Alice In Wonderland

I saw "Alice In Wonderland" this afternoon after having lunch with a good friend.  The weather here is absolutely beautiful today - almost too nice to spend in a movie theater - but we went later in the afternoon.  The movie was excellent.  This wasn't the 3D version, but I thought it was plenty scary!

I was very sad Friday and Saturday after Violette died, but I am feeling a little better today.  I bought some flowers to plant on her grave.  The house seems so empty without her, even with a dog and two other cats.  She was with us for almost seventeen years and was a true member of the family.  The past year has been difficult with her aging issues, but as one Facebook friend commented, she awaits me in heaven.  I like that thought.

I am reprinting one of my favorite poems from Alice Through The Looking Glass which I shared on my other blog, Cabin Dreams, on which I haven't posted for a very, very long time.  (I  can't decide what to put on this blog and what to put on the other blog, so I concentrate on this one.)  When you read this poem, you have to read it aloud to get the full, wonderful effect.

The Jabberwocky

By Lewis Carroll

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought--

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffing through the tugey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jaberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did grye and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrab.

Violetlady
xo

WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?

Tonight I saw the movie "Valentine's Day."  Well, I don't know if any of you have seen it or not, but in my opinion it wasn't anything special.  The best part about it was the ending -- not just that it was over, but it was a sweet ending.  What I couldn't stop thinking about the entire time I watched it though was "This is rated PG???"  Isn't PG supposed to be 13 or 14 and over?  I certainly wouldn't want my thirteen year old grandson watching it.  Believe me, I am not a prude, but REALLY.  Some of the subject matter should not have been PG rated.  If any of you have seen it, let me know your opinion. 

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS, ETC.

It has been so cold here for the last few days. Beau and I haven't even been out walking much. Today it hit almost 40 and felt like a heat wave. We actually had a dusting of snow this evening. Not much, but enough to be pretty.

My daughter gave me the DVD "Mama Mia" for Christmas and I have watched it a few times already. I watched it again today -- it always makes me happy and I love to sing and dance to the music. My favorite - "Dancing Queen."

For dinner I made chicken and dumplings, using a leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store that we barely ate last night. It turned out great. Here in Delaware dumplings are really like large thick noodles and are called "slippery dumplings." I am from Pennsylvania and when I made chicken and dumplings the first time for my husband, he said "what are these?" "Dumplings," I said. I had made my usual dumplings from Bisquick. "These aren't dumplings," he complained. A lot of old time cooks here make their own slippery dumplings, but I buy the frozen store-bought ones that come from North Carolina. You can't really tell the difference. Here are pictures of what the two different dumplings look like.

I'll close tonight with my favorite goodbye - Happy Trails to you!!

TODAY ON BEECH DRIVE

I made it to church today - had to sit in the choir loft because I was a little late and the place was packed.

It is 90 degrees today and it feels like the humidity is high as well.

I am in the process of reading three books right now: Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich, R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton and The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson. I don't usually read more than one book at a time, but two of these are library books and I have to get them read in a timely manner. The Santa Letters is being read for a review which will appear here on September 22. I also have books that are heavier reading and I read them sporadically. I just finished James Lee Burke's latest, Swan Peak, which was (as always) excellent. That man's writing is so beautiful; his prose is like poetry. I have been working my way through Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries from A to T.

I am off to the movies with some friends to see Brad Pitt and George Clooney in Burn After Reading. I'll update my opinion tonight.

UPDATE: Burn After Reading was hilarious!! If you have a chance, go see this movie. The dialog is full of a certain four letter word, so I would not have young people see it, but if you don't mind that it is full of a lot of laughs. It is a Coen Brothers movie if you are familiar with them ("No Country for Old Men.")

That's the news from Beech Drive today.

BEE MOVIE

Nor'easter Noel has arrived in the Boston area today so it has been a pretty miserable day, weatherwise. A good day to spend at the movies which is what we did -- us and a few hundred other kids (of ALL ages).


Bee Movie was excellent, funny for everyone. The animation was good, fast moving and creative. Jerry Seinfeld's voice identified him as the hero of the story. There has been a lot of marketing hype out there to promote this movie, including MacDonalds kids meal giveaways, but it certainly holds true that the movie is fun for everyone. The last movie I saw with my grandsons was "The Ant Bully" and I have been careful ever since about stepping on ants. Now the bees. I have been into honey lately anyway and have been using honey products in handcream.

See this movie with kids or see it alone -- I'll bet you'll enjoy it.

I fly out of Manchester, NH to Philly tomorrow. I hate to leave here, but I'll be back for Thanksgiving.

Take care everyone.

LA VIE EN ROSE

Tonight I saw the movie "La Vie En Rose." I have been waiting for this to come to our local theater and was afraid it wouldn't because it isn't exactly mainstream. It was in French with subtitles, but was easy to follow. The actress (Marion Cotillard) who played Edith Piaf was absolutely incredible. She needs to get some kind of an award. Her similarity to Piaf was so striking that it was hard to believe. At first I thought the singing was dubbed in authentic Piaf, but other people did the singing and that singing was dubbed. The extreme tremor (for lack of a better word) that Piaf had to her voice was not there, but it was still hauntingly beautiful and if someone did not know her voice well they would not have noticed this. The movie jumped around quite a bit with different periods of her life, but somehow it all worked. The film was two and a half hours long and usually by that time I get restless. Not with this. I was glued to my seat and you could hear a pin drop in the theater. I strongly recommend this movie, especially if you are a francophile like me.

Bon soir, mes amis.

MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY

I admit it: I like slapstick comedy - Buster Keaton, Jerry Lewis, etc. If you appreciate this humor also (and even if you don't), you have GOT to see Mr. Bean's Holiday. It is rated "G", so take the kids. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face and at one point I think I was actually howling. I plan to go see it again and I seldom say that about a movie.

I knew Rowan Atkinson's character, Mr. Bean, from PBS's British broadcasts. He is too, too, funny -- a lot of physical humor, funny faces and sounds (Mr. Bean seldom speaks). And to make it even better, the movie took place in France! Mr. Bean wins a vacation to the south of France and the misadventures that get him there are priceless. The finale is the best and sit through the credits and see the cute final ending.

I mean it -- you really should see this film.

Famous Movie Kiss

I was watching one of my very favorite movies tonight -- "Dirty Dancing." I thought Patrick Swayze was especially sexy tonight. And then I read Tristi Pinkston's blog and took this quiz. SPIDERMAN??!! Really.

Your Famous Movie Kiss is from Spiderman

"I have always been standing in your doorway. Isn't it about time somebody saved your life?"

What Famous Movie Kiss Are You?