Love and Freedom

This past Sunday, I attended a Veteran's Day Service with my Dad.  For some reason, the lights were turned down to a very dim level so I couldn't get any good photos.   I have been going with him to this service for the past few years, so I will post some photos from those past years...

A few years ago, the main speakers at the service were Ben and Anne Purcell.  They had written a book titled "Love And Duty".  Ben Purcell had been in the Vietnam war.  He had been captured and held prisoner for five and half years while his wife was at home caring for their five children.  There, that sounds so easy to type that and to read it, doesn't it?  But think about it, really think of it...FIVE AND A HALF YEARS!  And in all that time, Anne never knew if her husband was dead or alive and the government certainly didn't give her any help or indication of where or how her husband might be.

During his time in Vietnam, Ben Purcell tried to escape and his writing of his attempts to escape  and also how he managed to keep his faith while imprisoned is truly inspiring.  Equally inspiring is his wife Anne's story how she was able to care for her children and at the same time try desperately to get the United States government to understand the plight of these men held in captivity in Vietnam.

Earlier this week I mailed a letter to Ben Purcell, because I wanted him to know that I am remembering him on this Veteran's Day (Remembrance Day in England and Canada).  I was thrilled that I was able to shake both of their hands and also introduce my Daddy to them and even get a photo of the three of them together.

 Ben & Anne are a wonderful Christian couple and their faith is something to behold.  It was an honor to meet them both.  If you ever get the chance, please read their book.  Ben will tell his story in one chapter and then Anne will tell her story in the next, and the book continues in that way, each taking a turn and that way, you get their whole story...  I asked them to sign my book and they graciously did so, and Ben wrote this:
 
               "May you always be blessed with Love and Freedom".

They now operate a Christmas tree farm in Clarkesville, Georgia and also speak about their book at public engagements. Just a note here, I first found their book at our local library which had been DONATED to the library by Ben and Anne Purcell.  They truly are a wonderful couple...


     Now, may I share a few more photos with you?
     These photos are of my wonderful Dad in his comfortable overalls which
were taken this past Sunday after we got back to his house after the service.  He is  out in his garden showing off his turnip greens, collards and cabbages.  (He couldn't wait to get out of his suit!)
 That is romaine lettuce that he is holding there.   You know he gave it to me! (Along with a  big bag of green peppers and green tomatoes!)

                           

The Princess Bride

Recently, I left a comment on a blog to the effect that although I love to read and would love to recommend books to people, about the only thing I can think to say is this: this is a good book, read it!
On the same principle, I would like to say: this is a good movie, watch it!  The Princess Bride was released in 1987 and although it wasn't very popular at the time, it has since become a cult classic. Why is that?  It is based on a novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay.  In 2006, his screenplay was selected by the Writer's Guild of America as the 84th best screenplay of ALL TIME!  And no wonder, it is such a cleverly written story.  Directed by Rob Reiner, it is not only funny but also quite beautiful since it was filmed in England and Ireland.  The casting is brilliant and the most wonderful thing about it is that it is for girls AND boys of all ages! 

Our son, we are not sure why, was absolutely fascinated by swordfighting.  He loved the movie with Kevin Coster playing Robin Hood (yes, his accent WAS American, I  know, but c'mon, he is KEVIN COSTNER, after all, you gotta love him!) and also the movie, Jumanji.    The swordfighting in The Princess Bride was really outstanding and it wasn't until later that I learned that the actors actually did their own swordfighting.   I hope you will enjoy the video that I found above from Youtube and that you will find Christopher Guest to be as funny as I think he is.  Also, I love the back story that the wonderful Mandy Patinkin gives us here, I find this to be quite moving...

There are a lot of bad movies out there.  This isn't one of them.  This is one that will make you feel better about life, about people, about the whole world!  And to quote from the movie, I will leave you with this:                     " A S   Y O U   W I S H "

You'll have to watch the movie now, so you'll know what that means!

Arabia Sunset/Moonlight

Our time will change this weekend.  No more late afternoon walks up Arabia Mountain after work, not for a while anyway.  So yesterday, even though my husband got off late from work (after a meeting at his job where there was a discussion about a Peak Experience!, this was in response to a co-worker reading a book)  we decided to go to Arabia even though we had just enough time to get there, go up the mountain and come back down before dark... Luckily, we made it!

We had a heavy rain the night before.  The vernal pools were at the highest level we have seen them.  The water was crystal clear and the wind was rippling the surface.  It was quiet and peaceful, serene and lovely.  Would you like to see?  Come, let's hurry before the sun goes down!

That's me in the pink jacket in the first photo and that is my husband in the last one and I almost caught all of his reflection in the water just behind him.  It wasn't quite as dark as it looks, the fading pink light was quite beautiful.  And the moonlight in the pines reminds me of an old sweet song...

Willie B. And Me

Would you like to hear my story about a special gorilla in the Atlanta Zoo?  It is called Zoo Atlanta now, but when I was growing up, it was simply called Atlanta Zoo.  Our class went there for our eighth grade field trip.  At that time, the gorillas and chimps were kept in what was called "the monkey house".  I don't know if that was the official name or not (hey, I was just 13 years old!) but that is what we heard it called.  There was a very large silverback gorilla named Willie B. and he was in a cage all by himself.
When our group came up to the cage, the boys in our group began to taunt him and make monkey noises and to say "Look at us monkey, hoo, hoo".   Willie B. had his body turned away from us and we could not see his face at all.  The boys kept making these monkey-like noises and suddenly, he turned his face directly toward the boys and looked at them with such a fierce and intelligent manner that it completely silenced the boys.  We girls were astounded at this and the boys, after a few seconds, were stammering, "Did you see his FACE?  He wanted to KILL us!"  And they were right, his expression was undeniably clear.  He had a very angry face, but  he only looked that way at the boys, not the girls, he looked at us, as if to say, "Too bad you have to be with such idiots."

At that time, Willie B. only had a tire swing in this cage.  A few years later, they gave him a TV set (depending on your view, either for entertainment or further punishment.)  So, his life was this way from 1961 until 1988.  What happened in 1988?  It was wonderful, one of the best things that I have ever had the pleasure to witness on the TV screen, I only wish I could have seen it in person. The zoo was able to build a natural habitat for the gorillas and Willie B. was released out of his prison cage and allowed to walk outside under trees and to see the sky.   The important thing to know about this particular gorilla is that he was captured as a baby from Africa, he was not born in captivity.  So, he KNEW what it was to be free.  Many people believed that once he was released, he would be afraid, that he wouldn't know how to handle the transition.   I had looked in his eyes, and I felt that he would know just what to do.  Sure enough, when the doors were opened, he stepped outside into the sunlight and he walked carefully and slowly. Gently, ever so gently he reached up to a tree and delicately touched a leaf between two of his fingers.

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I held my breath when he walked out and when he touched that leaf!  This brought tears to my eyes and I was so grateful to all those who made that moment happen.  You can read all about Willie B. on the Zoo Atlanta web-site and also on WikiPedia, but they won't tell you about the boys taunting him or the special moment when he grasped that leaf. ( I have found a photo of Willie B. touching the leaf that I described here.)

Our son, who was born in 1989, was able to enjoy seeing Willie B. in this natural outdoor habitat and  he would always look out for him, as Zoo Atlanta was one of his favorite places to go.  He liked me telling him my story of the boys who taunted him and how Willie B. made them stop by just one look.  Willie B. died in February of 2000, but there are many others, like me, who remember him in that tiny cage and seeing the look of intelligence in his face and rejoicing in his freedom.

Autumn Eve

"That Autumn eve was stilled,

A last remains of sunset dimly burned

O'er the far forests, - like a torch flame turned

By the wind back upon the bearer's hand

In one long flare of crimson, as a brand,

The woods beneath lay black."              

R. Browning
 

Joy In The Moment

Everyone should have something that they love to do, something that when they are "in the moment",  they have no idea that time is going by so quickly. Me, I like to make things! I might not be an expert at anything, and my tastes are very simple. No huge bows or frilly things for me...not sure why, just understated type of things are more my style. For a baby shower, I found instructions on how to make a diaper cake. Does everyone know what a diaper cake is? You take a pack of diapers and roll them and shape them into a shape of a cake, you then roll either a blanket or some other baby related item around each layer of diapers and then insert little baby gifts into the "cake". It's useful and beautiful- two of my favorite things! (Oh, and I crocheted that orange edging on the yellow blanket on that lowest level of the diaper cake...it was bright but the mother-to-be liked it.)

See, I really like to crochet and have done so for years.  This year, I found Sue at Sunshine International Blankets of Love and she asks for folks to send her squares which she makes into blankets and takes to elderly care homes.   The website is www.sunshineinternationalblanketsoflove.blogspot.com
and just this weekend, TWO magazines have featured articles about Sue and her "Sibolettes"!  I have only made a small number of squares but she has used them in her blankets.  That is the amazing thing, she treats my little stash of squares with as much respect as when she receives a whole box full of them.  This makes me so happy I can't believe it!

Everyone should have a nutty Aunt who makes them t-shirts!  The year that I made this one, I also made a tiny little Lego cake which went down a treat!  (See, it's not perfect, but it was fun to make it and my nephew seemed to like it.)

When I ever make anything in the kitchen that turns out even looking halfway decent, I always try to take a photo of it. More than anything, it has been to remind me that it is possible for me to cook or bake!

 This little plastic HAPPY BIRTHDAY has been used on my cakes for oh dear, maybe 15 years or so... is that sad or what!  (Honestly, it could even be older than that.)

If I see any nice art or photographs of fruit or flowers, I cut them out and just kind of gently wedge them into my kitchen cabinets...I would much rather look at this rather than plain wood.  You spend so much time in the kitchen, might as well look at something you like.  You see, I am an artist trapped inside a working woman's body!

For years, I have made sugar cookies for Christmas.  Do you see the bird shaped cookie? I got that cookie cutter for free with a woman's magazine, it was English, of course!  Don't you just want to dive into those cookies?

What do you do that you are "in the moment" and time just flies by and you are amazed that you have spent so much enjoyable time that time itself seems suspended as if you are in a science fiction movie?
It's a wonderful place to be and I wish this for all who read this today!  Enjoy your life and do what gives you joy.

Arabia Mountain, My Blog and A Video

My husband and I have been able to visit Arabia Mountain area TWICE more this week.  That means we have climbed it six times in the past eleven days!   We are doing this simply because we enjoy it so much and we know it is good exercise.

Today as we climbed up, a woman was speaking with a group of young men at the base of the mountain and as we walked past, I heard her say that she had been reading a blog on Arabia Mountain.   As we walked further past, I heard her voice carry up the mountain to my ears and this is what I heard, "...and she talked about climbing Arabia Mountain THREE times!".   This just made me stop in my tracks and I turned around to look at her.  The young men must have wondered why I was staring at them.  Do you think that I would say, "Hey, that's my blog you're talking about!"?  No, I'm a little too shy for that...I just kept on walking, marvelling that anyone reads my blog!

 Hopefully, you will be able to see the video that my husband took today on the top of the mountain.    We were all alone and it was heavenly!  But now, you will be with us... Enjoy!