Richard and I walked at the Monastery this weekend The daffodils were in bloom, as were the pink flowers of the tulip trees. When we walked to the lake there, we saw a great heron flying. With its large wings outstretched over the water, gliding gracefully and ever so quietly, it was a breathtaking sight.
Inside the church, the light was streaming through the purple and blue stained glass. You are asked to maintain silence. Since the walls are built of solid concrete, the sound is hard to describe. It is a quiet that is most unusual....and very welcome to a weary visitor.
Look! This was the sunrise that greeted us as we stepped outside our front door this morning! "Thin places", that is how the Celts described the places where the distance between heaven and earth are so close that they almost touch. Mairead from Irish American Mom had a fascinating post about thin places and you may find her post just here.
How is your February going? What are your "thin places"?
Hello, Humans! How are y'all doing these days? Today is Groundhog Day, as you know, and I hope you have all seen the movie by the same name? Did you know that Harold Ramis wrote the screenplay for both "Groundhog Day" AND the original "Ghostbusters" movies? (Not only a writer but a comedian, director and actor, he played one of the original ghostbusters, the one with the glasses, remember that one?) Sadly, he died in 2014. This past weekend, Richard and I watched the recent Ghostbusters movie that was made with women having the leading roles. I thought it was hilarious! Almost all of the original actors from the first Ghostbusters movie had cameo roles in the new film, and that was a very nice touch! And I might have mentioned this to you before, and I promise I don't ALWAYS find a link to England but it does just seem to happen, but Harold Ramis won the BAFTA award for Best Original Screenplay for "Groundhog Day"! (BAFTA is like the British Academy Award.)
Funny thing, but I had a problem today at work and after spending quite some time on the phone with a help desk, I was told to call back TOMORROW and the problem should be sorted out by then (that is me paraphrasing since I use the word "sorted" because of my English husband!) Of course, you know I just had to say, "Wait a minute, today is Groundhog Day, does this mean I am going to call back tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day, etc, etc, etc.?) Now, you know I heard some laughter on the other end of the line!
I have been very busy at work just lately so I have not had much time for blogging. Sometimes I just want to be with flowers, even if I have to go back in time to September and pretend I am in Eastbourne! (Please note, I didn't stay at this lovely hotel, just walked up the steps and had Richard take my photo. I have no shame!) Happy Groundhog Day to you all! (And by the way, the little groundhog doesn't matter that much to people in Georgia, we know we will have an early Spring!)
Oh! And guess what, you might not know this....there is a little thing called the SUPER BOWL on Sunday and it will be between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots.
Go FALCONS! Even my friends in Wisconsin MIGHT be cheering for them! :-)
Are you ready for some sweetness? I am! Watch the video that I have given you here! Roger Federer defeated long time rival Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open after an epic five set match. When I say "sweetness", am I saying that it was a sweet victory for Federer? It certainly was but I am actually referring to the speech that he gave after his win. Humility and graciousness, that is more important to me than all the tennis titles combined.
Our weather in Georgia! Explain it to me if you can, one weekend, it will be cold and icy and then, the very next weekend, so hot that folks are wearing shorts and flip flops.
This is ice on the rock outcrop at Panola Mountain State Park. It looks like snow but it is ice! When it begins to melt, the water underneath the ice moves in such a way that it is mesmerizing. Hard to take your eyes off of it!
On the weekend when it was very warm and we were out walking, Richard forgot his hat. Not to worry, he had a handkerchief in his pocket and by tying the corners together was able to fashion this little hat to protect his head from sun's rays! Now, isn't he a good sport to let me take these photos of him! You know he must be, he is married to me! Richard says that this reminds him of Mr. Gumby, from Monty Python. (I remember an ad on PBS about Monty Python...it said if your girlfriend laughs at this show...MARRY HER. That made me laugh.) Hope you are able to get out into the light during this wintertime! Sweetness and light... this expression is often used in an ironic way. It was first used by Jonathan Swift in "The Battle of the Books", a defense of classical learning in 1704. In Victorian times, Matthew Arnold wrote an essay, "Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism", where "sweetness and light" stands for beauty and intelligence. Sweetness and light!
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever researched something on the internet and then, the first thing that you read seems as if it was written just for you? We saw an armadillo for the first time on our walk at Panola Mountain State Park and I took photos of it, getting fairly close. (At one time, the armadillo was restricted to South Georgia but it is now in the Metro Atlanta area!) The animal was rooting amongst the leaves searching for bugs and grubs, not paying any attention to me. When I got home and typed in "armadillos in Georgia"...the first thing that popped up said, "Step Away From The Armadillo, Lady"! Oh dear! Basically, it stated that the animal can transmit LEPROSY to humans.
Gulp, look how close I had been to it!
Now, since that time, I have looked at several websites about this creature and I found some excellent information just here. This article states that only two humans have contracted leprosy from armadillos and that was from eating raw or undercooked armadillo.
Okay...I don't think I will eat one of them. Why, oh why, would someone even try? Of course, it is a good idea to respect nature and never get too close to wild animals. There, you have been warned!
Oh dear, this reminds me of a song, you knew it would.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Hedgehogs are not anything like armadillos, but you never know what will make me think of a song.
Gluten-free? Rather than being something "trendy", it is a way of life for those who have celiac disease. If you want to know more about it, there is a well written article from England at the Boots WebMD Page, it is just here. (Boots is the name of a chain of chemists in Britain or as we call them in America, drug stores!) It is very often described as an allergy but it really isn't, it is an autoimmune disease. Anyway, read that article at that link above, it describes it in such a logical, straightforward kind of way that is easily understood. My husband, Richard was diagnosed with Celiac disease when he was only three years old and he spent quite a bit of time in the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. I have written of this before and even posted a few recipes. Since the early days of our marriage, I have made him "Miracle " Peanut Butter Cookies" that can be made without any flour! (I now use just a bit of rice flour or corn starch.) You may find the gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe here.) Don't they look good? They are! (I rarely have the nuts to go on top but I always have the chocolate chips to mix in with them!)
We walked past the Great Ormond Street Hospital when we were in London. Richard says that they have redone this since he was a child, there are lots of bright colors and cheerful plants and flowers now.
In the front of the hospital, there is a statue of Peter Pan. J. M. Barrie gave all the rights of Peter Pan to the hospital in 1929 and it is still a source of income for the hospital to this day. (A bit complicated regarding the copyright laws, you may read more about it here.)
Now, isn't it funny that I have given you a gluten free recipe for peanut butter cookies here and can you guess what brand of peanut butter that I like to use? Why, Peter Pan, of course!
(You may use any brand you choose, just not one of those natural kind that has the oil that separates, it just doesn't work as well in this recipe.)
Let me know if you ever make these cookies! Even if you don't have celiac disease or are on a gluten free diet, I think you would like these cookies as long as you like homemade cookies! (By the way, in England it is "coeliac" disease.)
Have you ever written a song? No? Go ahead...I'll wait.
Not so easy, is it? There is something magical of having a tune that melds perfectly with the lyrics. Now some songwriters are also gifted with a beautiful singing voice. Sam Cooke would fit into that category. "An incredible natural singing voice and a smooth, effortless delivery that has never been surpassed" is how one biographer described this talent.
He was born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1931. (He later changed it to Sam COOKE, adding the "e", just because he liked the way it looked.) In school, he was an "A" student and was voted "most likely to succeed". Sam Cooke began his singing career the same way that many did, in church. His father was a Church of Christ minister. In 1950, he became the lead singer with the gospel group, The Soul Stirrers. Crossing over into pop music, his song "You Send Me" in 1957 spent six weeks at number one on the R&B charts, and also, three weeks at number one on the Pop Billboard charts. Sam Cooke also was one of the first to have his own record label at a time when songwriters were pressured into signing under the bigger name labels.
Look at the bottom of this post for a list of the songs that he wrote! It would have been longer, I am sure, but his life was cut short at the age of 33.
There is still controversy over his death to this day, you may read about it just here. You may look at any of his songs on YouTube. I have two here for you..."Bring It On Back" and that is Lou Rawls that you hear saying the "yeahs" and singing background! The last one, "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released after his death, and you will forgive me if I believed that it was one that had been written many years earlier, a spiritual if you will, but it is a Sam Cooke song, his very last one.
If you do know someone who can write music and lyrics AND is a good singer, you should encourage them to develop this gift and share it with the world.
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