Animal Vegetable Miracle

Started reading Barbara Kingsolver's book for another class. Lauren, I think you would find it particularly interesting. It turned me off during my first read through last Christmas, but I pulled it out again now it's time to read more closely and write a reflection on it for class. I realized how brave the family was to leave their home in Tucson and settle on a small farm in Virginia with the goal of eating only things they could get locally. It got me to thinking about my childhood. We had a square acre of a garden and I hated it. As a kid, my main duty during the summertime was to weed that garden. Every single day I had a set number of rows that I had to complete. When I finished my weekly chore, it began all over again. I hated weeding, bent over in the hot sun is hard work. But we also had an above-ground pool. So that was refreshing after hours of weeding the garden. We had lots of fun in that pool. I'll write another post about a camp-out I had involving the pool. Fun times. But back to food - that garden of ours fed our family of nine all winter long. My mother canned tomatoes, so many tomatoes! And the corn tasted like nothing else! We would pick it, husk it, cook it and in less than 15 minutes we'd eat it. Yum. I think today's generation misses out on some of that hard work and good eating. Our little plots of land aren't big enough to grow enough to feed the family for a winter. And so Kingsolver takes her family back to her roots in Virginia to help her kids understand what it means to eat locally. It was a neat experiment that involved the whole family. And it has prompted me to plant some veges this summer. My little seedlings are sprouting nicely and I hope to have some fresh green beans and cukes this summer. And I have to thank Ms. Kingsolver for that.

How much is public vs. private

I've been debating with myself about posting a work-related topic, but every time I re-read my draft, I edit it a little and then hit the save now button instead of the publish post button. Why? It's just too sensitive. I wrote a long post about what's been going on in my work life lately (lots of churn and change and uncertainty) and it's too nerve-wracking to publish. If someone at work finds it, it's possible it would have repurcussions for my career. Negative ones, I might add. And so I wrestle with my feelings and opinions in private because I cannot write about it 'in public' on my blog. What's unfolding at work has caused me sleepless nights and chewed up nails. I am happy and grateful I have a job, but what's been going on really bugs me and I want to scream through the written word, but instead I just save it. Edit. Save it again. And so what is happening to me in public at work has to remain private. Or my feelings about it need to stay private, saved in draft form to never see the light of publication. It's a shame because my opinions are strong ones on this topic and I cannot voice them. Unless I want to lose my job and then that would begin a fully new post that a future employer might not appreciate. I'll just keep my thoughts to myself but it leads me to wonder. Just how much can be stated without fear of repurcussion> and does that mean we really have lost our freedom of speech. Food for thought....

Night at the Moulin Rouge

Ah, the joy of a good movie. And one with music is just a delight! Baz Luhrmann is quite the director and this is a topsy turvy look at a can-can theatre. With Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor singing beautifully, I find myself immersed yet again. This is probably one movie I can watch again and again and never grow bored with it. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic and I love musicals. Whether it is Sound of Music, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, or any number of wonderful productions from that bygone era, I love the toe-tapping music and the dancing! Some of the dancers of old were so beautiful to watch. Not only beautiful but fun! Who can't smile to see Gene Kelly tap dancing in roller skates? Or the amazing pairing of Cyd Charise and Fred Astaire in Bandwagon. I saw Astaire interviewed one time and he said Charise was his favorite partner. I hope the tv show Dancing with the Stars is bringing back ballroom dancing. It is beautiful to see a couple flowing almost effortlessly across the dance floor with a connection only those two have. Just lovely. But dancing and singing together blending two bodies and two voices to make a story with not only words but music, ah. Such is beauty. Thank you, Baz. That was amazing!