MacDonald Memorial Award - wrote:

Copyright 2011 by Wolfgang Hampel

Dearest Monica,

I was rereading your book Nisei Daughter and I have to tell you that I agree with your many international fans. I wished I could read many more books written by great author and unique personality Monica Sone.

I also agree with the New York Herald Tribune review of Nisei Daughter: Monica Sone's account of life in the relocation camps is both fair and unsparing. It is also deeply touching, and occasionally hilarious.

Yes, that's it! Deeply touching, also occassionally hilarious! When I'm reading your great book ( Nisei Daughter belong to the VERY few books I'm reading over and over again ) I'm really deeply touched. I'm with you and your great family. I adore your outstanding book and even much more I adore your unique personality. You are a genius but very human and warm with a deep understanding and a golden heart.

The first time I heard your very warm voice I was lost. To me it's the most beautiful voice in the whole world. Voice and personality fit together in just a perfect way.

Thanks a million for your friendship.

Although we are far away you and your family are always in our thoughts. 


All our love,

Wolfgang


Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Monica Sone will included in Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 

Good luck for  Vita Magica!

It will be the first liteary ' Vita Magica ' event today.


Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter August and future newsletters.

I hope Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli won't stay in Athens forever because we really need  him very much.

Don't miss a new great breakfast with Brad and Nick, please.

Yours,

Kirsten  





Vita Magica



Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 



Monday, July 27, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Betty MacDonald's wonderful friend Kimi

 The Plague And I


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

i'm rereading the outstanding book Nisei Daughter by late Monica Sone, described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I.


To me it's quiete a shock to learn the depressing facts of internment of Japanese, Japanese Americans, European and European Americans in a democratic society.

Over 31.000 people were kept interned until July 1948 - more than three years after the war in Europe had ended.

I hope we can learn from the past and we are willing to.

Betty MacDonald Fan Club honor member Monica Sone was furious at the blatant disregard of her civil rights.

Monica Sone said to  Betty MacDonald Memorial Award winner Wolfgang Hampel:
I didn't move from Seattle - they moved me away and I never came back. ( only for family visits )

Of course everybody can understand Monica Sone's feelings.
A democratic society has to protect the civil rights of their people. Otherwise it's no longer a democratic society. A simple fact.

In the camps, internees were seen more as prisoners of war than as civilians.

Just imagine the loss of property, the personal insults, the barbed wire, armed guards, the dust storms, horrible food, unfinished barracks, barren land, shared huts, inadequate washing and toilet facilities, green uniforms, military work details, snapping to attention at an officer's approach.

Therefore Monica Sone's Nisei Daughter is a very important book.

Betty MacDonald Fan Club founder, author, poet and Monica Sone's very good friend Wolfgang Hampel told us that Nisei Daughter belonged to the very few books he was rereading. 


I know many of us do the very same.

Betty MacDonald encouraged her friend Monica Sone in publishing her book 'Nisei Daughter'.

Betty MacDonald said: 


'Nisei Daughter ' is a very remarkable book, humorous and delightfully readable, that takes you into the heart of a Japanese-American family and into the mind of the sensitive, perceptive eldest daughter.
The internment of the American born Japanese during World War II is handled with honesty and rare dispassion. It is certainly to Monica Sone's credit that she she still sings God bless America. 

 
Betty MacDonald was right. Having Monica Sone's experiences I'm not sure I would.

I agree with John Heitman "In a world where there are lots of smoke screens and J. Edgar Hoovers, an individual can really be hurt."



We are sending all our love to Linde Lund and her little daughter.

Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Monica Sone will included in Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 


Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter August and future newsletters.

Bettty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli is  in Athens because he is crazy about his new very beautiful girl friend.

Come on and let's have a new breakfast with Brad and Nick. 


Take care,

Lasse




Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Betty MacDonald on Vashon Island


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

it' s very touching to read Linde Lund's very intelligent thoughts regarding the secret of happiness.

We hope wonderful Linde and her daughter will recover very soon.

We miss unique Linde so much. 


Come back, please.

Many  Betty MacDonald - and Hilde Domin fan club fans from all over the world - adore Letizia Mancino's THE SECOND PARADISE.

Thanks a million dearest Letizia Mancino and Mary Holmes. 

I enjoyed Anja's delightful story describing  the raccoons in Vienna.
 

It's true: Raccoons are really very shameless when they are looking for food.


I'm rereading Onions in the Stew right now. 

I have to laugh aloud when Betty MacDonald, her husband Donald Chauncey MacDonald and daughters Anne and Joan have their experiences with racoons and many other guests  at Dolphin Point on Vashon Island. 


Wolfgang Hampel and Betty MacDonald fan club research team are working on new Betty MacDonald fan club items.

New Betty MacDonald documentary will be very interesting with many interviews never published before.
It's simply great to read new very well researched  stories about Betty MacDonald, Robert Eugene Heskett, Donald Chauncey MacDonald, Darsie Bard, Sydney Bard, Gammy, Alison Bard Burnett,  Darsie Beck, Mary Bard Jensen, Clyde Reynolds Jensen, Sydney Cleveland Bard, Mary Alice Bard, Dorothea DeDe Goldsmith, Madge Baldwin, Don Woodfin, Mike Gordon, Ma and Pa Kettle, Nancy and Plum, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and others.

 

I agree. It's so very funny indeed when you listen to beloved Betty MacDonald and sister Alison Bard Burnett in Wolfgang Hampel's interviews. 

I listened to them once in a bus and laughed and laughed and I got very strange looks from many people.

Believe me  -  I'll never do it again. 


Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Letizia Mancino is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 


I can't wait to read Wolfgang Hampel's new stories and satirical poems.

I miss Bettty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli very much. 

Is he still in Athens and in madly in love with his new girl friend? 

Let's go to the bookstore and enjoy a new outstanding breakfast with Brad and Nick. 


Enjoy a very sunny Sunday,

Lars





Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 



Saturday, July 25, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and the unique feeling of expectancy

Do You Often (or Ever) Feel a Wonderful, Joyous, Childhood Feeling of Expectancy?

 http://img.cas.sk/img/35/galleryBig/2010111_betty-macdonald.jpg%3Ftime%3D1401791850%26hash%3D6c85d882dfecc5867642377bdcc15580



I’m a huge fan of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books.

If you read these brilliant stories as a child, you should re-read them now; so much of the humor is pitched at grown-ups –marriage, friendship, theories of child-rearing. 

After I’d re-read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for the fiftieth time, I decided to try Betty MacDonald’s adult work. In her memoir, Onions in the Stew, she remarked, “Going down to the beach after a storm is the only time in my adult life when I experience that wonderful, joyous, childhood feeling of expectancy.”

This observation struck me, because I’ve noticed that I too rarely experience a “sense of expectancy.” The fact is, I don’t have a very joyful spirit. I rarely look forward even to fun events or activities. Also, I dislike errands, logistical details, or any kind of hassle, and even when those hurdles are fairly minor, they can overshadow my sense of anticipation.

But to go through the days and weeks and months of life, looking forward to nothing, struck me as a sour way to live.
One of my aims for my happiness project, therefore, has been to boost my feelings of pleasant expectancy. First, I’ve made a real effort to add items to my schedule that I actually anticipate, to make time for activities that I really enjoy – to go to a bookstore (one of my favorite things to do) or on a smell adventure with a friend (which I’m doing today).

Thinking along the same lines, a friend told me, “I looked at my seven-year-old nephew’s weekly schedule, and he had all sorts of fun activities, with art, music, baseball, library. I thought, I like to do those things, too! I wish my schedule had art, music, baseball, and library. Now I make a big effort to do more fun things.” 

At the same time, I’ve also pushed myself to revel in anticipation, to devote mental energy and time to looking forward to activities I enjoy. In what’s known as “rosy prospection,” anticipation of an event is sometimes greater than the happiness actually experienced. All the more reason to revel in anticipation. 

I’ve found that I can often re-frame activities to help myself anticipate them more. Do I view decorating the apartment for Halloween as a chore or as a pleasure? Do I think it’s tiresome or fun to shop for school supplies? I’ve been surprised by how readily I can steer my attitude.

One of my rules of happiness is that to eke out the most happiness from an experience, I must anticipate it, savor it as it unfolds, express happiness, and recall a happy memory. By making an effort mindfully to look forward to pleasant experiences, I deepen my experience of happiness.

How about you? Are you a person who often feels happy anticipation? Or, like me, do you find that you have to work to have a “childhood feeling of expectancy”? How do you help yourself to do that?







I guess I have this feeling because we have so many children in our family.

My sisters and I are huge Betty MacDonald fans and so are our children.

Like Betty MacDonald we are writing funny stories and everybody in the family has a role in the play.

Author Karel Capek wrote: Childhood is so exciting because we are sailing away every day to find new treasures.

That's it. You can find new treasures every day.

Life is so exciting. Let's sail away like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles pirate husband to find new treasures.

I have a Betty MacDonald fan club blog.

It began in 1983 when author Wolfgang Hampel founded Betty MacDonald fan club with 4 members. 

We have members in 40 countries now. 

As I'm in contact with so many Betty MacDonald fans from 5 continents Life is exciting every day.

I found my treasure.

Love,

Linde Lund


Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 

Friday, July 24, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Betty MacDonald on Vashon Island

Betty MacDonald 

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

many Betty MacDonald and Hilde Domin fans enjoyed Letizia Mancino's THE SECOND PARADISE even she didn't mention racoons in her delightful story.

Can you remember my experiences in Prater?

It was a wonderful day. 


We visited Prater in Vienna with our friends and it reminded us on Betty MacDonald's book Onions in the Stew.

You might think: Is Anja foolish? You can't compare Prater in Vienna with Vashon Island in Washington State. 


Believe me, you can! Even here you can see racoons. They are really very shameless when they are looking for food.

Can you remember? 


Betty MacDonald, her husband Donald Chauncey MacDonald and daughters Anne and Joan had their funny moments (sometimes) with racoons at Dolphin Point on Vashon Island.

Many readers asked us a question: Who translated Letizia Mancino's THE SECOND PARADISE in english language? It's excellent. 


Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honor Member Letiza Mancino told us it had been translated by Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mary Holmes.

Betty MacDonald -  and Hilde Domin Fan Club are very grateful.
 

Dear Mary Holmes, thank you so much for doing this.

Both, Letizia Mancino and Mary Holmes have crystal-clear thoughts like a mountain spring.

Letiza and Mary, we love you.

 

Thanks a Million.

Dear Anita, Eartha Kitt II and Wolfgang Hampel  good luck with your new Betty MacDonald Fan Club Newsletter story.


It's so fascinating and and funny to read your stories about Betty MacDonald, Robert Eugene Heskett, Donald Chauncey MacDonald, Darsie Bard, Sydney Bard, Gammy, Alison Bard Burnett,  Darsie Beck, Mary Bard Jensen, Clyde Reynolds Jensen, Sydney Cleveland Bard, Mary Alice Bard, Dorothea DeDe Goldsmith, Madge Baldwin, Don Woodfin, Mike Gordon, Ma and Pa Kettle, Nancy and Plum, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and others.

 

I agree with your serious warnings. It's very dangerous indeed when you listen to beloved Betty MacDonald and sister Alison Bard Burnett in Wolfgang Hampel's interviews.

I listen to Betty MacDonald, Alison Bard Burnett and Wolfgang Hampel very often because they always make me laugh. A good friend of mine roared with laughter and nearly fell off the chair. Laughter is healthy but sometimes it can be also dangerous.


By the way, don't read Wolfgang Hampel's very witty poems and stories in public places, please. 


You can't stop laughing and people might think you are crazy.


Letizia Mancino is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 

We got so many requests from fans from all over the world and have great info for you. 

Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in several languages for his many fans from all over the world. 

Love,

Anja



Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 



Thursday, July 23, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and the second paradise



Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans, 

let's talk about great writers and poets Letizia Mancino, Hilde Domin and Betty MacDonald.

Betty MacDonald fan Club honor member, artist and writer Letizia Mancino shares her delightful story THE SECOND PARADISE. 


I'm one of Letizia Maninco's many devoted fans.

Letizia Mancino sent this connecting piece to " The Second Paradise".

DEFIANT AS A COCK

Copyright 2011/2015 by Letizia Mancino

translated by Mary Holmes 

All rights reserved

That was how my friend Hilde Domin was, dear Betty! You would have liked her so much. She had also been in America. At that time you were a famous author but she was still unknown.

-Did she love cats like you do?

-Yes Betty, she sure did!! Otherwise how do you think she could have been a friend of mine?

-Oh Letizia, don’t boast! Hilde was famous!

-It’s all the same to me, Betty, whether a person is famous or not but that person must love animals

-Why was she as defiant as a cock?

-Well Betty, she was simply so!

-Like a pregnant woman in my “Egg and I”?

-No not so! Betty, Hilde was a whole farm!

- A farm, how was that?

- No Betty, Hilde was more! Almost a zoo! Even more. She was all the animals in the world!

-You loved her very much.

-As I love all animals. 


You Betty, if I had known you, I would have loved you exactly so because you loved animals.

-But as defiant as a cock from my Bob-farm!

-Yes and no! (Hilde really loved this double form of answer). Listen Betty , I’ll tell you a story about how Hilde was. You would certainly have loved her.
I’ll call my story “The Second Paradise”.

THE SECOND PARADISE

Copyright 2011/2015 by Letizia Mancino

translated by Mary Holmes
 

All rights reserved


The Lord God, one day, met Adam in Paradise and saw him lying under a palm.

And God spoke to him: Adam, my son, are you happy, are you content with Paradise ?

Adam answered: Oh Lord, it is wonderful!

And God said: But I will create a second Paradise and give you a wife.

Adam answered: Oh Lord, that is wonderful!

And God said: I will create the wife according to your wishes.

And Adam stood under the palm and thought hard.

And God said: Adam, are you ready?

Adam answered: My wife should be as lively as a bird but she should not fly. She should swim like a goldfish but not be a fish….. She should be as playful as a cat but not catch mice….. She should be as busy as an ant but not so small.

And God said: So shall she be: Like a bird, a goldfish, a cat, an ant…

Adam answered: Oh Lord, that is wonderful, but she should be as faithful as a dog.

And God asked: Adam, have you finished?

Oh Lord, cried Adam. She should also be as delightful and gentle as a lamb and as defiant as a cock!

….She should be as curious as a monkey and as pampered as a lapdog.

And God said: So shall she be.

And Adam said: My wife should be as courageous as a lion and as headstrong as a goat…

And God said: So, like a bird, a goldfish, a cat, an ant, a dog, a lamb, a cock, a monkey, a lapdog, a lion, a goat… and slowly and surely he wished to begin creating…

But Adam stretched himself under the palm and called:

Lord, Lord, she should be as adaptable as a chameleon but not creep on four feet.

She should have sparkling eyes like, like… real diamonds. She should be as fiery as a volcano

But … she should have crystal-clear thoughts like a mountain spring.

God, the Almighty, was speechless…

And Adam spoke: Also she should be as quick as lightening…

And God said: Man, have you finished????

No, said Adam! She should be as strong as a horse, as long living as an elephant but as light as a butterfly!

God found Adam’s thoughts were good and said: So, bird, goldfish, cat, ant, dog, lamb, cock, monkey, lapdog, lion, goat, chameleon, genuine diamonds, volcano, mountain spring, lightening, horse, elephant…. butterfly…

God wished at last to begin creating her…

Lord, called Adam… she should be as stable as steel, but as sweet as three graceful women in one…

And God asked: Should she also be a poet?

Yes, called Adam from under the palm…

And God said: Adam have you finished?

Lord, I wish that, in the second Paradise I shall be one and doubled:

So God according to Adams last words created:

HILDE PALM DOMIN

Very best wishes


Letizia Mancino


Letizia Mancino is an outstanding writer and artist.

I know you will enjoy this very charming and witty story the same way I did!
 

Thanks a Million, dear Letiza Mancino! You made my day!

As you know I'm very interested in pets and excellent literature.

Betty MacDonald Fan Club founder Wolfgang Hampel is working on a Eva Vargas biography. I'd love to know: Did Eva Vargas like pets and cats?

You can read my new story in Betty MacDonald Newsletter August. Don't be too critical, please. 




Letizia Mancino is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 

We got so many requests from fans from all over the world and have great info for you. 

Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in several languages for his many fans from all over the world.

Have a nice Thursday,


Yours,

Greta 


Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

William Cumming in Vita Magica


William
William 'Bill' Cumming, celebrity in the local art scene and longest-standing member of 'The Northwest School' died Nov. 22, 2010 at age 93.
— image credit: Courtesy of Annette Bauman

 
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

I adore William Cumming's outstanding artwork but it's too expensive for my budget. 


His description of Betty MacDonald's character is a masterpiece.

William Cumming was a very good friend of Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel.
 

Both - Betty MacDonald and Wolfgang Hampel have the most wonderful friends.

I'm a bit jealous because I  would like to have friends like Betty MacDonald fan club honor members Mr. Tigerli and our beloved 'italian' Betty MacDonald, artist and author Letizia Mancino.

William Cumming is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 

Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in several languages for his many fans from all  over the world.

I hate dictators in politics and in my private life because they are stupid and childish. 

We should laugh about them but sometimes it's very difficult to do this.


Tom   




Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

William Cumming in Wolfgang Hampel's Vita Magica




"At the Lake,"(2008)  by William Cumming
 ( short story by  Wolfgang Hampel - Der wilde Maler ( The wild artist )


Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

William Cumming, famous artist in the Pacific Northwest School, was born in Montana on March 24, 1917.

In 1940, Betty MacDonald headed the National Youth Administration Division of Information in Seattle.

William Cumming became Betty's assistant.
His regular salary was $25 per month.

William Cumming described Betty MacDonald's personality:

Betty MacDonald's humor wasn't kindly, nor homey, nor friendly. It had the malicious edge of a scalpel, and it could cut. Betty MacDonald saw the flaws of the race as vicious. The fact that these flaws generally ended in hilarious pratfalls didn't make them any less lethal in her eyes" (Sketchbook: A Memoir of the 1930s and the Northwest School)

In 1942 William Cumming entered Firland Sanatorium with tuberculosis. Betty MacDonald, who had served her own time in Firland (The Plague and I), drove him there.

William Cumming was a very good friend of Wolfgang Hampel, Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner and author of Betty MacDonald biography. 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel wrote a very touching story of William Cumming.  

William Cumming is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 

Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in several languages for his many fans from all  over the world. 

You'll be able to find all these very interesting info in Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter August.

William Cumming's outstanding artwork, letters and documents are included in the Betty MacDonald Fan Club Memorial Collection in Switzerland and Scandinavia.

William Cumming died of congestive heart failure on the morning of November 22, 2010. He was 93 years old.

Take care,

Bengt 


Vita Magica 


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 



William
William 'Bill' Cumming, celebrity in the local art scene and longest-standing member of 'The Northwest School' died Nov. 22, 2010 at age 93.
— image credit: Courtesy of Annette Bauman

Monday, July 20, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Wolfgang Hampel's new project Vita Magica

Betty MacDonald in the living room at Vashon on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

we are really very happy and grateful that Betty MacDonald fan club letter collection got a very important donation regarding Ms. Dorita Hess.

As a devoted Betty MacDonald fan I'd like to know the real Dorita Hess story. 

Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter includes many exciting info.

Betty MacDonald and  Mary Bard Jensen letter contest is a great idea.

I'll take part with a letter by Betty MacDonald's sister Mary Bard Jensen.

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel and Betty MacDonald fan club research team are going to include all these new details and info in updated Betty MacDonald biography.

More info in Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter August.

New Betty MacDonald documentary will be very interesting with many interviews never published before.

I miss Bettty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli very much.

If there is a special Mr.Tigerli event I'll be there.

Don' t miss Wolfgang Hampel's new project ' Vita Magica ',  please. 

Have a very nice Monday,

Greta & Heidi




Vita Magica 

Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Vita Magica



Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

we are so sad that Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund  and her daughter are very seriously ill.

We hope very much that Linde and her daughter will recover very soon.

All our love to Linde, her daughter and her family. 

Betty MacDonald fan club conference in Seattle would be a great idea.


I hope Mt. Rainier isn't as shy as Betty MacDonald described in her book 'Onions in the Stew'.

After reading Daniel Mount's very interesting article of Betty MacDonald's beautiful garden I'd like to join Betty MacDonald fan club garden research team. 

We are going to introduce new Betty MacDonald fan club research teams.

Sören and his Betty MacDonald fan club members are doing research on Betty MacDonald and  the movie The Egg and I .
 
If you are interested in joning Sören's  group send us a mail please.

You'll have lots of fun and you'll meet Betty MacDonald fan club members from all over the world.

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel is going to introduce his new Betty MacDonald fan club projects in Betty MacDonald fan club newsletter July.

Don' t miss Wolfgang Hampel's new project ' Vita Magica ',  please. 

Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli will be back according to Betty MacDonald fan club honor member, artist and author Letizia Mancino. 


Have a very nice Sunday,


Marcel 



Vita Magica


Betty MacDonald fan club 
 

Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD 

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund 

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund

Bildergebnis für betty macdonald fan club













Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund and her daughter are seriously ill.
We wish both a million times good health.

Betty MacDonald fan club research team is working on a new Betty MacDonald exhibit.
If you are interested in joining this Betty MacDonald fan club project you are welcome.
 
Several Betty MacDonald fan club fans shared very interesting details and info regarding Betty MacDonald's fascinating experiences in Hollywood.

 

Thanks a million!

We are going to publish some new Betty MacDonald fan club interviews  by Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel who is working on an updated Betty MacDonald biography.


Good luck dear Wolfgang Hampel!

Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli is a great guy even if he is a bit strange.
My British friends would say he's a bit eccentric but that's like Onions in the Stew, don't you think. 


Do I agree with Betty MacDonald's description of women and men? Oh yes I do!
 

Betty MacDonald was such a very intelligent lady and she knew very well what she was writing about. 

If we believe that Mr. Tigerli acts a bit strange what can we say of the behaviour of some men? 


Betty wrote the truth! By the way I don't hate men! I love them - some of them - especially mine! 


My family and friends adore Traci Tyne Hilton's books very much.

We are very happy that she is our new Betty MacDonald fan club honor member.


Betty MacDonald fan club fans from all over the world like Linde Lund's interview with Traci Tyne Hilton very much. 


Have a great Saturday,

 

Astrid

Betty MacDonald fan club


Betty MacDonald forum 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD



Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund interviewed author Traci Tyne Hilton who is a huge Betty MacDonald fan.

Many greetings to Traci Tyne Hilton and Betty MacDonald fan club fans around the world.

Lena


Betty MacDonald fan  club interview with author Traci Tyne Hilton
       



            Copyright 2014 by Traci Tyne Hilton & Linde Lund
                                              

                                             All rights reserved




I can find several interviews with you. Which two ones do you prefer?



Here are two recent interviews. The second one is a "character interview" with the characters from my newest book, which is kind of fun.









Which book by Betty MacDonald did you read first?


My mom gave me her copy of The Egg and I when I was about 11. It was my first taste of Betty Macdonald, but I was definitely hooked! I read it at least once a year until I was in my twenties and finally got around to finding the rest of her work at my library...and then collecting reprints.


What do you like most in Betty MacDonald's books?


I love her over the top humor paired with her brutally honest representation of life. 



Is there anything you dislike in Betty MacDonald's books?


One could call her portrayal of the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest in the Egg and I racist, but she was a woman of her time, and the things she writes about, such as alcoholism, are not untrue. They are just reported with that brutal honesty that she also uses for her white neighbors--no one is safe from her sharp pen. So, it makes me a little uncomfortable to read, but at the same time, I think it is real (from her perspective at least, and her perspective is valid,) and I don't dislike it, if that makes sense.


Did you ever read Betty MacDonald's books for children for example The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series and  Nancy and Plum?


Oh yes! I wish I had had them as kids, but I have been reading them to my kids which is even better! My sister in law bought me Nancy and Plum several years back, and I love it. I don't know why it's not a classic on par with the Secret Garden or the Little Princess! But...even better than Nancy and Plum are the Piggle Wiggle books. They crack my kids up, and were the first chapter books that my girls really devoured. They crack me up, too!


What is your favourite book by Betty MacDonald?


It is still The Egg and I. It's a book that formed so much of my opinion on fiction and held such an important part of my growing up--I don't think anything could beat it. My husband and I call snobby activities "The Theatah and the Dahnce" and I've been known to say "I itch, so I scratch, so what?" 


Did Betty MacDonald influence you as author?


Absolutely. Though I write mysteries I want them to be funny, and I hold Betty MacDonald's work up as a standard for humor.


What do you think is the reason Betty MacDonald is beloved all over the world?



Betty's work gives us a glimpse into a world that we would have never known without her. Both life in the Olympic Mountains and on Vashon are so different from regular town and city life. I think readers love to escape, and the more remote the location, the more different the people we get to meet, the more we love the work! Betty's books help us all escape to a time that is getting farther and farther away, and a place that doesn't even exist anymore, but even when it did, it was unexpected, hilarious, and stunningly beautiful.



Dearest Traci I hope I don't bore with so many questions.


I wasn't a bit bored! Betty MacDonald is definitely my favorite author and I loved having a chance to talk about her work and why I love it so much!


As I already mentioned there are several Betty MacDonald fan club fans who enjoy your books very much.


That people who love Betty MacDonald also like my books is almost unbelievable to me, and really is a dream come true, as an author. When I was a young girl, curled up with her work, escaping to that remote egg farm, I never dreamed that someday people who loved her, would also enjoy what I had to say.



Dearest Traci thanks a million for this wonderful interview.
Lots of love to you and your family.

Lots of love to you, as well! Thank you.



Traci