Happy birthday, Mr. Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, English poet, playwright, actor that most regard as the pre-eminent writer of the English language, widely known as the “Bard of Avon,” was born in April of 1564. Little did the tiny English village of Stratford-upon-Avon know history was being made with the stork's visit that balmy spring day.

Don and I took our children Tat and Will to Europe when they were quite small. One of our little side trips, and a favorite I might add, was to England. We of course made a beeline for Stratford-upon-Avon to visit the birthplace of Shakespeare since we had heard and learned about his quotes and plays most of our school years.

Our son Will’s name was certainly another reason. We took lots of pictures of Tat and Will standing in front of Shakespeare’s house, which was and still is charming. There weren't many tourists around, so we got to look all around the yard. Unfortunately our camera was stolen so now we only have that memory of a wonderful day.

Shakespeare lived more than 400 years ago, so many records of his life have been lost or were never written down. Many tales have been told about him and quite a few are probably made up. Hee remains a very mysterious figure. There was , at that time, a class system in England and heaven help you if you were not born into a family of nobility or significant wealth. The Bard’s family never had much money and was quite often in debt, so Shakespeare could not attend university. In spite of all of that, we are left with a wonderful legacy of 38 plays, 154 sonnets and several narrative poems.

If you went to school in America - and in many other countries - you heard and learned about Shakespeare incessantly. Not that there is anything amiss with that. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

I was listening to public radio recently and lo and behold there was a program on about Shakespeare. For an hour I listened to a learned professor droning on and on about the Bard’s life and how it was an impossibility he could have written such wonderful works all by himself. All I know is that his name lives on and no other is attached to his.

Here are some favorites:

“To be or not to be: that is the question.” Hamlet

“How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.” King Lear

“If music be the food of love, play on.” Twelfth Night

“All that glitters is not gold.” The Merchant of Venice

“Lord , what fools these mortals be!” A Midsummer's Night Dream

“A horse! a horse ! my kingdom for a horse!”Richard III

“What light through yonder window breaks.” Romeo and Juliet

I rest my case.

The power of pockets

I was thinking about cargo pants the other day. I love all the pockets, and was wondering what brilliant mind came up with them.

The British Armed Forces did in 1938. During World War II, they were introduced to the United States. The large pockets with snaps were designed by the British to hold bandages and maps, and other items needed in battle. The United States copied the style for paratrooper uniforms to allow more room for K-rations and extra ammunition.

Now you know.

Georgia visitors

The Moon Family from Georgia recently visited Bluffton. They told me they live on Hoot Owl Lane and have neighbors with the last name of Wolf. I don't know for sure but I bet there is a whole lot of “hooting and howling” going on.

Another Georgia couple, Yvonne and Robert Langford, came by and we started chatting. The Langfords own a printing business in Griffin. Their Georgia Business Center is a company that has customers all over the United States. They found a picture of my store on a South Carolina map they got at a welcome center so they wanted to see it in person. Mrs. Langford is a Paul Harris Fellow in the Griffin Rotary Club where she has been the secretary for over 20 years. They read The Bluffton Packet on the internet so I am sending them a shout out.

Honoring Pat Conroy

The City of Beaufort and The University of South Carolina Beaufort Center of the Arts invites you to the Pat Conroy public memorial at 5 p.m. May 14 . at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort.

Scheduled to appear are Pat Conroy's wife and fellow novelist Cassandra King and his friend, historian Walter Edgar, novelist Patti Callahan, teacher and writer Bernie Schein, and Bluffton poet and novelist Ellen Malphrus. There will be a performance by singer Marlena Smalls with a welcome by novelist John Warley.

This is an outdoor event so bring seating with you. The event is free.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Happy birthday, Mr. Shakespeare."