What it looks like 35+ years later!!

I mentioned that we are re-living our love affair with the BBC production of The Pallisers.  (I ordered the boxed set when it went on special on Amazon.  And how did Amazon know to target us with the ad?  Are we that transparent?)

35+ years later, the series has some flaws we never noticed before.  For one thing, it's in color and we saw it for the first time in black and white.  It might have been better in black and white.  Also, the sets are pretty cheesy - we've obviously gotten used to much more authentic mid-Victorian film locales.  And some of the acting is wooden - we are wondering why we ever thought Burgo Fitzgerald was dashing and handsome - as Lady Glencora thought he was.

But the story still has a charm.  As does Lady Glencora (I wanted to name Phoebe Glencora - in spite of our love of the show, Harry would not hear of it.  I told that to someone and they said, "Lucky for Phoebe you didn't."  But I said, "Phoebe would have had everyone wishing their name was Glencora!!")

And Plantangenet Palliser seems a much more appealing character - maybe because we know how it ends??

There are something like 48 episodes - we are going to stretch it out though, to make it last!!

Sunday Night With PBS!!

Way back in 1976,  Harry and I started watching The Pallisers on PBS.  We'd get the kids in bed - the kids at that time were Bonny and Harry - and we were living in Harris' house in Centerville.  They had a lovely finished basement with a nice big - for that time anyway - television - and we'd snuggle on the couch to watch the weekly episodes of the famous Anthony Trollope novels.

We loved it - I even bought the complete set of the novels the series was based on.  And never read a one of them!!  I actually got rid of them last year.  Don't tell any of my English major friends!!

You may wonder why I share this.  Well, someone has my number - and sent me an email that the complete set of the series - in DVD - was available at a discount!  I could not resist.

Pardon me while we watch episode 1 - I will let you know how it was!!

End of summer reading

I guess my summer reading schedule is coming to a close.  Phoebe was talking about reading 52 books in 52 weeks.  I'm at 26 books for this year, so I'm a bit behind.  I don't dare start another book until after school starts - I have a tendency to get wrapped up in a book - and I read when I should be doing other stuff!!

So I finished Bel Canto this morning.  I have started this book 3 or 4 times - and just never seemed to be able to get into it.  Then I read 3 other books by the author - and they grabbed me right away.  So that gave me the resolve to stick it out - and the 3rd or 4th time was a charm!!

One of the elements of this novel that is so compelling is the role of language.  One of the characters is a translator - and after the group of hostages is finalized, it turns out that they speak several different languages.  The translator becomes essential to all of them - and the story seems to grow from there.

The fact that they are in small groups that cannot communicate well with one another impacts the development of the story - and the inter-relationships of the hostages.  Two romances that develop have characters who cannot speak each others languages - love grows through shared experiences - in one case the love of opera and in the other the desire to learn not only a new language, but to learn to read and write.

If you haven't read it - give it a look-see - and let me know what you think!!

For now I'm going to start re-reading Mr. Midshipman Hornblower - I noticed that on the cover of my copy there is a quote from Ernest Hemingway, "I recommend Forester to every literate I know."

Seems like a pretty good recommendation!!

In a big family - there are "little kids!"

Don't you love the juxtaposition of these two photos??

72 years

Today is my parents' 72nd wedding anniversary.  They were married on August 17, 1940 in Huntington Park, California.  After their wedding, they drove to Salt Lake City where they were sealed in the temple.  I think it was 3 or 4 days later.  They did things differently back then - they thought it was not fitting for a young unmarried couple to drive all the way to Utah alone!!

This photo was taken in Los Angeles  on Sunday, April 17, 1938.  Ruth MacMurrin was the photographer!!

I love everything about this photo - the buildings in the background, my mother's dress, her hair do, my dad's suspenders - and the white shoes!

And I love everything about my parents and their long, productive years together - they would have been married 60 years the year he died.

Happy Anniversary to a great pair of parents!!

What I just read -

It was a warm day today - and that's an understatement.  I was also up late last night.  So when I flopped on the couch to read this, I promptly fell asleep.

But that's okay - since I was then rested enough to wake up and read it all they way through in practically one sitting - a great way to read a book to my way of thinking.

A few months ago, Betsy posted about it, so when it showed up at our book fair, I bought it.  Read a few pages, put it on the shelf, and promptly forgot about it.  (I have a large collection of books that fit that description!!)

Then last night, as I enjoyed a late night chat with Leslie, she mentioned her book group was reading it.  That's why I picked it up today.

It is a great read - I think I may read it to my students when school starts.  It's about a girl with cerebral palsy who has an intact brain - and really understands everything going on around her - but she can't walk, talk, feed herself - and can't explain her thoughts and feelings to others - though some of those around her try to understand her needs.

Then she gets a Medi-Talker - a computer that will speak for her - and her life changes.  For good and bad.  It's a very well-told story about prejudice towards those who are "different."

I won't spoil it - but you - and your teen or tween should read it too!

Reading and watching some more!!

So I've been on an Ann Patchett kick - just finished this last night.  It was her first novel.  It is completely different from her other books - but then the amazing quality about her is that all of her books are so completely different from each other.  This one is compelling - takes place in the late 60s and moves forward to the early 80s.  The back stories are intriguing, the threads of the stories are interwoven quite tightly, and the ending is something of a surprise.  It takes place at a former grand hotel in Kentucky that has become a Catholic home for unwed mothers. She is quite prolific, so I guess I will be busy for awhile.  I'm starting next on Bel Canto - the first Ann Patchett book I'd ever heard of - and one I've started several times!!  Which seems strange, since the others have captured my interest right away.  I'll let you know how it goes!

 

For the last few months, Harry and I had been trying to figure out who we'd lent our Hornblower DVDs to - with no luck.  Then we get to Phoebe's last month, and she hands me a stack of books to take back home with me - there's Horatio on top!!

We were so excited to finally find them, we sat right down when we got back and started watching them - and they were as great as ever!  When we first watched them, we started reading the 11 volume set of Hornblower novels - and they were great too.  I suspect that since I had seen the movies, as I read the books, I was picturing the characters the way they were on-screen.

So when we finished on Sunday night, I asked Harry what the next one was and he told me that we'd just watched the last one!  "How can that be?" I exclaimed.  "What about Lady Barbara and Maria's death and the children?"

I suspect that I had internalized the novels so completely, I thought I'd seen them!!

I was keenly disappointed - and I wish A and E wanted to keep on with the series!!

I can dream.

And re-read the novels I guess!

Over the years -

The day of Lyn's missionary farewell - 1962

 

Christmas - 1971

 

Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary party - 1990

 

Dad's funeral - May, 2000

 

Mom's 90th celebration - 2010

Watching and Reading

Phoebe handed this to me the night we arrived in Portland - and it was a library book, so I had to get busy and read it!!  It was a pretty compelling read - about scientists in the Amazon jungle - but don't let that discourage you - I sat up until 2 a.m. one morning to finish it!!

 

These are photos of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson.

 

Don't you love the clothes?

 

Bonny handed this one off to me - it's a novel, but heavily based on facts and writings of Hemingway, Hadley Richardson and others - like F. Scott and company -  a good read also.

Phoebe had a pile of books for me to take home - some to Kyle M - so I had to get this one read so I could return it to him.  A compelling story once more - about mistaken identities and stalking and famous people - and a good read.  Let me know what you think!!  I had started the Ann Patchett novel Bel Canto a few years ago and could not get into it - needless to say I will try again!!  Phoebe commented that all of her books are so different.  And they are - but they have a great story as a common denominator!

 

Figured I needed a book to read on the flight home - so picked this up at Target.  The cover said, "If you are having Downton Abbey withdrawal, you need to read this!" It was a good story - a lot like watching Downton Abbey!!

Phoebe had gotten this on NetFlix - I don't even remember it coming out - but it's very entertaining - give it a look see - how can you go wrong with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson??

 

And of course we've been watching the Olympics - here and in Portland - I can't recall ever watching this much of the Olympics!!

So I've been keeping busy - keeping my mind sharp!!