Kathryn's First Birthday

My granddaughter's first birthday was celebrated last week and here is a photo of her birthday cake! It is a parent-made cake -- even the butterflies!! Such creative kids I have.

As I said on September 13 -- it is never going to quit raining. And now...it is cold and raining. Blah, bleech, ugh, carry on.

It is never going to quit raining. My allergies are raging. My head hurts and all this damp is making all my joints hurt. Blah blah blah!!!!

The Madonnas of Leningrad

I just finished reading "The Madonnas of Leningrad" by Debra Dean, 2006, Harper. It is the story -- or stories -- of Marina Buriakov. The primary story is of her life in Leningrad during World War II where she worked as a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum. It portrays her life as the German's approach signals the beginning of the war and all that transpires thereafter. The subplot involves Marina as a grandmother attending her granddaughters wedding. Marina has alzheimers that is waging another sort of war in her life. Both stories are depicted in great, painful detail. The book is well written but, as I said, painful. You ache for the youth who is doing her best to survive in impossible times. You weep for the elderly lady who, after going through all she went through before, has to keep fighting. It is almost a relief when the book ends. It isn't a long book and it is a fairly easy read given that it goes back and forth between the past and present with each chapter. It is a sad book. I would recommend it because it is well written but be forewarned that it produced much emotion.

Mona Lisa Smile


After I went to the grocery store, did a couple of loads of laundry, did a load of dishes and dusted the house I decided to reward myself by watching a movie. I had already missed the President's message to students because I was running errands so I thought I would sit down and just enjoy something.

I chose to watch a movie that my daughter had loaned me -- one of her favorites -- probably because one of her goals is to teach college. So, I began "Mona Lisa Smile" with Julia Roberts. I remember wanting to see this when it came out but somehow missed it -- probably because it was something that AW wouldn't particularly enjoy although I don't know why. At any rate, it is the story of Kathryn Watson, an art history professor who, in 1954, relocates to Wellesley from California and finds her progressive self smack in the middle of mid-century tradition and mores. Her students challenge her from the beginning, shake her resolve and, by the end of the movie love her dearly. There are a couple of subplots -- Watson's own failed romantic life, and the lives of a couple of her students outside of school. Maggie Gyllenhall is the loose living girl, sleeping her way through her degree, Julia Stiles is the young woman who longs for Harvard Law School and Kirsten Dunst is the angry young woman who learns all too early what being a "good wife" means. It all ends well, very predictably, but it was a good movie. The scenery was gorgeous.

I found it to be a somewhat depressing movie, however. Being a child of the 50's I remember it as a more innocent time. It was, in my memory, quite idyllic. I do remember my mother saying that "in her day" all women could do, for the most part, was be nurses, teachers, or telephone operators, if they worked at all, each job having it's own "tag" so to speak. The desired position was, above all, housewife. It sounded different coming from her than it seemed in this movie. The constraints of the era were boldly displayed in this film and it made me feel sorry for the women who came before me.

Our Daughter's Birthday

Once upon a time AW and I had two little babies. The first was a little boy --- a red haired, blue eyed bundle of energy, affection and temper. Then, three and three quarters years later we had our second child -- a little girl with big eyes, curly blond hair and precocious nature. It was every parents dream -- they were gorgeous, intelligent children with creative minds and robust personalities. I couldn't have been more pleased.

When they were small they did pretty well at keeping the Monster Sibling Rivalry at bay. They had their moments like one Christmas when the Star Wars boxes were larger than the Cricket boxes and the fussing ensued and the tears flowed -- if not kept in check, Christmas can really result in major meltdowns. For the most part, however, he played the big brother role quite well in saving her life and keeping her from getting lost and making sure that she got something new when he went shopping with his grandmother.

When they became school aged kids there was more competition -- mostly centered around school. However, this usually leveled out with both acquiring their share of ribbons and awards. This was the time, however, when the sibling rivalry was the most prevalent. He was almost a teenager -- she was a little sister -- she was annoying and he had a temper. There were times with much flailing of arms and legs and shrieks and banishing to separate rooms. We bought a van with captains seats so they didn't have to sit next to each other. That was a smart move. Mom's hair was getting much greyer by this point.

Fast forward to young adulthood -- a metamorphosis of sorts. She had evolved from a gangley girl to a lovely young woman, dancing her way through high school, excelling in her studies and becoming a serious thinker. His temper was waning and he learned patience and independence as only one can by living on his own and learning about life through experience. They talked. She ran to him in times of distress. He included her in some of his activities -- like going to the coffee house on Cooper. She spent the night in his apartment. They were becoming friends. Mom and Dad gave sighs of relief -- their children were becoming friends.

Fast forward to yesterday. My daughter will turn thirty next week -- a big day for her being met with a bit of trepidation -- so, in order to ease the moment for her, her husband, AW and I are hosting a party for her. Unfortunately, her brother and his family have a scheduling conflict which won't allow them to attend. This saddened my daughter because, even though they still have their moments of picking at each other, her brother is very important to her. However, her brother and sister-in-law rose to the occasion and tackled the issue head on -- they threw her a party! It was a lovely party with a gorgeous, dark chocolate cake made by SIL, party hats and a banner made by sister-in-law and nephew -- the artist in residence. Brother chose a well thought out gift which was a rousing success. It was a wonderful party and I got the joy of sitting back and watching my adult children be what I always hoped they would be -- close to each other -- doing something for each other and caring about each other. I guess at the end of the day that is what all parents want above all. It seems to me that she wasn't the only one to get a gift.

The Neglected Blog

It has been noted on Facebook the last several days how some of the more serious bloggers have succumbed to the allure of Facebook --- you know, short snippits of conversation feeding the instant gratification frenzy. It is wonderful, I have to admit, but it seems to have resulted in gross neglect of our blogs. Now, I love reading blogs. I don't know what is so enticing about them but they are some of my favorite reading around. However, with the advent of Facebook it seems much more schedule friendly to pop in, say a quick hello or update your status, letting people know you are still alive but there is little in the way of substance, photos or creative writing. Although I am not a serious blogger, I have let my blog go in deference to FB, as well. I am, therefore, going to take a step back and examine my priorities and put my blogging/blog reading first. After all, it just takes a couple of minutes to post your status, right?

Weekend Movies

AW and I watched two movies over the weekend -- one on tv and one a Netflix offering. Both movies were very good although very different. It seems that we managed to reach a happy medium in our cinema viewing this week.

The first, from Netflix, was "Ghost Town". A really cute movie with Ricky Gervais is sort of a "Ghost" in comedic form. I love Gervais in "The Office" and was thrilled to see him do such a good job in this movie. It was basically a love story and a ghost story, poignant and funny. It was entertaining and I recommend.

The second movie, "A Time to Kill" was older, circa 1992 or so, with Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaghy, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland and Sandra Bullock. It was centered around a murder case -- Jackson's character murdered two white men for the rape of his daughter--and the subsequent trial and unrest that it evoked in a small southern town. It was a really good movie with a great cast. I would definitely recommend this one -- let's just say the younger cast is easy on the eyes.

I have no clue what is next on my Netflix list but, after several weeks of movies that I wasn't thrilled with, I was glad that "Ghost Town" turned out to be so good!

The Fairy Door

The Fairy Door has arrived! Now, I know I sound like an eccentric old bird, but I have always liked subtle, offbeat additions to my environment. So, when we put in the flower bed in the back, I immediately started thinking about what kind of "yard art" I could fill it with. Well, AW isn't a huge fan of "yard art" and he looks at my gnome with much disdain so I decided I better keep it to a minimum. After much internet searching, I discovered a site called Enchanted Gardens (www.miniature-gardens.com). They have a lovely assortment of miniature garden doors, buildings, windows, etc. I chose, after much deliberating with AW, the Pixie door. It came yesterday and I am very pleased with it. It is darker than the photo shows which is ok because it blends in very well and isn't so "in your face". I am sure any self-respecting fairy would prefer to be tasteful. Now, I am sure I will never create an entire miniature village, although the idea is definitely enticing, but I might have to add a wee creature to the area -- if one doesn't come on it's own! Heh, heh --- my English/Welsh/Irish roots are showing.

Anyway, here are the photos! I have to say though that while I was out looking for meteors last night I didn't see any evidence of any fairies moving into my tree. Oh well, maybe the word isn't out yet that I have the coolest door!

Julie and Julia

I saw a movie. In a theater! It was "Julie and Julia". It was really good -- not a chick flicky as I thought it would be. The scenery was gorgeous. Just see it -- I think even husbands would like it. Really.

Netflix movie -- "Mongols"

Ok, I don't know what comes over me when I add movies to my Netflix queue. I am always trying to find something that AW will like, mixed in with all the chick flicks and historical fiction that I like. So, while perusing the vast options one day, I added "Mongols" to it figuring that it was something that the hubby would like. It has been a while ago, though, so I had sort of forgotten I had it on the list. It arrived a couple of days ago and we watched it last night.

Well, what can I say. There was dialogue but it was in whatever language the Mongols speak -- Chinese? It didn't sound Chinese. There were subtitles. The entire movie was subtitled. I am not a fan of subtitles but we went with it. It was a brutal movie. It was sad. It was long but it was pretty good. I didn't fall asleep in it which was good but it did have it's draggy moments. At the end, when all the text was scrolling, it did explain that it was the story of Ghengis Khan which, truthfully, we didn't know. I guess I need to read the synopsis a little more closely. Anyway, would I recommend? Yes, with reservation. Like I said, it is brutal.