I have been loving reading and watching about these women who were born before women had the right to vote. They inspire me and are great representatives of the oldest generation of Americans. Here via CNN on You Tube:
“Jerry Emmett was born six years before women had the right to vote. Today she’s 102 years old and is urging everyone to get to the polls.” (CNN)
Next Via WSB-TV Georgia, “98-year-old Faye Butler, who was born before women had the right to vote, voted for her first female president.”
And again from CNN via You Tube “She was born before women had the right to cast a ballot so when early voting opened in Iowa, 103-year-old Ruline Steininger was one of the first in line.”
These stories uplift my spirits after all the negative news lately.
When I was little we looked forward to the original film The Wizard of Oz shown on TV only once a year. My mother told me that in 1939, when the film first debuted, people were awed by the color. It was made more dramatic because the first part of the film is in black and white and it is not in color until Dorothy’s house lands in Oz. Dorothy opens the door to the house and sees, along with all of the viewers, the landscape in vivid colors. Think how amazing that would be to see color in a film for the first time and in that way. I read the original book by L. Frank Baum and many of the books in the Oz series. The word hobnob reminded me of the final speech of the wizard as he climbs into his hot air balloon to travel back to Kansas with Dorothy. I looked it up.
“I, your Wizard per ardua ad alta, am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey into the outer stratosphere. To confer, converse, and otherwise hob-nob with my brother wizards. And I hereby decree that until what time–if any–that I return, the Scarecrow, by virtue of his highly superior brains, shall rule in my stead…assisted by the Tin Man, by virtue of his magnificent heart…and the Lion–by virtue of his courage! Obey them as you would me! And-ah-well, that’s all.”
I love that phrase “per adua ad alta.” I did not study Latin in school, so I had to look it up on Wikipedia. It means “through difficulty to heights” or ” through hardship great heights are reached.” Is he referring to his upcoming journey in the hot air balloon or how he had led the people of Oz through many hardships? There are many good lines in this script. I almost want to read the book again to see how closely it follows.
Another great part is when The Wizard is telling Dorothy how his hot air balloon drifted away from a carnival and he was lost.
Dorothy says, ” Weren’t you afraid?”
The Wizard answers:
“Frightened? You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death—sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe. I was petrified.”
The Wizard was going to take Dorothy back home to Kansas in his hot air balloon but the Tin Man lets go of the rope and the balloon starts to fly away. I was upset when I thought Dorothy was left behind.
It would be nice if we could just click our heels three times and go back to those more innocent times.
The screenplay for The Wizard of Oz (1939) was written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf. Film clip via Charles Cairnes on You Tube. Featured Image of Ruby Slippers by Insomnia Cured Now on Flickr.
This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G. Hill. The prompt for today is “ho,” use a word with the letters -ho.
I am out of town this weekend visiting my daughter. Right now I am typing on her MACBook and I am not used to MACs. So that’s my excuse and I’m stickin’ with it. We saw a great movie last night called Queen of Katwe. It has been wonderful spending time with my daughter and we are catching up on a lot of conversation.
I love movies and spend a lot of time watching them for entertainment and relaxation. Nowadays we can enjoy films in the privacy of our homes and have the option of large flat screen TVs to watch them on. But there is something special about seeing a film at the theater on a movie screen. The size of the picture and sound, the theater seats, and the tasty bags of popcorn, make it a worthwhile experience. I do like watching films at home as well. It is less expensive and you can watch them more than once and at a convenient time if you have a DVD. I prefer watching films over most television shows.
I am so happy that movies were invented and I hope they never go away no matter what type of screen I am watching them on.
This is a short post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Image of movie theater via Wikipedia.
My mother in law told me I was a ballabusta, a good homemaker. When my kids were growing up I made an effort to make them aware of part of their heritage by creating holiday dinners for my husband’s family. I learned to make chicken soup and matzo balls from my mother in law. I wanted to go beyond chicken and brisket and dicovered Judy Zeidler’s Gourmet Jewish Cookbook and Persian chicken. I made holiday dinners and Thanksgivings to die for but I was not an enthusiastic every day cook. I was not a great housekeeper either. I rebelled against the title of housewife with all its connotations. I was not Betty Crocker, Martha Stewart, or Mr.(s) Clean. I told my husband I did not go to college to be a housewife. Afterall, I am a child of the 60s and Women’s Liberation. I did want to be there for my kids instead of working full time. I did work part-time after my kids were in school. I don’t know if I was the best ballabusta but I make a mean matzo ball with help of Manischewitz (Matzo Ball Mix).
This post is for Stream of Concsiousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “bus.” Featured image “mom” via Pixabay.com
I have recently found out that I am going to be a Grandmother for the first time. A new adventure opening up on the horizon with a new person coming into the world. I have not got my head around the idea just yet. My daughter in law had asked me what I wanted to be called, for Grandmother. I told her I wasn’t sure. I am not sure I will have a choice either because I think the grandchild can be the one who picks the name.
I called my maternal Grandmother and my husband’s Grandmother, Nana. I do not like the name Nana so much. I am not crazy about Grandma either. I was inspired by a website by the Norwegian photographer Karoline Hjorth called Mormor Chronicles. Mormor is the Norwegian name for Grandmother. On the home page it says: ” Wise Words and Waffles from Nanas of Norway.” She photographed and interviewed several older women for the website. She wanted to give a voice to older women and show that Mormors don’t always match the stereotypes of Grandmother.
I know that Grandmothers in America today are not like the stereotypes of those in the past either. Some young women may say, when describing themselves, ” I am such a Grandma,” meaning the sterotype image of staying at home, knitting, and baking cookies. While I might appreciate these activities in others it does not describe me. I like to eat cookies but do not bake.
I did a little research with Google Translate to see what Grandmother is in a few other languages. I found there are several Pinterest boards and other websites that cover grandparent names. It’s kind of like those baby name sites.
A few names from the long list:
Amma (Icelandic)
Oma (German)
Babushka (Russian)
Nonna ( Italian)
Yiayiá (Greek)
Mèmè (French)
I am leaning toward the last one. Kinda sweet, don’t you think? What did/do you call your Grandmother?
Featured Image is “Lady with the Veil” ( the artist’s wife) by Alexander Roslin on Wikipedia.
This photo is from a Senior Planet post The Mythical World of Eyes as Big as Plates a project of photographer Karoline Hjorth. Woolly Thyme image by Patrick Standish on Flickr.
For most of my life I have operated within an external structure that was created by society. For many years there was school, then work, then parenthood. My roles and functions were defined, student, employee, wife and mother. In these roles I knew what was expected. Then, as I got older, I found the ground shifting with changing and decreased opportunities for work. My job as a parent was changing a lot as my kids moved into adulthood. They did not need me in their lives as much. So I found myself not needed for the working world and not needed so much as a mother. This has left quite a void. So much of how we define outselves is through our work or adult roles. I have to create my own structure and role now and I am not sure how to do that, what it will look like, and what I want it to be. My earlier life did not prepare me for this very well. I think that having structure created from the outside handicaps people from being able to function without it. It makes it hard to create structure from inside.
Stones image by Pixabay.com
Harder to find your direction.
Path of Biotope of Fiave via dega 180 Wikimedia
My husband and I have started landscaping the front and back yard with the help of good workers. I have never been a garderner but now I have been shopping for plants and ground cover that are drought tolerant and low maintenance. I discovered Wooly Thyme.
Featured Image Stone Structure Ruins via Public Domain Pictures.net
“The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother’s side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent.” -Erich Fromm
The umbilical cord is cut after a women gives birth to a child. I say there is an invisible cord that is never severed. A child does not understand this. The mother understands and knows this. She feels the attachment to her heart her whole life. When your children are away from you, the cord is stretched but never broken.
Happy Mother’s Day ❤
I am a parent, a mother. I am not sure if the intensity of feelings is the same for fathers or others. There are different kinds of parents, different genders of parents. But I can only speak for myself and say this is how I feel about being a mother/parent. I originally posted this last year for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. I think it is still relevant for this Mother’s Day. The prompt this year is “parent.”
I would like ta get a message in a bottle from Sting. How cute is this guy? That is a rhetorical question. I don’t think I ‘ve heard this song before. I definitely heard of Roxanne.
The idea of sending a message in a bottle is so magical and romantic. Who will find it? George Parker Bidder did it for scientific reasons. I think it is cool to do it just to see where it takes you. Like notes tied on the sagebrush. Who will find it? Who will read it? Will it make a connection with them?
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 