Morning Folks Valentine's Day 2008

A kiss makes the heart young again and wipes out the years. Rupert Brooke

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. Jonathan Carroll

Love is a friendship set to music.
Joseph Campbell




Lisa Lorenz

Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I would rather have eyes that cannont see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love.

Robert Tizon

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine! ~Thomas Hood

Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed: our love to others, and others' love to us. ~ Thomas Trahern

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 02 11 08

It's Oscar time!

Not that Oscar...

This one.

Some films missed the December 31st deadline this year and will have to wait until next year to be included in the nominations. Others, usually independent films just never get the hype that the big blockbuster commercial films get. Documentaries, especially, seem to be ignored and if mentioned, are difficult to find at theaters. And that's a shame because Indie films often turn out to be my favorites.Today's blog features one of those Independent documentary films that both missed the deadline and the hype, but it deserves a look.

In an earlier blog I told you I would post the video of my Dad that I took in January when I was visiting him in Florida. You might remember his spot on the blog was bumped by his newest great granddaughter's debut.

In case some of you haven't seen him in a while, he looks pretty much the same as he always has to me. We celebrated his 80th last year and he is still as handsome as ever.

Although this is a documentary, the next time I think we might try to script it a little better, or at least discuss content. And I don't know how to edit, either. Subtitles are shown below the video, in case you miss some of the riveting dialogue.

Now playing at select theaters, here's the Internet debut of

Solitaire in Naples




(click on the right arrow to begin video)

Subtitles:

Suz- Here's Dad at his computer. Maybe he's picking jokes for the day. Maybe he's playing solitaire.

Dad-I'm playing solitaire.

Suz- Say hello.

Dad-Hello

Suz-To the camera.

Dad-Now that I am finished with this solitaire... (he turns)

Suz-Would you like to be on my blog?

Dad-Sure.

Suz-Oh. We'll see what we can do.

Dad-I'll probably have to sign autographs and everything.

Suz-I think that would be good. Alright, let's see if it works.

Have an award winning day!

L-Suz

Morning Folks 02 09 08

Morning Folks. My Aunt Marianne sent me a cute little story, which I will paraphrase here to share with you.


A young woman was going through some very difficult times in her life. Desperate and tired of the battle, she went to her mother.

Her mother took 3 pots from her cupboard and filled them with water.



In one she placed some carrots.



In the second one she placed an egg.



And in the third one, she poured in ground coffee beans.

She set them on the stove and brought them all to a boil.


She sat quietly for about 20 minutes, and didn't say a word. Then, she told her daughter to come over to the stove with her and to look in the pots and tell her what she saw. She saw that the carrots were soft. She told her daughter to break open the egg and she found that it was hard boiled. Then she went to the last pot and asked her daughter to take a sip, and she smiled as she tasted it and smelled the rich aroma.

Her mother went on to explain that like these three items in boiling water, everyone reacts differently to life's pain and adversity. The carrots, once strong and hard, became weak and soft. The egg, once fragile, its outer shell protecting its liquid center, had become hardened on the inside. But the coffee beans...they had changed the water.

So, the question for us all is which are we?

I suppose that there are times when I have been a carrot, although I am not a veggie fan as many of you know. Sometimes we do just wilt under the trials of life. But, I hope I never become hardened, like the egg. There are times when we all have to appear strong, but I hope there is always some softness at my center.


We all would like to hope we will be like the coffee, and I think we probably all are to some degree. I must add that although most would consider me "full bodied"





there are times when I have been weak decaf.





Still, it's better than a carrot.





There are some metaphors that come to mind in this coffee theme. For example, from my observations, some of us are Chock full O' Nuts, but in a good way. Some of us are bold and some of us are mild.
Some of us are original blends. And how lucky for those of you who are rich.
And all of us menopausal types are definitely roasted.


I hope none of us are Kopi Luwak, which are beans that are ingested by the civet cat, pooped out and then gathered up by the locals. I have heard the expression 'when life gives lemons, make lemonade' but 'when life gives you poop ,make coffee' is a new one.

Enough with that. I know none of you are just your average Joes. And whatever type you are, I know when times get tough and trouble's brewing, we all have what we need to change the water.

Come up with your own metaphors and share by posting a comment. Have a great day!


Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 02 06 08

"Tornadic activity in the area...seek cover if you are in a mobile home. Find the lowest spot in an interior room, away from windows if you are in a home or building. Lie face down in a ditch if you are outside."

That's what I woke up to this morning, turning on the TV at 6 AM to check out the Super Tuesday results.

'Tornadic acitivity' is not exactly a common phrase in Massachusetts where I spent most of my life. So, thank you all who called or e-mailed to check on us, but we are both safe and sound.




I found out that Ooltewah's tornadic frequency is about the same as the state of TN in general and about about 58% higher than the rest of the country. The last really big one in our area was in 1997 about 7 miles from here. I also learned today that Tornadoes rarely occur in the early hours of the day, most commonly appearing around supper time. The peak season is March, April and May. So today's early morning tornado in February might change the data a little bit.

I am probably not as afraid of tornadoes as I should be.


It might have something to do with the Wizard of Oz and making

one think that a tornado is more of an adventure or a scary but exciting wild ride.

Sort of like the roller coaster at Dollywood.


I haven't been there, and probably won't ride it when I do go there, but I thought it was interesting that the roller coaster there is called the Tennessee Tornado.


I really don't find tornadoes as scary as earthquakes. How do you escape a large crevasse that appears rioght in front of you and swallows you whole?

This has been a fear of mine ever since I was a little girl. I am sure that fear was based on some other movie that I saw. I guess the real danger in an earthquake is about things falling on you rather than you falling in things. So my fear of earthquakes might be a little irrational.

As kids we had a lot of fears of natural phenomena that still kind of make me uncomfortable when I think about them. We were very afraid of tidal waves.

I remember screaming "TIDAL WAVE!" many times as we romped in the Cape Cod surf and saw a particularly large wave headed our way. We kept our eyes on that surf at all times because at any moment one might appear.

And quicksand...how often we warned each other of that danger whenever we saw a puddle or a patch of mud when we played in the woods out back.





Not to mention locoweed...at least if the elephants got into it.

I think those fears may have originated from Lone Ranger and Tarzan episodes. But I am not sure.

So, here I am after the storm. The sun is shining and I am feeling very safe right now. A tornado? Huh! No big deal.

But if the squirrels get into the locoweed, I'm outta here!



Have a great day!

Love,


Suz

Morning Folks February 1 2008

Morning Folks! RabbitRabbitRabbit! Hah! I remembered this month. Did you? Speaking of rodents, tomorrow is Groundhog Day. Always a day of hope for folks in the Northeast, at least. Six weeks more of winter if he sees his shadow, and spring is right around the corner if he doesn't.


Punxsutawney Phil, we all know, is the official Groundhog. They say he has had 100% accuracy and there is only one P. Phil who is now 120 years old because of some special elixer he drinks. The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers from Germany. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."










If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings clouds and rain,
Winter won't come again.
If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
The half o the winter's to com and mair;
If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
The half o the winter's gane at Yule.





And..
A farmer should on Candlemas Day
Have half his corn and half his hay.

Or, instead of Groundhogs, you can watch your cats...





"When the cat lies in the sun in February,
She will creep behind the stove in March. "

hmmm.....





In pre Christian days, Candlemas was a feast day, marking the halfway point between the shortest day of the year and the spring equinox, celebrating the increasing light as the end of winter approached.
Candlemas in the Christian Church, the 40th day after Christmas, celebrates the day Jesus was presented at the Temple. 40 days after a Jewish boy was born, the custom was to bring him to the Temple and present him to God.


And in the early church, on this day, candles were gathered and brought to to the church to be blessed and used in worship.



A few facts about February-




The Anglo Saxons called this month Sol-monath, "cake month" because they would offer cakes to the gods during that month. In Welsh it was called y mis bach, "the little month." In Shakespeare's day it was called Feverell. A hundred years later it was called Februeer.

I read that The name February is only about 100 years old, but I don't think that sounds right. Maybe it's 100 Leap Years old.

The Romans considered February as the start of spring. Wouldn't that be nice?








Shrove Tuesday is the day everyone eats pancakes in preparation of Lent.
Mardi Gras, translated as Fat Tuesday, is the same day as Shrove Tuesday.




And Kissing Friday or Nippy Hug Day, I just learned recently, was a day in England when schoolboys could kiss any girl they wanted to without any fear of being punished or rejected.

However, that Day in Leicestershire was called Nippy Hug Day. A man was allowed to kiss any woman he wanted to and if she rejected him, he had the right to pinch her bottom.

So, if you are in Leicestershire on February 8 this year, be careful.

So Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Candlemas Day, Happy Mardi Gras, Happy Kissing Day, and Happy Nippy Hug Day. Enjoy your Februeer. Remember, spring is surely on its way!

Have a great day.
Love, Suz