Thank You, Veterans

Omaha Beach, Normandy Invasion, June 1944

Thank you today to our veterans. Thanks to the farmers and tradesmen who faced down the redcoats in Lexington and Concord on that April morning. Thanks to the 1st Minnesota Regiment that lost 215 of its 262 men in one charge at Gettysburg. Thanks to the doughboys of Word War I, who thought they had fought the war to end all wars - if only that were true. Thanks to Ted Williams, not only a Red Sox immortal, but a real hero of Korea. Thanks to all the men and women of my generation who went to Vietnam; sadly, the ones I knew then came back asking "Why?" Thanks to the Gulf War vets who suffered not just the adversities of war, but the haunting souvenir of mysterious illness. Thanks to the veterans and current service men and women of Afghanistan and Iraq. You deserve so much better than you have been given.

And finally, thanks to all the men and women who served for our country in World War II. A special remembrance to John J. McMahon, my late father, who was a Chief Gunner's Mate in the US Navy. He was at Omaha Beach on D-Day.

- Maureen

Better in Black and White. Part 2

I am Maureen and I approved this message.

Better in Black and White. Part 1

Last night (Halloween), my sister Peggy and I watched a show about what one network considered to be the 100 scariest movies ever made. The list was heavy on slasher films which I find more disgusting than scary. My friends and I grew up watching black and white classics on two of the Syracuse TV stations. Channel 3 had Monster Movie Matinee on Saturday afternoons and Channel 9 had Baron Daemon, a really hokey vampire, late Saturday night. My dad and I didn't agree about much, but we did watch Baron Daemon together - sometimes in enjoyment of the craft of a classic film and sometimes laughing at the camp of a "Godzilla Meets Mothra" type movie.

One of the beauties of the Internet is that we can all make our own lists. So here is the first half of my list of favorite black and white horror movies.

The Classics

Dracula - 1931. Yes, the effects are far the other side of primitive. No, we don't consider Lugosi a particularly handsome man today. But the story of Dracula created an archetype of horror film and fiction; while this movie doesn't follow Bram Stoker's novel too closely, it does tell the story simply and chillingly. To me, every color version since has seemed an unnecessary attempt to tart up a story of night terror. Doesn't every kid fear what might come at them in the dark? Favorite quote: "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make. "

Frankenstein - 1931. Oh, those atmospheric sets in that creepy castle laboratory (pronounced lah-BORE-ah-toree). The make-up and costuming on the monster were magnificent. What really makes this movie for me are two things. First, Boris Karloff's ability to communicate the pathos and terror of that monster from underneath all that makeup. Second, a theme that Mary Shelley wrote about in the early 19th century resonated even more clearly in the 20th: man taking to himself powers that should be left only to God. From that theme, how many mad scientists in monster movies have we had? Favorite quote: "It's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!"

The Mummy - 1932. It's Karloff again, as the immortal Im-Ho Tep (yeah, the Mummy). I found him particulary creepy because I could just imagine the odor of centuries drifting off him while he was pursuing the modern girl who was his reincarnated love. And his wrinkled skin - guy could have used a good moisturizer. Generations of American kids learned that you don't desecrate ancient tombs, so this movie has that going for it. Favorite quote: "Death... eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket. In the name of Amon-Ra the king of the gods."

The Invisible Man - 1933. To a kid in a strict home who went to a strict Catholic school, the thought of being invisible was most enticing. You could do ANYTHING and get away with it! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Take that, Sister Anna! But I digress. As the Invisible Man, Claude Rains (mostly by voice alone) showed how that experience could drive a man insane. Favorite quote: "I meddled in things that man must leave alone."

King Kong - 1933. Poor Kong. Kidnapped from his home environment on Skull Island (No Greenpeace then!), hounded to death; as a kid, I rooted for him - not the humans. He was a tragic hero who never learned to avoid trashy bleached blondes. Favorite quote: "It was beauty killed the beast."

Bride of Frankenstein - 1935. Poor Elsa Lanchester. Worst hair day ever. Favorite quote: "Alone: bad. Friend: good! "

The Wolf Man - 1941. Just at the end of the classic horror movie era. Lon Chaney, Jr. touchingly portrayed the tragic Larry Talbot, unwilling werewolf, haunted by what he had become. Oooh, the terrors of that spooky forest. Favorite quote: "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."

The rest of the 1940's didn't see too much of this genre. The real horrors were happening in the war. But then, in the 1950's, people regained their tastes for monsters. Some critics have said it was a response to the atom bomb. Who knows? All I know is, the 50's gave us some real camp classics. But that's a story for my next blog.

- Maureen

Can Recycling Undermine My Image?

Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I have recycled before it was called that. My recycling of gold came from my inability to give up on a ring that was reduced to melted lumps. Since that was not the look I was going for and I was determined not to buy more gold (at the time it was $35) I grabbed some tweezers and started pushing around the gold while heating it.
Another great moment in saving the planet came when I discovered that cats can easily adapt to newspaper instead of kitty litter. This also saves enough money to pay for the subscription.
Now I find that I am shipping allot of packages. I put my shawl pins and Cable Needle necklaces in beautiful jeweled tone silk zippered pouches. I hand write a personal note. I include a few brochures from friends' businesses. And then I take the whole shebang and wrap it in a ...oh my God, plastic bag from the local grocery chain. Besides being free, they are light, water proof and keep everything safe and rattle free. I imagine that the recipient uses the bag for a further purpose till the end of time. But what kind of first impression am I making? I gag at the thought of buying (gag motivator #1) fancy colored tissue which I would crumple up (gag motivator #2) to fill the box and cushion the enclosed item.
I have used newspaper which serves the same purpose but feels like a lateral move. My goal is to use something that is free and classy. Any suggestions?
Blog On!
Leslie

You Know It's Fall On Cape Ann When...

Photo by Kate Glass, Gloucester Daily Times

...political signs crowd the Halloween lawn displays

...the wind shifts to the northwest and roars right down the funnel that is Folly Cove.
...the Dairy Train closes until spring.

...the fall foliage display at the Rockport dump is spectacular.

...whale watch season comes to an end.

...Christmas displays appear in the local stores by Columbus Day.

...it's cool enough to crochet a mohair shawl and be grateful for its warmth as you work.

...there is no more baseball.

Red Sox Winter

Rain at Fenway: Photo by BBC News

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.
The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.
You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Today, a day of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone."
--A. Bartlett Giamatti, "The Green Fields of the Mind"

Thank you, 2008 Red Sox. You did your best with what you had this year.

-Maureen

Fiber-Craft Day, October 4

These are nurses, not nuns. Don't be scared!

If anyone will be in the area this weekend, we are having the second annual Fiber-Craft Day at the Rockport Community House at 58 Broadway Saturday, October 4th from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Mapquest directions here.

The event is free to the public and we encourage all ages to participate to explore and learn about the fiber arts and artists. Try your hand at knitting, weaving, spinning, crochet, observe new techniques in designer rug making, and more. There will be exhibitors selling yarn (Rob and Laurel from Coveted Yarn with yarn from $2 to $50 a skein) and other items. People will also be demonstrating their craft, for example, Leslie will be demonstrating metalwork. You can watch, learn, socialize, sit and work on your craft or whatever. While you are there, please cross the street and say hello to Helen at Helen Parker Textiles at 67 Broadway. My Pumpkin Hats are in the window there!

If you’d like, please bring something for the pot luck lunch. (I will be demonstrating eating during this part of the event.)

This event is hosted by several members of the Essex County Needlecraft Guild under the auspices of the Rockport Community League. For additional information, just email Leslie.

Be there or be square!

- Maureen