Do You See Her?

Our son, home from college for the weekend, was awakened at 4:00
A.M. with the intense feeling that someone was in the room. He
quickly grabbed his cell phone and started taking pictures in the
dark. There are large framed prints on opposite walls in the newly
redecorated "bat cave". One is of the Titanic, which you can see
reflected from the flash in the glass of the larger, revolutionary ship
print. Do you see the image captured between the reflections? One
little piece of history you might want to know, is there was a black
maid, named Cleo, who lived at the manor in the 1940's.

My stack of Charles Simic books were waiting for me at the library
yesterday. I am thoroughly enjoying a leisurely browse today.
I thought this one paired nicely with our ghostly visit.



Mirrors at 4 A.M.

You must come to them sideways
In rooms webbed in shadow,
Sneak a view of their emptiness
Without them catching
A glimpse of you in return.

The secret is,
Even the empty bed is a burden to them,
A pretense.
They are more themselves keeping
The company of a blank wall,
The company of time and eternity

Which, begging your pardon,
Cast no image
As they admire themselves in the mirror,
While you stand to the side
Pulling a hanky out
To wipe your brow surreptitiously.

Charles Simic

If you are interested in previous ghost happenings at the manor,
click on "ghosts" in the labels section of my sidebar.

Okay, here's some help. Look just right of the Titanic reflection, in
the center of the large print. She's angled, facing right. I think it even
looks like she is wearing a kerchief.

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon

You've probably noticed from my sidebar, my Netflix queue was The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon), 2007. I don't know when a film has touched me on so many levels. I am
getting butterflies in my stomach just writing this post.

This marvelously artistic film, masterfully directed by Julian Schnabel and elegant screenplay by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), is the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of the renowned
fashion magazine, Elle, who suffers a massive stroke at the age of 43. When awaking from a coma, he is totally paralyzed except for the use of his left eye. Developing a painstaking system of communicating
with his therapist by blinking his eye, he writes bit by bit, a lyrical, heartbreaking memoir of his struggle.

Wonderful surreal dream sequences and the realities of interpersonal relationships are woven through the film. Mathieu Amalric does an amazing job as Bauby and Max von Sydow is absolutely beautiful in the cameo role of Bauby's father. This film depicts both the fragility and strength of humanity. I came away realizing what a precious gift life is and to appreciate each small, seemingly insignificant moment.

Theme Thursday = Toy

For some reason, as a girl, I adored throwing my dolls up in the air.I mentioned before about the pleasure of throwing the baby Jesus from my grandmother's nativity set as high to the ceiling as I could. She was not at all amused with this little fetish and would promptly order me to stop, which I did; until she left the room, of course.

When I was little, I would often dream I could fly; just start running in the grass, faster and faster until I was airborne. It was absolute heaven, drifting, wind in my face, arms out like Peter Pan, looking down at the roof of my house and yard. I've heard it said to dream of flying was a sign of creativity or was it simply my childhood need to feel liberated?

One bright summer day in East Lansing, Michigan, when I was five, I was doing my favorite Shirley Temple doll a favor by giving her the thrill of flight. Higher and higher she flew until she landed with a thump on the roof of the house. I was horrified. The thought of her up there on the blazing asphalt, was more than I could bear. I pleaded with my parents to rescue her, but to no avail. Fall came and by November, she was buried with a heavy blanket of snow. All winter, I imagined her up there, abandoned, cold and bewildered.

Spring finally came. My father, anxious to see a ball game, climbed up on the roof to adjust the TV antenna. He descended with a treasure; my beloved Shirley. Her ringlets were smashed, one of her eyelids hung partially shut, and she had lost that curious, inviting scent of new plastic, but I had never seen anything so lovely. I never dreamed of flying again.

Head of a Doll

Whose demon are you,

Whose god? I asked

Of the painted mouth

Half buried in the sand.

A brooding gull

Made a brief assessment,

And tiptoed away

Nodding to himself.

At dusk a firefly or two

Dowsed its eye pits.

And later, toward midnight,

I even heard mice.

by Charles Simic

I am dedicating this post to my two bloggy friends who are crazy about doll heads. Go pay Sharon at Sweet Repose and Steviewren at A Little Birdie Told Me So a visit and read their posts. You'll see what I mean!

Charles Simic

My favorite poet this week is Charles Simic. Born May 9, 1938, in Belgrade, he is a Serbian-American poet and co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. He was appointed the fifteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2007.

After surviving the German bombing and occupation of Belgrade, he escaped Yugoslavia with his mother in 1948 into Austria and France, arriving in the United States in 1954 when he was sixteen. He grew up in Chicago and received his B.A. from New York University. He is professor emeritus of American literature and creative writing at the University of New Hampshire.

I like the way he uses his experience of the brutal history of World War II, twisted with wordplays and a comical sense of humor in his work. Not only is he a profound poet, but a thoughtful essayist on the topics of jazz, art and philosophy.



Classic Ballroom Dances


Grandmothers who ring the necks
Of chickens; old nuns
With names like Theresa, Marianne,
Who pull schoolboys by the ear;

The intricate steps of pickpockets
Working the crowd of the curious
At the scene of an accident; the slow shuffle
Of the evangelist with a sandwich board;

The hesitation of the early-morning customer
Peeking through the window grille
Of a pawnshop; the weave of a little kid
Who is walking to school with eyes closed;

And the ancient lovers, cheek to cheek,
On the dance floor of the Union Hall,
Where they also hold charity raffles
On rainy Monday nights of an eternal November.

"Words make love on the page

like flies in the summer heat

and the poet is only the bemused spectator."

~

Charles Simic

info: Wikipedia, The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry

Willow's Weekly Word

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) the twelfth and final sign of the
zodiac, is represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions.
Pisceans are said to be imaginative individuals who, like fish, can
appear slippery and indistinct, moving with the current. Pisces is
a sensitive and compassionate mutable water sign.

One of the most popular stories regarding the mythological origin of
Pisces is the story of Aphrodite and Eros. The story involves
Aphrodite and her son Eros escaping from the terrible monster
Typhon by turning themselves into fish and hiding underwater until
it was safe to come back to the surface. As fish, they tied their tails
together with a cord so they wouldn't lose one another while
swimming in the darkness of the deep. Upon hearing their tale,
Zeus rewarded the pair by placing them among the stars as the
constellation of Pisces

Pisces is the sign of the romantic and the dreamer. When this sign
is prominent in the birth chart, it implies great sensitivity. Pisceans
are usually private people who may feel misunderstood by others.
They often enjoy music or art as an outlet for their feelings.
Possessing strong intuitive powers, Pisceans are able to tune into
the atmosphere around them and respond accordingly. They often
indicate the need to be alone, for rest and recuperation and are,
more often than not, a bit introverted. They enjoy being on or near
water, where they allow themselves to drift along.

The ruling planet is Neptune. Gemstones are the moonstones and
bloodstones. The Picsean color is soft sea green. Flower is the
waterlily. The body part is the feet. And the countries associated
with this sign are Portugal, Scandinavia, Mediterranean Islands and
the Gobi and Sahara Deserts. (Go figure on the dry, hot deserts.
They don't sound very fishy to me!)

So, hey-hey, there you have it. Best wishes for a very Happy
Birthday to all my Picscean bloggy friends!

artwork: Pisces by Peter Goode
info from Wikipedia and Astrology by Darby Costello

weekend wishes

Her Morning Elegance, Oren Lavie

Thanks, Clever Pup, for sharing this gorgeous video with me!
Hope you're enjoying a lazy, peaceful weekend, dear bloggy friends.

Winter + Blog = Blub

Old man winter is kind enough to give me a reprieve. A week or so
ago, it reached 68 degrees and a wave of sheer panic almost knocked
me off my fat little winter feet! I adore winter. I relish snuggling up in
cozy woolly clothes and baking all the delectable comfort food
associated with the season. I'm in my element in the winter; my
energy level is high and am more motivated than in warmer months.

But the thought of squeezing this little white hunk of blub into my
spring clothes (heavens to murgatroyd) leaves me horrified. Usually,
by spring, I've worked off last year's summer slug and can brace the
clothing shift with relative ease. Not this time. And it's not because
I'm eating more. No, dagnabit, I must honestly blame it, pure and
simply, on the fact that I am blogging.

So, does this mean that blogging makes you fat? No, it can't possibly
be. I'm not going to let it! The snow has melted now, and I have no
excuse to avoid walking, except that it was just 16 windy degrees
this morning. You know, the last few chocolate chip cookies, in the
freezer from the holidays, really should be eaten before they get
stale. Want some? Good. I'll put the kettle on. After all, tomorrow is
another day. Don't you love the fact that Scarlett preferred to do all
her proper eating at the barbecue?

artwork above: The Bath, Fernando Botero
For more great Botero art click on this video
and turn your sound way up!

Duchess of Devonshire

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
by Thomas Gainsborough

I finally saw the film Duchess, 2008, starring Keira Knightley, Ralph
Fiennes and Charlotte Rampling, a costume period film adaptation of
Amanda Foreman's biography, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire.
It was just that; a costume piece. The costumes and sets were
stunningly lavish, with much attention given to the exquisite details.

Knightley did a good job in the role of Georgiana Spencer, ancestor
of the late Princess Diana. It is amazing how much Diana's life
mirrored that of her forebear's. Georgiana was also the wildly
popular "it girl" of her day, but unhappy in marriage and bullied by,
as Diana called them, "the men in the grey coats". Remember Diana
saying there were three people in her marriage and that it was a bit
crowded? There really were three in Georgiana's marriage to the
Duke of Devonshire.

Ralph Fiennes played the Duke's hateable character with subtle
apathy and aplomb. Still, I felt the film was lacking. I was hoping for
a little more biographical substance and a little less bedroom scene.
Don't get me wrong; as you know, I am a hopeless romantic, but the
film left me craving more historical details.

So, I read Foreman's excellently researched biography. She did an
outstanding job with all the historic and political details, but her
writing style is a tad on the dry side and I found myself trudging
though the book. As is true in most cases, I wish I had read the book
prior to seeing the movie. The eye candy of all the fabulous
costumes would have been more satisfying as the icing on the cake,
after the meaty historic facts. So, I recommend both, but do your
homework and take the time to read the book first!

Theme Thursday = Library!

My local library branch.

Isn't it adorable?

.

You're either a library person, or you're not. I happen to be one. I

wasn't raised in a library family, so to speak. Don't get me wrong; we

had a few books, but we owned them. My parents just never got in

the groove of taking us to the local public library.

.

My first library experience was in grade school. I loved visiting the

tiny book lined room at the end of the beige linoleum tiled hall,

choosing my limit of three books, taking them up to the librarian's

desk to sign the cards and have the due date printed with one of

those adjustable rubber date stampers. I was a little snoop, too. I

always enjoyed looking at the book cards to see who else had

checked out the book and when. The part I couldn't get used to,

however, was returning them. I would bond with the book, the

characters, illustrations, even color of the binding and scent of the

paper. Resisting the urge to keep it was always a struggle when the

book came due. I haven't changed a bit since then.

.

By the time I got to high school, the library took on a duel purpose.

I adored browsing the shelves for a literary treat, (Gone With the

Wind, lots of Pearl Buck, Bronte and Steinbeck) but it became a

social hang out, as well. My three girlfriends and I would meet in the

school library, at our favorite bleached pine table in the sunny east

corner, faithfully each Monday through Thursday, during study hall

before lunch. Heads together, mini skirts adjusted, we all became

experts in the art of lip reading as we poured over the latest fashion

and pop culture magazines. To this day, I still find myself creatively

inspired by magazines and although I've cut down on many

subscriptions, there are a few I can't live without: Vanity Fair,

Elle Decor, Gourmet and Opera News.

.

Reading to my children was always high on my list and I'm not

exactly sure who enjoyed it most. The fond memories of my wee

cream puffs cuddled around me for an afternoon book, will always be

a joy. I have a weakness for children's books and continue to keep a

section in my personal library, which mysteriously keeps expanding.

.

I find I must visit my local branch at least once a week and know my

ten digit library card number by heart. By the way, did you know

that The Columbus Metropolitan Library has been rated the best

library system in the nation from Hennen's American Public Library

Rating? I am so incredibly spoiled. And, yes, I think it is safe to say

I'm a library person.

.

Oh, and one more thing. Did you know when WT first asked me out,

we happened to be in a library? It was a sign.

dabadabada dabadabada

The hot item at the manor this week is the fabulous 1966 Claude Lelouch film Un Homme et une Femme. (A Man and a Woman) Yes, you guessed right, it's a love story, but holds up incredibly well after forty years. Classy, artistically shot scenes in wintertime France and the jazzy, lush mid 60's score by Francis Lai make this movie magnificent, winning two Academy Awards in 1967. I know, I'm a hopeless romantic, so I adored this movie. But it also has great car race sequences and wonderful 60's fashion. I guarantee you will recognize the music! I like this one so much, I must buy myself a copy for my little film library.

I chose this particular video clip for the dabadabada dabadabada...

Lesser Ury

Several of you have been asking about the artist behind my new
header piece, Young Girl in Cafe with Street View by German
impressionist and printmaker, Lesser Ury (1861–1931).

Born Leo Lesser Ury in Birnbaum, he was the son of a baker whose
death in 1872 caused the family's move to Berlin. In 1878 Lesser
left school to apprentice with a tradesman, and the following year
studied painting in Düsseldorf at the Kunstakademie.

His first exhibition in 1889 met with hostile reception, although he
was championed by Adolph von Menzel, whose influence induced the
Academy to award Ury a prize. In 1893 he joined the Munich
Secession, one of the several Secessions formed by progressive
artists in Germany and Austria in the last years of the 19th century.
In 1901 he returned to Berlin, where he exhibited with the Berlin
Secession, first in 1915 and notably in 1922. By this time Ury's
critical reputation had grown and his paintings and pastels were in
demand. His subjects were landscapes, urban landscapes, and
interior scenes, treated in an Impressionistic manner.

Ury is especially noted for his paintings of nocturnal cafe scenes and
rainy streets. He developed a habit of repeating these compositions in
order to sell them while retaining the originals, and these quickly
made and inferior copies have harmed his reputation.

Always introverted and distrustful of people, Ury became increasingly
reclusive in his later years. He died in Berlin and is buried in the
Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee.
.

info from Wikipedia, self portrait by Lesser Ury

Not Lincoln?

Marking the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln this past week,
brought to mind some of the actors who have portrayed the great
president over the years. I would venture to say that everyone's
favorite is most likely Henry Fonda in John Ford's 1939 Young
Mr. Lincoln. Fonda does a wonderful job as the shy, contemplative
and clever young Lincoln.

Then there's Raymond Massey, in Abe Lincoln in Illinois. There was
a great public outcry when this Canadian was chosen to play the great
American president, but scored high reviews on Broadway and later
in 1940 for the film version of Robert E. Sherwood's play. I don't
know about you, but Massey has a scary quality about him and I just
can't shake the image of Johnathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace.

And talking about scary qualities, John Carradine also played Lincoln
in the 1938 film Of Human Hearts. I guess you could say that he has
that Lincolnesque thing going on, but I always see him more as
Dracula. A blood sucking Lincoln just isn't right.

Did you hear that Steven Speilberg is working on a new film titled
Lincoln coming out in 2011, starring Liam Neeson as Abraham
Lincoln? I adore Neeson and I'm sure he will be fabulous in the
role, but my first choice would have been the magnificent Daniel
Day-Lewis. He most definitely has that "Lincoln thing" and I'm
convinced, after seeing him hauntingly take on the person of the
roles he has portrayed in other films, he would become Lincoln.

I had to share this fun news with you! I just won this fabulous vintage
book by answering a riddle over at Charmaine's (High Desert Diva)
blog in her Pay it Forward Giveaway contest. Isn't it so gorgeous?
It's a perfect addition to my vintage book collection. Notice it is
decorated by Will H. Low. How delightful is that? Do you know the
charming and talented Charmaine Manley? Pop over for a visit today
and tell them Willow sent you. She is one of my daily reads and once
you visit, you'll know why. Thank you, Charmaine!

.
Those who love the most,
Do not talk of their love,
Francesca, Guinevere,
Dierdre, Iseult, Heloise,
In the fragrant gardens of heaven
Are silent, or speak if at all
Of fragile, inconsequent things.
.
And a woman I used to know
Who loved one man from her youth,
Against the strength of the fates
Fighting in somber pride,
Never spoke of this thing,
But hearing his name by chance,
A light would pass over her face.
.
.
Those Who Love, Sara Teasdale
.
artwork: Flora Priestley by John Singer Sargent

Toot-Toot, We Have a Winner

Thank you so much, bloggies, for all the kind comments in honor of
my first blog year! And it was also nice to "meet" some of you who
are regular readers, but don't normally leave comments. Today I
will spend some time tidying up the manor, and the hundreds of tea
cups from all your wonderful visits. Thanks for celebrating with me!
I had pre-selected the number 43 (witnessed by WT) for the drawing.
Taaaa-daaaa!! We have a winner! Reya Mellicker left the 43rd
comment yesterday! Reya, I will send you a well loved book or two
from my personal library. If you haven't been over to Reya's
The Gold Puppy, go pay her a little visit. She is a fellow "Blog of Note"
and her thought provoking, intelligent blog is one of my daily reads.
So, hey hey, there you have it, my bloggy friends. Best wishes for a
lovely weekend, all. Willow x

A Special Day

I started my blog exactly one year ago today. I never in a million
years would have imagined what a wonderful and inspiring impact
the blogging community has had on my life, on so many levels.

So, in celebration of this happy event, I would like to announce my
first annual Willow Manor Blogoversary Give Away. Just

leave a little comment any time today and I will put your name in

the drawing. The prize will be a well loved book or two from my

personal library. Let me surprise you.

Thank you so very much, my dear, dear bloggy friends for enriching
my life over the past year with your insight, inspirations, friendship
and love.

Willow x x

artwork by my dear friend Mary Sheetz, 1979

The Genealogy Bug

As I mentioned recently, I've been bitten by the genealogy bug and have spent the last five or six years researching and logging over 6000 of ancestors and their statistics into my family file. Several of you asked for tips on how to get started. There is such a wealth of information available online today, formerly only accessible from county courthouses and libraries.

If I could choose just one site, it would have to be Ancestry. Thousands of searchable databases are readily available; census, old newspapers, social security death records, state records and thousands of personal family genealogical files, just to name a few. It is a little pricey, but compared to traveling to specific locations to research, it is a great deal. You can purchase an annual subscription, which is the most economical, or you can pay for access for just three months. Some other great sites are Find a Grave, Rootsweb, (Ancestry's free site) and the Bureau of Land Management. Also, many states now have searchable archive databases online.

Don't be afraid to get into Rootsweb and some of the other sites and leave stats for the ancestors you are searching for on their bulletin boards. Many times other distant cousins are looking for the same family. I connected with several unknown cousins this way and plugged into a wealth of family info and the priceless pleasure of their friendship.

Another valuable and worthwhile avenue is The National Archives. Military service records and pension files are available to purchase. I paid around $40 for WT's great-great grandfather's complete Civil War file. I was absolutely thrilled when they mailed a packet of photo copies of over 80 pages; a treasure trove of info

and well worth the investment.

WT has participated in his family surname DNA project, through Family Tree DNA. After requesting a packet, swab the inside of your cheek and mail it in. When the testing is complete, you are

linked with others with matching DNA . It's another wonderful way to trace your lineage and connect with other descendants.

I use Family Tree Maker genealogy software available to purchase from Ancestry. It has lots of great features, simple to install and very user friendly. So, hey hey, there you have it, my bloggy friends. Hope this gives you a little helpful info if you're interested in researching and documenting your roots. Let me warn you, it's very addictive, but persistence does pay off. Happy hunting!

By the way, the above photo is the oldest in my personal family collection. It is a tin type, self portrait of my great-great-great grandfather Joseph Lorenzo Dow Hanna, county surveyor for Howard County, Indiana in the 1860's. On the back of the tin type, is written in pencil, "executed by J. Hanna, artist". I come from a long line of photographers, so it's definitely in my blood. My camera is broken and I'm about to jump out of my skin without it!

Feel Witty?

Someone recently left a comment on another's blog saying they didn't

feel clever enough to leave a comment. I don't know about you, my

bloggy friends, but I have certainly felt this way. Randomly popping

in on some epistemological discussion on a poetical piece and all that

comes to mind is "like it". That's it; total blank. Most times, since I

hate blurking, I go ahead and leave my simple, un-witty comment.

I know most bloggers, like myself, appreciate the feedback regardless

of the depth. I am totally envious of those bloggers who effortlessly

dole out lengthy chapters of intelligent, charming comments. I do

wonder sometimes, how effortless is really is, and how much time

they actually do devote to blogging. It's mind boggling.

.

When I started blogging, a year ago, I was clueless as to the scope

of the blogging community and the whole commenting process. After

over 25 years of carpooling, intramural sports, and being totally

surrounded by kids and their friends, my brain was pickled. My

vocabulary consisted of "cool", "awesome", "dude" and the dreaded

"like". I was forced to delve back in the dark recesses of my

formerly clever brain and learn how to communicate again, using

real words, adult words. (By the way, don't you love the way the

Brits pronounce words? Think Julie Andrews...wuds...so lovely and

sophisticated.) Sorry, I digress. Anyway, it would take me forever

and a day to leave a comment for fear of being labeled illiterate or

apathetic. Now, a year later, even though my adult communication

skills are somewhat revived, I am comfortable enough to leave a

simple "like it" on my little visits around the bloggyhood,

epistemologically witty or not.

.

I feel pretty,

Oh, so pretty,

I feel pretty and witty and bright!

And I pity

Any girl who isn't me tonight.

.

I feel charming,

Oh, so charming

It's alarming how charming I feel!

And so pretty

That I hardly can believe I'm real.

.

from West Side Story

lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Forbidden Games, 1952

I love finding obscure little foreign films, and this one is an absolute
jewel! Actually, it's not really that obscure, but it was totally new to
me. The title Jeux Interdits in French might be appropriate, but in
English, Forbidden Games is a bit misleading. The plot has nothing
to do with sex or any forbidden activity, but is about a young girl,
orphaned by a Nazi air attack as her family flees Paris. She is taken
in by a provincial family who loses a family member, after he is
kicked by a horse in the same air attack. The children steal crosses
from the local cemetery, in order to cope with death, by building a
secret graveyard, where they bury her dog and other animals. The
acting on the part of the children is absolutely superb. The film is
also notable for its vibrant musical score, composed and performed
by legendary Spanish classical guitarist Narciso Yepes. It has been
beautifully restored and is available as part of the luminous Criterion
Collection. This delicate, intensely poignant and delightful film is a
must see. Do yourself a favor and add it to your Netflix queue!



.
This video clip without subtitles is the only one I could find. The
Criterion Collection copy has optional subtitles, of course.

Mega Random

I have been tagged several times recently for the "25 random things

about myself" meme and didn't post because I thought it was a bit

overboard on the randomness. But my new bloggy friend, Denese ,

finally coaxed me into it. So, for your complete reading pleasure, here

are 25 totally random things, in no particular order, rhyme or reason.

And since there are so many, I'll try to keep each one short and sweet.

.

1. I adore winter, snow and cold weather. If I had a choice, I would

move even farther north.

.

2. I have a favorite pair of bright red woolly slippers with a delightful

circular design stitched into the tops of each. I wear them every day.

.

3. On my desk is a 1937 British Royalty coronation commemorative

beaker filled with freshly sharpened pencils.

.

4. I like my things to be mellow and a little bit worn.

.

5. I like orderliness, but must have a certain amount of clutter

about me, like a nest. I collect things like a magpie.

.

6. I am drawn to heads. I have busts, masks, and wig forms

(random heads) around the manor. Some of them wear quirky hats,

since I adore hats, as well.

.

7. My uncle calls me Duchess, Duch for short.

.

8. I have an old hotel desk bell on my desk and like to ring it

when a great idea comes to mind. ((ding)) It rings a nice clear "a

major". I have perfect pitch, by the way. I can hear a note, tell you

what it is, but can't, for the life of me, make my voice sing it.

.

9. My computer desk is an old oak drafting table from a pre-war

school in Kansas City.

.

10. My feet are always perfectly groomed with red nail polish, but

I pick my fingernails.

.

11. I was once a licensed sign language interpreter for the deaf.

.

12. I love foreign film and like to practice my phrases out loud as I

watch.

.

13. Even though I am not of the Catholic faith, I collect religious

icons. I love their artistic beauty, history and symbolism. I would

say that I am not a religious person, but a very spiritual one.

.

14. My current favorite dinner plates are vintage Mason's ironstone,

Bow Bells pattern.

.

15. I majored in fine art in college; minor was psychology.

.

16. One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a vintage gold St. Francis

of Assisi medal, which I wear on a chain.

.

17. Did you know my daughter is an opera singer?

.

18. My Collected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay is always with me.

.

19. I like to sleep in one hundred percent cotton men's pajamas.

.

20. My eight years of piano lessons didn't "take", but in my dreams

I can play like Van Cliburn.

.

21. I am an avid genealogy buff and have spent the last five years

researching and logging stats for over 6000 ancestors into my file.

My Scotch Irish paternal sixth great grandfather had a close and

enduring friendship with Thomas Jefferson and my maternal

second great grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee.

.

22. Recently, I've had to give up my beloved ultra strong coffee and

replaced it with decaf tea. Tea is fine, but I sure do miss my cuppa.

.

23. I have a shoe thing. A whole wall in my closet is devoted to

shoes. But the older I get, my feet have become so sensitive, I end

up wearing only a few of my favorite standbys; especially my soft,

camel colored suede, pointy toed mules.

.

24. I always keep a vase of fresh flowers nearby. I consider it an

investment in loveliness.

.

25. I've been to Japan, England, Poland, Germany and Canada, but

I'm not really much of a traveler. I like it once I arrive, but then

I'm ready to return after several days. For me, there's no place

like home.

.

So, there you have it, bloggy friends, I'm sure you are completely

randomed out now! I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, but

please feel free to post your own 25 randoms!

.

Oh, and by the way, David over at Authorblog has written one of

his delightfully fun little ditties in his regular "Verse and Worse" posts

about Willow Manor today! Go over and check it out!

There might be some change on top of the dresser at the back, and

we should check the washer and the dryer. Check under the floor

mats of the car. The couch cushions. I have some books and CDs

I could sell, and there are a couple of big bags of aluminum cans in

the basement, only trouble is that there isn't enough gas in the car

to get around the block. I'm expecting a check sometime next

week, which, if we are careful, will get us through to payday. In

the meantime with your one-dollar rebate check and a few coins

we have enough to walk to the store and buy a quart of milk and a

newspaper. On second thought, forget the newspaper.

The State of the Economy, Louis Jenkins

.

photo from Flickr

The Letter E

Cait O'Connor wrote a lovely post this week on the letter "p". And

Elizabeth posted a great photo shot post on the letter "a". She then,

in turn, gave me the letter "e", which I found to be much more

challenging than the friendly "a" or perky little "p".

.

E is the fifth letter in the Latin alphabet. Its name in English is

spelled e (pronounced /iː/), plural ees (pronounced /iːz/)(rare).

The letter "e" is the most commonly used letter in the Czech, Danish,

Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Latin, Norwegian,

Spanish, and Swedish languages.

.

E is derived from the Greek letter epsilon which is much the same in

appearance (Ε, ε) and function. In etymology, the Semitic hê first

represented a praying or calling human figure, hillul jubilation,

based on a similar Egyptian hieroglyph that was pronounced and

used quite differently. In Semitic, the letter represented h and

e in foreign words, in Greek hê became Εψιλον (Epsilon) with the

value e. Etruscans and Romans followed this usage.

.

The letter "e" is the most common or highest frequency letter in the

English language. This makes it a difficult and popular letter to use

when writing lipograms. Ernest Vincent Wright's Gadsby, 1939, is

considered a dreadful novel, and that at least part of Wright's
narrative difficulties were caused by language restrictions imposed

by the lack of E. Both Georges Perec's novel A Void, La Disparition,

1969, and its English translation by Gilbert Adair omit the letter "e"

and are considered better works.

.

I guess you could say this this little "e" poem is the opposite of a

lipogram.

Enchanted by eidolon

engines, I easily escape

on the evening express,

embarking Europe,

an ebullient excursion.

Estonia and east to Essen,

Epernay, eating elysian

eggplant and escargot.

Emerita or eluding empress

in ecru ermine and earrings,

I execute excellent,

elegant erg.

Entirely in element,

educing this ethereal emprise.

Eyre, by willow

favorite e's:
edelweiss, Edna St. Vincent Millay, ebullient, equality, ewes, exits,
eyes, Elspeth, evening, England, ebony, elevators, elegies, east,
eleven, Empire State Building, El Decor, eggs, Eiffel Tower, eight,
Elizabeth I, epiphanies, escutcheons, ephemera, emeralds, envelopes

not so great e's:
exile, envy, eels, evil, empty, embarrass, enrage, ether, excuses,
exploitation, earwax

(If you would like a letter, just ask for one in the comments.)

photos from Flickr, info from Wikipedia

What's Hot

As most of you already know, I adore old bookshops. There is a perfect one in town that is owned by a delightful lady, who knows just about everything there is to know about books. The shop is bulging at

the seams with books, with a huge overflow stack on the floor in the back. It has tall ceilings, wonderful creaking hardwood floors and that curious inviting smell of old paper and dust.

Not too long ago, I stumbled across an old copy of The Story on the Willow Plate, by Leslie Thomas, copyright 1940. Remembering it from second grade, I was absolutely thrilled to find it. It tells the story portrayed on the pattern of Blue Willow china. To make a long story short, it is about two star-crossed young lovers who are running from her father, the wealthy mandarin. You can see them crossing the bridge in the pattern. The two doves at the top of the plate are the lovers who have been transformed by the gods to live forever. Isn't that just so charming?

I recently dug out an old Johnson Brothers set of Blue Willow dinner plates we had when we were newly married. I had forgotten how much I loved them. There is something very comforting and strangely nostalgic in eating dinner on a Blue Willow plate on a cold winter evening. It might be cold outside, but Blue Willow is so hot right now at the Manor!

My Ban on Pan-and-Scan

So which part of the chariot race would you rather not see?

Okay, I admit it. I am a complete widescreen snob. Those of you who know me personally, know I absolutely refuse to watch any fullscreen format film that has been butchered by the pan-and-scan process, a method of adjusting widescreen film images, so they can be shown within the proportions of a standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen.

This totally wicked process often crops off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the composition's most important aspects, losing almost 50 percent of the director's original vision and intentions. Not only is a good portion of the film hacked off, but the smoothness and continuity of the filming is lost because the pan-and-scan method is constantly jumping around to keep the main person or object in the screen. And did I mention, since it is cut down to fit the size of a TV screen, the image is also stretched vertically, losing much of the crisp clarity of the original film. So, not only are you missing half the movie, you are watching it out of focus, as well. Why would anyone in their right mind want to watch a movie like this?

Have you noticed that most of the movies shown on cable TV premium stations are shown in full screen format? (Not my favorite Turner Classic Movies, however; my dreamy friend Robert Osborne is far too classy to allow it. And most movies made before 1951 were not filmed in widescreen format, anyway.) What in the world are the cable stations thinking? I, for one, am certainly not going to watch any hacked up films.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell, my bloggy friends. I am an ultra stickler on this little subject and now you know why. Here is a video clip further explaining widescreen format vs. pan-and-scan.

Annual Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

There is a hush now while the hills rise up
and God is going to sleep. He trusts the ship
of Heaven to take over and proceed beautifully
as he lies dreaming in the lap of the world.
He knows the owls will guard the sweetness
of the soul in their massive keep of silence,
looking out with eyes open or closed over
the length of Tomales Bay that the herons
conform to, whitely broad in flight, white
and slim in standing. God, who thinks about
poetry all the time, breathes happily as He
repeats to Himself: There are fish in the net,
lots of fish this time in the net of the heart.


Fishing in the Keep of Silence, Linda Gregg

photo by Tashi Euqyal from Flickr

Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes. Mr. Birthday Boy
enjoyed reading through all your kind comments. We dined on his
favorite chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. Then
topped it off with cake and ice cream. A good time was had by all!!

I Know Someone Who's 29 Today!

Willow and Oldest Son, February 1980

.

Happy Birthday, Bug!

Lots of love from Mommers

x x