In Cleopatra: A Life, Stacy Schiff digs into the history books to share with us who the true Cleopatra was. As a member of From Left to Write book club, I received a copy of this book for review. You can read other members posts inspired by Cleopatra: A Life on book club day, September 27 at From Left to Write.I must admit I've not finished this book yet but I'm enjoying it very much. As a member of the book club, From Left to Write I'm not doing a review of the book but writing a post inspired by the book itself.
When I first saw the book's cover immediately what came to mind was my mother's pearls and the fun I had as a little girl using them to play dress up.
Growing up we always lived in a home provided by what ever ranch my dad happened to be working for as he was a ranch foreman. Because of that we usually always lived more than 8 miles from the closest town or city. Once we were 30 miles away! That was a long way in those days, now I commute that far just to get to work every day.
We also didn't have cable and the shows we did get on TV were not interesting enough to keep me and my sister and brothers busy, therefore the job of keeping us entertained and out of trouble fell to my mother who was a stay at home mom. Luckily for us she had a wonderful imagination!
I can remember her dressing us up in her many scarfs, tying them around our waists and pinning them on our heads with bobby pins. I remember that when she dressed us up in that particular outfit I always called myself Cleopatra. How I knew who Cleopatra was I really don't know, but I did. I would pin my mother's pearls like a crown around my head and do the dance of the seven veils. Well I did a dance, how much it looked like the dance of the seven veils I don't know.
My mom would use her eyebrow pencil and paint cat's eyes on me, something like this. . .
And I would always beg for a beauty mark, like this. . .
My sister usually just wanted to wear her scarfs as a cape like Superman (not Supergirl, she always wanted to be Superman) and she would play with the boys and I would be lost in my own little world of dancing and palaces, walking a tiger as a playmate as I imagined Cleopatra would.
"The key to life is imagination. If you don't have that, no matter what you have, it's meaningless. If you do have imagination...you can make a feast of straw" ~ Jane Stanton Hitchcock
What a great memory of your mother and sister! It sounded like you all had a lot of fun the old fashioned way-with your imagination!
ReplyDeleteI'm in total agreement with your assessment of imagination. You can travel the world and never leave your own back yard, if you have imagination! Great post.
ReplyDeleteNice childhood memories. This reminds me of one of your other posts where you talked about playing jacks, jumping rope, and putting ears into Mr Potato Head's nose port. Childhoods seemed richer in imagination, free time, and genuine play when we grew up than they do now with play dates, organized everything, and video games. What strikes me about this post is that your mother played with you rather than administered the prescribed activities to make your entrance to Stanford a greater possibility. Parents today need to realize that their children are children, little citizens of childhood, who need childhoods with unorganized play, a little crime, a lot of imagination, a bit of danger, and time to themselves. Kids should not be little cogs in a meritocracy of adult invention that force feeds every imaginable activity, lesson, enrichment experience, and advanced class for the all important acceptance at some lofty university and a career trajectory with the goal of being CEO by the age of 35. When the hell do these kids get an opportunity to be kids? Great post.
ReplyDeleteKim - I was blessed with a wonderful childhood filled with beautiful memories. My mom was and is one of a kind filled with imagination and patience for all of us.
ReplyDeleteBrenda Bartella Peterson - In those days we had no choice. No TV, no video games, no computers. We had books but even those were few & far between, so imagination is all we had left and we made the most of it.
ReplyDeleteSextant - I know that I've read in some of your other posts the same message of parents being too busy organizing and planning their childrens lives to such a point that they don't even allow their child to be a kid. I agree so much with your viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteMany people are growing children, much as you would a prized plant, not raising them and allowing them to bloom and become whatever type of beautiful flower nature has intended them to be.
My mother was a wonderful playmate and to this day is my best friend. She took us fishing in the canal banks on the ranches where we lived. She rode bikes with us and played jacks. She was a one of us as well as being our mother.
But she was strict with us and we knew when she meant business. She wasn't scared to scar our fragile little psyche for life, she knew she had to be tough with us for our own good. She and my dad grew good, decent, hardworking, intelligent human beings. We were and are lucky to still have both of them with us.
Love this post and made me think about my chilhood too. I loved to get into my moms jewelry box and put on her high heels.
ReplyDeleteMemory and imagination are main keys to our sanity and well-being.
ReplyDeleteIt seems you've got them both since childhood: good memory and rich imagination.
In one of the movies of Cleopatra, there is a pet cheetah hanging around for part of it.
ReplyDeleteAngie - Moms just keep creating memories. Someday Sam will remember playing with your makeup and clothes and shoes.
ReplyDeleteDUTA - It's funny that I can remember so many things from my childhood but sometimes I can't remember what I did yesterday! But I guess in reality I do have a pretty good memory.
ReplyDeleteJoy Weese Moll - Hmmmm, maybe I got a glimpse of that in a movie in my childhood and just didn't remember it? Because definitely I do remember some kind of cat being led on a leash in a palace.
ReplyDeleteYour mom was awesome. Maybe now I have a girl we will do dress up. When my boys play pretend they are always aliens fighting or shooting something.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that through this book you will be able to learn about the Queen of your imagination. Hopefully the little girl in you will not be disappointed!
ReplyDeleteFun post! It's not hard to see why the glamour of Cleopatra is far more appealing (IMHO) than, say, Barbie. I WISH my little girl would take her dress up cues from interesting historical figures but, alas, Disney ate my daughter.
ReplyDeletewhat a great story. I wonder what memories my daughter will hold onto - will she remember watching me put on my make up and begging for a little lipstick or wearing her superhero costumes. hopefully both!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great memory! I used to get to play with my grandma's jewelry box. I can still remember the certain smell it had, like her perfume.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I was actually inspired to write about dressing up for a book club post a month or so ago. It's such a fabulous way for kids to exercise their imaginations!
ReplyDeleteEunice - Enjoy your little girl, they can be so much fun! I'm sure she will have lots of memories of the things you two do together.
ReplyDeleteEmily Cullen - Well as I said I haven't finished it yet, but I am enjoying what I have learned about Cleo so far. What an amazing woman!
ReplyDeleteP - I love that line, Disney ate my daughter. It's true of many daughters. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment I appreciate it.
ReplyDeletemilfalert - I'm sure she will remember watching you apply makeup. I remember my mother always applying eyebrow pencil to her brows. It seemed amazing to me she could draw them that perfectly. I still can't do them the way she did...lol.
ReplyDeleteAmy from Operation: Mommy - By the time I was old enough to remember my grandmother she was in the advanced stages of dementia and was unfortunately a little scary to a little girl. I'm glad you have such wonderful memories of your grandmother.
ReplyDeleteTiffany @ Lattes And Life - I wish we could still dress up. Well I guess I can since Halloween is coming up, but it's just not the same. I need to throw a costume party with a theme!
ReplyDeleteI thought the book cover was inspired. With no drawings or paintings of Cleopatra, only the coin to go by and Schiff's book dealing with digging through all the falshoods to find the real woman it was so appropriate to only get a portion of her on the cover.
ReplyDeleteYou have such nice memories to treasure! Thanks for sharing with us! :>
I love this! So interesting to see everyone's take on Cleopatra. I too have no idea how I knew who she was as a youngster (I never saw the movie with Liz Taylor playing the role) but I always was fascinated by her "aura" that seemed to surround her. This book definitely opened my eyes. So great to see all these creative posts! BTW - where did you grow up? I live in TX now, lots of children grow up here like you describe in this post... :)
ReplyDeleteI read this book last year and liked it very much. I just started following your book club on facebook. I really need a book club! I was in one and it dissolved over time and I miss it. I read voraciously.
ReplyDeleteRebecca - I'm enjoying it so much. It's forced me to turn the TV off more that's for sure since I have to get the reading done! I too read a lot and it's nice to be able to share your thoughts with others and read theirs as well. It's amazing how everyone gets a different insight or comes up with different inspirational stories from the same book! I'm loving it!
ReplyDeleteAlicia, I love your writing so much. Your stories and memories are so joyful and the way you describe them makes it seem like I am there with you. I think you could get some of your writings published in magazines. I also really like you a lot and I think you and I would really click if we were to meet. At least I hope we would.
ReplyDeleteYour mom sounds like she made your childhood very joyful.