Pannonica ("Nica") de Koenigswarter

Nica the cat, named after the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.

Pannonica ("Nica") de Koenigswarter, also known as the jazz baroness, was a friend and patron to jazz musicians of the bebop era (beginning in the early to mid 1940s). She was especially close to Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker.

She also loved cats and had about 30 in her house in New York. 

Pannonica de Koenig

10 December 1913 - 30 November 1988

Accidental Hipster

My Dad possessed many admirable traits and talents but one of the least acknowledged was his sense of style. What I find interesting is that his sense of style was firmly rooted in an absolute and total disinterest in it. Therein lies the secret of his genius. Consider the examples below. The first outfit nonchalantly throws together, in perfect harmony, a faux fur vest over a half zip sweatshirt and a Korean War veterans baseball cap. Notice how relaxed and downright elegant he looks. The very definition of panache!

 

Next we have an Easter outfit, perfect for a photo op with the Easter bunny. Again, notice the ease at which he combines a camouflage rain hat with a quilted plaid hoodie. It takes confidence to pull off this outfit and Dad had fashion confidence galore. He did much of his best shopping at his favorite store, Ocean State Job Lot. His complete lack of pretense contributed to the overall appeal of his fashion statements.  I know he would be proud to be recognized as a hipster fashion icon.

The Song of Wandering Aengus

William Butler Yeats

13 June 1865 - 28 January 1939

W. B. Yeats was a poet, dramatist and writer born in County Dublin, Ireland, and at the forefront of the Irish Literary Revival. He was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Though he had ties and lived some years in England, he identified as Irish and, in fact, held fiercely nationalistic views. His earlier work reflects his fascination with the occult and the cyclical nature of life. His later work became more concerned with the affairs of society and politics. Shocking to the Burmese Mermaid, he believed that authoritarian rule, not democracy, best served society. He abhorred political liberalism and saw democracy as a threat to order. His revolutionary political leanings led him to serve as Senator of the Irish Free State. In his later years he traveled to India and translated parts of the Upanishads, an indication that spiritual matters remained a constant in his life and work.  

The Song of Wandering Aengus

I went out to the hazel wood                                     

Because a fire was burning in my head,

And cut and peeled a hazel wand,

And hooked a berry to a thread;

And when white moths were on the wing,

And moth-like stars were flickering out,

I dropped the berry in a stream

And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor

I went to blow the fire aflame,

But something rustled on the floor,

And some one called me by my name:

It had become a glimmering girl

With apple blossom in her hair

Who called me by my name and ran

And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering

Through hollow lands and hilly lands,

I will find out where she has gone,

And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among long dappled grass,

And pluck till time and times are done

The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun. 

                           The Silver Apples of the Moon

                       by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh

           Painting inspired by The Song of Wandering Aengus