The Wind and the Lion starts out with a bang-- and remains fascinating, humorous, and oftimes very touching throughout!  Probably not at all historically accurate, it is nevertheless, great storytelling, with an all-star cast.  I first saw this at the movie theater in 1975, and have never forgotten my wonder and awe at the magnificant scenery, and the superb acting of all the characters.  It was a good 15 minutes before I realized I could breathe!

Mrs. Pedicaris, (Candace Bergen), is an American widow living in Morocco, taking tea with a British friend, when, with a huge clatter, her household is attacked.  She and her two children are kidnapped by The Great Raisuli, (Sean Connery).  Despite her obvious diasadvantage in being held prisoner, she manages to deflate the Great Raisuli at every turn.  First, she laughs at him, when his horse is 'uncooperative'.  He slaps her, and says, "I am the Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli, Lord of the Berbers.  Do not laugh at me again." 

He never wins another battle, in their constant tug of war.  Instead, as he makes many a concession to his exhalted 'guest', his favorite expression is "Mrs. Pedicaris, you're a lot of trouble!"

The Kentucky Transportation cabinet is investigating ways that the Eggars Ferry Bridge can be reopened temporarily, or if the replacement bridge's construction can be accelerated.  Transportation officials have already placed detour signs on I24, and the Purchase Parkway, and suggested that major transportation traffice, i.e. semi-trucks, avoid "The Trace".  (The Trace is the major north/south road through Land Between the Lakes, so named because it follows the old buffalo trace through the area.)

As of Friday, the Kentucky Lake has not re-opened to barge traffic, mainly because of concerns over the navigation lights that are on the bridge.  It is still unclear why the captain of the boat chose the span to cross under, since it is one of the lowest points of the bridge.

Officials state that the barge has made numerous trips under the bridge previously, without incident.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the US Coast Guard, based in Louisville, KY, and the National Transportation Safety Board.  The US Corps of Engineers, who maintains the waterway has stated that the channel is unaffected, and as soon as the navigation lights are checked, barge traffic on Kentucky Lake may resume.

Local barge company captain discusses the bridge collapse at Eggar's Ferry on Kentucky Lake.  Captain Michael McBride discusses possible reasons for the crash.

According to other reports, the lights on the bridge were scheduled for maintenance Jan. 30, which may have contributed to the cause of the crash.  However, the ship's captain may have also been inexperienced, as he chose one of the lower elevation areas on the bridge to pass.

Perhaps one has to be the owner of a recreational vehicle/travel trailer to fully appreciate this movie, but, if you are a fan of I Love Lucy, you'll love Nicky and Tacy in The Long Long Trailer!

Guaranteed to bring about full blown belly laughs, this is one of the funniest movies I've seen-- and it fully reflects some of the wonderful 'trials' of pulling a trailer along America's byways.  Before Eisenhower promulgated the Interstate Highway system, most of the roads in America were two lane monsters that skirted fields, wound around mountains, and clung to the sides of crumbly cliffs.  One had to brave these roads while pulling along "Forty feet of train" behind, and don't forget the trailer brakes!

Nicky, (Desi Arnaz), and Tacy, (Lucille Ball), are newlyweds, beginning their lives in their very own home, a thirty-three foot long New Moon trailer that has all the comforts of home, and that weighs a good three tons.  (By contrast our very own fifth wheel is 34' long and weighs, unloaded, 13,000 pounds.)  By taking a wrong turn, Nicky and Tacy end up on an old logging road, in the pouring rain, when the trailer sinks into a hole in the road.  We see Nicky manfully pumping a tiny bottle jack within a quagmire to level the monster trailer, coated from head to toe in mud.  (Tacy had told him to "turn right here!", which he did.  She meant to 'turn left, right here'!) 

There are many who would dispute this movie as anyone's favorite!  However, Frequency is one of my favorites, because of the wonderful performances that makes one want to believe that anything is possible, just because one cares about the characters.

The premise of the movie is simple:  a strong solar storm, much like what we have experienced of late, allows a son to reconnect with his father, who is alive and well in the past, thirty years earlier, via a ham radio connection.  While the aurora borealis flickers in the sky, the son and the father have a tenuous radio conversation.

The father, Frank Sullivan, played brilliantly by Dennis Quaid, was a fire fighter, who died bravely in the line of duty on October 12, 1969.  His son, John Sullivan, who adored him, is now a member of the NYPD force, and is played by John Caviezel.  John realizes that he is actually talking with his father, thirty years earlier, and warns him, just before static fades the radio signal.

On the other side of the Mrs. Miniver story is Hope and Glory, 1987-- a wonderful film about wartime London from the viewpoint of Billy Rohan, a young lad for whom the blitz is one long adventure after another!  Filled with warmth and humor, Hope and Glory allows us to see the war from the viewpoint of a child, whose greatest sadness, with death and destruction a daily happening around him, is the melting of his lead soldiers.

The Rohan family lives in a middle-class suburb of London, and are gathered in the garden on that truly beautiful September day when Britain declares war on Germany.  From that day forward, their lives were never to be the same again.

First, Clive, Billy's father, enlists in the army.  Somewhat inebriated, he leaves the local pub with a friend, slamming the friend's hand in the door, and, as he grinds the gears with great finesee, his friend must run faster and faster beside the car to keep up.  Little Sue, Billy's sister, finally tells her father, "Daddy, you've slammed his fingers in the door!"  Priceless moment!

Winston Churchhill said that Mrs. Miniver was worth a destroyer during WWII.  That's right, this film was considered to be THE movie of 1942, winning six Oscars in America, and numerous awards on the other side of the pond, where it was filmed and considered to be a very true-to-life depiction of Britain's Home Front.

Available on DVD, Mrs. Miniver is the story of an upper-middle class family in Britain, as they experience the beginning of WWII.  The family's home is located, I believe, in London's famed Lake District, (but that is just what I think, not an official location).  The family home is close to London in the fact that the bombings of London can be seen from the family home, but it is not on a direct path of bombing, except for those bombers that dump their loads on the countryside.

Mr. Clem Miniver, who serves on the River Patrol is called away for five days, during which he takes the family boat across the channel to Dunkirk.  We don't see the actual rescue, helped significantly by an unarmed civilian "navy", of the entire British army, but we see Mrs. Miniver as she anxiously awaits word from him and from her eldest son, Vin, who is a fighter pilot with the RAF.  We also see the horrific damage to the family boat, when Mr. Miniver returns.  While Mr. Miniver is away, Mrs. Miniver happens upon a downed German pilot, who is injured.  Forced into compliance, she feeds the pilot, and takes his gun when he finally collapses from exhaustion and loss of blood in the family kitchen. 

October Sky is another movie about the unquenchable human spirit under difficult circumstances!  It is the true story of Homer Hickam, a teenager, who follows his heart into the study of rocketry, despite his father's disapproval.

Life in Coalwood, WV was hard in the late 1950s.  A coal mining town, the town's citizenry worked in the coal mine owned by the Consolidation Coal Company.  Homer's father was a 'company man', a part of management of the coal company. 

The movie opens when Sputnik 1 was launched, October 5, 1957, orbiting earth in the ionosphere, and transmitting a radio signal until October 26, 1957.  For those who weren't alive at the time, it is difficult to imagine how this first satellit ingnited both a national panic over the Soviet Union, and an almost unbearble excitement in the dawning Space Age.  Homer and his friends, Quentin, Ray Lee, and O'Dell, were no exception.

The four boys decide to build a rocket, and begin studying the new scientific field of rocketry.  They built rocket after rocket, dud after dud, just like their counterparts at the National Advisory Center for Aeronautics, NACA.  While the boys experimented with fuel cells, managing to blow up Mrs. Hickam's new picket fence in the process, NACA became the forerunner of NASA, making much larger booms and blow-ups.

This is for Scott (Scoop) Butki's 2012 Movie Challenge!  These are in no particular order, other than I can reach some of them easier than others... 

Our first movie, which is in my movie collection, is Paradise Road, 1997.  The movie stars:

• Glen Close, as Adrienne Pargiter the director;
• Frances McDormand, as Dr. Verstak, as camp doctor, a Jewish woman from Germany;
• Pauline Collins, as Margaret "Daisy" Drummond, a missionary who had served in China;
• Kate Blanchett, in one of her early roles as Australian nurse, Susan McCarty;
• Julianna Margulies, as Topsy Merritt, an American;
• Jennifer Ehle, as Rosemary Leighton-Jones, very in love with her husband;
• Johanna ter Steege, as Sister Wilhelmina, a very stalwart figure;
• Elizabeth Spriggs, as dear Mrs. Roberts, a member of upper society;
• Stan Egi, as Captain Tonaka; and
• Sab Shimono, as Colonel Hirota.

A cold front moved through Indiana and Kentucky today, producing strong front line winds, microbursts, and possibly a tornado about 5 miles northeast of my house. 

In the Crestwood area, a horse training barn was severely damaged, and several year-old foals were missing for a couple of hours.  The owner of the facility wasn't sure where her horses were, and was absolutely frantic-- and I don't blame her.  She was interviewed on TV, and despite being very calm, her eyes were haunting, until she knew her horses were safe.  Despite downed trees and power lines, the horses managed to escape and were unharmed.  Thank heavens for good old 'horse sense'!

I have looked and looked and looked and finally found a real, honest-to-goodness Daviess County Barbecue Mutton recipe, including the sauce, which is used on pork, beef, and chicken, too. 

Owensboro, my hometown, is the home of the International Bluegrass Museum and International Barbeque Festival-- although I think this latter designation is because the Chinese restaurant in town also has a booth.  The Barbeque Festivaql is a WONDERFUL time, even if every street corner features some fine ‘hog caller’, and the whole town and surrounding county turns out to eat mutton, beef, pork, and chicken, barbequed over hot hickory wood coals.  There is a huge contest, and all the churches compete for the Best Barbeque Award of the festival.  Literally, thousands of pounds of barbeque are sold, gobbled, and taken home for later.

Here it is, folks-- those lovely people, organizations, and activities that we wish would drop off the face of the earth for awhile!  Because there were so very many nominations, in so many varied fields, I've made several polls.  Place your votes, where you will!

Note:  The spacing for this article drove me nuts.  EEEK!  So, please, keep scrolling...

Thanks for participating!

This is the best pie that my dear Grandma made:

Grandma’s Butterscotch Pie

My Grandma knew pie.  This is not easy, but it is so good, it is worth it.  You will use every pan in your kitchen, and make a big mess, but it is still worth it.  This recipe was handed down from my Great-great-grandmother, Sophronia Combs Bruce.  Sophronia made a beautiful quilt that won 1^st place at the State Fair in 1855, (Mama has the silver julep cup.)  The quilt toured Europe with the Smithsonian in the early 1980’s.  It lives in Sophronia’s sugar chest, at my mother’s house.  As you make this pie, think what it must have been like to make it in on a wood stove with no mixer!

Well, I've got to admit that I'm tired of a few people.  The same old, same old.  I'm tired of hearing about them, I'm tired of reading about them, and frankly, my dear, I don't give a DAM.

So, who is your #1 person you're tired of hearing about?  Nominations, anyone?

Here is how the "Game" will be played.  I'm going to start off our list with a few nominations, and will be taking nominations from the comments below.  24 hours from now, I'll gather all the names, put them in a poll and we'll all get to vote.  How's that?

This is your opportunity to give a giant, "Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give A Dam"-- to whomever you like.  So, what do you say, want to play?

The CoH will be followed here, by the way.  Any really nasty comments will be deleted immediately, and ALL NewsVine members are NOT to be nominated.  ONLY people who are in the public eye.  There will be no name calling among us, and we WILL be sweet, or I will remove this article immediately.

Night and day, the Old Hickory Tree listened to the sound of the wind chimes, glad that Ed would not be fearful of the wind any more.  The Old Hickory Tree knew that Papa was putting its downed branch to good use.  At night, after the chores were done, and the boys were asleep, the Old Hickory Tree could see Papa working out in the barn beside Dan.  He worked with the branch from the Old Hickory Tree to cut it in pieces for a surprise for Mama-- a rocking chair! 

One bright day, while Mama was baking bread, Papa lit a fire behind the barn, and put a big kettle of water on the coals to boil.  Then, using the steam from the big kettle’s spout, he steamed two slats of wood to bend them, holding them carefully with his tools.  He bent the wood for the runners of the rocking chair, and he left the rest of the wood straight, for the chair.  Papa worked and worked to make the chair, carefully fitting the pieces together.  Finally, Ed and Louie helped Papa to sand the wood until it was as smooth as satin.  Then, one day, Papa took the chair, hidden beneath a blanket, into town, and had the chair bottom caned to make a comfortable seat for Mama. 

This is the last installment of at least some of the things that my Grandma taught me.  I hope that you enjoy them, and find at least some of them to be true.  Please accept them in the spirit in which they are offered—take it or leave it and do what you want to do, anyway!

On Life, in General

Any time you want to make fun of someone, say to yourself, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”  Then, make fun of them with the full realization that whatever it is that you’re joking about will 1) happen to you, or 2) happen to someone you love.

If someone dies, take food to the family.  While pies and cakes are good-- meat, (like a baked ham), is appropriate for the family of a very close friend.  Go to the funeral home and offer your sincere condolences.  It helps the family more than you realize.

You can’t do wrong and get by.

No matter how awful you feel, someone else feels worse.

Look for miracles every day.  Sometimes, it may just be that you had a green light, instead of a red one, but it is a miracle, all the same.

Don’t forget to feed the ducks.  Don’t over-feed them.  You can feed them very small bread bites, but no crackers with salt.  Wild ducks get sick on salty foods.  Feeding ducks is a good way to relax.

A continuation from Grandma’s Kitchen, Parts 1 and 2, here are more of my Grandma’s and Grandpa’s nuggets of wisdom.  Again, I hope that you will accept them in the spirit in which they were offered.  Take it or leave it and do what fits your life best.

On Medical Matters:

To help a cold or cough overnight, use Vick’s Salve and an old bandanna.  Spread the Vick’s Salve thickly over your upper chest, making sure you cover the collar bone area and your throat.  Cover with a bandanna tied in the back.  Layer a nice warm nightgown over it.  Drink a hot toddy, (hot tea with bourbon and lemon), but don’t combine a hot toddy with any other alcohol.  Take two aspirin or ibuprofen, but do not take Tylenol, as that reacts badly with alcohol.  You should sleep well, and you’ll feel better in the morning. 

If you are sick, stay home and get well.  Don’t go to work if you are really sick, because all you will do is give it to your co-workers.

Never go to a doctor that grew up in a Third World Country—they are inured to human suffering.

Take 1 tsp. honey every day for allergies.  Even if it doesn’t work, a teaspoon of honey will make the day brighter!

When your husband is sick, remember that sympathy will make him feel much better.

Remember that you have the right to refuse medical treatment.  A lot of tests, etc., are done to cover your doctor’s “arse” and may not be necessary for your treatment.  Listen to your own body, and follow your gut instinct.

Every day that you’re on this side of the grass is a good day.

No matter what happens to you, your inner dignity is intact.

Doctors love to quote odds, but remember—there is always someone that beats those odds.  It could be you.

A continuation from Some of Life’s Lessons From Grandma’s Kitchen, Part 1, here are more of my Grandma’s and Grandpa’s nuggets of wisdom.  Again, I hope that you will accept them in the spirit in which they were offered.  Take it or leave it and do what fits your life best!

On Personal Care:

When you are so tired you want to scream at someone, lock the bathroom door and take a nice, long, private, bubble bath.  Lie back.  Relax.  When you get out, use some nice bath cologne to smell and feel pretty.

Don’t lift heavy things, if you can help it.  Set yourself a weight limit—30 pounds or so, and STICK TO IT.  Grandma was right-- things have a tendency to give way as we age, especially innards.

King Edward Imperial cigars will repel mosquitoes better than any kind of bug repellent.  Puff and puff and puff until your head is enveloped in smoke, but don’t inhale the smoke while puffing.  Mosquitoes vanish for a few minutes.  Keep puffing while outside. 

Buy a new nightgown when you’re blue—a pretty one, with lace!

Get a good night's sleep and take a nap when you are tired.

An oatmeal bath is highly over-rated.  Save it for the next time you have measles.

If you help your hair do what it wants to do naturally, you’ll have better luck with hair-dos.

"It always bothers me that all those beauty ads for younger-looking skin show people that are in their 20’s.  What do they need younger-looking skin for?  They’ve already got it!" 

Never call your mother-in-law if you’re tired and cranky, or just had a fight with your husband.  It can have lasting implications that really aren’t that good for you!

Remember that Seratan is "Nature's" spelled backwards.  Watch any product that says it's "all-natural".  So is arsenic.

Grandma’s kitchen was designed and built especially for her by Grandpa.  Since she was a little woman, (4’11”), Grandpa made sure that her kitchen cabinets were shorter, to accommodate her elbow height, and, as a special treat, he made a little shelf that she could pull out, just for rolling pie crusts.  It was a marvel of engineering and a marvelous place, full of love, laughter, and good food!

All those years growing up, (which at the time I naively thought would last forever), life seemed to revolve around the kitchen.  It was the place where we gathered, the three of us.  Grandma and Grandpa had a light green kitchen table with chrome legs, and we sat there together over hot perked coffee and butterscotch pie, milk and honeybuns, and many wonderful meals, with the radio playing softly in the background.  It seemed that we laughed all the time, discussing the day’s events and putting the world’s problems in perspective.  Nothing was ever as calamitous as the news made it out to be!  No problem was insolvable, and an atmosphere of optimism prevailed, no matter what happened to us in our daily lives.

Please join The Dowser Clan in our annual New Year's Eve Pan Banging festivities!

That's right, at the stroke of midnight, my family gathers outside and bangs pans to welcome in the New Year!  We face all directions of the compass, and think of all our Newsvine Friends!

Think of our little spot here in Kentucky as a longitude of Good Wishes-- as you pass our way, (based on the earth's lovely spin), good wishes are heaped upon you! 

I will look forward to 'seeing' you on New Year's Eve, and will definitely be wishing you a very happy New Year!

Thanks for coming by!

This is the cutest thing I've seen lately!  I hope you enjoy it, as much as I did!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Thanks for coming by!

This is a true story, based on events told to me by my grandparents, Ed and Ida Mae, who were present at the time.  The story is a continuation of the family legends and folklore that are a part of Grandpa’s Bedtime Stories.  The words are not accurate, nor of historical note, but the events are.  From my heart, to yours -- and to the people of Old Russia, with love.

December, 1918, was a cold and dreary month, and Mama hugged her coat closer as she trudged from the Post Office to Papa’s shoe store.  She had just mailed a package to Louie, her eldest son, who was with the troops in France.  His letters home told something of the horrible food and the bone chilling snow in the tranches, so Mama had sent him a dozen tins of beef stew to share with his fellow soldiers, and a blanket.  Ed, her youngest son, his wife, Ida Mae, and their baby daughter, were living near the railroad depot, where Ed worked as a telegraph operator. 

It's that time of year again!  The entire Dowser Clan, including all the animals, would love to wish all of you a very Happy Holiday Greeting, in the form of a video Greeting!  Little Pharaoh, BooBear, Lulu, and Tommy Two-Tone visit the Pet Store to put together their Santa List, then they visit the Children's Home and the Nursing Home...  But, they would like to remind all of us to not forget our furry friends, as well!

This video has a somewhat religious overtone, but not too overtly-- so please, if you are offended, consider this to be an official warning:  Jesus is depicted in this video.  The video is best if viewed in the full screen mode!

May all of your Christmas Wishes come true this year!

Much love,

The Dowser Clan

I've read about the magic 3% of the population.  3% of the population can't be pleased no matter what you do, so GM doesn't even want their business.  GM has conducted studies, and the results were that 3% of their clientelle cause the most trouble, and require the most money to make things 'right' for them.  3% eat up their profit to the point GM doesn't even want their business.  So what if they turn to another company for their next car purchase?  Good riddance!  About 3% of the population are affected by both mental and addictive disorders, (reference here), and about 3% of the population is in prison at any one time.  (reference here)

I guess I can say, with some degree of surity, that apparently about 3% of the population is bat sh%$ crazy. 

Just in case you, too, are somewhat daunted by the sight of a giant bird in a broiler pan, allow me to share with you the fiasco of Thanksgiving and the Giant Turkey.  I promise it will make you feel MUCH better!

The Scene:  My husband and I had only been married about 3 years, my dear father-in-law had suffered a stroke, and my dear  mother-in-law was overwhelmed, but insisting that we all come for Thanksgiving at her house, as usual.  Peep was two years old and running around peering into everything, but a good child, as he rarely if ever put anything foreign into his mouth, including food that wasn't tan-colored.  As a side note, I tried to dye his peas blue, thinking he might eat blue peas, since he wouldn't eat green peas.  No dice.