This one hurts.

My first view of Dolly Parton was on a TV commercial in the 1960s. She and Porter Wagoner were pitching Breeze detergent. Free towels – collect ’em all – especially the one that was huckleberry blue.

Living in New England, I’d never heard an accent like that before. It made me laugh. Huckleberry blue.

And just to prove that everything is available online, here’s Miss Dolly:

Much will be said in the coming days about Dolly Parton.

In addition to her incredible work as a singer, songwriter, and actor, I hope her philanthropy receives the attention it deserves.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has, to date, donated more than 332 million books to children in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Australia.

True to form, Dolly’s family asked for memorial contributions to be made to her Imagination Library in support of the books-for-children’s literacy project.

I think Mom would be pleased for me to add this poem here:

Summer Song

a crate of cherries

the rose twine offers open arms
along the fence

a firefly’s quick eye
in satellite
across the summer skylight

~ joan vayo ~ 24 June, 1997

Back in college, for a Singing Hoosiers‘ holiday concert, several of us got together to sing Hard Candy Christmas.

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord, it’s like a Hard Candy Christmas
I’m barely gettin’ through tomorrow
Still I won’t let sorrow bring me way down

Fly with the angels, Miss Dolly. We’ll see you in every butterfly, every coat of many colors, and every reading child.

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“Summer Song” ©1997 Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.
Guitar of Many Colors photo courtesy Lori Shaull

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