Things are all a flutter here at the Manor with putting the finishing
touches on tomorrow's big dance. And how fun is this? I just got an
RSVP from the marvelous Ray Bolger. You remember him as The
Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz? He will certainly contribute to a fun
and entertaining evening! I'm sure he has a few stories to tell. Like,
what would he do with a brain, if he had one?

What is dance? I am dancing all the time.

Every gesture, the body line of every pose,

the way I get from place to place,

the movement in the acting –

none of it would be the way it is if I weren't a dancer.
~ Ray Bolger

Thanks for all your input yesterday in helping me decide on Sir
Anthony Hopkins, "Tony" to me. Adrianne's comment, describing
his "Remains of the Day look", persuaded me! But this means that
I will have to wear flats, since he is only 5' 9 1/2" tall. If I wear
three inch heels, I will tower over him. So flats it is. Much easier to
dance in flats, anyway, don't you think? I'm working with the
caterer today and hiring some guys to do the valet parking. So
things are quite a flutter around the Manor today! Polish up those
dancing shoes!

This wonderful montage should help Maurita make her choice.

I just visited Maurita and apparently she is having a very difficult time
deciding between Cary Grant and Clark Gable, who are both trying to
persuade her to be their date for the Manor Ball. Go pay her a visit and
give her some advice! Alas, I am in the same dilemma with these two
gentlemen! They've both been calling all morning and I am leaning
toward Sir Anthony, but I certainly don't want to hurt Mr. Connery's
feelings. Oh, what is a girl to do?

Yesterday, I had much success at Christie's auction house bidding on
a fabulous gown. It miraculously fits me perfectly and can't wait to whirl
around the dance floor in it! It's to absolutely die for!!

Here's another favorite film dance scene, just to keep you in the spirit!

With the Manor Cyber Dance coming up next week, I'm posting a few
fun movie dance scenes to put us all in the mood! Here's Danny and
Vera dancing it up in White Christmas. This is going to be so fun,
because we can all dance like this in cyberspace! I'm going to be out
today cyber shopping for my new gown! Ta-ta!!

Shall We Dance?

We are so into Yul this week and many of you expressed an interest
in a "cyber dance", I thought it would be great fun to host one at
Willow Manor! This is a black tie cyber event, so mark your calenders
and bring those gowns and tuxes out of mothballs. Be prepared to tell
us who your guest is, what you are wearing and your song requests for
the string quartet. And if you are really into this, feel free to host a
satellite dance at your blog on October 1. See you then! Practice
those waltz steps...one two three...one two three... Oh, and just for
fun, we'll have a drawing from the attendees and award a door prize!

Pear Cake

Do you remember that bumper crop of pears we had at the Manor

this year? I had a big bowl of over ripe ones that needed to be used.

So, what did I do? Pear Cake! And this recipe is absolutely the best!

It's got the perfect texture; light, fluffy, yet incredibly moist and

nutty, lightly spiced and permeated with the flavor of pears and

walnuts. It's very easy to make and perfect for this time of year.

You are going to love this. Give this recipe a whirl and tell me what

you think! Click on the picture for a macro view of the moistness!

Pear Cake

4 cups peeled and finely chopped ripe pears
3 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used 2 cups slightly buzzed in processor)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs beaten
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, mix pears with sugar and nuts, set aside and let stand
one hour (actually my pears where mushy-ripe and I skipped this
part). Add dry ingredients to the pears, stir to combine. Add oil,
vanilla, and eggs. Stir to blend. Don't over stir. Pour batter into a
generously greased and floured tube pan or 10 x 9 inch pan. Bake
350 for about one hour, or until pick inserted in the center comes
out clean. (45 minutes for a 13 x 9 pan.)

Instead of shaving my head, a better idea is to add my hair to Yul!
Thanks to Bill Stankus for this wonderful imagery. And thanks, Bill,
for not making me bald. Hmm...maybe we're onto something here?!

Yul and Me

Steph posted on a weird dream she had about movie stars, which
reminded me of one I had a year or so ago. My extended family
was gathered at my grandfather's house in the tiny Indiana town
where I was born for a very important meeting. There was a
seriousness in the air and I knew something was up. Grandpa
sat me down, in the midst of my aunts and uncles and told me it
was high time I knew who my biological father was. Yul Brynner.
"Yep", he said, "before he made his way in Hollywood, he was a
photographer in our little town." And the exotic young Yul had a
fling with my mother!

So, how's that for a weird celebrity dream?!

Hmm, I don't know... Can you see a resemblance here?

A word sticks in the wind's throat;
A wind-launch drifts in the swells of rye;
Sometimes, in broad silence,
The hanging apples distil their darkness.

You, in a green dress, calling, and with brown hair,
Who come by the field-path now, whose name I say
Softly, forgive me love if also I call you
Wind's word, apple-heart, haven of grasses.


Apology
Richard Wilbur, New and Collected Poems

Study for the Bouquet, John William Waterhouse, 1908

I picked up a wonderful copy of Richard Wilbur's New and Collected
Poems from that overstock and second hand bookstore I love to visit.
You know, the one in the lovely old church building? I didn't realize
Wilbur was the winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. He has
also served as the Poet Laureate of the United States and was the
primary lyricist for Bernstein's opera Candide. His poetry has an
elegant, graceful quality. This particular poem brought to mind this
soft Waterhouse painting and also Keira Knightley's stunning green
dress from the film Atonement.

Willow's Weekly Word

Marie asked me last week, when I posted a meme, and I had to
stop and think. What exactly is a meme, anyway, and how did the
word originate? In the context of blogs, (the word blog is derived
from web logs, by the way) it's generally a list of questions that are
answered and then passed on to others and so on, often in the form
of a tag game. I pronounce meme so it rhymes with dream and
others pronounce it mem, like in memory.

A meme is:

• An idea that, like a gene, can replicate and evolve.
  
• A unit of cultural information that represents a basic
  idea that can be transferred from one individual to
  another, and subjected to mutation, crossover and
  adaptation.
  
• A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior)
  that is passed from one generation to another by
  nongenetic means (as by imitation); "memes are the
  cultural counterpart of genes".

(from thedailymeme.com)

The term and concept of

meme is from the 1976

book by Richard Dawkins,

The Selfish Gene. Though

Dawkins defined the meme

as "a unit of cultural

transmission, or a unit of

imitation," memeticists vary

in their definitions of meme.

*

The lack of a consistent, rigorous definition of what

precisely a meme is remains one of the principal

criticisms leveled at memetics, the study of memes.

(from Wikipedia)

*

And that's the best I can do, since I'm not a memeticist!

So, there you have it!

*

(photo from Flickr)

Farmer's Market Soup

This is one of my very favorite soups! And this time of year is

perfect for it. I just bought some lovely fresh vegetables and

with this soup, you can use just about any combination you like.

Add a heavenly slice of crusty home made bread and you've got

a perfect little supper. Can you tell I'm celebrating the empty

nest cooking?

Farmer's Market Soup

3 tbsp olive oil

3 leeks chopped

pinch of saffron threads

3 large carrots, diced

3 medium turnips, peeled and diced

3 zucchini or other summer squash, chunked

3/4 lb green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 quarts vegetable stock

1 cup dried pasta, I like bowl shaped Orecchiette

The Pesto

3 cups loosely packed basil leaves

1 garlic clove

3 tbsp pine nuts

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 tbsp grated Romano

1/2 cup olive oil

Warm oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks

and saffron and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add vegetables, garlic and salt, cook 5 minutes and add

stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer until vegetables

are tender, 20 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water, drain and rinse with

cold water.

Make the pesto. Mash the garlic in a mortar with 1/4 tsp salt

and the pine nuts (I use a mini food processor) then add the

basil a hand full at a time. Grind until you have a fine paste.

Briefly work in the cheeses and stir in the olive oil. Taste for

salt.

Add the pasta to the hot soup, ladle the soup into bowls and

stir a spoonful of pesto into each serving. Season with pepper.

NOTE: Don't skimp and leave out the pesto! And don't

use that nasty store bought kind. It is the key ingredient

that gives the soup it's rich fabulous flavor, when stirred

into each bowl full!

*photo by Willow*

My Life, The Movie

Since it's WT's birthday and I'm in the festive spirit, I'll post this fun
meme! I've been tagged by Sandra at bubblebabbles. This particular
one is called My Life, The Movie, and is just like one big casting job!

Here's the details:
If you had to select celebrities/actors to play the parts in the story
of your life today (including yourself), who would it be and why.
This can be based on looks or personality.
1. List the people who would play you and the key people in your life.
2. Give credit to the person who tagged you.
3. Tag four new people to participate.

My role would have to be played by Juliette Binoche. Okay,
she is a lot younger and more beautiful than me, but hey, I

don't want someone my age playing me. And besides, every

time WT sees her in a movie, he pats my hand and says,

"She reminds me so much of you!"

*

WT could be played by no other than the

boisterous and hearty, king sized Brian Blessed.

*

Eldest son, of course Jim Carrey, for

his looks and personality.

*

Daughter must be played by Drew Barrymore.
Even when she was a little girl, people thought
she was Drew! Drew's singing voice, however
would have to be dubbed by Susan Graham.

For the role of the youngest son, we would have
to bring the debonair young Cary Grant back to life.

My uncle, Bachelor at Wellington, would be
very aptly portrayed by Jason Watkins, handsome...
and silly!

And last, but not least, my sister
would be played by the mild mannered Julie Hagerty.

This was ever so much FUN! Those of you who know us would

have to say that I did a pretty good casting job, if I do say so

myself!! I could go on with so many more people in my life, but

I'll refrain. They might not think it as amusing as I do!! And

now the rules say I must tag four bloggers to participate. I

choose Brit Gal Sarah, Stevie Wren, Cynthia, Ces and anyone

else who would like to play along.

The theme song to this movie would have to be this:

Ike pays Willow Manor a visit

My work is cut out for me on the patio.

Remnants of Ike, with 60 and 70 mph wind gusts ripped through

Ohio yesterday and left us without power for 24 hours! We were
lucky enough to have ours restored a few hours ago, but almost 2

million Ohioans are still without power. We have a well and when

the power is out, there's no water either, so needless to say we were

very relieved to be back to normalcy. And I was having a terrible

case of Internet withdrawal. So, I am happily catching up with my

bloggies and looking forward to a nice hot bath!

Willow's Weekly Word

Sadly, I thought my coffee drinking days were over. The caffeine
was doing a little number on me, so I switched to tea. Don't get
me wrong, I love tea. But it's just not the same as a strong
aromatic cup of java. And decaf, to me, is like drinking hot stale
brown water. Well, to make a long story short, I found the perfect
brand of decaffeinated! Yippee!! Believe it or not, it's Sam's Club's
Member's Mark "Marques de Paiva Estate Blend" whole bean
decaffeinated. Seriously, I can't tell it's not the real thing! It's
robust, flavorful and even has that kick. And just in case you're
wondering, the English word coffee was first used in the early
1600's from the Italian word caffe. Europe was introduced to the
word from the Turkish kahve, which is derived from the Arabic
quhweh, "wine of the bean". So, there you have it!

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea;
but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.

***

Abraham Lincoln

photos borrowed from Flickr

Trains

The train stopped at a little station
and for a moment stood absolutely still.
The doors slammed, gravel crunched underfoot,
someone said goodbye forever,

a glove dropped, the sun dimmed,
the doors slammed again, even louder,
and the iron train set off slowly
and vanished in the fog like the nineteenth century.

Iron Train by Adam Zagajewski
translated by Clare Cavanagh


I have a thing for beautiful old passenger trains. You know the ones
I'm talking about; majestic, chugging massive pillars of smoke as they
depart the station, richly upholstered seats and classy dining cars.
David Lean loved to include marvelous train scenes in his films such
as Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A
Passage to India, to name a few. Whenever I see a grand old train in
a movie, I am thrilled and make sure everyone else in the room takes
note. To hop aboard one of these beauties and set off for a long and
lazy romantic journey would be absolute heaven. It's a shame that
public transportation isn't what it once was in this country, at least
here in the Midwest.

And, speaking of trains, my daughter just sent me this picture, taken
as she waited for a train in Germany last week. The public transit
system is so convenient in Europe. Isn't this architecture in Dresden
stunning? She took this with her cell phone from a sidewalk cafe.
What a view! Sigh.

Weightless

For a God who laughs like a child,
So much raucous sparrow chatter,
So many dances in branches,

A soul becomes weightless,
The grasslands have such a softness,
Such chasteness revives in the eyes,

Hands like leaves
Are spellbound in the air...

Who is frightened now, who judges?

Weightless, 1934
Giuseppe Ungaretti, Selected Poems
Bilingual Edition, translated by Andrew Frisardi

I really have been enjoying my new book of Eugenio Montale
poetry. Merisi suggested another Italian poet, Giuseppe Ungaretti,
so I checked out his book of selected poems from my library. The
brilliant translation from the Italian into English in this bilingual

edition has marvelously preserved much of the delicacy and

mystery of Ungaretti's poetry.

Fegatini alla Salvia

~~~photo by Willow~~~

Remember that Savoring Tuscany cookbook I found on the
library discard shelf for two bucks? Well, I made another Tuscan
recipe and it is SO dee-lish. Let me warn you up front. If you
don't like chicken livers, you are not going to like this recipe. But,
if you do, these will simply be the best you have ever tasted! The
fresh sage permeates the livers with glorious flavor and sautes into
crisp little leaves. Take my word for it, you will love this fabulous,
inexpensive and quick little meal. It's easy, peasey and tastes like
you're dining in a fine restaurant. Add a glass of Chardonnay and

there you have it!

Fegatini alla Salvia
chicken livers with sage

1 lb chicken livers
about 2 cups milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter
handful of fresh sage leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim away the membranes and connective tissue from the
livers and rinse in running cold water. Place them in the
milk, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to use
the livers, drain and wipe them dry with paper towels.

In a large frying pan over very low hear melt the butter.
Add the livers and safe and cook gently, turning occasionally
until the meat is a deep, rich brown on the outside and
tender pink on the inside, 8-10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the livers and sage leaves out of
the butter and distribute among individual plates and serve
immediately.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Jeane to list "6 Unspectacular Quirks"
about myself. This is easy peasey because I am ultra quirky. Now
I just have to narrow it down to only six. This may be harder than
I thought! Okay, here goes. These are SO very unspectacular.

1) I wear the same shade of brownish red lipstick every

single day of my life. Even if no one else is in the house

but me, doing laundry, I have it on. It makes me feel in

control. If I'm having the absolute worst hair day of my

life, if I've got the power lipstick, it's a piece of cake. I can

handle anything.

2) My house is haunted and I've seen a ghost in my kitchen.

I could pick him out of a line up, if I had to. Do they identify

ghosts that way?

3) Even though I am not of the Catholic or Orthodox faith,

I collect lovely vintage rosaries and Russian Icons. They are

hanging and scattered throughout Willow Manor. I think I

am subconsciously trying to keep the ghosts at bay.

4) I have perfect pitch. I can tell you the exact note of any

particular tone. But just don't ask me to sing it. My brain

is not connected to my singing voice. This, however,

certainly does not stop me from singing bits of odd little

ditties, rhymes, show tunes and operas, not always on pitch.

5) 11:11 is driving me nuts. I see it consistently every morning

and night. Even if I happen to be asleep, I wake up and look

at the digital clock. I see it daily on my computer screen,

cable box, phone, microwave, even on blog posts. Is someone

out there trying to tell me something?

6) I adore foreign films. I love to repeat little phrases out loud

and practice getting my accent right, as I watch.

7) My kids tell me that when I laugh really hard, I sound

exactly like the owl in Disney's The Sword in the Stone.

Now, how lovely is that?

Okay. Now I have once again humiliated myself for your

absolute reading pleasure. Why do I do these things, anyway?

And yes, I know, I couldn't narrow it to just six! I'm tagging

these bloggies, (but only if you would like) to play along:

 Bill, Charmaine, Cynthia,

Rebecca, Steph, Stephen, Tangobaby

Manor Pear Preserves

WT pruned our pear tree back last fall and this year we had a

bumper load of pears! I made a big batch of pear preserves and

they are scrum-dilly. These wonderful amber colored preserves

are a perfect fall treat on a toasted English muffin or crusty

homemade whole wheat toast!

Pear Preserves

12 c. sliced pears

9 c. sugar

1/2 fresh lemon, sliced thin

Stir to mix pears and sugar. Add lemon slices. Bring to

simmer and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until

pears are tender, clear, and caramel colored and liquid is

consistency of honey. This will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Pour preserves into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch

headroom and seal with sterilized lids.

*** Note: you can make a small batch, skip the sealing

in the jars part and just refrigerate.

Willow's Weekly Word

Did you notice that Sarah Palin used the word haberdasher to
describe Harry Truman in her speech last week? No, it wasn't a
disparaging remark. It simply means that he was a former dealer
in men's clothing and accessories. A possible spurious origin of the
word comes from the German phrase Ich habe das, meaning
I have that. This alluded to a haberdashery having whatever a
gentleman needed to wear. Saint Louis IX, the King of France
1226-1270, is the patron saint of haberdashers. So, there you
have it.

Notable sometime haberdashers:

Robert Ask - a philanthropist
Captain James Cook - 18th century British explorer
John Graun - one of the first demographers
Joseph Merrick - the Elephant Man, worked as a haberdasher
before being a freak show act
Paavo Nurmi - legendary Finnish distance runner
Harry S. Truman - the American President (1945-53)
Johnny Carson - of The Tonight Show
Wayne Knight - actor, most famous role: Newman, Seinfeld
Christopher Lloyd - actor, Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future
George Newnes - founder of the Tit-Bits newspaper (1881)
and the popular The Strand Magazine, of Sherlock Holmes fame

~~~photo: Ralph Fiennes in The Avengers~~~

Letters

Portrait of Katherine Mansfield

by Anne Estelle Rice, 1918

Lately, I have been curiously enamored with letters and

correspondence. I just finished reading through a stack of letters

written in the late 1960's by my dear grandmother to her two

youngest sons, my uncles, while they were away at school. It was her

last few years and I love her thoughts on life and her charming

descriptions of her day to day events. They are such a treasure. I

adore the touching letters between Helene Hanff and Frank Doel in

84 Charing Cross Road. And I just picked up a charming little copy

of Love Letters, selected and edited by Peter Washington, filled with

oodles of wonderful correspondence by notable historical figures,

everyone from Virginia Woolf to Napoleon Bonapart. Here is a

delightful excerpt from a letter from Katherine Mansfield to John

Middleton Murray, May 18, 1917.

When you came to tea this afternoon you took a brioche broke it
in half & padded the inside doughy bit with two fingers. You always
to that with a bun or a roll or a piece of bread -- It is you way -- your
head a little on one side the while ... When you opened your
suitcase I saw your old feltie and a French book and a comb all
higgledy piggledy -- 'Tig. I've only got three handkerchiefs' --
Why should that memory be so sweet to me...

I must read Katherine Mansfield's Journal. It was published
posthumously by her husband, John Middleton Murray in 1927 to
wide acclaim.

The Earrings

The lampblack of the mirror holds
no shadow of flight. (And of yours no trace remains.)
The sponge has passed across the golden circle,
given the defenseless glimmers chase.
I searched there for your stones, the corals,
the strong power taking you;
I flee the goddess who won't be flesh,
bear my desires till they're burned in your flash.
Elytra drone outside, the insane
funeral drones on and knows two lives don't count.
Evening's soft medusas reappear
inside the frame. Your stamp will come
from below: where pale, contorted
hands affix the corals to your ears.

The Earrings
Eugenio Montale, Collected Poems 1920-1954
translated by Jonathan Galassi


Many of you were interested in more of Montale's poetry, so I chose this particular piece that brings to mind Graham Greene's novel, The End of the Affair, made into two films, the latest in 1999, starring Julianne Moore and Ralph Fiennes. As usual, the book is better than the movie, but I do love this wonderful, dark, wet, foggy, romantic film set in WWII England. Montale's poem brought to mind this film, because Moore, in the role of Sarah Miles, wears a lovely pair of vintage coral earrings in several scenes, before her character meets an untimely death. I couldn't find a good photo of her wearing the coral earrings, but her wardrobe, hair and makeup in this film are exquisite!

elytra or wings of a maybug

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!

Stevie suggested Fiddler on the Roof to chase the sickies away. But
this good news is really hitting the spot! Do you know what this is?
It's an empty nest. Our oldest just signed a lease on his very own
place! Yippeee!! Granted, it's just up the road a bit, and he will still be
doing his laundry here for a while, but WT and I have not experienced
childless living in almost 29 years! First of all, our plans are to gut "the
bat cave". This is a term of endearment used to describe the boys'
room up over the garage our two sons have shared for the last 20
years. After we use a small forklift to clear the rubble, we will scrape
and paint the entire thing, ceiling, walls and floor. And another perk!
Healthier, leaner meals, since Mr. Meat and Potato Head is moving
out. Yay!! Willow Manor is going to seem a little larger and a little
quieter now, but am I ever ready. Sigh.


When mothers talk about the depression of the empty
nest, they're not mourning the passing of all those wet
towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth,
or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down
the shower drain. They're upset because they've gone
from supervisor of a child's life to a spectator. It's like
being the vice president of the United States.
--Erma Bombeck

Tonight's Comfort Movie

Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Howard's End

Tonight's feel better movie is Howard's End, the Merchant Ivory
adaptation of the E. M. Forster novel. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my
favorite scene on YouTube, which is the opening, in which Vanessa
Redgrave strolls outside the house, her gown swishing through lovely
long grass at twilight. But this video is a wonderful montage set to
the music of Somewhere in Time. Sigh. I should feel better in
no time at all.

A big thank you to all who have stopped in to leave a

kind word, for all the cyber daisies and pillow fluffs!

I still feel incredibly icky, but your comments have made

certainly brightened my day. Thanks, Bloggies! x o

Harrison Fisher, American Sunday Monthly, 1914

I'm sick. The aches, the stuffy head. I think it's a good evening for
You've Got Mail. Don't you love that part where she's sick and Tom
Hanks brings her daisies, her favorite flower? I cry in the same two
scenes of this movie every single time I watch it. So, it's hot tea with
honey and my woolly socks tonight. I am a lone reed...and I think
I need some daisies.

Willow's Weekly Word

We grilled outside several times over the holiday weekend and it
made me wonder about the origin of the word barbecue. WT is
an old Kansas City guy, where the BBQ is excellent, by the way. I
did a little research and found that the word barbecue entered the
English language in about 1657 and came from the Spanish word
barbacoa, which is a framework for roasting meat or fish. The
Spanish word originated from the Haitian Arawak word barbakoa
meaning "tree house", likely referring to the image conveyed by the
roasting framework made from sticks or poles. By 1733 the word
referred to "an outdoor meal of roasted fish or meat". An inaccurate
folk etymology origin of the word, claims that BBQ came from the
time when roadhouses and beer joints with pool tables advertised
Bar, Beer and Cues. According to this tale, the phrase was shortened
over time to BBCue and then to BBQ, which is now a common
abbreviation of the word and is spelled either barbecue or barbeque.
So, there you have it.


Mammy: Oh now miss Scarlett you come on and eat juss a little
honey!
Scarlett: No! I'm going to have a good time today... And do my
eating at the barbeque
Mammy: If you dont care what folks says about dis family I does!
I is told ya and told ya that you can always tell a lady by the way
she eats in front of folks like a bird and I ain't aimin' for you to go
to Mr. John Wilkes and eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog!
Scarlett: Fiddle-dee-dee! Ashley told me he likes to see a girl
with a healthy appetite!
Mammy: What gentlemen says and what they thinks is two
diffrent things, and I ain't noticed Mr. Ashley askin' for to marry you.
Scarlett: [Turns around slowly to face Mammy then throws her
umbrella and stuffs food into her mouth]
Mammy: Now don't eat too fast. Ain't no need for it come right
back up again!
Scarlett: [With her mouth full] Why does a girl have to be so silly
to catch a husband?

Do you know what this means?

These are the lovely seed pods of my magnolia tree

and it means that summer is drawing to a close. Late

summer has always reminded me of a woman ready to

give birth, beautiful, heavy and ripe. Autumn is just

around the corner and September has just stepped

through the door!

~~~~~~~~

"Lord, it is time. The summer was very big. Lay thy shadow on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose. Command the last fruits that they shall be full; give them another two more southerly days, press them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavenly wine." - Rainer Maria Rilke