ACADAMY AWARDS

This year we saw at least four of the movies nominated for the Oscars. The leading actors in “Silver Linings Playbook” were our favorites, so we were happy when Jennifer Lawrence won.

In the food section of our newspaper immediately after we had seen the movie, there were two recipes for food that the featured actor/mother was serving at a party. We had no idea what “Crabbies” or “Homemades” were.

We were going out to dinner with another couple this week, so we invited them for drinks before going on to the restaurant. Knowing they were movie buffs, I made and served Crabbies.

Crabbies are really good but very rich with a lot of butter and cheese. When you include the crab meat, it becomes expensive. I do have a great many of them left in the freezer, so I’m all set for a family get-to-gather.

Believe it or not, Homemades are actually homemade noodles that really don’t go with Crabbies which was remarked upon in the newspaper article. Served together it really doesn’t make sense.

WHEN WILL IT END?

Yesterday, I read a very small article in our newspaper.  Jeb Bush along with about five wealthy Cubans in South Florida held a fund raiser for South Carolina’s Senator Lindsay Graham. Can you imagine a fund raiser in southern Florida for Graham?

Then today again, LG showed up spouting his venom against Obama and Bengasi echoed by John (the loser) McCain.  Good Lord! Will they never shut up?

On a sad note, one of the lesser “Show Horses” Marco Rubio, the savior of his party, proved he is not a contender. I don’t think we’ll hear too much from him anymore. (Do you think his thumbs are abnormally long? They mesmerized me as I watched him)

NEW ORLEANS

The first time we went to New Orleans, we visited the Café Du Monde and I had my first taste of beignets and chicory coffee, I was hooked, couldn’t wait for a return visit to have them again.

Fortunately, we returned for a five day Elderhostel event in 2005 and learned more about New Orleans and their food. We visited a cooking school and ate a lunch cooked and served by its students. Heard lectures by and about local authors, listened to a Jazz expert explain the origins of the music and he even played the piano for us giving examples of various sounds. Every day we ate at various known and unknown places. All this took place in the days before Easter and before Katrina struck in August of that year.

I never think of New Orleans without picturing the French Quarter and if I was ever to return, I already know where everything is. I can visualize Lafayette Square Park, the Cathedral, and the book store owner who came out of his office to talk with us when he heard our conversation with his clerk. His store is on the hill behind the Cathedral and I’d love to visit it again.  Of course, I’ll not forget the Café Du Monde.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

In a statement yesterday, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said President Obama is the person responsible for the deaths of Americans in Bengasi.  As one of the top two Republican Show Horses, he should stop making such ludicrous statements because they don’t make him a statesman.  Everyone knows from all his various sound bites that he’ll never be anything but an “old nag”.

Why do citizens waste their votes on politicians who only spend all their time on belittling people in the other party, who oppose other people’s ideas and can’t do anything constructive for their states or for the country?

 

 

 

 

 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Last night I happened to see the 1930 movie version of “All Quiet on the Western Front” starring Lew Ayers. This was an American movie about a German soldier in the First World War. He could easily have been an American soldier

Before, I had only seen the Silent version which had English subtitles for world release. One scene in particular that stood out for me was when Paul, the main character, leaves the hospital after visiting his dying friend and starts running with joy when he realizes he is still alive. He talks about how guilty he feels because he survived and his friend didn’t.

Lew Ayers became a pacifist as a result of the movie. When drafted, he declared himself a conscientious objector and served only with the Medical Corp and received medals for his efforts.

The original book by Erich Maria Remarque, which I had read, has become a classic which everyone should read, especially politicians.  You can now probably download it for free. Because I felt so strongly about this book, several years ago I bought it, along with other books, for my son and his family to read while on vacation.

If you’re not a reader, rent or buy the movie. You won’t regret it.

OUR LIBRARY

In the bookcase in our entryway there are various sections. One of the four sections has books on medical advice; another section is on the books written by and about members of our family, national magazines with articles about our artist daughter and a catalogue of paintings in an art museum done by a famous brother. I showed these precious items to our grandson, who was overwhelmed by his renowned uncles and aunts. My cookbook plus the printed version of my first year of blogs and my husband’s book “Seeking” are in another bookcase.

However, the most interesting section of the bookcase is what our granddaughter found on Christmas Eve, our collection of very old books some of which had belonged to my Mother and my Mother-in-law.

There are six books in all. Victoria became enamored with my personal favorite “Safe Counsel or Practical Eugenics” from 1928 written by several doctors and with special drawings. Every chapter is advice to the modern woman such as How to be a Good Wife, Childbearing without Pain, Other Sex Disorders and Perversions and detailing what makes a woman a “slut” such as wearing too much makeup. Vickie spent a great deal of time giggling at all the hilarious advice.

In the meantime, Kevin sat on the floor reading to us from the 1923 book “Toasts and Anecdotes for All Occasions”. He also took phone pictures of his favorites, maybe to use at a very elegant event in New York City.

My daughter-in-law was reading   “The Book of Etiquette” by Lillian Eicher dated 1924. Others in the old books section were a novel “Charles O’Malley, The Irish Dragoon” dated 1894 with very fragile pages and “Writing Magazine Fiction” dated 1948 belonged to my husband.

My other personal favorite “800 Proved Pecan Recipes, (their place in the menu)” was published in 1925. This was my mother’s only cookbook compiled by 5,083 housewives for the Keystone Pecan Research Laboratory. It was actually very useful because you could leave out the pecans when using most of the recipes. The cover is worn and the pages discolored but it contains recipes written on some of the pages in my mother’s own handwriting. Born in 1906, she would be 107 years old this July. It’s remarkable to know that all of my children and six of my grandchildren actually knew her. She was 96 when she died.

THE HORSES SHOWED UP

It seemed all the Republican “Show Horses” were in attendance at the hearings or should I say the big assault on Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. They prefaced their questions by first thanking her for her remarkable service to our country then accusing her of various forms of treason.

And guess what! They made it possible for her to give them a taste of what the Democrats have known for quite a while; she would be a great first woman President of the United States.

Some of the asinine statements and questions asked proved the opposition really made a big mistake. Anyone watching Marco Rubio and Rand Paul became well aware that these “Horses” were in no way thoroughbreds and should have been left in the barn.