That Funny Feeling and Easter Parade

While the TV is overloaded with reruns and sports I don't like, I'm making use of the movie channels and DVR to catch up on classic movies.  Search your TV Guide, NetFlix or neighborhood Blockbuster and . . . 

Easter Parade:  (1942) Fred Astaire loses one dance partner/girlfriend (Ann Miller) but gets a new one (Judy Garland) in this delightful 1948 MGM Irving Berlin musical comedy directed by Charles Walters. 

Fred Astaire had announced his retirement before the cameras begn to roll on Easter Parade, but he decided to ccept the film's leading role when its original star, Gene Kelly, broke his ankle.

The highlight of the movie are the seventeen musical numbers, all written by Irving Berlin.  Ten were standards, seven new to this film.  Among the highlights are Astaire's slow-motion version of "Steppin' Out", the Astaire/Garland duet "We're a Couple of Swells", and the closing performance of the title number.

Plot is not necessary in a Fred Astaire movie - just watching him dance is draw enough - but this one actually had a cute story.  Fred's in love with Ann Miller, who's got a crush on Peter Lawford, who's got a crush on Judy Garland, who (of course) falls for Fred.  And through it all they sing and dance to songs by Irving Berlin and wear fabulous clothes. Hit!

That Funny Feeling: (1965) Aspiring actress Joan Howell, makes a living as a maid.  When Tom Milford, a New York City publishing company executive. asks her out she invites him to her apartment but, ashamed of her one-room residence, she borrows the apartment of one of her employers whom she has never seen. Tom (who is the employer) goes along with the ruse.

No music in this one except Bobby Darin singing the title song, which he also wrote, but it was also a romantic "comedy of errors".  

The best part - at least in my opinion - was the supporting cast. Donald O'Connor, if course, is wonderful no matter what part he plays.  The rest of the cast was a lineup of familiar faces with resumes that read like the history of television.  Included are Larry Storch (most famous for F Troop), Arte Johnson (Laugh-In), Don Haggerty (Bonanza, Rawhide), Larry J. Blake (The Virginian, Adam-12)...the list just goes on.  If you have time, look them up on IMDB.com  - it's fascinating how prolific their careers are/were.  

One of my favorite scenes involved four ladies gossiping around a phone booth:  Reta Shaw (Housekeeper in Mary Poppins, Aunt Hagatha on Bewitched), Nora Marlowe (Flossie on The Waltons), Kathleen Freeman (Sister Mary Stigmata from The Blues Brothers) and Minerva Urecal.

I didn't know much about either Sandra Dee or Bobby Darrin, including the fact that they were married.  Actually, I knew nothing beyond "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" from Grease, and Bobby's songs Splish, Splash and Mack, the Knife.  They are both adorable.  Wish they had done more together.

Happy 4th of July

Wishing you a celebration among the people you love;

a heart of thankfulness for those who fought for our freedom

and those who defend it still;

the blessings of living in One Nation, Under God;

and a spirit of gratitude for the One on whom it's founded.

May He continue to Shed His Grace on us!

Mark One Off the List . . .

For Dave, water-skiing a slalom course was one of those "someday" things.  He's been skiing since he was fourteen - for those of you keeping track, that's 38 years - but he had never been on an actual slalom course . . . until Saturday.  As part of the Cornhusker State Games, Dave will be competing in the 50-and-over slalom event on July 21st, but he thought it might be helpful to at least see a course before then, so we went to a private ski lake north of Omaha where the competition will be held.  The lake is owned, in part, by Bud and Janet Pearcy - two of the nicest people you could find - and they devoted part of their day (not to mention their lake and their boat) to teaching Dave the basics of competition skiing.   

From where I was sitting on the dock, I couldn't get any closeup videos/pictures of him actually making the turns, but I did get this nice shot of him waving to the camera as he made the turn for another run.

 Dave learned to ski from Dr. Carl Plowman (the doctor who delivered me, by the way).  Doc closed his office on Wednesday afternoons and spent every summer Wednesday and Saturday at the lake, weather permitting.  He would select a jr. high or high school student to take along, teach them to ski, and also teach them to drive his boat so he could ski.  When that student graduated, he found a new trainee.  Doc skied to the age of 85, when his cardiologist told him he had to stop.  My guess is that Dave will be skiing to that age and beyond, regardless of what doctors say.  

Our boat with Mitch driving - circa 1997

James Bond in Live and Let Die

We own a classic 1977 Glastron GT-150 (the same type of boat James Bond used to make the famous jump in Live and Let Die.)  It sat in storage for a few years when we lived in Southwest Kansas where they have no water, but it's back out, polished up, and making weekly trips to the lake.  This means we've been seeing more of Amanda lately, as she lives close enough to run up for an afternoon of skiing.  Here's a couple shots she took of Dave last time she was up.  

You'll notice I'm conspicuously absent from these pictures.  As Queen of the Prissy Girls, I don't care for dirt, heat, sweat, bugs or much of anything else associated with trips to the lake.  I have driven the boat before and I spent a lot of time riding in Doc's boat just to be near Dave.  (Hint to the single ladies: Don't pretend to like everything a man likes just to get his attention.  He'll expect you to like it forever.)  But it's a long way from my favorite thing, so I'm always happy when the kids or friends want to go with him and I get to stay in the AC.

One of our retirement dreams is a house on a lake - where we can make a quick ski run in the cool hours of morning/evening without the hassle of loading up and driving.  Then we can spend the rest of the time fishing or just enjoying the beauty of the water and wildlife.  For now, that will have to remain on the Bucket List, but on July 21st, Dave will get to check off another entry.

Odds and Ends

Changes to blog:  For quite a while I've been feeling that I need to make a few changes on the blog for three reasons:

1.  I signed up with a couple of promoters to be part of virtual book tours.  I have tried to be selective about the books I chose to review, but sometimes I can't tell from a short blurb if it's something I'll be interested in.  I have ended up reading some books I did not enjoy - that I had to force myself to finish because I accepted a free copy.   I have received two self-published books that were so poorly written that I had to back out of reviewing them.   I could not give an honest review that said anything positive, yet couldn't publish something hurtful to the authors.  

2.  Since I began working at the library in 2005, I began feeling increasing pressure (self-imposed) to be up on the new trends, authors, etc.  so that I could make recommendations to patrons.  With the addition of the blog in 2009, the pressure increased (again self-imposed) to keep up with the other bloggers - read faster, read pre-release, read more "literary".  

3.  Over the 2 1/2 years of blogging I have occasionally, and with increased frequency, written about our family, our life, the comical - and sometimes the serious - happenings.  Those are the posts that get the most comments and hits.  I also find that when I'm reading other blogs I am a lot more likely to skim book reviews, but read posts that have to do with life.  

In light of these three factors, I am shifting focus.  Reading has been my favorite activity since I learned how, so of course books will continue to be part of the blog since they are a part of my life.  But no more book tours or reviews on request.  I love read-a-thons and other book-related events, so I'll still be joining them - but no challenges or other things that dictate what/how I read.

I wrote a post once before about how I felt I was losing the joy of reading - replacing it with the responsibility of reading.  I tried at that time to make some changes, but evidently not enough.  I want reading to be fun again.  I want it to be something I do because I can't think of anything I would rather do - like I used to feel.  I also don't want the guilt that comes when other responsibilities keep me from reading at the necessary pace.  So there will be fewer book reviews here - only when I'm excited about a book and really want to share.  And there will be more content about life.  Hope you'll hang around to get to know us better.

Book Buying Ban:  After just saying that I would not be joining any more challenges, I am accepting one - but not the usual type.  Instead, I'm joining Rikki at Rikki's Teleidoscope in instituting a temporary book buying ban.  The stack of unread books on my dresser and bookshelf is just plain silly - and most of them are books I purchased because I really want to read them.  Rikki threw out the challenge to refrain from any new book purchases until I have read twenty from my own shelves.  I gave myself an exclusion for a couple books that were already pre-ordered, and of course library books don't count as purchases, but they also don't count towards to goal of twenty books.  So far I've read four.

Movies:  I'm having so much fun watching old movies this summer, that I've added a few more to the original ten.
I've added:

• Mary, Mary - starring Debbie Reynolds
• The Three Musketeers - starring Gene Kelly and Lana Turner
• Dream Wife - starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr
• Going My Way - with Bing Crosby
• On the Town - starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra
• Christmas in July - Dick Powell and Ellen Drew
• Send Me No Flowers - Rock Hudson, Doris Day 

The Birdhouse by Kelly Simmons

When Ann's granddaughter Ellie, asks for her help on a school project on family history, Ann thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to spend time with her. But as they work together uncovering the past, questions about Ann's early life begin to emerge. What did happen to Ann's first child? Was her life with Theo quite as idyllic as it seemed from the outside? And what happened to cause her mother and father's acrimonious split, can she really trust her mother's version of events? And as secrets from the past seem in danger of being exposed, new secrets emerge about Ann's son and daughter-in-law, secrets which threaten to tear the whole family apart. As events unfold in the present day and we learn what happened during a summer thirty years ago, Simmons depicts the unravelling of a family in this gripping psychological thriller.

Love, love, love this book!  That's my highest rating. :)  There are actually two stories within this book - the present, when Ann is trying to connect with her granddaughter and battling signs of dementia; and the past, with it's secrets.  As the reader is enjoying the present story, bits of the past surface slowly enough to create intrigue and tension, but frequently enough to avoid frustration.  Ms. Simmons is a master of pacing.

Frequent visitors know that Alzheimer's disease is an issue our family is dealing with and one I find, perhaps ghoulishly, fascinating - especially the early stages.  The book is written from Ann's point of view, so when her moments of confusion or memory loss are revealed, we experience the agitation and disorientation with her - never quite sure if her recall is accurate.  Is she experiencing the beginnings of dementia or is she being "gaslighted" by her family?

Through the two stories and time frames, we see Ann - and she sees herself - as almost two separate people.  That sense of disconnection, combined with the memory questions, makes an absorbing story.  I can't wait to read more from Ms. Simmons.

"Zenitizing" Life

I've never been a fan of noise or speed.  Oh, yes, I have my moments when I crank the car radio and just enjoy driving down an empty highway, but the older I get, the more pronounced my aversion to noise and rushing.  In Dave's car, as in most newer vehicles, the radio remains on after the key is switched off.  I hate that!  When the car is no longer running, the radio volume is jarring, and I like that little moment of quiet - just for a second or two - before I open the door.

I seem to be looking for more of those moments - a more "zen" lifestyle.  A little over a year ago, Dave and I moved to Green Acres - a two-acre patch of ground away from town, with a 2-bedroom house.  We chose the place mostly for availability and price, but the move has had some added benefits.  Moving to a smaller house, and one without children at home, necessitated major downsizing of possessions. (More on that topic in a future post.)  The new location has offered unexpected opportunities to "zenitize" our life.

I recently discovered a website called ZenHabits and I'm working my way through years of information on how to declutter not only your house, but your time, your body and your mind.  One article gave the following list called "A Brief Guide to Life" and I decided to rate myself against it and see how I'm doing and where I could improve.


less TV, more reading - DVR is the best invention for helping to break the couch potato habit.  I deliberately choose almost everything I watch and record it so I can watch when it's convenient (and FF past commercials).  Cuts down on mindless clicking and wasting time on shows I really don't care about.  We're getting more mindful of our viewing choices and comfortable without the TV as constant background noise.

less shopping, more outdoors - I'm trying to avoid "recreational shopping", which means don't go into a store unless you specifically need something.  Browsing is the No. 1 cause of all that clutter.  I've also never been big on the outdoors.  Green Acres has changed that - to an extent.  I love spending time in the garden, or just sitting outside to read without hearing multiple a.c. units, lawn mowers, traffic etc.  I can actually hear and identify the birds.  Peaceful evenings with a fire are amazing!

less clutter, more space - We've made a good start, but we need to make further cuts in the "stuff" we own.

less rush, more slowness - Busy-ness has become a status symbol. As a mother, if you don't have every minute of your kids' lives, and consequently your own, booked to overflowing with classes, sports, clubs, or scheduled activities at home, you are considered negligent. With our kids grown, I no longer face that standard.  Moving cut out my social and church obligations and I'm being very selective about replacing them.

less consuming, more creating - Fail! I need to look for areas where I could be making this trade-off.  

less junk, more real food - Nutrisystem and my weight loss journey have made this a necessity.  And raising our own garden has added to the pleasure of eating fresh food.  I have a different attitude about the junk that used to comprise my diet.

less busywork, more impact - This one requires more thought. What constitutes "busywork"?

less driving, more walking - Living twelve miles from town doesn't make walking to work or on errands practical, but I've been logging miles and miles on the treadmill.  I could make more effort to park and walk to all errands within an area.

less noise, more solitude - Noise isn't limited to the TV and car radio.  There is the "noise" of technology.  I can easily occupy hours with blogging, Twitter, Words With Friends, Pinterest, and a dozen other electronic activities - usually all at once.  I need to do better at unplugging and focusing on reading, prayer, face-to-face time with Dave (and kids when they're around).  There is also the "noise" of pointless drama.  I hoped that we had waved goodbye to that noise with the last high school graduation, but it continues on.    So many people are determined to make life strident. We recently attended a "nut fry" (if you don't know what that is, it involves frying the personal parts of a former bull) and spent the evening playing cards and visiting.  But the arguments, cursing, and general "drama" over who was wearing what or going where and who with spoiled the evening.  Solitude doesn't have to mean loneliness, but I seriously need some friends my own age who are beyond the racket of all that.

less focus on the future, more on the present - Guilty!  I spend too much time on the future - both fretting and anticipating.  Need greater focus on the joys of here and now.

less work, more play -  For me, the key is in standards and focus.  I like a neat house, and decluttering makes that easier, but I would rather have a little dust and more time for pleasurable pursuits.  However, I need to be better at setting a block of time to focus on chores so I can focus on play when they're done.  Trying to do chores between chapters or during commercials keeps from focusing on either.  Multi-tasking is the hottest trend, but not always a good thing.

less worry, more smiles. - Progress on all of the above would make this one easier.


How do you "zenitize" your life?

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary . . .

. . . how does your garden grow?  Very well, thank you!  This is our second year of gardening and much more successful than last summer.  And it's a little silly how excited we are about it.  We walk out to the garden every evening after work to gaze on our hard work (mostly Dave's hard work - but, hey, I drew out the diagram and decided what to plant in each row) and see how much it's grown.  We had some issues with Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter helping themselves.  They ate our entire pea crop, but we didn't care enough to replant.  But when they started on the green beans, something had to give.  After the addition of a 2 ft. fence, the rabbit children are safe from Mr. McGregor, and we're enjoying fresh beans for supper every night.  
We also have tomatoes:

Black Cherry and Cherokee Purple tomatoes

Great White, Roma and Peach tomatoes

and watermelon

and canteloupe

and because Dave grew up in Texas and Oklahoma, we have Okra.  Not only did I never eat okra growing up, I had no clue how okra grew.  So for those of you from non-okra families, this is an okra plant and those little spiky things you can barely see in the center of the leaves will eventually be the okra that you eat.  That is, if you have a clue how to cook okra, which you probably won't if you never ate it growing up.  So we're all in for some fun.  

 

We also have lettuce, spinach, yellow squash, zuchini and some puny peppers that may or may not ever produce.  How is your garden growing?