An email makes the rounds from time to time stating Julie Andrews took the stage on her sixtieth birthday and sang a parody of “My Favorite Things.” The revised lyrics have to do with aging. The ever delightful Ms. Andrews was on NPR this week and she says it never happened.

She loves the original lyrics too much to mess with them. I love them too, but if ever a song was ripe for parody, it is “My Favorite Things.” I adore raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens as much as the next sap, but what are some of your favorite things? Butter on popcorn and ice in my soda Snuggling up to watch Mary and Rhoda Old TV classics and great songs to sing These are a few of my favorite things

Black and white bedspread and lights that go twinkle A sparkling clean toilet when I need to tinkle Witty conversations, one-liners that zing These are a few of my favorite things

Rodgers and Hammerstein, old black typewriters Watching sad movies, pulling all-nighters Old dusty books, Victorian wedding rings These are a few of my favorite things

When the car dies When the bills scream When I’m feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don’t feel so bad

A shiny new lipstick and friends near and far A computer that’s fast and my tiny smartcar Folks that know how to pull a few strings These are a few of my favorite things

Passionate kisses and someone to trust A lightweight vacuum that picks up the dust Angels around us who don’t hide their wings These are a few of my favorite things

A view of the mountains surrounded by trees Being able to sleep in as late as I please The smell of the oven right before it dings These are a few of my favorite things

Thanksgiving is past and Christmas lights and decorations are everywhere. The November/December edition of Columns, from The Wisconsin Historical Society features a story I never heard before. During the 19th century, Chicago was one of the busiest shipping ports in the world. A Great Lakes ship carried nearly every commodity that passed through the bustling city, and Christmas trees were no exception. Each year several sailing ships ended their season by loading evergreens in northern Wisconsin or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and setting sail for Chicago, where they offloaded their trees to end their shipping season.

Many Christmas tree ships sold their cargo to wholesalers. Other captains turned their ships into floating tree lots along the Chicago River, welcoming customers aboard and taking great pride and pleasure in their business. One of these captains each November loaded a schooner with evergreens in Thompson, Michigan. He sailed to Chicago, moored his vessel to a downtown pier, hoisted a tree up the mast, strung electric lights, turning his ship into a large Christmas ornament. He gave away many of the trees to churches and the city’s poor, an act that earned him the nickname, “Captain Santa.”

In November 1912 the schooner, Rouse Simmons, never reached Chicago. Lost with all hands somewhere on the lake, location of the wreck remained a mystery for 59 years until a Milwaukee diver discovered the vessels remains in 165 feet of water 12 miles northeast of two Rivers. Additional questions provided the focus of a two-week archaeological survey by the Maritime Preservation and Archaeology Program in 2006, which led to a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

For the rest of the story, find a copy of the November/December Columns possibly at the library or they could advise you how to acquire a copy to read. Members of the Wisconsin Historical Society receive the Columns newsletter publication six times a year as part of the annual membership dues.