Nat King Cole - Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer - 45 rpm

Summer has finally started. Last evening we grilled some hamburgers, cooked corn on the cob, and had salad. We ate outdoors on the patio. It was a cool evening and eventually we had to move indoors to the porch. Today is more humid. The dew point is rising. We can complain about the humidity and the heat but it doesn't worry us as snowstorms do. We have more mobility in the summer.
There are several songs celebrating this wonderful short season. This song by Nat King Cole is one of my favorites. It brings back memories of listening to it on a transistor radio and of course it was recorded on a vinyl disk at 45 rpms.
There is mention of drive in theaters in the lyrics. Fortunately we do have one near us. They revived the thrill of driving your vehicle to an open space in front of a huge screen. It's popular in this area. Three hundred and seventy-four cars packed with families attended last Saturday's viewing.

Hope For Spring

We usually think of robins with Spring. I spotted this bird perched on our birch tree during the storm. We have had thirteen winter storm since the start of the season. It's mid February and we are anticipating Spring's arrival. Every season has characteristics of beauty but continuous storms are a nuisance. You must love winter sports to partake of this bountiful snowfall. We are only spectators of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia by watching the events on television.
I do hope that this bird's arrival brings us milder weather.

Suspenseful

At the end of the school day a fourth grader approached me asking what is suspenseful. He wanted to know if there is such a word. I qualified the answer with a feeling. I asked him did he ever see a scary movie and know that something is going to happen. I asked him to imagine the tightness in his stomach. He understood that feeling. But there is also a time when it can be a good thing that will eventually happen. In this case it could be looking forward to a special event. It can be a big trip or a holiday. He walked away satisfied with my answers.

I remember watching the film Jaws. The opening scene was the shark's approach to a swimmer. We visualized the approach through the shark's eyes. Of course there were more shark attacks through the film, providing the movie goers suspense. I clenched the arms of the my seat in the theater. There were probably more people there that night that did the same.

I'm not an amusement park rider. I don't enjoy that feeling of helplessness in going high or twisting through a turn in high velocity. There are people who enjoy the feeling of suspense. Amusement parks seem to build more thrilling rides than the old roller coasters. There is only one roller coaster ride that I will ride and that is Thunder Mountain in Disney World. I do feel the suspense of the cars climb and then pause before they plunge downward. Maybe what seems comforting to me is the landscape around the tracks. It's supposed to be a run away tram car through a mine and into the mountains. I still clench the bar that holds us securely in place.

What would our lives be without suspense? The entertainment industry seems to cater to that need. The films today are violent and the rides in amusement parks seem to challenge a person's resolve to live through the intense minutes of a ride. There are events in life that happen without design. Winter driving is suspenseful. Suspense builds up at every intersection when I place my foot on the brake. Is there ice under the snow? We've seen televised accidents reported throughout our state and country. At least there's no physical damage done on an amusement ride. But I'm braver getting into my car to drive on winter days. Suspense is part of living.

A New Year and New Possibilites

It's New Year's Eve and my readers in Europe are coming close to the end of 2013. We still have several more hours to wait. This evening was a big family night. We would all gather at one of the aunt's house to snack on sweets, play board games, and watch the televised event in Times Square in NYC. The family gatherings are smaller. The dinner on the Eve is still a celebration. It should be a celebration to close out one year and to welcome another. Our feast replicates the Christmas Eve dinner with seafood.
So we wish ourselves a year of promise. This current year had its days of good things and sadness. Loss is a part of life and we can't be spared from it. We can only wish for the best. Those are the times that are joyful.
If I had a champagne glass in my hand, I would raise it to my readers and wish you the best for 2014.
Happy New Year!

Some Nostalgia For This Season

This caption is from our miniature Christmas display. The whole set is a replication of a nineteenth century village. It seems customary during the Christmas Season to view this era as idyllic. Life was simpler but also harsher. But it wouldn't seem right to display a contemporary scene because how could it evoke sentiment?What is the cause of that sentiment? Was it the story of a miserly old man who was radically transformed to become a better person? Scrooge evolves from viewing everything in life as humbug to embracing all that is good within it. Dickens makes Christmas in his little novella the hallmark of all the goodness in life. It is a time of giving and joy. It is also a time of innocence as captured here in these children building snowmen.

So what are we doing to recreate a setting that existed in the past? It is decorative. It's purpose goes deeper than a pretty display. We set up space in our living room to remind us that Christmas is just not about how many shopping days there are until Christmas. There weren't Black Fridays or Cyber Mondays in the nineteenth century. There wasn't a need to get the best deals. It was a slower pace of life which we can never regain. We live in the twenty-first century and go along with as much of the commercialization as possible. Our village display along with the creche will always remind us of what really is Christmas.

Keeping Busy during Recuperation

I prefer not to write about my health issues in detail. Everyone has a struggle. I will mention briefly that I have had pneumonia for a couple of weeks and it never seemed to end. Probably the strain of endless coughing and stressing about the condition lead to this weird condition called broken hearted syndrome. It mimics a heart attack. So I got my first ride in an ambulance on last Friday morning.
The emergency medical techs were fantastic and when I entered the hospital I was taken immediately for a heart catherization. So fortunate to not have any blockages and just to be admitted overnight for observation.
But enough of this ordeal. I was hesitant to enter this entry in my blog. I'm not looking for sympathy. It's more of an activity to keep myself creative. I've read my local newspaper everyday and have read periodicals. These are things that I usually don't have time to read. They stockpile and when I get a chance when not watching TV, I'll retreat to these materials. Of course, the news changes everyday. I've never been a big sports enthusiast but there have been features in the sports sections that I have been following. I always favored the women's basketball games over the men's games. So, pleased to read that the UCONN women's team is playing well this season. It is only the start of the season and they have three players that are injured.
I have also been following the negotiations with one of the New York Yankees members. His agent is trying to negotiate a 10 year contract with the team for $310,000,000. The management isn't yielding even though this player has been productive. Many of my readers are overseas and don't have this news presented in their countries.
The weather is cold here. Sometimes our November can be a little milder but we are in a cold snap for a few days. Our national holiday of Thanksgiving is in a few days. I'm saddened to think that the retail stores are opened on this holiday. Families don't have time to be together. The retailers have opened this day for consumerism. Everyone has to gear up for Christmas shopping. I'm so glad that our family doesn't observe this obsession with buying.
Everyone credits the Pilgrims the first people to celebrate a feast of thanksgiving. Some of it has been morphed into myth. I just read today that turkey may not have been the fowles that the settlers hunted. They may have been geese and ducks. Regardless of history I do prefer turkey over duck.
So, I'm preparing myself to sit down at the table on Thursday feeling grateful that my health is improving.

A Life Remembered

I am saddened to learn about the death of one of my residents where I do volunteer service. I offered my assistance in computer skills. My unique experience with Stuart will always be treasured. A webcam was set up on the desktop computers for the residents. They could do video conferencing through Skype. When Stuart discovered that the webcams could do still photography, he resumed his passion for photography.
I never asked him how long had he been without his camera equipment. I'm sure that he had to let go of some of his possessions to live there.
Over the course of four years, I learned a lot of things about Stuart. He traveled through Europe when he was younger. He stayed in London for awhile and went to Jean Straker's Visual Arts Club in Soho. Stuart was interested in photographing nude models and at the time, Straker's studio was well known.
I was always amazed by what Stuart accomplished using foil, napkins, flashlights, bubble wrap, and ornaments. He spent hours at the desktop modeling the objects and experimenting with angles and lighting.
Stuart was allowed to do a gallery presentation of his images in the main floor of the facility. The public was invited. Refreshments were served. He was so delighted that day.
His dexterity was becoming increasingly limited and he had to stop creating images. I still continued to visit him and I knew how difficult it was for him to be resigned to his limitations. Yet I sometimes could see that joviality emerge. He loved having visitors. I always enjoyed my visits with Stuart because we could laugh and when he laughed it was a good jolly release of endorphins. Audrey Hepburn said, "I love people who make me laugh." She went on to say, "It's probably the most important thing in a person."
And so it was with Stuart.

Here are three images saved on my hard drive that are Stuart's.