Sunday, February 5, 2012

Dances With The Daffodils



Wonderful to see my Dad and to see his daffodils in bloom.   My Dad is retired now, but he worked for years in road construction and as they were digging up the earth for paving, he saw these bulbs and he didn't even know what they were but he carefully wrapped them up and saved them.  Lo and behold, some of the prettiest daffodils that I have ever seen.  I think they rival the ones in England, and I don't say that lightly, since I think those are so beautiful.  Did you have to memorize the first stanza  of the poem "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth?  I did, but I also memorized the last part just because I liked it so much...

For oft, when on my couch I lie,
in vacant or in pensive mood,
they flash upon that inward eye,
which is the bliss of solitude.
And then, my heart with pleasure fills,
and dances with the daffodils.

They really were dancing since they were fluttering in the breeze so much that it was hard to take a photo of them! 

Daddy had a wonderful meal prepared for us.  Fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, green beans, cornbread and butterbeans from his own garden!  Afterwards, we sat outside on his front porch and rocked in his rocking chairs just looking out at a beautiful day with the temperature about 70 degrees!
Now, I meant to say in my last post that one of the few movies that my Dad has ever enjoyed is the movie, "O, Brother Where Art Thou".     I really meant to put this in my last post about him, so here it is!  That is not George Clooney singing of course, it is Dan Tyminski, and he is a solo artist but you might recognize his voice from Union Station with Alison Krauss.  Oh, and the actress who plays George Clooney's wife is Holly Hunter.  Holly is from Conyers, Georgia!  She gradutated from high school the year after I did and of course, she was in all the high school plays.   Someone from Conyers has won an Academy Award!  I used to do airline tickets for her sweet mother when she used to fly up to NYC to see Holly perform in her plays there.  Holly Hunter is in California now, of course, but she is a Georgia girl too!
  
Let's see...William Wordsworth, My Dad, Southern food, O Brother Where Art Thou, Dan Tyminski, Alison Krauss, and Holly Hunter... can I cram anything else into this post? Oh yeah, how about have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

22 comments:

  1. Yum, yum...your dad prepared a delicious meal! Looks like he's quite the cook, too!

    "O, Brother Where Art Thou" is a favourite film of my hubby's, as well. It is such a funny film. And I love the song they became popular for.

    Did you know Holly Hunter personally?

    A girl I was friends with in high school now lives in Georgia (in Albany). I think that's a bit of a distance from you. Anyway, she posts photos on Facebook and your state looks like a nice place. She writes about the weather, which is much warmer than ours!

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    1. Dear Martha,
      He is a WONDERFUL cook but I didn't get is "cooking gene"!
      That movie is a family favorite. We have the music CD and the DVD! My Dad loves it for the music and also because that blue-grass is treated with respect not ridicule!
      Let's see, Holly Hunter...I only know her indirectly...her brother and my brother were friends and my best friend's brother was very good friends with her...big in drama, they both were. Funny, I always knew she would make it, she was so intense and determined. (Of course, talent helps too!) I hate being right all the time...

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  2. Lol, I MUST see that movie now - George Clooney looks hilarious and I suspect it also has a very good message to it as well.

    Your Dad's daffodils are so cheery looking and the last stanza to that poem is indeed lovely - I can see why you committed it to memory :)

    Have a great rest of the weekend as well!

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    1. Dear Jane,
      Oh, please see that movie! It is so funny! If I ever tell you that my DAD likes a movie, it is a must-see since he can hardly sit still long enough to watch a long movie!
      Hope it won't be long until you have your "daffs" as my English mother in law calls them!

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  3. I can't look at daffodils without the line, "A host, of golden daffodils" popping into my head!

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    1. Tracey,
      LOVE daffodils! Love all flowers really, but there is just something about seeing that bright yellow patch of flowers in the first week or so of February!! :-)

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  4. Gorgeous daffodils! And, the Soggy Bottom Boys as well. I loved that movie and the music was wonderful. I have several of the songs on my iPod. Thanks for sharing it, Kay!

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    1. Dear Kay,
      Oh, I am so happy that you love that movie and the music too!! You must understand that I have only seen my Dad enjoy TWO movies EVER, Scrooge (the musical) and O Brother Where Art Thou.
      Love those daffs! He was worried they wouldn't come up, do you see the pole behind them? That was a brand new electric pole and he was afraid that the workers might have disturbed the bulbs, happily, they didn't!

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  5. Makes my heart lift to see the daffodils too. I always spend ages every year choosing which varieties to plant, they have a special place in my heart because they always suggest the promise of spring. And do you notice the smell? I love that too, even though it's not conventionally sweet and flowery.

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    1. Dear Jenny,
      They lift my heart too! I can't say that I can detect a fragrance from daffodils...perhaps, certain ones have a fragrance? Let's see some photos of daffs on your blog! :-)

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  6. kay, man can your Dad cook! what a great meal: i'm suddenly totally hungry.

    those daffodils are indeed gorgeous. they're giants, aren't they? it does my winter heart good to see them.

    i don't like george clooney and i haven't seen this movie. but i know the music from it and i will now think of your Father when i hear it.

    a good weekend to you too, kay

    xo
    kj

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    1. kj,
      You don't like George Clooney? He is really good in this movie, honest, I wouldn't steer you wrong! My Dad was so glad to see blue-grass music treated with respect, for a change.
      If you like the music you need to see the movie so you can see what each song is about! :-)

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  7. Such a blessing to have a Dad who appreciates beauty and good food.

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    1. Dear Marti,
      As always, you are able to get to the heart of it with just a few words...thank you.
      My Dad is a blessing and I am so thankful to have him near.

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  8. Soon be daffodil time here, Kay. They are so beautiful and are the promise of the spring and summer to come so I love them. I too learned the Wordsworth poem as well. Did you also learn the Robert Herrick one?
    Fair daffodils, we weep to see
    You haste away so soon;
    As yet the early-rising sun
    Has not attain’d his noon.
    Stay, stay
    Until the hasting day
    Has run
    But to the evensong;
    And, having pray’d together, we
    Will go with you along.

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    1. Scriptor,
      Thank you. I didn't know that poem but I do now! Funny thing, they last MUCH longer in England than they do here in Georgia, must be the heat...
      My English mother-in-law calls them "daffs"!

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  9. While we are freezing our noses off here, it is wonderful to know that somewhere else spring is already in full swing!
    Glad you had such a great time at your Dad's.

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    1. Librarian,
      Oh, you make me laugh! Please don't let your nose freeze off! Hey, it will be spring soon enough, enjoy the rest of the winter, I don't think we had one here.
      Love,
      Kay

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  10. Hi Kay, your dad's daffodils look sturdy and beautiful. The mild weather we're having here in north confused all types of plants and they started to show little buds.

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    1. Dear Marco Pasha,
      It has been a strange winter here. After two very cold winters, this one has been very mild.
      "Sturdy and beautiful", I love that description! Thank you!

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  11. Hi Kay,
    You won me over with the daffodils! Enjoyed your blog. :)
    ~~Dorothy and Wilma~

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    1. Hey Dorothy,
      Oh, I have won someone over with daffofils! I love the sound of that!
      Thanks so much, you have a lovely blog too.

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