OLD MOVIES

OLD MOVIES

I love old movies—you know, the ones that are mostly black and white. If you would have asked me a long while back if I did, I would have said, “No!” Of course I had seen a lot of them as a teenager and onward but it wasn’t till several years ago that I developed a great interest in them and my reasons are tenfold.

Love looking at the set designs in these movies: They are actually “time capsules” for each period. One of my most favorite set designs is the big room in the movie, “The Picture of Dorian Gray:” It is simply breathtaking, in black and white and has perfect symmetry. And it’s art deco as well which is a period I love to see in sets, clothing or objects.

The clothing that the actors and actresses wear in these old movies fascinate me: Always perfect and of the specific period. And nothing like today at all as these performers were impeccably dressed and their hair was perfect for that time. Men wore handkerchiefs in their coat pockets and were suave. Women were dressed to the nines and always perfectly coiffed. You don’t see that today in movies unless you watched “The King’s Speech:” It was a period movie and yes, the actors and actresses of course were dressed for that time.

It’s fun to look at the type of cars in these movies and wonder how they made it in chase scenes or the like. But if you’ve ever watched “Topper,” you saw that jazzed-up sports car and it did make it even after a colossal wreck. After watching this movie many times as well as the sequels, I had to go online to see what type of car that was: It was specially altered to look as it did. And definitely not on the market.

Harold Lloyd movies are some of my favorites as he was a master of comedy as well as his own stuntman. From his silent movies to the “talkies” he was more than an actor: He was a genius.

I could go on and on about black and white movies—I love “The Thin Man” and the series that followed. In reality, watching these old movies is an escape into a past that I didn’t know but have come to recognize. Isn’t that what movies are supposed to do in the first place? Transport us to another place? Old movies definitely do that. If you haven’t watched any, give it a try. You might get hooked just like I did and you will watch far more than the movie.



Sherry Hill

THE EAGLE CAM ON WINDOWS INTERNET EXPLORER NOW

If you haven't seen this live cam of a mom eagle on her nest, take a look! The live video is from Decourah, Iowa. Amazing times we live in when we can watch the birth of baby eagles right on our computer screen! I saw one baby eagle attempt to get out from underneath the mom but she nudged it back under. Not sure how many she has had but supposedly there is one more egg left to be hatched.

Once I raised three newborn robins and trust me, that was no easy task on my part or my husband's part: Birds know instinctively what to do. Humans do not. Those baby robins required more care than my cat or dog. Wore me out but at least they were saved, raised and released.

Not busy? Take a look at the mom eagle: I am! Want to see if she's hatched the remaining egg.

Catch you later!

Sherry Hill



TECHNICAL FRUSTRATION!

Everything was going just fine computer-wise until my camera wasn’t recognized by my computer. That fact led me to contact the tech support part of the company who made my camera and after an hour of uninstalling their software and reinstalling it, I was ready to explode.

Having done this before, after forty minutes with the tech rep on the phone, I told her that I could finish the rest on my own as it showed that there were only six more minutes left to finish the download. Hung up and that six minutes changed to twenty-nine minutes in a flash and I waited and waited and then the installation locked up: It just froze on my screen.

Everything I tried didn’t work and I gave up—for a while; then, I got mad and deleted the download and reinstalled the program with my disc. Guess what? That didn’t work either. And on top of that problem, I couldn’t get online.

This is now day three and counting. I have done the necessary clean ups, deleted temporary files and cleared up unnecessary files. I have called my internet provider [I use broadband but also a different server] a while ago and the tech support woman and I chatted back and forth for a long time [she was patient!] but to no avail. Even uninstalled and reinstalled a different version of their software which I wanted and again, it is not working.

You know how I feel if you have been in one of these frenzies and attempt to fix it no matter what—you try this and then you try that. Well, the “that” is not working and neither am I at this point. Today is Wednesday and I am taking a day off from technical frustration: I am worn out from it all. Scarlett said, “Tomorrow is another day!” I’m taking her words literally and not thinking about any of this today at all.

But on tomorrow I am calling in the troops. Some things you just can’t do by yourself or with expertise advice over the phone. My camera will work with my computer and I will be able to access my internet server by hook or crook! Meanwhile, send some good karma my way—I need it!

Sherry Hill

WAS THERE A "BREAD" CONSPIRACY?

On Thursday I went to a Walgreen's just to buy bread:  They had none. Friday I went without it, thinking that I could get some the next day. The next day came all right and so did my thirteen year old granddaughter. We went out to eat and stopped at Walgreen's only to find out that there had been a run on bread. They had none! It was getting late and we both decided that we'd get it on Sunday.

You can live without  bread only so long and yes, I did have crackers. But I kept spying my jar of Jif peanut butter and wishing that there were bread in the house and there wasn't.

Sunday morning came and my granddaughter and I went outside and did splatter painting a al "Jackson Pollack:" This time she was teaching me and it was a blast.  After we finished that, which took about an hour as we both did two artworks, she said, "Now where are we going?" "Let's go to Magic Island." I agreed with her as the day was beautiful and warm. "Magic Island" is a piece of land that over the years grew larger and larger as it is attached to the riverbank. To get there, you have to park your car, walk across a four lane boulevard and then go down a concrete path [or steps] to the flat piece of land that is by the Kanawha River.

In the past, I've always packed a picnic lunch and taken cold Pepsi or Coke. But I had no bread! And there was one Pepsi left and that meant that we would have to go to a convience store to get some hotdogs and something to drink. Off we went to the favorite place that we both liked and guess what? Once inside, we looked over to the counter where the hotdogs and barbecues are fixed and there was a sign: "Food is not served on Sunday!" Had that sign ever been there before on a Sunday? Of course not. And my granddaughter had two loaves of bread in her hand as well as a cube of Pepsi: We didn't get the bread or the Pepsi cube but just some chips and got back in the car. We were really close to Magic Island but had no food as such.

Brilliant idea I thought: "Let's go to 7-11." They always have hotdogs there. After driving out of our way and getting inside the store, we saw a huge crowd of "after church" people. As we inched our way over to where the hotdogs were being cooked, we noticed that there was only one hotdog! And a woman had pulled out the bun drawer underneath to discover that there were no buns at all! Again, I had my granddaughter get two loaves of bread and she started to get a cube of Pepsi when I heard some man in front of the counter say, "You mean you're not accepting credit cards?!" The registers would not take cards. People were livid as was I. "Only taking money" said a girl behind the counter.

Setting my pocketbook down on the counter, I scrambled to find my billfold and in it was seventy-five cents in cash. And so, my granddaughter had to put back the bread and the cube of Pepsi--again.

We left there and by now I was beginning to think that there was some kind of "bread conspiracy" going on: How many places could you either not find bread, change your mind or not be able to use your credit card?

Back into the car again, I told my granddaughter that we would just drive through Arby's: It was back the other way but close to Magic Island.

Thank heavens we got food! Each of us got a roast beef sandwich, curly fries and large Pepsis.

I found a place to park near the boulevard, we got out and took our food with us, walked across the four lane boulevard and descended down the walkway to the island. Finding a bench way across near the river was a blessing! I was near maniac-stage by this time. And it was so good just to sit down, enjoy the view and eat! We devoured our food and stayed a long time either taking pictures or going down to the river. After an hour and a half, we decided to leave.

But the path we had walked down was farther away as we had moved down the island to a bench we both liked; my car was parked almost straight across from a huge flight of concrete steps.

Rock Balboa came into mind as I attempted to climb those fifteen or so steps: I felt like him only I wasn't running up them. I was barely making it up those steps and my granddaughter was way ahead of me. When I got to the top, it was hard for me to catch my breath: High steps and I don't agree with each other.

Both of us made it across the four lane and to my car and when we got inside, I had to rest--those steps had almost done me in and I didn't have on my normal high heels either!

At this point I remembered the bread quest and so we went back to the first place we had gone and got two loaves of bread and that Pepsi cube, put them in the car and headed off for more places to go and see.

By this time, I was running out of gas--figuratively and literally. We were almost home when I told her that I thought we should try the 7-11 again: Maybe their cash registers were taking credit cards by now.

Mad dash back there and lo and behold, the registers were fixed. She pumped my gas and we headed off to three more places. The day was still glorious, we had on the ac and the sun roof was open. My Black Eyed Peas cd "The End" was playing so loud that my back window was shaking but I didn't care! It felt great. And she loved it too.

Once home, she dragged in the bread for me as well as the Pepsi cube and I collapsed into a heap.

I'm not really sure what transpired after that but she did have to leave around six p.m. as she had school the next day.

The two loaves of bread were visible and guess what? I was too tired to even fix a sandwich!

Still I think that from Friday to Sunday that there was a "bread conspiracy" going on but I was so glad it was over despite the fact that we had to go to a gazillion places to get it. Some days are like that you know? But three days in a row was more than strange.

But all ended well and I had spent two glorious days with my granddaughter and that made it all worthwhile--bread or no bread.

Sherry Hill



IF IT BELONGED TO AN ANCESTOR, DON'T TOUCH IT OR USE IT!

As a child, I was raised on fear: "Don't touch that. You'll break it and it belonged to Aunt Marion." "Don't sit in that chair. It's really old." I could make a list of things I was told not to touch or sit upon that would be a mile long. It got so that I had to avoid this or that because I knew what the consequences would be if I broke or damaged something valuable or inherited--grounded for life!

As you've read before about my grandparents' house, you will remember that I wrote that it was full of objects like that and I was told NOT to touch things; not in a nasty way but a stern way.

At my house as a child and onward, it was the same.

My mom was a stickler for inherited things not to be touched or used: You just looked at them.

I had more than my share of looking at them. She was not a collector of anything except one collection of small dainty tea cups and saucers. No one ever drank out of them and no one ever touched them. When her mother died [my grandmother,] she didn't choose much to take to her apartment but what she chose were inherited pieces of lovely china and the like. And where did these things go? In her china cabinet to be looked at and never used.

On my part, the things I got from my grandmother's house were antique tables, chairs, beds, a a complete set of china that is a service for twelve and antique glassware. By that time, I had two young sons and here I was saying, "Don't touch that chair." "Be careful with the china: It belonged to my grandmother!" Over the years of moving, gathering more things and the death of my mom, I inherited her things as well. And I wouldn't use anything: I'd just look at it or put it away.

As I write this I have had my grandmother's complete set of china for over thirty years. Have I ever used it? No. It is still wrapped up in zippered plastic covers. And that is so stupid. What about my late mom's collection of little tea cups and saucers? Guess what? I use them. A dear friend of mine was so right when she told me to use those antique things and sit in the old furniture for if it breaks, it is not a tragedy. What a revelation that was and so true.

Why do we hang onto old family items if we can't use them or sit on them? Are our ancestors going to  come back and horse whip us? Of course not. It is the fear that was put into me as a child that I had to let go and I did.

I drink coffee out of those antique cups, eat off of ancestral plates [still not that big set of china,] and drink iced tea out of antique goblets. Why not? All of my ancestors are gone. I do plan to pass things down to my grandchildren and have given family things to both of my sons and their wives--just wish that they would take more. Neither wants that big set of china so I might as well get that out and use it; after all, with twelve plates, I could break some and still have leftovers. Same for the cups, saucers, salad plates and on and on.

If you would have asked me ten years ago to use these things, I would have said no. With the passing of time, it comes to the point that you realize that time is getting shorter and either you find homes for these passed down things or just use them and if they break, they break.

My late Aunt Ruthie said it best: "They are just things." She was so right--they are and I have her "things" as well.

Should you be younger and inherit family items, use them for their original purpose and enjoy them. What matters most are family photos, letters and the most special things such as a passed down piece of jewelry--not dishes, chairs or things. Most of all, I sincerely hope that you are not raised with fear of touching or breaking as I was: It's hard to let go of that guilt but so wonderful to get rid of it! Dishes anyone?

Sherry Hill 

 

IF IT'S BEHIND GLASS, IT'S A TREASURE

If you have a curio cabinet or a china cabinet or both, I'm sure you put things in there that you love so you can see it--after all, that is the purpose of having either. But have you ever stopped to realize that some things you have in them are not really treasures at all?

I have and came to the conclusion that there is something "museum-like" when an object is behind glass. Funny how our minds work at times and how we perceive things; an example would be that I actually put two wine glasses in my china cabinet because I liked the painting on them but they each cost only a dollar. And when friends are here they comment on how lovely they are.

Treasures? No way. And yet when perceived behind glass, they take on an air of something precious when they are not. There are real treasures in both my curio cabinet and china cabinet but do I use them? I look at them off and on and yes, I have things that belonged to my great grandmother, my grandmother and my late mother but it is fear on my part of breakage.

People who have open cabinetry show off their prize possessions but they use them I suppose. Still, I wonder where the idea came from in the first place that we must have a china cabinet or a curio cabinet and stick things in there just to look at.

One of life's oddities and something to ponder isn't it?

Meanwhile, I'm going to take a second look at my curio cabinet and china cabinet:  There are many things lurking in there that I haven't seen in forever and they need to be looked at and removed. And some of you readers whom I know just might be the recipients of non-priceless treasures in the upcoming future.

Sherry Hill

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

This day, April 1st is celebrated most all over the world. It is a day of trickery and seeing if you can pull a joke on someone! How did this day become a holiday of sorts? Check out snopes.com: You'll find a ton of explanations and some make a lot of sense while others are only purported to be the real reason.

Most believe that the origin of April Fool's Day had to do with the change in the Gregorian calendar which left a day out. But for whatever the derivation of this holiday really is, it is a day of pranks.

When I was teaching, I would always write the morning work on the chalkboard the day before--after school was out. And for the first thing I would write: "Write 1-10,000:" My students would just walk in, look at the board and a look of sheer fright would come over their faces. [It was second grade you know.] Some kids were actually crying until I told them that it was "April Fool's!" That's when the relief on their parts settled in. Did it every year and a lot caught onto the joke while others fell victim to it but only briefly.

My intention was to never make them cry! Honestly!

So wherever you live in this world, be prepared today for a prank! If you live overseas, it is already tomorrow in some parts of the world and you've either been fooled or not. Just don't fall for the one that thousands fell for several years ago: They were told that spaghetti actually grew and was uniform in size! A lot of people wondered where they could buy the spaghetti plants! OH MY!

One more thing: The above photo is not real or is it?

Sherry Hill