Christmas, The Keultjeses, Cuban Food and . . . Cheesy Apples!

Every year, either on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Boxing Day, we have the Keultjeses over for a real Cuban meal! Sarah and I can't remember not seeing them at Christmas. When we used to live around the corner from them, we always saw each other on Christmas. Sometimes we would go there, other times they would come to our house. I remember one year, when it was really snowy and the roads were bad, they piled all there presents on a sled and trudged through the snow to visit!

The Cuban dinner started when we moved here. Since we didn't see them as much and the girls were at school now, we thought that would be a nice way to celebrate. Gramma and Grampa always send a box full of yucca and plantains a few weeks before, just for the occasion. Mom and I had already made the black beans, and Mrs. Keultjes was bringing the garlic bread!

Well, this year. after selling so much on eBay and all, we decided that we wanted to enjoy our visit and not be too rushed, so we actually decorated on Christmas Day. We are going to wait and do our presents on Sunday. Sarah wasn't feeling as "Scroogie" as Mom and I were about Christmas decorations, so she and Dad put up the silver tree and decorated it with Shiny Brites. It is really nice, actually. Mom and I spent the day getting the good dishes out and finding the right amount of serving bowls and utensils that were needed for the dinner.

We decided to use our Silver Pine dishes. Mom and I love them, but don't really get a chance to use them. This time we brought out every piece we could possibly use and the table looked gorgeous! Keultjeses got here about 2:30 and dinner was about an hour later. As always, Mrs. Keultjes served at the table and the beans and everything were great! (Mom's black beans are even better than Gramma's!) Sarah and I had asked Mrs. Keultjes to bring a pan of cheesy apples for the meal. (They are simply one of the best foods that you can taste here on earth. Wow! She always made them when we were little and Sarah and I have never been able to forget them. We have tried making them, but they never seem to work like Mrs. Keultjes'. Hmmm . . . ) Happily, she told us that we should just keep them for later. Sarah and I, like the nice little hostesses, said "No. Let's share" - NOT! Actually, after they had gone back home, we all split them and ate them as a snack. They were just as wonderful as ever!

For dessert, Mom brought out her Rumtopf and brandied peaches. So they were served over pound cake and everyone really liked them. It was fun as this was the first time that we served the Rumtopf and Mom was very excited about it. Especially as it turned out so well. It was beautiful!

Remember Pearl Harbor!

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. . .

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. . .

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God."

-President Franklin Roosevelt

A Grateful "Thank You" to Deanna Durbin, Who Turns 89 Today

Singer Deanna Durbin celebrates her 89th birthday today! One of my all-time favorite singers, she has a beautiful lyric soprano voice. She appeared in her first film Every Sunday, a short which costarred the then-unknown Judy Garland, when she was only fourteen. The same year she starred in her first feature film, becoming an overnight success. Her career lasted twelve years, in which she produced 21 films and a handful of shorts. In 1949, at the age of 27, she suddenly retired and continues to live privately in France. She had a classically trained voice, usually singing opera-style songs, although she did do some pop numbers. Her films were usually a little light on plot with the accent being on the music (she described her roles as Little-Miss-Fix-It who suddenly bursts into song), although she did try her hand at serious drama later on in her career. It was actually one of her movies that got me started on opera!

Mom found a a tape of her film, Because of Him, at the library one day. We had never heard of her, so she got it to try. Well, we tried it and the film wasn't good (we actually didn't even finish it) but I fell in love with her rendition of the classic song "Danny Boy". So, back to the library we trundled and this time got two more. The next one we tried was It Started with Eve, which costars Charles Laughton. It was hilarious and even Dad liked it, although she actually doesn't sing much. The second was First Love, which I fell in love with. For the finale, she sings Puccini's "One Fine Day" (with a wonderful English translation) from the opera Madame Butterfly. I was really interested. Back to the library again, this time for For the Love of Mary. A fantastically funny film, this is still one of our family favorites (it was also her final film before she retired). Here she sings "Largo al Factotum" from The Barber of Seville and I really, really liked it. So, I got a recording of the entire opera. I started listening to it, but it was slightly daunting and it went back to the library unfinished.



However, it doesn't stop there. The next one was His Butler's Sister, which has her singing "Nessun Dorma" at the climactic ending. I was really smitten. This was too beautiful to ignore! We went back to the library and got two cds, The Three Tenors 1994 Concert and The Ultimate Opera Divas Album. Driving home we listened to the Three Tenors, and I was amazed that Mom could tell who was singing by just listening - not even looking at the disc booklet! They all sounded the same to me, I certainly couldn't tell! I liked it, but I was really interested in hearing "One Fine Day", which was so far my favorite opera song (still is one of my favorites). So, that week while I was cleaning our room, I listened to the Divas cd. "One Fine Day" was beautiful and, feeling adventurous, I decided to start at the beginning and listen to the whole disc. When it came to "Casta Diva", I couldn't believe it. A minute into it and I knew that I had never heard anything quite like that! Looking at the disc case, I found out that it was somebody named Joan Sutherland singing the number. Never heard of her, but . . . WOW! I practically wore the disc out listening to it. When I played it for Mom, she didn't seem half impressed and she told me that Joan Sutherland had been around and she had seen her on TV and everything. I wasn't so easily persuaded that she was something to be shrugged at. So . . . (if you can't guess what came next, you haven't been paying enough attention! )

. . . Back to the LIBRARY! This time for the classic complete recording of Turandot, which features the legendary teaming of Dame Joan, Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballe, and Nicolai Ghiaurov. Still a beginner at the entire opera thing, I sat one evening and listened to the entire opera, waiting to hear "Nessun Dorma". (Imagine . . .I even sat through the entire Act 3! Annoying thing.) Well, it certainly fulfilled all my expectations. That cd set was actually the very first opera item that I purchased.

Ever since, Dame Joan has been one of my favorite opera singers. I have bunches of her records and cds, and several years ago I wrote her a letter and she was kind enough to send back a very wonderful personalized autographed photo. That was the second autograph I ever asked for. The first was . . . Deanna Durbin.

Now, I am an opera nut (and can tell the difference between the Three Tenors myself!), overwhelming the family with opera movies, music, books and magazines. So, "thank you" Deanna Durbin for opening a whole new world of music to,at least one little girl fifty years later!

Crazy Black Friday

For the first time ever, we decided to go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving! We got up at 5:00 in the morning to get to JoAnn's when they opened. Flannel was on a HUGE sale ($1.29 a yard!) and we are out of baby presents. We were there four hours the first time, two of which were at the counter getting fabric cut. We ended up filling a shopping cart with the cut pieces of fabric! Then we went to Panera for breakfast/lunch which was a nice break from standing on the concrete floors. Then back to JoAnn's for the second round, resulting in two more bags of fabric. We found some really, really cute designs - sweet peas, moons, and Scandinavian pine trees. :o)

We didn't end up leaving until after 2:00. After that we did Meijer's, GFS, Lowes, and PetSmart. Needless to say, by the time we got home after we were really tired. Mom and Sarah counted the pieces and it turns out we got 94 different pieces of flannel! Our sofa is piled high with bags of beautiful flannel. Now comes the really fun part . . . matching all the pieces up and making them into blankets!

Books, records, and eBay

I haven't written a new post in ages! Life has been really busy around here. Feels nice to be getting back to "normal" life (although, it could be debated about what "normal" in our family really means ). Dad finished stacking all the firewood this week and the winter weather has already settled in (not snow, just grey and cold).

For the last two weeks I have been working on putting all of our newly acquired books away on the shelves upstairs. While I was at it, I decided to go through them as I went and get rid of any doubles or titles that we no longer wanted. So far I have made it through adult fiction, adult bios, and presidents. We did manage to weed three boxes full - to help make room for the seven boxes of new ones! (Somehow the math seems wrong here???) Books are always so fun. I could work at them all day, every day.

Sarah and I have also been working on cleaning out the attic over the TV room. There is way too much stuff up there and we have been wanting to get rid of some of the plastic toys that we had kept. So, right now, Mom is hot and heavy working on listing the better stuff on eBay.

At the beginning of the month, Sarah and I did a massive weeding job on the record collections. It is very sad not to be able to keep them all, because you really don't see them around much anymore. However, we just don't have enough room and it was getting quite out of hand. So we sorted through every single 78 and got rid of about half of them ( that means close to 700). I also went through our LPs, but we are going to do a better sort-through together.

All in all, we have handled lots of records, books, and other stuff in the past month! The cats are not sure what to do with all of the stuff around the house. Although, Monika and Iveta did have a grand time exploring the walk-in closet while we were cleaning up there!

Joan Sutherland Dies

I just found out that last night, legendary opera soprano Joan Sutherland died at her home in Switzerland. She was 83 years old. What a talent. It was actually Joan Sutherland who really cemented my love for opera. The first thing I heard her sing was "Casta Diva" and I remember thinking that I had never heard anyone sing that high before. I was totally enthralled. I must have listened to that song twenty times that day. There is nobody like her.

A few years ago, I wrote a letter to her and she was kind enough to send back a beautiful black and white photo of her in the Mad Scene, signed and personalized. I was SO thrilled! It is in my Deanna binder until I start making my opera scrapbook, where it will get a front page to properly exhibit it!

Her autobiography A Prima Donna's Progress was fantastic. We actually found it by accident one day at the Mansfield library and I loved it. So Mom and Dad bought a copy of it for me for Christmas that year and it has it's own special place on the shelf in our bedroom. A lot of people didn't like it because it has lots of stuff about her career and doesn't dish any dirt, but it was fantastic for me! She has lots of funny stories about different performances.

God really blessed her with a remarkable talent and thankfully we can still enjoy that talent through CDs and DVDs. Who can forget her wonderful Mad Scene or her marvelous recording of Turandot? What a talent, what a gift.

Dame Joan Sutherland
November 7, 1926 - October 10, 2010

Goodby Little Joe

We lost Little Joe this morning. He was a very cute cat and we were very blessed to have him for four and a half years. We got him as a kitten on December 22, 2005 (the same day that we got Beatrice). Last week he had all his teeth out because of a serious condition, but he didn't recover from the surgery and this morning Dad had to take him to the vet so that he could go to sleep. No matter how many we lose, it is always hard to say goodbye.

Time is Flying AKA "The Business of Life"

I haven't posted in ages! Life is so busy around here. On August 14th, Sarah fell on the pavement and broke her arm. We went to the Galion ER and they put a splint on it. She has a radial head facture. So, the following Tuesday, we trundled down to Dr. Dawson and he got to look at it. Turns out that he is a National specialist on that particular fracture. He did his college work about it and even helped design the implant for when it is shattered. He actually took the splint off. He said that the elbow is the least forgiving thing to regain complete range of motion. Although, if you have to break something, this is the break to have as it is very straightforward. Exercise is the key, though, to regaining complete motion. Well, her three week check-up on Tuesday and he said that the break was healing up very well and that she can use it for whatever (with caution of course). So she has another appointment in three months.

In the meantime, she has been felting a gnome for Alex. We are flying down there on October 2 to see Leilani. They are going to have her baptism the Sunday that we are there, so we are really, really thrilled! More about this topic later . . .

Life has been crowded with assorted doctor's appointments in the past three weeks. Sarah's arm, Mom and Sarah's follow-up with Doctor Kerbs (which went really well this time), Lydys, dentist. One fun thing is that I got to go to a massage therapist up in Mansfield. I have had four already and boy, are they wonderful. She is really working on my shoulders and neck. It is definitely something that I want to continue even after the insurance settlement.

The Tomato Show started yesterday. We got 24 entries total, eight of which were ours. We are considering closing the division down after this year. We barely filled the two quilt racks and two tables. Attendance seems down on the whole though. Even in the midway it is not very crowded. Not very fun when we are practically the only ones entering, and nobody is even enjoying looking at the things. So, we'll see.

When Jesus walks the waters of the sea, how profound the calm!

I was reading Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions the other day, and this one was really interesting.

'The rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, is typical of Our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord's witness to the people. When may we expect to see the token of the covenant? The rainbow is only to be seen painted upon a cloud. When the sinner's conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin, and mourneth and lamenteth before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the divine character and betokening peace. To the believer, when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ - to see Him bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us. God's rainbow is hung over the cloud of our sins, our sorrows, and our woes, to prophesy deliverance. Nor does a cloud alone give a rainbow, there must be crystal drops to reflect the light of the sun. So, our sorrows must not only threaten, but they must really fall upon us. There had been no Christ for us if the vengence of God had been merely a threatening cloud: punishment must fall in terrible drops upon the Surety. Until there is real anguish in the sinner's conscience, there is no Christ for him; until the chastisement which he feels becomes grievous, he cannot see Jesus. But there must also be a sun; for the clouds and drops of rain make not rainbows unless the sun shineth. Beloved, our God, who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always see Him - clouds hide His face; but no matter what drops may be falling, or what clouds may be threatening, if He does but shine there will be a rainbow at once. It is said that when we see a rainbow the shower is over. Certain it is, that when Christ comes, our troubles remove; when we behold Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside. When Jesus walks the waters of the sea, how profound the calm!'

"The bow shall be seen in the cloud." - Genesis 9:14

Opera books, opera records, even an opera autograph!

The three of us went to an estate sale on Friday. What an estate sale. A 70 yr old lady had to liquidate her parents house (Father died in 73, Mother died in 84. We don't know why it took so long). The daughter actually studied opera and spent 10 years in Austria. Actually, her half-sister (25 years older than she is) was an actress back in the 40s. Jane Randolph.

Anyway, we got a cabinet full of vocal scores and music. Sarah found it (the entire house was set up as a sale, with a lot of the furniture still where it had been and not emptied!) and Mom asked the guy who was running the sale how much the sheet music pieces were. He said that normally he would charge $1 a piece, but if we would take the entire lot we could have it for $10! I couldn't believe it! She had the two scores that I had been thinking about buying, so I was thrilled even if I only got the two books. So, Sarah and I spent an hour packing it up. Five full boxes! Also, she had a collection of opera records to die for. Just my era, too. Mostly 50s, and tons and tons of Renata Tebaldi. Boxed sets, complete operas, recital singles. Well, we got four large boxes for another $15. I am thrilled because, aside from having lots of complete operas I don't have already, there are some titles where mine got ruined when our plumbing burst.

Another very cool thing . . . on Saturday night I was going through a stack of Met librettos (to see if there were doubles) and I found one that is autographed by Renata Tebaldi! I was thrilled as she is one of my favorite opera singers. I couldn't believe it when I found it!

Bogart, Bergman, and Flynn at Playhouse Square

To celebrate Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary, we went up to Cleveland this past weekend and saw two classic (and I mean classic!) films at the Palace Theatre on Playhouse Square. Saturday night was Casablanca and Sunday afternoon was The Adventures of Robin Hood. We actually stayed at a hotel that was only a block away from the theatre. We checked-in around 2:00pm and then went to dinner at an Italian restaurant that was across from the theatre. Sarah and I shared this absolutely wonderful pizza that was topped with mozzarella, garlic oil, pesto, and brie. We also had these two wonderful appetizers - one was italian bread with mozzarella tomatoes, and basil, the other was spicy marinara with ricotta and you dipped fried pita bread in it. We have to try making this, it was so good. Actually, the entire meal was one of the most enjoyable restaurant experiences we've had. Before the film, we went back to the hotel and Dad and the two of us swam in the pool for an hour. It was so hot, the water and the air, that it was hard to breathe after a little while.

On Saturday night we saw the classic Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Thrilling and wonderful on the big screen. It went from one great scene to another, although the last scene is still one of Hollywood's stand-outs. Bogart was perfect as Rick and Ingrid Bergman was beautiful. However, Claude Rains as the French prefect of police steals every scene he is in. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Sunday morning, we packed up and checked out, and decided to go to Shaker Heights for lunch. It was a beautiful drive and we saw lots of cool buildings. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, which was huge! Sarah and I shared a white pizza and tiramisu cheesecake. Some of our favorite dishes. Back to the theatre for the 2:00 showing. This time we got to see the greatest swashbuckling movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood, with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Of all the films that we have gotten to see on the big screen, this one wins hands down. You can really understand what made Errol Flynn famous! It was great!



Here's a photo of Mom and Dad at the Italian restaurant on Saturday, then the two of us (I'm on the left, Sarah is on the right) on the stairs at the hotel, and then a cute photo of The Bunny sitting on our woodstove. Naughty, yes, but he is soooo cute! (He doesn't have anything to do with our vacation, I just thought he would like to have his photo on my blog. )

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
"What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." - Mark 19:6

Sweet Lelani

Yesterday (July 31) afternoon at 2:38pm, our cousin Patty had her first baby! We are so excited, we have been waiting for years for her to have a baby. :) Alex is very excited and so proud of his new daughter! Her name is Leilani, she was 7lbs. 9oz., and 19" long. They sent us a photo and she looks just like Patty and Gramma. She is so cute! She was actually born on Robbie's birthday, just 23 years later. Alex's mom flew up from Puerto Rico to be wth them, so Alex, his mom, Patty's mom, and Gramma were there at the birth. That 's so cool - both Grammas and the Great-Gramma.

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward." - Psalm 127:3

New library furniture!

This week, Mom and Sarah both told me that my chair up in the library (where we do our hobbies and watch movies) was shot. So, on Wednesday it was so hot and we were all really tired that we decided to drive up to Mansfield to look at some furniture stores. First we went to Value City Furniture. I sat in every chair they had there. There was one recliner that was all right, but we remembered that there were two other furniture place in town, so we decided to try them before deciding anything. Next we went to Furniture Row to see what they had to offer. They had tons of furniture and I sat in all of those pieces too! (I did a lot of sitting down and getting up!) Well, there was a nice chair and a cool red leather love seat. So, we had lunch at Panera to take time and figure out the best course of action. We laid out all the pros and cons of just replacing my chair, or replacing Sarah's as well with a love seat for us to share. We eventually decided that we would go with the love seat. Sarah and I like sitting together and we missed that with two chairs. Also, we do several of the same hobbies which would be nice to do sitting together and the ease of keeping shared supplies between us. We did decide to go look at Ashley Furniture before totally settling on the red love seat though. So, off we went and I sat in a bunch more chairs, but nothing compared to that red leather piece. Back at Furniture Row we looked around again, finally ending up at the same red love seat. So, since it was 4:45pm, we measured it and called Dad who left work and made sure that the piece would fit through the doorways to get upstairs. Everything checked, so we told him to meet us up there. We looked around and found a clearance king-size headboard that matched Mom and Dad's bedroom set. We also decided that we would see if we could find a new chair for Dad, as he had been needing one for a while as well. We found the perfect chair, an Italian leather wall-hugger, non-rocking recliner. It was the last piece of a living room set that the store had. It has flat wings on the side and huge padded arms that make it ideal for lying with your legs over the side! I was sold the first time I sat in it. Dad arrived and agreed about the three pieces and it turned out that delivery included carrying the furniture upstairs! Yay! So we went to Pizza Hut for dinner, all very happy about our shopping day. God certainly arranged everything for us. I mean, the last love seat, the last chair, and a headboard without any sides or bottom! We felt very blessed.

Thursday was spent cleaning out the back room upstairs and when Dad got home, he carried chairs down stairs and moved all kinds of lamps and end tables. By the time we all quit and went upstairs to watch a show before bed, there was only one chair and the sleeper sofa left to sit on! So yesterday, at noon, the delivery people came and two young men carried both big pieces of furniture right up the stairs and had them in place in half an hour! We couldn't have been more thrilled. So Sarah and I pushed everything around until it was right where we wanted it and then we sat upthere on the new furniture and watched some "Big Valley" episodes.

Fasten Your Seabelts . . . Miss Bette Davis on the Big Screen

Last night, we saw "All About Eve" on the big screen at the Ohio Theatre. What an experience! This was the one film that I really wanted to see on the big screen and it was just as wonderful as I hoped that it would be. I was wishing that they would play a Bette Davis film, and you couldn't get a better one than "All About Eve". There were so many good scenes, the time flew by and it was over before I really realized it. The reel was in really good shape, without a lot of flicks and spots. Even though we have seen it twice on our TV at home, there is nothing that compares with seeing them on the big screen.

"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." When Bette Davis said this line, the whole theatre erupted in applause! It was very cool. It was fun to listen to all the different laughs, gasps, etc. You could tell that most people had never seen it before. Especially during the big scene at the end where Addison Dewitt tells Eve that he knows all about her, people were shocked. It was fun to experience an audience of people viewing a film for the first time.

One great part of the film happens very early on when Gary Merrill delivers a very good "soliloquy" about how people should not be snobbish about their preferred form of entertainment. It still holds true today. When Bette Davis talks about being a woman is another great part. This scene is when Margo and Karen are sitting in the car, after running out of gasoline. In the film, it is Winter and they are freezing. When they filmed it, it was early Summer and, with the heat and the lights, it was over 100 degrees in the sound stage while they were acting this scene! Another great scene is when the four friends are in the Cub Room and Bill and Margo announce their upcoming wedding. The film is cast superbly and everyone works so well with each other.

Thelma Ritter is one of my personal favorites, although her character in "Eve" is more of a plot device than an actual role. She is essential to the story in the fact that she is the one who sees through Eve from the very beginning, while the principle characters are too caught up in the sentiment of Eve's story. She is so good, and what an actress. My favorite part of the film is the scene between Margo and Birdie when Margo finally realizes that Birdie is right about Eve. Eve leaves the room, Bette Davis looks over at Thelma Ritter, who backs up out the door - not saying a word - just looking at her from across the room, and the scene ends with Bette Davis sitting in bed. Not a word is spoken by either of them, yet you know the whole conversation that just passed between the two characters. Fabulous acting and Thelma Ritter has no trouble keeping up with Bette Davis. Sadly, after the main characters have been alerted to Eve's real intentions, her character is dropped and Birdie makes an understated exit with a sable coat. Another great Thelma Ritter film is "Rear Window", where she has a very similar role and great lines.



"All About Eve" was nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, a record that hasn't been beaten since, and won six of them, including Best Picture! Considered one of Bette Davis' best roles, she was not, however, the first choice for the role of Margo Channing. Susan Hayward and Barbara Stanwyck were considered, but the studio actually signed Claudette Colbert to play it. However, while filming a different movie, she sustained a back injury that caused her to give up the role. Then producer Darryl Zanuck went personally to Bette Davis with a script, and asked her to play Margo.

This was definitely one of the best films so far on the big screen, right up there with "Singin' in the Rain". Bette Davis was made to be seen on the big screen. It was a very enjoyable way to end such a hot day! Since it started at 7:30pm, we didn't get home until after 11, but it is worth being a little tired this morning. What fun! This is definitely getting a page in my scrapbook.

"Watch out . . . They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." - Matthew 7:15

Eulogy for Old-Fashioned Book Sales

All right, for anyone who does not already know this - I am potty about books. Actually, I think it is more like obsessive compulsive. I even like books that I don't even want to read! There is nothing like sticking your nose inside the middle of a book and smelling the paper and ink! The feel, the look, the idea of them just makes me happy. Well, for months now I have been really yearning for a book sale. The swell old kind that happened all the time when we were growing up, like when the libraries used to close their parking garages off and fill them with tables and boxes, are pretty much gone. Mansfield now bought a building which is only open one weekend a month for four hours a day. Mount Vernon is going the same route now. The last good one is the AAUW sale that happens every October in the basement garage of the Mansfield Red Cross. It is the last of the old timers to still be holding on and the lady who does it is in her eighties! We know that it is on it's last breath, but every year it is thrilling to still be able to experience even a remnant of what it used to be like.

We used to fill our van with full boxes of books, bringing home a thousand or two at a time to keep or trade. It would take us weeks to clean, sort, and put away all of our new "gems". Now at a really good booksale we might get a box or two and a hundred books is a huge addition. A lot of times we are replacing beat up copies with nicer ones, or getting a second copy of a book that we each would like for our kids.

We are way over ten thousand books now, and Mom and I are going to really try and start cataloguing this year. We are trying to fill up any holes that we find in the different collections. Then, of course, WWII and British history are never done! We are debating on whether to replace our leaky sliding glass door in the dining room, or build another book shelf unit and put a single door in instead. We grew up getting rid of the sofa whenever we needed more book room. I keep telling Mom, who needs a double door to look outside with? Books are way more important! I love my record collection, but nothing compares with the books.

Yesterday was the day that the Mansfield book sale book shop was open, and as we were planning on going to Mansfield to get Dad some new dress pants, I asked Mom if we could go to town in the morning instead of the afternoon since the book sale closes at 2:00pm. Boy was it ever worth going! We got two banana boxes of really good books. A lot of British history and political books. I got several about the fall of France, one written by a Frenchman in 1941. A couple WWII ones and several Lloyd George biographies. Of course, a book sale wouldn't be complete without getting some Agatha Christie mysteries! I actually have outgrown the two shelves that are set aside for her, so I had to go poking behind the fiction to find half an empty shelf behind Louisa May Alcott!

One of the fun finds was "Beyond the High Himalayas" by William O. Douglas. The subject doesn't really interest me, but this is the book that Princess Grace is "reading" in my very favorite scene of hers from Hitchcock's "Rear Window". Sarah found it and she was like, "This is the book that Grace Kelly is reading!" I was thrilled. Who would have thought that they would have her reading a real book?

So, it was a very fun morning. We ate lunch at Panera and then went to Kohl's where Dad got two pairs of gorgeous wool dress pants and some new black shoes. We got some more wet food for the kitties and then headed home. While Dad and Sarah did some dishes, I cleaned all of the books and sorted them. I love to clean books. There is something so satisfying about it. You get to feel each one and look at them. Simply wonderful. Thank you God for books!

"Do you understand what you are reading?" - Acts 8:30

America: Why I Love Her

You ask me why I love her? Well, give me time, and I'll explain...
Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain?
Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way?
Have you watched the cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay?

Have you heard a Bobwhite calling in the Carolina pines?
Or heard the bellow of a diesel in the Appalachia mines?
Does the call of Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar?
Do you look with awe and wonder at a Massachusetts shore...
Where men who braved a hard new world, first stepped on Plymouth Rock?
And do you think of them when you stroll along a New York City dock?

Have you seen a snowflake drifting in the Rockies...way up high?
Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky?
Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea...
Or bow your head at Gettysburg...in our struggle to be free?

Have you seen the mighty Tetons? ...Have you watched an eagle soar?
Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri's shore?
Have you felt a chill at Michigan, when on a winters day,
Her waters rage along the shore in a thunderous display?
Does the word "Aloha"... make you warm?
Do you stare in disbelief When you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea reef?

From Alaska's gold to the Everglades...from the Rio Grande to Maine...
My heart cries out... my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain.
You ask me why I love her?... I've a million reasons why.
My beautiful America... beneath Gods' wide, wide sky.

Mom and I enjoy a perfect Summer day!

Thursday was a wonderful day. We were all a little tired having had several late nights in a row, so plans were slightly vague. Sarah decided to mow that lawn and took a nice, leisurely time about it spending two and a half hours getting a lot of the trim work done. It was such a lovely day that Mom and I decided to do hang up laundry. We did sheets, blankets, jeans, and lots of linens. It was 72 degrees, sunny and breezy. Mom and I have finally come to the realization that neither of us likes Summer. We both wilt the minute the sun comes out and the thermometer stars rising.

It was a wonderful day. Slow, calm, relaxing, and very satisfying. We actually got eight loads washed and dried on the line. We did leave some white articles out for the night and through Friday so that the sun could bleach them nice and white.

In the morning, I stayed in bed for a while and finished my new book that I had gotten at CHEO, "The Lost Clue" by Mrs. O.F. Walton. It was a very fun British story from 1907. The two main characters (Kenneth and Marjorie) were very nice and you genuinely liked them both right from the beginning. It is the traditional old-fashioned mystery story of humble boy finding out that he is really the son of a nobleman. The main Christian message throughout is how to have a positive attitude through tough times in life. There was a really nice poem that is based on Psalm 27:14 towards the end of the story, when the hero is really discouraged.

Oh, tarry and be strong;
Tell God in prayer
What is thy hidden grief;
Thy secret care.
Yet, if no answer come;
Pray on and wait:
God's time is always best;
Never too late.

To top off such a wonderful day, we drove down to the Ohio Theatre again to see "My Man Godfrey", starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. Not one of my favorite films, but Gail Patrick on the big screen was great! She is always good. The reels were in poor condition and at one point the picture disappeared and you saw numbers counting backward and then the picture came back. Mom said that used to happen a lot when she went to the movies. Downtown Columbus looked very cool as we drove back, all lighted up at night, however I still enjoy coming back to the good old country which always seems like home sweet home.

To part with a funny episode . . . when we get home at night we always let Dad go into the house ad turn on the outside light before we girls get out of the car (that is one city trait that has not faded through the years!). He did, and we all got out but as I was walking towards the side walk there was the loudest rustling in the yew bushes under the kitchen window. You should have seen the three of us beat a fast retreat and jump back into the car. Dad had to come back out and rattle the bushes to be sure that our unwanted guest had retreated himself! We all had a good laugh about it when we got into the house.

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." - Psalm 27:14

A very cool t-shirt!

On Wednesday, we were at the Panera in Marion having lunch while our car was being fixed. A guy came who was a WWII veteran. He had the coolest t-shirt that I have ever seen. It turns out it is from an organization that helps veterans visit memorials in D.C. Well, on the front it has "Veteran - Honor Flight" with and airplane and image of Iwo Jima. The back had a saying:

If you can read this,
Thank a teacher.

If you can read this
In English,
Thank a veteran.

“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” - Will Rogers

Well, CHEO is over . . .

This Friday Mom spoke at CHEO. The new Akron conference center was really nice and we preferred it to the old Columbus one. Mom had a good sized crowd and we actually met some nice people afterward. So, as a friend wrote in a card to Mom this weekend, we are Praying for "seeds to be planted and roots to go down deep". Sarah and I spent some time in the Vendor's Hall looking at the Lamplighter Publishing booth. I got "The Lost Clue", an old mystery story that looks really interesting. Old mysteries are so different from Christie's.

This week we received two more great autograph responses. On Friday we received them from Jane Powell (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). We sent a photo and piece of sheet music for each of us, and they came signed and personalized! We couldn't be more thrilled. I think they are so much more special when they personalize them. She has a beautiful signature too, with how the "J" loops down to become the "P".



The other ones we got back were from Joan Fontaine (Olivia de Havilland's sister). We sent two photos on June 1st and on the 10th we received our SASE back with only my photo which was signed and personalized. So, we sent another photo and two pieces of sheet music back the next Monday and yesterday received them back all signed.



Actually, we were kind of happy that she was the one that had a mistake because after we sent the first photos, Sarah decided to do her scrapbook on this line of papers that looks like old wallpaper. So she is matting all her autographed photos in picture frames. Well, when we went to reprint her photo for Joan Fontaine, she decided that it would be easier to print the frames on the photos (in case someone signs all the way to the edge). Also, I hadn't thought about sending pieces of sheet music from our collection until after, so that was nice that we got those autographed as well. We are both really happy about all the autograph responses that we have gotten so far!

Father's Day, White Pizza, and Books!

For Father's Day, we took Dad to Polaris for lunch at "The Cheesecake Factory". We had never been there before, so we thought it would be fun to try something different. (We are always trying to find "something different" in our house, whether it be food, movies, places to go etc. ) Sarah and I shared a white pizza. It had garlic, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and spinach on it. We loved it! We are going to try making one here at home.

We walked around the restaurant where it is like a little town all it's own, similar to Easton. There was this huge Barnes and Noble, so we went in there to see if we could find something to spend a gift card that we've had for ages on. It was so big that it actually had escalators inside to go up and down to the second floor. I got these two really cool book sets to save for little Ellen. One is "Sense and Sensibility" and the other is "Little Women". They are cool boxes with a flap cover that opens to show a paperback book with the DVD of the matching feature film underneath. Each box has a scenery photo from a location from the film with a cardboard band that has a movie photo on it. Sarah got a really cool book with lots of photos of the Royal family (Windsors only). It was published by one of the big British newspapers.

So, all in all, it was a VERY fun day that we all enjoyed!

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." - Ephesians 6:4

"I'm singin', just singin' in the rain!"

This Sunday afternoon the Ohio Theatre played the classic musical "Singin' In the Rain". Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, this is considered one of the best-loved musicals of all time! Well, on the big screen - it certainly is on the top! So far, it is my favorite film that we have seen in the theatre. I thought drama was pretty swell, but musicals are fantastic!

Clark Wilson is the organist who plays the Ohio Theatre's famous Morton organ. The organ has 324 stops which control more than 2,500 pipes! His playing is simply wonderful. He plays for half an hour before every film, fifteen minutes at intermission, and again at the end of the film. I've really enjoyed his playing every other time, but for "Singin' in the Rain" it was the best! He played every song from the film, even "Temptation". However, you've never heard anything as pretty as his rendition of "Would You". Positively gorgeous! We even stayed after the film to hear him.

Of course, the film was wonderful (as always)! My favorite part is still the end where Debbie Reynolds is behind the curtain and Jean Hagen is out front. The dance numbers are terrific, my personal favorite being "Good Morning" with the three stars. Debbie Reynolds, who was only 19 when filming this movie, commuted from her parents house every morning at 4:00am. Sometimes, to save time, she would just sleep on the set.

The role of Lina was originally written for Judy Holliday. However, when casting began, she had just made a huge hit in "Born Yesterday", so they cast Jean Hagen (who was Judy Holliday's understudy for "Born Yesterday") instead. A funny thing is that in the film, Debbie Reynolds is hired to dub Jean Hagen. Actually, Debbie Reynolds' voice was considered too young sounding to fit Jean Hagen and it is actually Jean Hagen's real voice that you hear when Kathy is dubbing Lina's lines! Jean Hagen was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Lina Lamont.

All in all, this was a very, very fun Sunday afternoon. So far it has been the best film on the big screen, and I am not sure anything can top it, so we'll see. "The Adventures of Robin Hood" might, though!

"Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?" - Job 38:28

It Happened One Night

Last night we drove down to Columbus again for another great classic film on the big screen. This time it was Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night", starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It was swell! Miss Colbert is a spoiled rich girl who is running away from her Father. Mr. Gable is a newspaper reporter who discovers her true identity and decides to help her get to New York. As they are the stars and spend the next hour and a half together, they fall in love. Here is a photo of Sarah and me standing infront of the Ohio Theatre showing the marquee!

We just love seeing the old films in the theatre. You can really appreciate them, seeing how they were meant to be viewed. Also, the theatre is so beautiful. Sarah and I enjoy walking around before the film begins, just to admire the different rooms. Once we even walked all the way up to the highest point in the balcony. By the time you make it to the last set of stairs, they are practically a adder. It's like climbing a mountain!

"It Happened One Night" was the first picture to win the big five Academy Awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay). Claudette Colbert was actually about to board a train on her way to take a vacation when the Academy officials arrived and whisked her to the ceremony so that Shirley Temple could present her with her Oscar!

The character of Bugs Bunny was based on several parts of this film. His character was based on Oscar Shapely, the guy who talks to Claudette Colbert on the bus. "Bugs" was taken from the heavy in Clark Gable's gangster story who is named "Bugs Dooley". Last, but not least, Bugs Bunny's style of eating carrots is taken from Clark Gable during the famous hitchhiking scene!