It Lives
Yes, folks, I am still alive and attached to the planet. Thanks for asking. I caught a cold that wouldn’t go away, which eventually became a sinus infection. I tried a few times to post, but felt like I had nothing positive, or even dark humored to say. So rather than whine, I took a health break.
In my absence:
- DD broke her collar bone, which has mostly healed. We made a build a bear to cheer her up.
- I am now reasonably healthy. I won’t be turning cartwheels. But at least I feel up to poking a little fun at myself.
- I watched a few movies, since that was the level of my energy. And some television. I usually feel bad when I act like a couch potato. But I actually felt bad enough already to escape guilt.
- I continued my amazingly slow, moderately successful knitting. Which is to say that I started DH’s hat project attempt three times and have since tossed it to the bottom of the bag. Finished a scarf that needs blocking, because my first attempt at blocking it seems not to have affected it at all. And started my own version of the Silk Fountain Hood pattern. My own version because I have bamboo/silk, not pure silk, and the original pattern is lacy beyond my skills.
Stuffing the Build A Bear
Alpaca Silk Scarf (prior to completion)
I watched Coming Home, with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight. Mainly I watched it because it occurred to me that it was recent at film time, Americans having pulled out of Vietnam for good in 1974, and the movie being released in 1978. And I remember my father ranting that Hanoi Jane had no business making a movie about the plight of any veteran. And that was years later, when the movie came out on video. He was still totally indignant.
It was interesting. I found it most interesting that Fonda’s character wished most for, if trapped on a desert island, a husband. And this was considered unremarkable. I think that would be appalling now. Her relationship with husband was interesting too, not very intimate and seemingly unsatisfying.
Voight’s character, confined to a wheel chair, begins bitter and develops from there. It was interesting to see him looking so young. And also interesting to see Fonda looking relatively the same as she does now, which I find suspicious.
I had thought that the way coming home from Vietnam would be portrayed differently in 1978 than it is now. But I didn’t find Coming Home to be tremendously different in concept than any other post war film. So it must be universal, at least on film.
I also saw Fear with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. The thing that I wonder about most with that film is why the producer or writer, or whomever makes such decisions, felt it necessary to make it over-the-top obvious that Wahlberg’s character is a criminal. I wonder why, because I don’t think having a criminal record is a requirement for being a frightening, abusive person.
I’m looking forward to the new episode of Southland coming out this week. Though I hope I will get my energy back and be too busy doing things other than watching tv to care much. I told DH I might do some gardening today. And he gave me that look that said if I tried it he might have to intervene. So maybe a couple days before any attempted gardening.
I want to prune some plants that need it badly, and use the prunings to make a bed for tomatoes. My attempts at organic gardening annoy DH and the neighbors, who prefer to purchase expensive commercial items. Whereas, my idea of good gardening is to use kitchen refuse for compost and cover it up with pine straw, and use yard refuse like prunings to build beds rather than expensive plastic stuff.
Yeah, it looks sort of like a birds nest at first. But then the twigs settle, and plants grow and just the plants are noticeable. I do always have to buy topsoil. Because we just have hard red clay. And no amount of household compost alone could keep a new plant alive in my yard.
DH made fun. But we had fresh tomatoes and basil until October last year. And enough dried lavender to make lavender oil, sachets, and still have some left over.
I’m glad you’re feeling better. I loathe sinus trouble.
How did she break her collar bone? Bless her heart. I remember breaking my arm when I was 8. I was so pissed because my mom had to bathe me. Pissed.
I had a history teacher that said he would dance on Ms. Fonda’s grave. She has an excellent plastic surgeon.
Women still want husbands desperately. That’s why Bridget Jones was so popular. I love the line,”Bridge, do you want to get married and have babies before you become barren?” while she’s trying on girdles. I could go on and on why I think feminism ruined lots of perfectly good things.
Fear was fine. Something bothered me about it, but I can’t remember now. I was exactly riveted.
We watched Southland when it was on the first time. I’m pretty sure we’ll watch the new season.
My mom has always composted. She has this nifty container to keep her compostable items in the kitchen. It has a charcoal lined lid and is very effective. When I was little she use one of our old wading pools underneath a very large oak tree. Worked well. Have you read the magazine, “Organic Gardening?” I bet you’d like it. Moma always had a subscription growing up.
And it annoys the neighbors? It looks like it’s in your backyard.
Liz, she broke her collar bone “kung fu fighting” with her brother, who is 13 years older, and five times her weight. Ugh.
I love Bridget Jones. I have laughed and laughed at that book. I have often given it as a gift.
The photo is a compost pile, but not mine. My yard is not fenced. And I live near some busy bodies, which I think every neighborhood has.
I read Organic Gardening for the first time this week. It is really great. I should get a charcoal lidded container. We just use a bowl or plastic food container.