A must-see film!!

We interrupt this Bontober/Octphoeberfest to bring you notice of a wonderful movie you really need to see!

This film got rave reviews in the LA Times and The New Yorker - which prompted me to investigate further.

I'm glad I did! It's about the last 2 years in the life of John Keats - played by Ben Whishaw - who died at age 25, sure that he was a failure as a poet. Now he is regarded as one of the major poets of the Romantic era and ranks up there with Milton and Shakespeare.

The film is well-crafted, very restrained, but evocative of another time and place. The music is beautiful, the characters are well-drawn, and the two major stars do a memorable job of reciting the poems throughout the film.

"A thing of beauty is [indeed] a joy forever."

"The Last Sonnet"

Written on a blank page in Shakespeare's poems, facing "A Lover's Complaint"

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art -
Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priest-like task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors -
No - yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever - or else swoon to death.
1819

Bontober and Octphoeber - countdown to - 3 days!

It will soon be the month of Bontober and Octphoeber - I need to hustle I guess - although the photos are indeed random.

This is December of 1980 - camping in Goleta I think. Note the 3 year old Phoebe and her bib!! I always had my kids wear bibs - for as long as I could get them to - obviously I could get Phoebe to do it for quite awhile!

This may be the same trip. Love the cranes. I think they are real. Maybe the zoo??

Grandma Mary made Dad and Harry these great matching shirts - and then someone stole Dad's out of his truck!! The nerve of some people. I sure hope the guy really needed it!!

This picture was taken on January 8th, 1974 - so Harry was only 16 months old. And Bonny was 27 months old. (don't you love people who say things like, "He's 33 months old!???)

Many a Bonny/Phoebe photo includes Harry!

Hmm - looks like Noah isn't the only family member who enjoyed "dressing up" as a kid!

Feeding Phoebe!! (That high chair lasted through 5 kids!)

A birthday celebration - an October birthday celebration!! This is a fave photo of mine.

The "French Braid Weekend" - in Bill's van. Bonny said, "Just practice Mom." So we practiced all weekend!

Camping with the Scouts. Lots of fun - although we don't do much camping anymore - as if we don't enjoy it - but we did!

I have said before that it's almost like we had 3 families - Bonny and Harry - who enjoyed our undivided attention for a few years, then Phoebe - who got it all to herself for a bit - often says she was a "semi only child!" and then Elizahannahnoah - as it often comes out!! Who got plenty of attention - and not just from parents!!

Babies, babies

Perhaps I should call this "Blurry Babies!" There are a number of Polaroid shots of Bonny as a baby - taken in GH - and I'm not sure who took them. The quality is not excellent, but we take what we can get around here.

This appears to be a summertime shot - probably when I went down while Dad was in South America with the Symphony - that would be 1971. Note that many baby shots of Bonny include a bib - she was a spitty baby - and it just became a habit. Long after she quit spitting up, Dad would drape himself with a recieving blanket or a large diaper before he'd take her from me!!

And this would be 1977 - in the Cook Apartments. Once again you can see the famous "Woodstock" hairdo - only in brunette!

And this is Phoebe - at Christmas time - I remember going to the mall to have this taken - she wore these cute little shoes - and lost one of them!!

It's like losing one earring - losing one feels worse than losing both!!

McBonny and McPhoebe

So here is Phoebe in her kindergarten photo - school photos are "underdone" and overpriced - but I'm glad I have them now - of course, I have more than enough of them. Too bad they don't just let you buy one for historical purposes!

And I'm pretty sure this is Bonny's kindergarten photo too - but that's not a guarantee. It's in roughly that vicinity. I know Phoebe's is because I remember shopping for that jumper - I was barely pregnant with Eliza and sick as a dog!! You seem to remember much that is associated with morning sickness!!

I remember making this top - with matching corduroy pants - the pants matched the collar on the top - in the Rock House - so that would be kindergarten.

This is Phoebe's blessing day - Alice and Dale and kids, Richard and Julie and kids and Bill and Leslie were there - not sure why Bill was in town. We had venison too!

On the couch are Dale, Jacob, Betsy, Erika, Rick, Dad, Phoebe, Harry and Bonny.

We still have the couch and Hannah has the Elizabeth and Zacharias print. And those of you with eagle eyes will note the matched set of Anthony Trollope's The Palliser Novels. I have had that set for years - never read a one of them but can't bear to part with them. We watched the PBS series of the same name on Masterpiece Theater and positively loved it!! So I was sure I would love them. But I've never gotten beyond flipping through them looking for something that would catch my eye!

And the main character is Glencora Palliser - and I really wanted to name a daughter Glencora, but Dad vetoed that idea every time!

So it's open to the rest of you!!

More on Bontober and Octphoeber

There are not lots of photos of just Bonny - seems like we always photographed a group!! This is summer of 1973 - and our first garden!!

Phoebe was like an "only" child in some ways - and trundled around with me while Bonny and Harry were in school. We often hung out with Grandma and Grandpa Clayton.


Another shot of Bonny and Phoebe. Phoebe's hair was just like Bonny's had been - but she wasn't a towhead!

I wonder what it would be like if I had pictures of myself holding Donna and Leslie - because I certainly have memories of "tending" them.

Guess those memories will have to suffice for now - until they have cameras that can take the pictures in your mind!

Bontober meets Octophoebe - that doesn't sound quite right does it?

So, I was thinking that I should include Phoebe in my countdown to October - but I don't remember what she calls her month-long b-day celebration. "Octophoebe" has a somewhat notorious ring to it!!

Actually October is full of special birthdays - Bonny, Fred, Erika, Phoebe, Porter, Ida, Trudy, Calvin - the list goes on!

But I think that since I have a goodly collection of photos of Bonny and Phoebe, I will concentrate on them.


Don't they look cute together??

Another Bontober Moment

I'm not sure why, but I keep running across old photos of Bonny - probably because my mom has cleaned out drawers and boxes and loaded me with old photos she had been sent.

This is Bonny's first Christmas - and when was the last time you saw my dad looking this chunky??

More on Bontober

I have seen this photo countless times - but had forgotten that it was taken on the occasion of Bonny's 3rd birthday party - she took two friends to the Hogle Zoo. Dad and Harry came along too.

The two children in the front were neighbor kids. We had a good time. That's when I followed the rule that said you had as many kids at the party as the child was old.

The next year, her 4th birthday, we had about 20 kids! It was the last time I ever did a large birthday party for a young child!!

(I'm something of a birthday scrooge when it comes to parties. Probably because I didn't have parties - and didn't feel a great lack because of it.)

I you look closely, Bonny and Harry both have a look you can certainly find in their respective children.

Looking forward to Bontober!!

Since we are heading into the month of Bontober in the next while, I thought I would get a jump on things and post this little number.

This is a rare find - the Monrovia News is no longer published!! The Monrovia Queen and Court no longer exists either. They don't even have the Monrovia Days Parade on a Saturday morning.

I can't say that I'm sad about it - I've never been a parade fan - or a carnival fan - but it was fun when Bonny and Phoebe were in it.

And I even think the red boots are floating around somewhere.

Pictures - and the stories they tell!!

I actually know nothing about when or why this picture was taken. Dad was obviously healthier than he was in his waning years. And it was taken at their house - I "trimmed" it with the scanner and the details I trimmed tell you it was in the living room.

But I just love the smile on Dad's face - and they way Mom is trying to not be in the picture - there are several photos of her trying to "resist" being photographed.

So I guess this is just a little snapshot into the lives of two people who have impacted my life so much.

More Random Photos

One of the virtues of doing random photo posts is that you don't have to worry about finding something you are looking for - I just post what I find!!

And I'm wondering if this is pre or post marriage for Lyn. David was a baby when he went on his mission - so he was two when he got back - and Lyn got married in 1965 or 66. Someone knows - it's an old shot, that's for sure. The "Wall of Fame" wasn't even up yet!

If you click on this one, it's pretty grainy, but that is Betsy striding across the yard - and Bobby, Mom, Donna? holding Erika, Mary, Dad - as in my dad - Leslie, Richard - and yours truly bending over in the blue dress!! Must have been the occasion of some baby blessing - Jacob maybe??

This is my mom's college graduation in 1988 - I didn't remember that so many of us had come - good for us!!

This is summer of 1969 - notice my tan!! And Leslie's glasses!!

There you have it - another little trip down Memory Lane - aren't you glad you came??

Grandparents I loved!

Found these photos in the pictures at Mom's that I went through. The best part about them is that this is the way I remember them looking.

Don't know the years - but my Grandpa Stevens died in the early 60's so I'd say they are late 50's.

All that's written on the back of this one is Easter - but no year. Grandpa Clayton died in the early 70's - so this is before that time.

Having Eve here this weekend reminded me of how much I loved going to my grandparent's houses and visiting and staying overnight too. When you are one of many, some time alone - or with just one sibling - can be pretty significant. I have always been grateful that at least some of my kids really knew Grandma Connie anyway.

Can I make it to next summer?

I finished the sequel to The Hunger Games - and the word is that the final book of the trilogy is set to come out next summer!!

I'm not sure I can wait that long!! That's the virtue of finding out how great something is long after everyone else has already discovered it. You can just line all the books up and plow through them. That's how I did Hornblower and the Maisie Dobbs' books - a much better way to do things.

Although it was fun to look forward to the various Harry Potter books.

Regardless, I have no choice but to wait!!

(In the movie Marley and Me, the character quotes Mark Twain as saying that ending a line with an exclamation point is like laughing at your own jokes! Oh well, it's an old habit with me - one I'm not liable to break any time soon!!!)

And I thought Catching Fire was even better than the first book - so my expectations are high! Mind you, it's not great literature - but it is gripping, compelling, page-turning - and there's nary a cliche in sight!!

Happy Day to Our Good Friend Sarah!

We certainly enjoyed being with Ry and Sarah last Saturday at the Hood to Coast Finale - and wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday today!!

Somewhere in my treasures is a great photo that Ry sent us when he told us he'd married Sarah - when I find it I will post it. Our friendship with Ry goes way back - Sarah not quite so far, but since she's part of Ry, she's part of our history with him too.

A friendship and history we treasure. Harry commented, "Isn't it amazing how time melts away when we are with the Nebekers - it is almost seamless and we just take up where we left off."

The hallmark of true friendship!

Another birthday shot

I had planned to use this photo for Bill's birthday, but couldn't find it late at night when I was doing his birthday post, so I just figured I'd do it now.


The back of this photo says 1985 - but I think that's Hannah on the floor in the background - so it would have to be '86 - and Steven was born in '82 - so I guess this is his 4th birthday!

Bonny and Harry are definitely adolescents!!

And, it's still pretty hilarious to see Bill with the Afro and mustache!!

Happy Birthday Bill!!

Today is Bill's birthday - don't know the date on this photo.

But the others in the photo are Mom, Donna and David.

Happy Day Bill - a great son, brother, dad and grandpa!