Sunday, February 2, 2020

Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters



Every year these daffodils push up through the Earth and bloom. The green blades come up first, reaching towards the sun, pushing aside all the dead oak leaves. They are not native to the USA but were first planted by the British colonists, so you could say that they have "naturalized" here. Daffodils are always a welcome sight for me. The same flower in England and in Georgia! (Of course, the daffs bloom here much earlier, the photo above was taken on Jan. 25th!)  I am certain I have told you this all before but it bears repeating!

Today is Groundhog day! Apparently, the groundhog saw his shadow, so that means six more weeks of winter. we will have early Spring! (Please forgive me, I live in Georgia and it really does not matter what the groundhog sees in Pennsylvania! We have Spring for about 5 minutes and then, it's summer until November.)  More importantly, I hope you have seen the film "Groundhog Day"! Please say you have, it is so funny. The man who wrote the screenplay and directed the film is no longer with us, Howard Ramis. (If you remember, he is the actor who wore glasses in "Ghostbusters", the film from 1984. Harold Ramis shared the screenplay credit with Dan Akroyd.) The film is not just funny but it makes you think. The day was EXACTLY the same for the character but it all changed when he changed his attitude. Now, I have to tell you some happy news, there will be a new" Ghostbusters" movie coming out this year! Many of the same actors from the 1984 film will be in the 2020 film. That is good news, don't you think we need to laugh more?






Look at this little Carolina wren perched on the "wing" of the iron humming bird. Nice of him to pose for me while I snapped the picture for you! (See the nice long stick that Richard put at the bottom of the suet feeder where bigger birds can perch? Nothing is too good for our birds!)
Now, I know I must have told you this poem by Emily Dickinson before...but here it is again! (You all might think you are in the film "Groundhog Day" with my post today!)

Hope is the thing with feathers,
that perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops-at all.

And sweetest - in the gale- is heard
and sore must be the storm-
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land-
And on the strangest sea-
Yet - never- in Extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

My friends, people are going through so many things just now. We need to try to be encouraging and hopeful. Have you heard about the people who live in the high rise buildings in Wuhan, China and they are locked away because of the deadly virus and yet, they will call out, "Be strong, Wuhan!". That is what I am talking about. We need to try and outdo each other in giving hope and encouragement.


26 comments:

  1. I love the movie Groundhog Day. It's really quite spiritual.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I think so too, it could preach on Sunday!
      Take care in your corner of Florida!

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  2. First just to ease your mind of course I have seen Groundhog Day... many times. I heard they are making a new movie. Emily Dickinson had such a nice way with words.

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    1. Yes, it worries that there is a funny film out there that folks might not know about! :-)

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  3. Harold Ramis co-wrote the original "Ghostbusters" movie with Dan Ackroyd and starred in it as well, but the movie was directed by a Canadian director, Ivan Reitman. His son Jason Reitman is directing the new upcoming "Ghostbusters" sequel coming out this summer. The entire movie was shot here in Alberta, Canada although set, of course, in "rural USA." I'm looking forward to seeing it!

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    1. Yes! I saw that Jason Reitman was directing the new Ghostbusters film, I love that! Film locations? You should see all the films they film in the Atlanta area...we will be watching a movie that is supposed to be in Ohio or California and I will say, "That's Georgia!" and sure enough, when we look at IMDB, it will be! (I love the IMDB!)

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  4. I must admit I have never watched "Groundhog Day" at full length... every now and then, it is repeated on TV here, so maybe I shall watch it next time it comes up.
    As for Ghostbusters, wasn't there a film with female ghostbusters just a few years ago?
    Birds singing, daffies showing... what's not to love about spring! And it definitely has been feeling like spring here the past days, it was way too warm for January. The forecast is for it to cool down considerably over the next few days, and I hope that not too many early bloomers and little animals will die from that. It is still only February, after all.

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    1. WHat? Never watched GROUNDHOG DAY?? Why, you will be telling me you have never seen YANKEE DOODLE DANDY next!!
      Yes! I also really liked the Ghostbusters female version, so funny! Our weather...yesterday morning, it was 32, we had ice on our car and then, in the afternoon, it went up to 77! (Officially, it was 76 in Atlanta and tied the record.) It will get cold again though, it is February!!

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  5. Here we only have tiny greet tops of leaves just starting to push through the ground. It's amazing to see them come back year after year. They are saying Spring will come again. I love their cheerful yellow color when they come. They are a good example of encouragement for sure !

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    1. I hope you know the hymn 'Now the Green Blade Riseth". If not, look it up. You would like it.

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  6. Lovely daffs. I don't often plant bulbs here - many of them don't seem to like our wet winters and tend to rot in the ground.

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    1. Daffodil bulbs do well in Georgia, tulip bulbs not so much. I have read that squirrels dig up the tulip bulbs but they leave the daffs alone.

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  7. Truer words have never been spoken.

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  8. Hope is such a blessing! But the groundhog did see his shadow yesterday so we should have an early spring. As far as the movie goes, I've seen it more than once. It's wonderful! We won't have daffodils til later in March or early April....But pots of them are in the shops now. And my daughter saw primroses for sale and is getting me a pot of the yellow ones since they are most fragrant.

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    1. Oh! You are so right, I have to go back and fix that! I realized that evening that I had it wrong on here but never had the chance to correct it! Thanks!
      Primroses! How lovely. xx

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  9. I adore daffodils, and they were of course, imported to Australia too. Each year I delight in the blooming of one or two, in my 'cold' garden at the back of the house. We loved Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day - great favourites in our family. I expect we will be going to see the new Ghostbusters asap. Hi to the dear little wren.

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    1. OH! I will say that when I next see the wren. "Hi, dear little wren, from the Red Cardinal from Australia!"

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  10. There is so much going on all over the world at the moment. Sometimes I think that Groundhog day would be wonderful.

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  11. Groundhog Day, the movie and the actual date on the calendar, are both favorites.
    Daffodils are such cheery flowers.

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    1. We just had snow in Georgia but it missed us. It even snowed in the north part of the county here! I like to see snow and have it melt in a few hours, that is my kind of snow!

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  12. I always think daffodils are so cheerful looking, that's a lovely picture.
    I also enjoyed seeing the Carolina wren, a sweet looking bird.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hey Jan! And not only is the wren a sweet looking bird, he (and she) has such a sweet song! xx

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  13. Lovely, uplifting post, Kay, and the Carolina wren is precious. How kind of you to have a bigger perch for the bigger birds! My favorite poem about daffodils has always been William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." When I was born, my father gave my mother a bouquet of daffodils, and thus my mother always thought of them as special; thus, me too! LOL The ending of your post was an important thing to say. So many people are going through so much ~ Sometimes it almost makes me give up hope. Right now, I'm thinking of the people in Northern Syria. All the best to you! XO

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    1. Thank you, Louise. I love the your father gave your mother a bouquet of daffodils when you were born, that is lovely! And there are so many people going through a lot these days, I think it is important to give hope in any way that we can. xx

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