My mother used to sing a scrap of song that her aunt and uncle, Sue and John, apparently used to sing when they worked in the fields or garden -- this would have been rural northern Kentucky, early 20th century. Since they wouldn't have worked in the fields together after adulthood, I assume they were kids or teenagers at the time. Thus it must ( Read more... )

Holy gods! Thanks to aislinggheal's recent post, I am being tempted by exquisite flavors of ice cream. Just a few that caught my eye ( Read more... )

After reading the book Pre-Raphaelite Women Artists about 7 years ago, I came away with a strong admiration for Marie Spartali Stillman. Not only was she a stunner herself (posing as a model for Rossetti and other painters -- the poet Swinburne said of her, "She is so beautiful that I want to sit down and cry"), but she was also a very fine artist ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

It's a rainy day, and actually (for August) somewhat chilly, or at least it was this morning... the first day this year that I've really felt the imminence of Autumn. Always a moment that brings darkling delight to my heart.

Here's a painting reflecting today's feel for me:


( Read more... )

If the weather was like this all summer long, I would start to like summer ( Read more... )

I'm obsessed with Shaun of the Dead, I think it's about the funniest thing I've ever seen. I wish I had written that screenplay ( Read more... )

I love BPAL reviewers. They're so creative! I just read this on the BPAL message boards, written by magpiedee, and it made me happy:

Imagine a moment in a childhood that you never had, in which you're alone in a field, utterly safe and completely, deliriously happy. Everything is fuzzy around the edges, everything is blooming, little dandelion ( Read more... )

Finished Fanny and Alexander (after a brief intermission spent fielding a drunken phone call from a miserable young Marine).

My stars, that film was -- so European. In all senses of the word, including my personal slang term for anything really wonderful. It was spectacular. Theatrical, dreamlike, bizarre, magical, nightmare-scary, symbolic, ( Read more... )

I'm in SUCH an autumn-enjoying mood. I was going to wait till later in October to post this, but what the hell. ( Read more... )