Peter and Puff

Happy Birthday Peter Yarrow... 

the man who wrote a little diddly called Puff the Magic Dragon...

Puff was dad's theme song... 

he sang it everywhere he went... all the time... in front of crowds... 

or privately at the bedside of a little boy with leukemia...

Peter, Paul and Mary came on the show in 1964, honoring him with a GOLD RECORD

for helping PUFF rise to #1 on the charts! 

To this day I can't hear it without my heart swelling with pride, and my eyes filling with tears.  

I don't want to hear the controversy about the meaning of the words.  

It is simply a sweet song about growing up...

After daddy died, a book with beautiful illustrations was released

This is the first time this song has been put into book form...

Everyone has their own vision of "Puff"... I was worried that it would ruin it for me...
but I think it is perfect...

But the best part is the ending... Little Jackie Paper is all grown up...
and it is now his daughter's turn to frolic in the autumn mist...
in a land called Honalee

I found an autographed copy (by Peter)

at Powell's of course!

a fitting gift for my baby brother,
don't you think?

I know a lot of times I write about my father and his show Addie Bobkins

but that was a HUGE part of my childhood...
and in finding my OWN path, I have to maneuver around the Addie Playground a bit...
plus... it just brings me great joy!