The Best of Week Six

Note: I'm late on the roll out of this one. Life happened!

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The theme last week surely seemed to be love. Who am I to mess with centuries of tradition?

Last Sunday, I loved attending a benefit showing of Franco Zefferelli's 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet at the Capri Theatre. In my lifetime (and it was here before I was born) I've seen that wonderful space change and grow and claw to stay open. When it was rescued from its darker paths by Martin McCaffery, it became a not-for-profit independent theatre. The going has been slow, but it is truly a labor of love for all those who pledge their time and energy and money to it, and recent renovations have really given the old gal an extraordinary new look.

When I was a young teenager, it's where we'd go to watch those godawful B-horror pictures, many of which seemed to star Shelley Winters, like Whoever Slew Aunty Roo? and What's the Matter With Helen?  Here's what I learned from those, by the way: never, ever leave Shelley Winters alone in a room with children or rabbits.

University of Montevallo - Hanson Girls

But back on topic: the very best part about attending the benefit last week was having a friend from my college days (who was one of my bridesmaids, to boot) show up with her husband! They drove down from their home just south of Birmingham and we had a great time. It's probably a good thing we don't live in the same town, by the way. When we get together, we tend to revert! Love you, Rhonda!

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For Valentines Day I got my husband a Kindle. He got me one for Christmas - over my oft-stated objections to them - and I have discovered that they can, in fact, co-exist peacefully with bound books. I've fallen into a habit of having a "real" book at hand to read when I'm out in the den, and having another book in process on my Kindle for bedtime/portable reading. This is working surprisingly well. He had begun to reread one of his favorite fantasy series (The Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks), and it was painful to watch him try to read the tiny print of that mass-market book. I even hauled him down to the library yesterday to get his library card renewed so he can begin to check out ebooks from the Overdrive app, as well. It's been a booklover's week around here, for sure!

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 Our grandchildren spent the night Friday night, and after they'd been picked up on Saturday, I headed to my home office to do a little work on my computer. I discovered that Rosemary had decided to add some illustration to my desk engagement calendar. 

No, we do not know who Ashlyn is or why Rosemary seems to know that her brother's birthday was on Valentines Day. It's just a Rosemary kind of thing to know.

By the way, the Farmer's Almanac engagement calendar is my absolute favorite. I've used them for about 10 years now; they are hardcover, and are perfect for keeping not-really-a-journal-but-sort-of-a-journal type notes in. Plus, you learn about all sorts of fascinating things. Best thing last week? A quarter cup of maple syrup contains more calcium than a quarter cup of milk. Pancake time!

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 I feel like I should have awarded myself some Brownie points for not picking up this clearly very healthy cereal at the grocery store last week.

Brownie points.... get it?   

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Books Finished This Week:
(click on titles to find my reviews on Goodreads)

The Risen by Ron Rash

(outstanding)

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman

Book Ditched This Week:

In the Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell


Best Meal of the Week: 

The hot dogs that were delivered to us at the office by Charles Lee (That's My Dog), in appreciation for our having awarded him the first of the Central Alabama Community Foundation Surprise 30th Anniversary grants for his nonprofit, That's My Child. This was one of three trays of dogs we got. We had to sample some from each tray, of course.....  these were the That's My Conecuh Dogs, but we also had That's My Nacho Dogs and That's My Gump Dogs.