Attention to detail, irony and compassion, beauty and human fraility all mix together to create the film, "Beautiful Country" http://www.sonyclassics.com/beautifulcountry/frame.html
It's not going to get major kudos from hollywood elite, nor will it garnish praise from reviewers. But a good story -- along with a director with an eye for what makes a scene "sing" -- will always win my praise.
I think what makes this story so compelling is that it touches a central core that is so deeply engrained in all of us -- the search for self, knowing where one is and where one is going. Those issues are only answered when we know in some part from where we have come.
What I sincerely appreciated about the film is that it was both beautiful and deeply true to its characters. The actors look and act like real people...I am not reminded that I'm "watching a scene". I also appreciate that each character has a heady mix of good and bad, beauty and ugliness, hope and hopelessness. This is a film that resonates and rings true.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Gardner's Journal: The Mundane
Now is the time of the year when all the "un-glamorous" chores have to be done. Weeds have overcome some of my garden so I spend about 30 minutes in a.m./p.m. digging them out, swearing all along that I meant to plant something there. Nature truly does hate a vacuum and what's not planted upon or in, will surely be rabid with Oklahoma's finest bermuda.
August heat is zapping a good part of my yard but perennials and roses are thriving with regular watering because of the energy saving mulch. It's a pain to do, but it sure makes for easier gardening during these hot, hot months.
Overall, I'm pleased with my garden this year. I will plant some additional shrubs and trees in late October and November and I'll put some mums out in some of these places that are sporting weeds right now. I did at least 3 new gardens this year and have plans for additional ones later in the fall. The more "fun" work of digging, planting and creating.
Still, I have to ponder this mundane maintainance. It's truly the biggest part of gardening...not all can be creating and digging and plunging into the earth. In fact, that part of the job -- though exciting and fulfilling -- is a very small part of the gardening experience. Without the mulching, the watering, the weeding the is little of gardening left. Those that don't enjoy these humble chores truly don't enjoy gardening. It's the stuff that makes gardening gardening.
And, it is revealing how much I can get done in 20 minutes blocks of time when I really put my heart into it. Sometimes, the sheer volume of work can be overwhelming. I stand in the middle of a puddle of weeds and sigh, not sure where to begin. The truth is, you begin where you are. You kneel and go to it. And after a few minutes, maybe 20, you've made some serious progess.
This simple reality is remarkable. What can seem to be too big can truly be done in smaller bites. Paying off bills. Remodeling a house. Rebuilding a relationship. It's not the big stuff that really matters -- it's the day to day stuff that seems to hold things together, keep the moving, keeping them healthy.
August heat is zapping a good part of my yard but perennials and roses are thriving with regular watering because of the energy saving mulch. It's a pain to do, but it sure makes for easier gardening during these hot, hot months.
Overall, I'm pleased with my garden this year. I will plant some additional shrubs and trees in late October and November and I'll put some mums out in some of these places that are sporting weeds right now. I did at least 3 new gardens this year and have plans for additional ones later in the fall. The more "fun" work of digging, planting and creating.
Still, I have to ponder this mundane maintainance. It's truly the biggest part of gardening...not all can be creating and digging and plunging into the earth. In fact, that part of the job -- though exciting and fulfilling -- is a very small part of the gardening experience. Without the mulching, the watering, the weeding the is little of gardening left. Those that don't enjoy these humble chores truly don't enjoy gardening. It's the stuff that makes gardening gardening.
And, it is revealing how much I can get done in 20 minutes blocks of time when I really put my heart into it. Sometimes, the sheer volume of work can be overwhelming. I stand in the middle of a puddle of weeds and sigh, not sure where to begin. The truth is, you begin where you are. You kneel and go to it. And after a few minutes, maybe 20, you've made some serious progess.
This simple reality is remarkable. What can seem to be too big can truly be done in smaller bites. Paying off bills. Remodeling a house. Rebuilding a relationship. It's not the big stuff that really matters -- it's the day to day stuff that seems to hold things together, keep the moving, keeping them healthy.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Peter Jennings -- I'll miss you
I just learned that Peter Jennings, one of my all time favorite television personalities died today. Here's the whole story --
ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings Dies at 67
I have often punctuated my day by being near the TV at 5:30 just so Peter can give me, as he calls it, a "rough draft of history" for the day. There was something curiously comforting about his style that no other anchor I can recall. He was dashingly handsome, winsome in his ways and just plain street smart. I didn't know until today that he started broadcasting without a degree in high school or college. Yet, he has said that every day in his adult life he learned something and for that, I love him. That quality, his ability to search and ask questions, gave him the resonance on the air that book smart anchors lacked.
He was the one I turned to during national crisis, his reporting during Sept 11 was particularly reassuring to me because I knew that whatever he knew, he'd tell me. He was always someone that I would have enjoyed simply sitting down with a cup of coffee and talking about ideas.
ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings Dies at 67
I have often punctuated my day by being near the TV at 5:30 just so Peter can give me, as he calls it, a "rough draft of history" for the day. There was something curiously comforting about his style that no other anchor I can recall. He was dashingly handsome, winsome in his ways and just plain street smart. I didn't know until today that he started broadcasting without a degree in high school or college. Yet, he has said that every day in his adult life he learned something and for that, I love him. That quality, his ability to search and ask questions, gave him the resonance on the air that book smart anchors lacked.
He was the one I turned to during national crisis, his reporting during Sept 11 was particularly reassuring to me because I knew that whatever he knew, he'd tell me. He was always someone that I would have enjoyed simply sitting down with a cup of coffee and talking about ideas.
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