Showing posts with label Mama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mama. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2026

she was only 63, too

Wendy Taylor Pena has died.
Like Mama, she was 63 years old, just one year into retirement.
I know she had looked forward to being free from a work schedule, just as Mama had been, so it's sad that she did not get time to enjoy it.
I'm glad I chose to retire eight years ago.
 
I'm hoping Conor MacGabhan will have that choice available, too, when he hits 60.
Right now, he's 43, about the age I was when Mama died.
Liam Pena, her younger son from her marriage to "Jeff's Andy", is 26.
They're both in this photo: Liam, Conor, one of Andy's brothers, Andy, Sheryl, and the funeral director at Fox & Weeks.
I took that after the service, and after the receiving line had ebbed to a close with two of Andy's brothers.
I haven't seen most of these folks since Andy's father died.
That was near the same time as when I retired, too.
 
The service was short, but quite heartfelt, with streaming provided for Wendy's sisters in England and Canada. 
Lionel Ritchie music filled the air, as that had been her favorite.
I don't recall what the first song had been, but I caught the other two.
Conor then spoke in his mother's memory, in front of her open casket.
He came and sat again between me and Ashley on the front pew as "Truly" began to play.
As the song ended, he rose again.
This time, he shared a message by speaker phone from Susan, Wendy's younger sister, up in Canada.
Then he sat with us as "Easy" concluded the service.
There was no burial, as Wendy will be interred in English soil, by her Mum. 
 
We all went over to the house Wendy had lived in, and renovated into her own, since her wedding so many years ago to Andy.
I'd been there a few times, but not since her Mum had died.
There's a British wives club in town, and she had been part of that for years.
I met Conor's dad, Barry, for the first time today.
It was good to talk with the family, and I stayed for about two hours, trying to provide comfort and some joy.
When I left, some younger folk - friends of Conor - were on their way, and he had just returned from a pizza run.
I wish them all strength in the coming years. 
Now, I need a little something to release some tears.
"Click" should do the trick for me - that movie about second chances always makes me cry.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

summer picnic luncheon on the beach!


"That doesn't look like any beach to me, g'friend. In fact, it looks just like Holliday Hall at Asbury!"

That's because you're not squinting your eye and holding your mouth just right! HAHAHAHA!
 
"Wait a minute... I know what this is! It's the Sisters In Faith luncheon, isn't it? I recognize Judy Wilburn and Beth Ballance."
 
You're correct! Neither of them were at the purple-clad table where I parked my keister, though.
I chose it for the color, of course! Patti Steinhauser, on the far left, was already there. Then we were joined by Debbie Wright, CeCe Coleman, Robin Eifler, and Sandra, the mother of Jenni from the April luncheon. 
  
"Steinhauser? Isn't that the surname of the guy in the band?"
 
Yep, it sure is! Tim was there to entertain us this time, too, but the guys called themselves the Beached Bums today! he even had her come up and sing with them for "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow PolkaDot Bikini"!!! Very funny bit, with him wearing that swimsuit!!! Well, kinda sorta. LOL!!!
 
"Nice music for y'all's day 'at the beach'! I see there was even a beach ball!"
 
Actually, that was the "talking" ball, passed around with the holder of it asked to share a favorite story about the beach with us. Guess what? I got up and did that! I told all about Mama taking us four kids to the beach often during the summer, with a jug of water and peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. We'd play on the beach and in the water there at Tybee for hours! That let her have some peace and quiet. Then we'd stop by the Sugar Shack on the way home and get malteds and milkshakes, and that would keep us quiet for the drive. Fun for all of us!
 
"That's a really nice memory."
 
Yeah, and it got other Savannahians talking about memories of their summers at Tybee. I really loved that! I'm glad that Asbury is one place where I'm not the only local gal.
 
"Me, too. And did you have any hot dog buns to bring home?"
 
Nope! All 16 of those buns got eaten! Good!!! Now, I'm going to take care of a few things here at home, like charging my phone. American Legion Post 36 is supposed to have its monthly meeting at 6 PM, so I'll stay in town until it's done, then head back to Stella. Good thing it's rainy, or she'd be upset about missing the party on the patio. Maybe tomorrow will have a sunny spot in it for her!

Monday, February 9, 2026

mama, you called?

Over the weekend, I took only one acetaminophen.
For whatever reason, the inguinal hernia had eased up on its near-constant cry for attention.
Then, this morning, I was awakened by it around 6 AM.
Yes, this has been one of those days when sitting is painful, standing is painful, everything is painful.
Sigh.
Plus, it's been cold outside.
I knew I would be meeting Carolyn for "Couples Retreat", our fourth in the NCG's Rom-Com Film Festival, but also knew I needed to already be out and about if I expected to be there.
So I got in the car and started driving, enjoying the warmth of the sun in that enclosed space... and found myself at Greenwich Cemetery.
I knew immediately why I was there.
The pine needles in the wreaths left on the graves of George and Billy were brown and dry, and the red ribbons were pale.
Time to do a bit of housecleaning for Mama!
I'm glad I had remembered to put bags in my car for the trash.
While I was there, I took care of the tattered Christmas ornaments and strewn flowers on the surrounding graves.
By the time I was done, I had two large bags filled with debris.
Everything was tidy after my visit with Mama, and I felt better, too.
Off to the cinema to meet my friend!
I was a little early, but that was okay.
And when I bought my ticket, I had an unexpected treat: enough NCG reward points for a nearly-free Kids Pack!
It cost me less than two bucks.
I think I'll go ahead and enjoy most of that warm and tasty popcorn while I wait and enjoy this sense of gratitude.
I can get a refill to share with her.
(smile!) 

Thursday, January 1, 2026

first day of 2026!

What kind of weather song does WSAV have?
Sunshiny start, with near-normal temperatures for this area!
Couldn't ask for a nicer start of the year!
I celebrated with Gouda and the bread from yesterday's Carrabbas feast!
 
Then it was time to kick it, Elvis style, and take care of business in the kitchen.
Not washing dishes... getting my cabinets outfitted with a spiffy new Elvis collection, ready to make sure I stayed on track!
Believe me, I have appointments with others already to post onto them!
Busy, vibrant, woman!
The first of those is the 3 PM "Anticipation Ceremony & Bowl Burning" over at Asbury Memorial.
This will be the 16th time for me, but at least the letter is already written.
That's right.
The yellow SASE I'm using will have the exact same letter I wrote in anticipation of this year, as I didn't accomplish a single thing I'd written back then.
As I told Cheri Hester, I didn't even recall writing any of those goals!
She thought that was funny!
So, since I wouldn't need two hours there, that gave me some much-needed time here at home.
Dawn gave me a new calendar, one I really like, with much larger spaces for each day.
More room for birthdays and anniversaries!
FB may remind me of birthdays, but it doesn't yet have the ability for the other.
Now, I just need to remember to look at the calendar on a regular basis!
While I was doing all these other things, I was also cooking my mustard greens for my New Year's Day dinner.
Didn't they turn out beautifully?
The hoppin' John used Rotel diced tomatoes, NSA, and the brown rice is a better fiber choice.
Those set off the contents of the cornbread from Food Lion, which was sweet enough to call dessert!
It all went quite well with "The Age Of Adaline", which I regard as a New Year's Day scifi romance.
This time, I found myself bawling at the end and missing Mama something fierce.
Once I was under control of tears, I drove over to Asbury to give my letter to Cheri.
I didn't stay long, though.
Greenwich Cemetery closes its gate at 5 PM, which means I had about 5 minutes to spend with Mama.
That was all I needed.
Two others drove in as I was leaving.
I guess they needed a touch and go, too.
After that, I had time to stop by home and pick up a gift card for supper with Carolyn.
We were to meet for a 6-ish PM movie at AMC, and I was going to surprise her with the meal.
And lookee there!
I had four 4's in the mileage on the odometer! 
Right place, right time!
Or not, as she never did show.
I'd waited an hour before calling to check on her arrival time.
Oops - she thought we were getting together tomorrow.
 
Back home I went, with visions of Positano leftovers in my head! 
Peacock had a delightful Pakistani movie, "Polite Society" from 2023, which had a girl who wanted to be a stunt woman.
Very nice!!! 
Right place, right time, after all!

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

you are the sunshine of my life...

Dearest Mama,
Happy 88th birthday!!!
That Stevie Wonder song naturally sprang to mind, only partly because of the change in the weather.
Today has been the first with sunshine in five days!
I'm so glad the Universe brought this light for your special day!
I wore your Christmas tree pin today, too.
The occasion warranted me to dress a little nicer than I usually do, you know?
This shawl-necked sweater was certainly a step up from my older v-necks, but it needed something more.
This pin, which has been up by your photo in the living room since last Christmas, was perfect.
Glad it was close at hand!
(smile!) 
After all, I was off to meet the first niece when I left home.
She and her two girls had called to say they were coming to town: Chelsea was having her baby!!!
Annaleigh Pippin arrived just before 1:30 PM, weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds, 13 ounces!!!
She was also almost 21 inches long.
I took Miyah to meet her around 4 PM and I think the littlest girl was expecting her to be the size of a doll.
Nope, Annaleigh is about twice that size!
I'm so glad she'll be sharing your birth date.
This was also the birth date of Christina's maternal grandpa, David, who would have been 87 today.
She's fortunate to share her birth date with you and him!
I'm grateful to Christina for calling me to be there.
As I told her, Melinda and Matt, Venita, and Dillon's parents and grandma, we are blessed to have been reunited at Candler Hospital for this joyful occasion!
with much love always!

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

why 2005?


Oh, what a beautiful day!
 
I might have thought I was
in Oklahoma 
had I not known better.
 
(That's an inside joke for those 
who know musicals!)
After letting all that lovely warmth into the house, out I went to get the third movie for this week: the remake of "The Running Man". 
 
I must say, Glen Powell is certainly a handsome 37-year-old man, with all the right bits in all the right places, to paraphrase Meghan Trainor.
However, he's already done that shtick in his movies.
The man best be careful lest he be typecast as eye candy and not a person of substance.
Without Edgar Wright at the helm of this latest version of the story, Powell's antics might well have derailed the scifi movie into comedy.
In fact, none of this week's A*List dances have been quite in step.
"Die My Love", though well-acted, was a bit jumpy in its presentation, which could have been a cheap shot at reinforcing Grace's post-partum descent into madness.
"Now You See Me: Now You Don't"  was certainly full of the magic I love, but it seemed a bit rushed, like they were determined to cram too much movie into too short a running time.
One thing all three movies shared: a fabulous supporting cast, even though many of those actors with street cred - Nick Nolte, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy, in these three films - had hardly any screen time.
Enough already!!!
Time for Thanksgiving this evening!
Yes, this was the last Wednesday Night Supper of the fall and that meant: turkey!!!
Plus there were mashed potatoes, green beans, an cranberry sauce!!!
Several folks at Asbury Memorial supplied the desserts, like Danny Lewis and his pumpkin pound cake - so good!
I sat with Pam and Walt again, as well as Lynn Hoerlin and her son and granddaughter, both visiting from Ohio.
I really enjoyed talking about Las Vegas with Meko - she was a delight!
I sure am going to miss these meals with other Asburians!
 
And when I checked the time, 
I found out I could still 
do laundry after all.
 
The last wash at Suds Laundry 
has to be started by 7 PM, 
and it was 6:47 
when I pushed the button.
How very fortunate I was! 
 
This has been a very messy two weeks for me, so messy that my long pants and my fuchsia sweater were both rendered unwearable.
 
As good fortune would have it, the weather has been in the upper 70's, allowing me to wear shorts today.
 
All the more reason to do an emergency wash - 
and go ahead and do the bed linens, too.
 
As I was waiting for the flannel sheets to come out of the dryer, I spotted a penny on the table by my basket.
 
It was not there while I'd been folding clothes.
 
Right place, right time.
 
i thank You, God.
 
Now, time to watch "Wicked" on ABC!

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

fairy girls with birthdays to celebrate!

"I thought their birthdays were about six months apart..."
 
Technically, that's about right. Miyah's is at the end of March and Chloe's is at the start of October, so it's about six months and a few days.
 
"Then, what's up with the two birthday bags?"
 
The one on the left, with the princess on it, is for Miyah's bday8. The one on the right, featuring a unicorn, is for Chloe's bday7. Those bags waited on that booth bench at Seasons Of Japan until we were all done with dinner.
 
"Hahahaha! I bet that means they hardly ate anything, ready to find out what was in the gift bags from Great-Aunt Tina!"

Oh, you know it! I had Miyah open hers first, since she'd been waiting for months. She liked the yellow rubber bracelet, as did Chloe, who got one, too. But she was touched by the history of that set of colored pencils! Mama had given that to me in 1981 for my bday22, while I was in Okinawa, and I used them for the mythological creatures coloring book she sent. I know how much Miyah loves drawing and I wanted her to have them... and it delighted me that she "got" that chain of ownership concept. Wow!
 
"Very impressive!"
Most definitely. Then I prefaced the other two gifts with "a book with numbers for connecting to make a picture" - and she loves those books!!! - and "a book where you find images in the busy scenes" - and she loves those books, too!!! Hooray!!! How thrilling to find out that I had chosen well for her!!! Now, it was Chloe's turn!
 
"And how did that go?" 
Swimmingly!!! I kept a magical theme going for her bday7, starting with the Thirty-One brand of Candy-corn Unicorn Halloween tote bag. Christina loved that, too, especially since the tote scrunches up and fits inside the unicorn head. LOL!  See it there on the table? And Chloe is holding the Disney "Cars" activity book that came with its own set of coloring pens - good call on my part! I couldn't hardly give her sister artwork supplies without doing the same for her, now could I? I knew better than that! 
 
"That's right, you've drawn with them several times in the past!"
 
Yes, I do so enjoy that! And Chloe loved her blast-from-the-past present! I gave her my flipbook for Disney's "101 Dalmatians" and showed her how to make the puppies play and Pongo dance with Roger!  It's very nice, as its pages can be flipped from both directions to have two mini-movies. That's from my 1993 trip to Disney World. Chloe even wanted me and her to recreate the dance between the dog and its master - that was fun!
 
"She does have an outside-the-box way of thinking! I'm betting she's going to be very good in science classes once she gets old enough for those. She's fortunate to have the benefit of an older sister."
 
She is indeed. My, they both seem to be growing so fast. I noticed that on our girls' trip, too. How wonderful to be able to spend another day this week with them!
 
"And you have another visit before week's end..."
 
I do! Initially tonight, we were to have a movie, then dinner, but time ran out for that option. That's why they'll return on Friday for the movie! All good! And having dinner with these two little great-nieces to either side of me? Priceless! Having the opportunity to engage with them as they enjoyed these presents tonight? A total blessing. I do believe that is one of my favorite ever photos of them. I just may have to get that framed!

Sunday, September 7, 2025

fall flowers for the barry family

 
I'd gone out to Greenwich after the musical, drawn there.
That's when I noticed the rutted dirt road that ran by the lot I always visited.
In fact, there was a "Do Not Enter" sign on it that I had ignored.
But I had persevered in my determination to reach my goal.
That's when I saw the tattered remnants of the bouquet I last placed there.
Oh, that just would not do.
 
Today, after church at Asbury Memorial, I again drove to Greenwich.
Again I ignored the sign that bade me to stay off that road.
I had three bright bouquets that needed to be placed, and place them I did.
Ordinarily, I would have given one to Mama, then given the other two to Ronnie and Jean Marie.
This time was different.
Fall was about to begin and Mama liked that season.
Fall was the lead-in to all her favorite holidays.
That's why all three bunches of autumnal orange stayed where she was.
It very much brightened up the Barry lot!
(smile!) 

Saturday, May 24, 2025

helping others, gift for me from strangers

I deliberately left this weekend 'light'.
That means I didn't have myself booked solid.
After all, it is a holiday weekend and invitations may arise from thin air...
and so they did.
i thank You, God.
One of those invitations was to the second work day for the upcoming VBS at Asbury Memorial.
I spotted the call for volunteers on fb, so I made a firm plan to be there.
Yes, even though it was to begin at 10 AM on a Saturday.
I made it by 10:30 and was promptly put to work by Tim Steinhausen to cut the kraft paper that would be used to protect the stage from paint.
 
Then I helped JayJay in his quest to make a sixteen-foot paper snake out of slips of neon green construction paper.
We developed an assembly line, with him drawing a design on each slip, then me curling the slip and stapling it in place for a reticulated beast.
We finished it, too, and I even fashioned a head for it!
 
I also helped Linda Combs with the mock-up of the Tybee Lighthouse that she was creating form duck cloth, black felt, and a triangular metal stand.
 
JayJay and I also made 'algae' from long strips of dark green plastic cut from tablecloths.
Karen Townsend also made 'algae', but from a lighter green plastic.
Then Bridget Kincade hung those long strips from the ceiling in both back corners of Holliday Hall, artistically creating an underwater area - very nice!
 
Meanwhile, Tim put Karen's son, Bernard, to work painting the 'ocean' onto the paper covering the stage, setting JayJay to helping with that.
 
By the time we left today around 2:30 PM, the stage had an 'ocean', a lighthouse, a couple of palm trees, and even a dock for the boat which was to be built.
Such fun!
I'm glad I was there to volunteer my services!
 
I wasn't home an hour when Christina called. 
She was in town, with Anthony, who had driven two people from Pooler out to Greenwich Cemetery to visit family.
Oh!
I had thought of going there when I left Asbury, but hadn't.
Off I went to meet up with them... and we passed each other on Bonaventure Road, them leaving as I was going in.
She texted to say as much, then added that they were going to Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway if I wanted to join them.
That's exactly what I did, too, after cleaning up shredded flowers for Mama.
(smile!)
 
Marie and Will were the couple Anthony had chauffeured, and that had been their first visit to his brother's grave in four years.
She was my age, he was 78, and they'd been together for over a decade.
I made myself sociable, sharing stories with them from my day of being creative, from my time in the Navy, from my time at college, from my own family there at Greenwich.
We five really did have a lovely time there together!
How do I know?
We were there for two hours!
And, at the end of the meal, Marie and Will insisted on paying the tab for all of us.
How very considerate of them to include Christina and I with their generosity!
I even came home with food: half of Anthony's shrimp salad and about a third of the large order of fried onion rings.
That latter will go into a frittata in tomorrow's breakfast!
Thank you, Marie and Will, for these unexpected bday67 gifts!

Saturday, April 12, 2025

in honor of our last maternal aunt

Here I am, with my two brothers, there in Tallahassee together - wow!

Mama would have loved that.

What am I saying?

I could feel her presence right there with us!

In fact, I am certain that Ronnie was in our midst, too.

Here are Tony and Laura with Aunt Linda.

They had a tour of her suite shortly after they arrived.

The person there in the hall with them is Aaron, Bobby's son.

Aunt Linda gets around amazingly quickly for her age!

She lives up to that last name: Walker!

(Just a little irresistible pun, y'all!)

Smitty got to spend some time with Aunt Linda, too.

He was talking with Bobby when Aunt Linda came in, so the three of them are here in this shot.

Aaron and his wife Emily, plus Tiana, are right behind all of them.

Then there's this photo that Penny took!

I can't recall what the conversation was, but I can hardly believe the look of surprise on my face!

Smitty has a humorous grin, so maybe someone told a joke?

I really cannot say.

I'm just thrilled that we were all together, celebrating a life while it was still being lived.

i thank You, God.

Friday, September 25, 2015

kittehs to my emotional rescue


me: So- here is an odd request. Would you make one of your goofy faces and send it to me? I need a laugh and that will help.
me: Seriously.
me: It is just insane sometimes the things that can make me desperately miss my mother.
me: Just insane.
me: Like the movie The Intern. That should be safe, right? Apparently not.
me: Insane.
bfe: Oh, gawd, don't you just love them!
bfe: But you don't need some emoticon! What you need are...cats! I have two here for you:

bfe: That's the Tess!


me: Lol! How on Earth did you get her to consent to that shot? Beautiful.

bfe: Awwww, it's the Chlo!

bfe: Chlo always takes a good pic. She's always putting her paw on her hips and making a duck face. That's Chlo.
me: I guess that's how Michelle Pfeiffer got started. :)
bfe: Was there something wrong with the movie? We are thinking about seeing it this weekend.
me: I think it was very good. It was the unconditional support of Ben for Jules that just clicked on a switch in my head. I don't know that i have it under wraps yet, but i am better.
bfe: Well, you will be better after this...

me: ha ha ha :-). THAT was priceless, and you can tell her i said so.
bfe: I was scratching her neck and I think you can see the smile on her face!
me: Most def. Thanks. Got to go. Sandy is in the Story Slam and it's starting.
bfe: Have a good night Faustina, and when you go to bed, have sweet dreams.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

with a song in my heart and a joke on my lips


Mama would have loved this joke!
She always had a fondness for puns and twisted lines...
... just like me!

This one is in honor of the approaching St. Patrick's Day festivities.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

An inventor came up with a knife that sliced two loaves of bread at a time. He sold it to a large bakery.

Then he developed a knife that could slice three loaves of bread at a time! He sold that to a bakery, too.

Finally, his ultimate invention was achieved: a knife that sliced four loaves at a time!

And so was born the world's first four-loaf cleaver.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Here are a couple more from my childhood. I've expounded on them a bit, but the tales remain, at their hearts, as I had heard them told.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Once there were two kingdoms. Each was located at the top of a hill, with a beautiful view of of the neighboring castle and surroundings.

The Red King's domain reflected the many rosy hues of the world in its buildings and flora.

The Blue King's realm held the tones of the ocean and its depths in the structures and plants.

Between the two kingdoms lay a valley, of course, but it was not part of either domain. It was peopled by a fierce tribe of cannibals known as the Yellow Fingers.
No one was permitted to travel there... except in an emergency.

One day, such an emergency arose. The Red King was finally to wed and wanted his brother, the Blue King, to be his best man. But how to deliver the invitation to him?
He called for his bravest knight, Sir Tasty, to carry the message.

The Yellow Fingers found his name to be quite descriptive of his better characteristics.
The Blue King heard the commotion and guessed that a message was on its way. He wisely chose to wait for its arrival.

The Red King asked next for a volunteer among his many knights.
Sir Toasty agreed to venture forth in the king's name.

The Yellow Fingers appreciated that the king had sent them someone who so favored a giant marshmallow in taste and texture.
The Blue King again heard the celebration down in the valley, the celebration which meant the message was not to be delivered this time, either.

The Red King was becoming desperate.
Time was becoming short for the tailor to make the best man's raiments for the wedding.
The word was sent to all of his subjects that he was in urgent need of a messenger.
One of his Pages, the sincere Trusty, came forward to his call.
He would carry the message to the Blue King.

And so he did. Then, Trusty escorted the Blue King back to the Red King's realm, walking through the valley below. And after the wedding festivities were ended, the Page and the Blue King traversed the cannibals' land again before the Page's own return once more to the Red Hill.

The moral of the story:
Let your Pages do the walking through the Yellow Fingers.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

A young man was heartbroken. Not yet twenty-one years old and already one-eyed. A terrible car wreck had necessitated the removal of his left eye to save his life.
What was left of it, he thought.
What girl would ever want anything to do with a one-eyed man?
The doctors had fitted him with the best painted wooden eye that money could buy, but to no avail.
The young man knew which eye was fake and thought everyone else could, too.

His best friend did what best friends do: he tried to cheer the young man up.
"A square dance is coming on Saturday next - let's go to it", the friend said. "You'll see! Plenty of young girls will want to dance with such a charming lad as yuourself!"

Finally, albeit reluctantly, the young man agreed to accompany his pal to the square dance.

The day arrived and the young man was ready. He had a new haircut and he wore his best western wear. His eye was well in place and he had been practicing the moves all week.
He was ready!
The two friends walked in together, with the best friend agreeing to help him find the best girl to ask for a dance. gazing around the room, they both saw her at the same time: the beautiful blonde standing shyly with the other wallflowers.
On closer view, they could see that she was hiding her very large right ear behind her beautiful tresses.
That emboldened the young man. She wasn't perfect, either!
Leaving his best friend's side, the young man approached the beautiful girl.

The words flew from his lips. "Would you like to dance?"

Gazing into his face, the girl gladly replied, "Oh, would I! Would I!"

"Big ear! Big ear!" the young man screeched as he fled the dance.

Moral of the story:
We hear what we want to hear.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

That's it for now.
Color me gone!

Monday, February 23, 2015

did i miss a memo?


Tonight, I'm watching the Oscars and missing Mama.
It started with J.K. Simmons' acceptance speech for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Whiplash". He urged people to "call your mom. Don't text her or message her, call her. And if you're lucky enough to have both parents still alive, call your mom and your dad."
I started bawling right there and then.
Good thing I wasn't at that Oscar party with the 40+WSN tonight, was my first thought, when I regained composure. I had begged off, due to this allergy or cold or whatever I have. I had felt badly about not going. Now, I was glad I was in the safety of my own home, with no need to explain why I was losing my mind.
Everyone here knows why I'm losing my mind.
(smile)
Then I resumed watching the show, especially enjoying the talented Neil Patrick Harris. And, of course, the musical bits and all of the lovely clothes donned for the evening.
Patricia Arquette's speech after she won for Best Supporting Actress for "Boyhood", the moving words of the two women who won for "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1", the humble tone of the once-freckle-faced man behind "Big Hero 6".
How did I know he once had freckles?
He told us in his acceptance speech, sharing the story of him telling his mom and dad, as a "freckle-faced boy", that he wanted to work for Walt Disney when he grew up.
Moms and dads have had a lot of public thank-yous tonight.
Was there a memo that went around, reminding attendees to honor those who brought them into the world?
Perhaps there are no more thank-yous to parents than in previous years... might that be the case? Am I simply more attuned to those words of homage this year?

Oh, my! Lady Gaga just sang a musical tribute of the tunes in "The Sound of Music" - and she played it straight! She truly has such a good voice, when she isn't hiding behind a contrived stage presence.
Even more marvelous - the lovely Julie Andrews joined her afterward on the stage! Then Ms. Andrews introduced the line-up for those nominated for Best Original Soundtrack (which went to "The Grand Budapest Hotel")! But first she talked about the fifty years which have passed since she was a lass of thirty who sang as Maria the governess.
Wow.

I'm back again!
I had to go watch the rest of the show!
Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor! Very nice! And he made sure to dedicate his Oscar to the honor of those afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS. You know, that disease that destroyed the body of Stephen Hawking, but couldn't touch his mind. I'm so glad the bfe and I saw "The Theory of Everything" together!
Best Actress was won by Julianne Moore, for a film I've had two opportunities to see with others. Seriously. Plus, the man at the jazz concert talked to me about it, as his wife had recently died after several years in the unrelenting grip of Alzheimer's Disease. He told me "Still Alice" is true to the effects of the illness.
Three times it's come up. I guess that means I really should go see it.
"Birdman" won for Best Picture!!! Yeah!!!
It's director, Alejandro Iñárritu, won for Best Director, too! Oh, wait, they call that Best Achievement in Directing now. Perhaps they always did and I just missed it?
Anyway, I very much enjoyed that one! I found Michael Keaton to be the absolute best choice for its lead. Why? Who better to portray a man trying to escape the large shadow cast by his superhero character, a man showing he can act without the aid of a costume and cinema's special effects?
I look forward to seeing that one again when JAVAFLIX Savannah next convenes. Ah, to be able to discuss my thoughts with others after a second viewing! Or, perhaps, it would be more correct to say 1 3/4 viewing. You see, I missed the first 20 minutes or so the first time I saw it... Nice to have a free second chance!
Perhaps I'll try to see "Still Alice" while it is still here.
"Whiplash", I hope, will have a rescreening some time, too, now that it's won an Oscar. I hope.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

(un)making Christmas


Time to take down the greeting cards
and put them all away
Until the coming
of the next Christmas Day.
Read again the verses,
read again the notes,
store them away,
but remember what they wrote.
The photo cards
move to the fridge.
(Maybe shift that one,
just a smidge!)
The Christmas Santa
that belonged to my Mom
goes back in the wrap
to protect him from harm.
Dragons once more
shall prance and preen
under the branches
of the cherry tree.
Frank's Energizer Bunny
will take its annual rest,
nestled with the Misfits, Elves,
and Rudolph's friends (the best!).
Mama's Christmas photo
(note the orb near her head)
gets swapped back to its box
for the Mother's Day picture instead.
Even this doorhanger -
made for my Granny White -
will find itself stored away
until some December night.
Then all the memories
will be pulled from their boxes
to find new places to shine
(while I wear Christmas socks)!
What about the Christmas tree
which was put up so late?
That, my dear,
will have to wait.
The sunroom is now
closed until spring
when warmer weather's
sweet birds will sing!



My thanks to "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas", one of my all-time favorites, and especially to Danny Elfman's "Making Christmas" song, for the inspiration for this post.