Mrs. Miniver

Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon

We see and hear about Dunkirk, as from the previous post : Just a Few Words. Seeing those young men, saved from absolutely certain death, fills me with pride. They were brave and dedicated to their countries.

The British people stood by them and gave the military all that they had.

One movie, Mrs. Miniver, released in 1942 presents the amazing commitment to these home bound men, women, and children.

A synopsis:

"A moving drama about a middle-class English family learning to cope with war, told in a series of dramatic vignettes. The family, headed by the lovely and gracious matriarch, endures the departure of the father for the beaches at Dunkirk, the discovery of a wounded Nazi pilot, the death of the daughter-in-law in an air raid, and the entry of the son into the Royal Air Force." 

The Film that Goebbels Feared  :Winston Churchill credited Mrs Miniver with increasing American support for the war effort. A new programme finds out how the domestic drama changed history.

Greer Garson won the Best Actress for her phenomenal performance.

Please watch it. It would be a well spent 2 hours.

Just a Few Words

Just a few words

Over history, great speeches are given and sometimes they are remembered, most of the time not.   Some words will be recalled and forever stand tall in history.

According to different sites, some of the greatest orators of our written era are these few men: 

Lincoln,    Churchill,     Ghandi,     JFK,     

Nelson Mandela,

    

Martin Luther King Jr.,      Reagan,   and    Obama

What speaker about which to write? Which one strikes a chord?

Winston Churchill did something utterly amazing: he saved England with his words.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island...

If we can stand up to him (Hitler), all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.

...This was their finest hour.


Winston Churchill wrote six books about WW2, and forty-three books in total (which filled seventy-two volumes). When asked about how he would be remembered in history, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it."

Incredible man. Incredible words.

About 2 minutes long

actual footage, Dunkirk

About 3 minutes

The Darkest Hour 

Actor Gary Oldman

Best Actor in 2018

Key scene

The Game of Baseball

Bats, balls, uniforms, cleats and dirt are out and ready for baseball. That also means there are teams of pro and not-so-pro players are ready to hit the diamond.

The fans are passionate, really passionate.  There are sports jerseys on fans of all ages and sizes.  Being clueless, I did not even know there was any sort of competition at all, except sport bars will soon show little else.

Baseball passion goes deep.

It is important to check out the gear.

And then there is soccer/football! Thank you, Dear Lord, for blessing us all with these future sport stars.

Indeed, sport passion runs deep and it also starts early. In fact, toss a ball out for these boys and girls, and the action DNA kicks in.

This was a repost from 1918. 5-1-2018.  Like all my re-posts, I do updates. These are newer videos and they fill me with giggles.

  

The Mystery of the 52nd Minute

meme

Flash, Flash...Tick, Tock ...

The time really matters in TV shows, measured carefully by computers to cascade to an acceptable ending. What many do not know is that the most important 52nd minute.

A-Team (originally in the 80s, George Peppard and Liam Neeson somewhere in the early 2000s) was fun and thus predictable. So the show goes and, being young parents with ages 3-9, this was entertaining. It sometimes felt like we were the A-Team. Who was Hannibal was unclear.

YouTube, 8 min. long, not worth more 2 min. or so

The real question here is Why is the 52nd minute important?

Traveling through all the action and all seems lost, the 52nd minute arrives and Hannibal of the A-Team comes up with an ingenuous plan to solve the whole problem. One episode manages escape by padding the car with telephone books, allowing it to be shot to pieces. All are saved.

 Then Hannibal smirks, lights a cigar, and states the above. This happens in every single stinkin' episode.

I have three nephews who are now in upper 30s and who are very analytical watched this and other shows waiting for the precious 52nd minute. During a visit we had one time, they showed me how it worked.

And, by golly, they were right. There is no way to explain and display this, but check it out yourselves. Go to several shows, watch what happens (commercials?) at The Mystery of the 52nd Minute. Use a stop-watch if you desire.

If nothing else, this will give all something to do as we consign ourselves to homes, hoping to escape the turmoil of current times.

Housekeeping Monthly: 1950s

Make life interesting

In 1955, I was 4 years old and my world was all about playing. I didn't know about the other world where women were stay-at-home moms and were basically saints. My own mother was a saint, but she was part of a work force with my father.

Apparently, I was ignorant about these women. None of them were part of my real world, and I was not or would ever be part of theirs.

The following videos are all similar, all about 2 minutes long. Can you guess which one is actually from that time period?

Sooo, there you have what it takes to be that perfect wife all aspire to be.  Good luck to all of you. Men, better change your views of marriage. You just might disappear one night, only to be found shivering, sobbing in a dark abandoned dirt road.

You might be naked.

Choose Wisely my Son

Wanna buy a castle?

Down a weedy avenue to lower Westonderry Woods stood an abandoned castle, tumbling down stone by stone.  But once, this castle had been filled with light, music, and laughter, along with copious amounts of alcohol.

Lord Brandon Quentin Fielding-Larson,a charismatic bachelor, had inherited a massive fortune which opened many doors to him, including the world of high society.  Lord Larson swept newly debuted young ladies off their feet.  And, if his charm succeeded, he swept them onto their backs.

 Soon he was swimming in debt.  All of his creditors were folding up his mortgages and moving in on him.  Also, many outraged titled fathers of pregnant young debutantes were circling their carriages around him.

Seeing no escape and not being one to cower  before the angry men, Lord Larson hastily buried the ledger notebook under heavy wood planks, and stormed to the stables, saddling the fastest horse there.  Off he thundered, applying a riding crop with a heavy hand.

The horse came back alone, a wise decision on Lord Brandon Quentin Fielding-Larson’s part, probably the only one he had ever made.

This post was from 2015 and I really enjoyed writing it. The italicized underlined words are Wednesday Words, originally established by Delores as a way to challenge writers to play with words. Losing too many computer battles, Delores passed the baton to creative bloggers, Elephant's Child and River.

Pleased pop over there and check the Wednesday Words. You will not regret it.

End of the Rainbow

anam cara Hill of Tara

 For seventy years, Liam had chased every rainbow to capture a leprechaun and his pot of gold. Knowing that this would be his last rainbow, Liam slowly hobbled to the Hill of Tara. Gasping in surprise, there sat his leprechaun.

Liam threw his rope and wrapped it around the green fella. "Ha! I've caught you at last! Now, give me your gold, you rascal!"

The leprechaun sighed. "Have ye caught me at last, Liam? Been lookin' tor the gold all yer life, seanfhear. I'll give ye the gold." With that he pulled out a Samsung 10 Android phone, texted in some numbers. "Here you go !" and handed it to Liam.

"What? WHAT?!  Stock in some company called Amazon? Really? Where is my gold?!" Liam gasped. "500 shares? I have never heard of this Amazon!"

Leprechaun stood up and sighed, "Oh, you fool. Each share is worth near $1,800 each. Ye will find yerself swimmin' in gold! Ye eejit!  Go to TD Ameritrade, and they'll set ye straight."  With that, he faded into air.

Liam being no eejit, he scheduled an appointment with TD Ameritrade for the next day.

Being kind, the little green man had left a wallet with $1,000 USA as a gift, which was pretty decent at the time. Liam hobbled over, picked it up and headed to O'Flanagan's Pub. No more rainbow chasing for me. 




Just to reassure you, Liam did go to TD Ameritrade. They were more than happy to help him. Liam is doing quite well.

Where the Waters Fall

Ireland 

flows 

with fairies, 

dances 

with leprechauns. 

Blink 

they 

disappear.

Torc Falls, Killarney

A Magic Place

Brawl at St. Ann's

One of many Irish Female Saints

The Ladies’ Auxiliary of St. Ann Church were engaged in vigorous debate about page 37 of “Secret Life of Saint Dymphna” when all hell broke loose.

Father Gary threw open the doors in a small book room, crying, “Someone has broken into our church hall!”

Caught between horror and mirth, all stood up, racing to the church hall. Auxiliary president, Mrs. Girth was last to take off running, the only one with mirth bubbling within, smiling at rear ends ahead of her.  Her thoughts were random and full of disdain. Her mind flooded with words:

Ha! Mrs. Garson! ...you did not know anyone saw you having a romp with that handsome altar boy behind table skirts in this very room! …and Miss Maulder, you wretch!  Stealing holy wine, swigging it down after service! Really!  I could smell it on your breath!

The herd had reached the hall, each searching the room.  Mrs. Girth hung back, watching, smirking. More words rolled through her thoughts:

Ha! Ms. Barton!  No one knew that it was you who wolfed cartons of butter pecan and moose tracks ice cream…but I saw you.

The search revealed nothing.  The book club resumed, whispering and speculating. Mrs. Girth watched them, knowing that someday all truths would collide and she, as always, would be there to observe.

The Wednesday Words meme was started by Delores . The italicized and underlined words are those given to writers to challenge themselves. 

This was started by Delores who tired of computer battle.  It has since been handed over to volunteers to present the writing prompts.  Six or twelve words, photo prompt, or a sentence prompt would be given to challenge bloggers to step beyond their genre. 

It is great craic.

From YouTube

Tyger, Tyger

middlestage.blogspot.com

William Blake (1757-1827) was one of the many writers whose work wasn't appreciated until after his death. Finally, his poetry was recognized as having brilliance it deserved.

Of all his writing, The Tyger (it became known as "Jerusalem") is the one that people say "Oh, yeah. I know/heard of that one."  The opening line is probably one among much literature whose opening line can always be recognized by any familiar with literature.***

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

in the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when they heart began to beat,

What dread hand? What dread feet?

What the hammer? What the chain. 

In what furnace was thy brain?

Where the anvil? What dread grasp,

Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears

And water'd heaven with their tears

Did he smile his work to see

Did he who made his work to see

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

in the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Now, I am positive that not all readers got to the end of the poem. Heck, the first time I picked it up, I didn't made it through past first two quatrains. Language is complicated, vocabulary are strenuous. Blake asked questions, passionate and thoughtful questions.  

Answering any of those challenged my little gray cells.

 ***Of course, "Call Me Ishmael" .

William Blake rises large and high, way up there.

 

en.Wikipedia.org

Alright. WB Yeats, Robert Frost...those and other poets are way up there with their words.

Welcome to Cardboard Town

Seattle

Cardboard Town
Where the bounced are trounced, 

The in-flamed are out-flamed.

Variety of rich to poor,
Poor to beyond poor.

Raspberry, Blackberry,

Gangrene black
Creep and seep

Down and up,
up and down.

All in Cardboard Town.

Winnipeg Canada

The underlined words came from Wednesday Words in 2014, a writer's challenge started by Delores at her defunct site. She is a clever woman, good writer, who tired of computer battles.

Unique Cures for Migraines

Source for other photos

Pain is both a curse, and a reminder just how fragile and complicated our bodies are. So much could be said about pain, but since we are all humans here not much needs to be stated.

Migraines are my bane, since they have been with me from age four. Cures and treatments have been many, but science is incredible. Botox, CBD, recognizing when to fight (Ha!) or when to flee. We are so lucky.

Treatment options were creative and horrific in centuries ago. Here we go:

Wear a goat headband which is made by the skin of a virgin goat. After processing it, cut and make a headband. It would be tightened until pain is just as bad inside as the outside. Important: Virgin goat?

This is the source for any other photos.

Bind a clay crocodile holding grain
in it mouth on the head of the patient
using a strip of linen. It bore the
names of gods Egyptians believed
could cure their ailments. This is from a papyrus 1550 BC. unique treatment for headaches

Run a warm, sweet bath. One of the few cures from ancient times that actually has some efficacy. 

Add some electric eels to the bath. Ruins a good bath. water and electricity

Trepanation  Drill a hole in the skull, releasing the pressure on the brain. This has been around since caveman times. Skulls from ancient times have confirmed this. Stayed in fashion until the 1600s  where it was believed to release demons.

Drug soaked poultices developed by a nun in 1100 AD. Place a linen soaked in opium and vinegar solution on the head of the sufferer. It make have had some effect. The vinegar opens the pores of the head, allowing opium to be absorbed.  history of headache treatments

Tie a mole on the head. Ancient practitioner said this after his treatments failed. "We might as well tie a mole over the pain." This was, of course, said in frustration. But, hey, try anything at that point.

Burn the head and skull A lot of latitude here, since the physician holds the scalpel and glowing red bar of metal. Shaves head first and then cauterizes area , down to the bone. More actions are to happen, but are too distressing to write here. Bizarre treatments

If pain still persists, there are other treatments. 

May God help you if you pursue questionable treatments.

Side note here. When someone is in severe pain, that person will desperately try different cures. Trust me. I know.

Mother Teresa

Lost its soul

Bill 311-80 Congress which did not pass:

This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Formal description  Summary

A health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to another child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) immediately admit the child to a hospital. The bill also requires a health care practitioner or other employee to immediately report any failure to comply with this requirement to law enforcement.

A person who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

Additionally, an individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder.

The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate these provisions, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony.

A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill. Information on Title 18 and S 311-80 

Congress.gov/116-congress/billS 311 and Title 18

Life

A matter of words, yes. A matter of change, yes.

Being Wrapped in Kindness

Never regret being kind

Anniversaries of personal tragedy are the hardest days for me.  The first year or the fifteenth year anniversary—time does not change the depth of grieving for the death of someone beloved.

It does not matter what day this grief hits me.

The anniversary day or any day, any year, remembering hits me.

This is Bill when he was in high school with his horse, Sonny

December 12, 1999 was the day my youngest brother Bill died, at age 44.  It was 11:30 at night, Sunday night.  His fiancée had phoned from Louisiana that afternoon at 2 PM to tell me that Bill was very ill and would be going into surgery to correct problems from a surgery done earlier that week. 

Very serious.  Septicemia.  Doctor says….

The rest of the day was spent in pacing around the house, calling the nurses’ station, pacing some more.  Until 11:30 that night.

On December 12, 2009, I sat, watching my granddaughters play.  The youngest, four year-old Sunshine noticed how quiet I was and how sad my face seemed.  She climbed up on my lap and asked in her little sweet voice if I was sick. 

I told her about my brother and how he had “gone to heaven” ten years ago.  Sunshine listened solemnly and nodded.  She knew about heaven since their dog Shelby had recently gone there, too.

“Well then, Grandma.  I’ll hold you 'til you feel better.”  Then she settled into my arms, laid her head upon my shoulder, and soaked love into my very being. 

I have never been given such a kind gift like this before, or since.

Who is cuddling whom?

Lucky mommy with 5 yr. old daughter!

This is a repost from 2009. It is 2020, eleven years ago. Sunshine is now 14+, taller than I am.  I could sit on her lap, but instead she curls up to me. I am blessed.