week 77

My, my--how time flies over the holidays. Seems like I am right on time, then I realize it has been five weeks since I last wrote about my adventures. The good news is that I got a ton of stuff done. Let's get started:

#8 Read 3 books.

I decided, after a Thanksgiving trip back to the homestead, that I wanted to re-read some of the books from my childhood. The first was Half Magic. My father would read this to me at night before bed. We must have read it hundreds of times. Reading it again at 35 did not disappoint. I still love the story. It is about 4 children that are not looking forward to their typical humdrum summer. The atypical summer is what they have after they find a magical coin that grants wishes. This would be every child's dream except the wishes granted are half of what the original wish was. For example, if the children wished for a hot fudge sundae, they would receive one half of the delectable treat. You get the picture. Adventure abound, the children learn how to master their wishes and have a great summer.

Also read Angels and Spaceships. This is a compilation of various science fiction stories. All are very good. This book belonged to my Nana, so I guess you could call it an heirloom piece.

Also read The Hideaway Summer. This book was written by my Aunt. Who knew that there was an author in my background. The story is about two kids that are not content with attending summer camp. They take leave from the bus as it stopped at the corner market. They start their trek to the cabin that their grandmother built for them on the back of her property. They stay there for the entire summer and save two raccoons from certain death. They care for the raccoons and eventually set them back into the woods at the end of the summer. They also stop raccoon hunters illegally hunting in the area. Not sure that their plan made a lot of sense, but it is fiction.

#36 Rubbed Mark's feet on Christmas. I also rubbed mom's tootsies after a long day at work. I know I said Mark's toes were the ones I would rub, but I am totally counting mom's rubdown. Feets is feets.

#76 Made a popcorn/cranberry chain for the holidays. I had the pleasure and honor of doing this with my two grandmothers. Let me tell you something--doing stuff like this with your grandparents is priceless. The fact that both told me they did this kind of thing when they were young was not lost on me. This is one of the best things I got to do on my list with two of the best people. Hands down!

#82 Canned Salsa for Christmas gifts. Seeing as my spending budget was nil this year, I had to come up with some things that did not cost a lot of me. Not so easy when the retail world is shoving "buy, buy, buy" down your throat. However, in my necessity to make as much as I could, canning salsa came to be. I made black bean and corn salsa, canned it and gave it to people on my list. I have tried canning in the past only to not be sure of the condition of the contents. Sorry to all my friends last year. This year, I had fool-proof plan. I had a grandma who has been canning for 60 years to guide me down the proper canning path. Let's just say that my technique last year was too long and not the easiest way to go. Under Gma Verona's tutelage, I correctly canned both salsa and chili. Watch out--there will be much canning in my future. Thanks Grandma!

#34 Again, in an attempt to save money, I painted mom a canvas for Christmas. She gave me some Hawaii stickers and a postcard to make her a new page in the Mom Book I gave her a while back. Needless to say, I procrastinated until this year. I used the postcard as a template and painted a extension scene on the canvas. I put the postcard in the middle and used the stickers to accent the piece.

#84 Thirdly, in an attempt to save money, I also made Christmas ornaments for all. I did a lot of different styles: snowman from a lightbulb, antique gold angels with tinsel, painted wood, painted glass bulbs with filling, paper snowflakes, paper mache stars and paper origami balls. I even kept some for myself and used them on the tree at the parents' casa.

#95 Instead of adopting three Salvation Army Angels, I decided to adopt three seniors for Christmas this year. I went through the Home Instead organization. Got them heating units, socks, puzzle magazines, a calendar and a notepad. Even though we don't have a lot this year, it feels good to give to those who have even less.

#72 Gave $30.00 to people on the street. A lady from the neighborhood came into the driveway just as I was about to wash the car. She said she needed money and was willing to do a job in exchange for it. I had her wash the car, because I hate to do it. All I had was $20, so that is what I gave her. Also gave $10.00 to the bell ringers for the Salvation Army. I know it is so easy to ignore and keep walking, but sometimes it is better to put the money in the kettle.

#74 Listened to 2 more CD's
Van Halen--not sure which one, but it rocked.
Hell Yeah--This sucked. So manic--sometimes I question my husband's early music choices.

#40 Watched some movies:

Godfather I & II--Yes, I am now part of the club that understands the meaning of the horse head in the bed. I can't surmise these movies because they are 8 hours of the best movie making ever. The writing, acting, directing, costumes, cinematography are all excellent. I did not realize the star power in these films--Keaton, Pacino, Caan, Brando, Vigoda, Duvall, DeNiro. Amazing! How have I lived my life until now without seeing these films? It is just sad.

All About Eve: Aspiring actress Eve Harrington maneuvers her way into the lives of Broadway star Margo Channing, playwright Lloyd Richards and director Bill Sampson. This classic story of ambition and betrayal has become part of American folklore. Bette Davis claims to have based her character on the persona of film actress Talullah Bankhead. Davis' line "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night" is legendary, but, in fact, all of the film's dialog sparkles with equal brilliance. Bette Davis was stunning. An interesting fact about this flick, the producers thought it would flop because the plot was centered around ambitious women trying to further their careers without the influence of men. This was practically unheard of in the 1950's. The film became a success and is sometimes credited with sparking the beginning of the women's lib movement.

The Last Picture Show.: Great flick about a small Texas town that is slowly moving into the wrong side of oblivion. The residents are divided into the ones desperate to get out and the ones that are content in going down with the town. For a dying-town movie, there was intrigue and an Mrs. Robinson situation, fisty-cuffs, deaths, and even full frontal nudity. Naughty, naughty!

Midnight Cowboy: Flick follows a naive male prostitute and his sickly friend as they struggle to survive on the streets of New York City. Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are amazing in this movie. Poor Joe Buck could not get the dough from the ladies and he gets taken by Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman who sends him to an extreme bible thumper instead of a pimp. Joe Buck is that naive that he befriends Rizzo and lives with him in his condemned building. They get tired of NY City and make a final journey to Florida. Striking similarities between the party scene in this move and the graveyard scene in Easy Rider. They were both made in 1969, so maybe it is not coincidence.

That is enough--my fingers are tired.