What I Noticed This Morning

You know you're in bad shape when you have to lie down on your back to put your socks on...


and your feet are so rough that the other sock sticks to your other foot while you're on your back!


I was looking all around for that other sock.

Never Give Up

These are pictures of lonely: lonely tree, lonely horse, lonely bird, lonely person. I am feeling lonely because I can't tell if anyone is visiting me here. But...

Hats!

Watching the wedding today made me think about hats. The narrator said that female guests had been asked to wear hats. There was some talk that the Prime Minister's wife didn't wear one. There were a couple that looked like they were stuck onto their wearers' heads with super glue. I have always thought this "fascinator" that Kate wore was rather remarkable. Here are some more remarkable examples:







And let's not forget about this one. If you stick your tongue out, it won't fall off.

The Wedding

Yes I watched it... the whole thing!

Wow, those Brits sure know how to throw a wedding. It was stupendous. I was wowed by everything; the Abbey, the carriage, the parade, the pageantry, the cheering crowds, the pealing bells. The bride and groom were graceful and poised, and seemed very comfortable with each other. The little bridesmaids and pages were adorable. The maid-of-honor was stunning. The crowd was jubilant but orderly. I loved it all.

One little moment I noticed was, as William and Kate turned to walk out of the church, she stopped to curtsy to the queen. I tried to imagine what it would be like to curtsy to your in-laws. Then I tried to imagine how amazing it must have been to come out of the church and ride in the open carriage with the cheering, waving crowds on all sides.

Finally, several hours later, the bride and groom drove off in an open convertible, just the two of them with him at the wheel. It was a little sports car with streamers and balloons tied to the back, and a "Just Wed" sign. The perfect ending.

I know that some people believe that all the royalty and pageantry are out of place in the 21st century. But I like the feeling of being connected to history, the feeling that some things never change. I like to see traditions passed down through the years, connecting us to those who came before. Or maybe it's just that I'm a sentimental fool who likes to see something nicer than the usual political bickering, woe and dissonance that seems to be our lot these days.

What did you think?

It's From Camelot!

Yesterday I heard the song "Follow Me" sung by Frank Sinatra on the radio. The melody was familiar, but I just couldn't place it. I tried to research it online, but mostly found references to a different song by the same name, done more recently buy someone called Uncle Kracker. That DEFINITELY was not the song I was looking for! Finally, I found it! It's from Camelot. In the musical it is sung by Nimue, also called "the lady of the lake". She is a sort of enchantress; in the Arthurian legend she takes Arthur away to Avalon. This is her spellbinding song:



I found this video featuring the song "Follow Me". In this video, the person who recorded it matched it up with imagery from "The Phantom of the Opera". This is the song I was looking for! It's from Camelot, but I couldn't find a video matching the song with a scene from Camelot. The lyrics were different in Camelot, but this is the melody I remember!

Follow Me

I've been trying to remember what show featured this song. I think it was something to do with King Arthur and Merlin (or maybe not). It was a kind of fantasy story. Does anyone remember it?

"Infuriating Arrogance"

What are these guys?


They're carnival barkers...




What are these guys?


They're clowns...




What is my fondest wish at the moment?

Easter, the Aftermath

The baskets have been emptied:


What am I going to do with all these chocolate bunnies? (All the adults must be on diets.)


The decorations still to be put away:


The dishes all washed and stacked and ready to store...


and Tiger, always willing to help!

Fun on Easter

Happy Easter!

I am busy cooking, setting tables, finishing Easter baskets and hiding Easter eggs. Taking just a moment to say Happy Easter.

Cooking for Easter

This is me today... and tomorrow.

I am cooking dinner for Easter. My family is coming... all 18 of them. I do this every year. It's been tradition in my family for my mom to have everyone for Easter dinner, but since she became unable to do it I have taken over.

Usually I have ham. This year I decided to make Boeuf Bourguignon, the exact one from Julia Child's original cookbook. I am also making a turkey breast, accompanied by Gratin Dauphinois and baked artichokes. I did all my shopping on Wednesday, and planned to begin cooking yesterday. However, yesterday I woke up "sick as a dog" and had to stay in bed all day. This morning I am better (thanks to a prescription for promethazine). My husband helped me peel and slice the potatoes and grate the cheese for the Gratin Dauphinois. Last year I cut off the tip of my finger using the mandoline, so this year I was more cautious. It's really a great tool if you don't injure yourself.

Now that the potatoes are ready to cook, I can do the rest of the cooking tomorrow. So, today I will finish setting the tables and making the Easter baskets for the six kids who are coming. Oh, yes, and hide the eggs for the Easter egg hunt. We can't have it outside because it's going to rain all weekend, so we will be hiding them all over the house.

Photos to follow!

Our Night

Our night last night, in pictures...







The alarms went of at 2:00 a.m. We stayed in the basement watching the storm coverage on T.V. Till the power went out; then we stayed in the basement with battery-powered lanterns, listening to the battery-powered radio. The power came back on at about 9:30 this morning, and life returned to normal.

Small Signs of Spring

It's been a long winter here. Spring is tip-toeing in slowly. Last weekend, I planted these flowers on my front porch.


I love the little blue flowers that pop out of the ground cover every spring. I've had the stone hedhehog for years. He's beginning to crack. I guess I shouldn't leave him out through the winter. I wonder if I can find a replacement.


I caught sight of one of our little feral cats, Spot, under the blossoming tree in our back yard. The pictures are blurry because I took the shot through the glass and screen in the window.




As you can see, the tree next door is still bare. But there is a robin on it... a sure sign of spring, I've heard.


Spring is slow in arriving this year, but it's beginning to show itself in small things.