To kill a mockingbird – 50th anniversary

My favourite novel of all time, Harper Lee`s `To Kill a Mockingbird` is celebrating it`s 50th anniversary.  The Pulitzer Prize winning novel about racial injustice and loss of innocence in a small southern town is as timely as poignant as it was 50 years ago.

I had the great pleasure of watching the movie once again on Bravo TV this week.  Even though this film is in black and white, the story and characters stand the test of time.

The scene which starts me crying is the night Atticus stands outside the jail to protect Tom Robison. Here it is summarized by Tim Dirks of Filmsite

In one of the most compelling scenes in the film, as the children begin taking a shortcut home, four cars noisily converge on the jail from the Meridian Highway. The children hide and watch from the cover of the bushes. The armed men get out of their cars and surround Atticus – they are a self-appointed lynch mob that has gathered to take justice into its own hands after diverting Sheriff Tate. To get a closer look, the three kids run over to the cars. Scout, in particular, who is oblivious to the danger, pushes her way through the crowd to glimpse her stern-faced father – he immediately fears for their safety. While Jem stands by his father and stubbornly refuses to leave after his father’s command, a stalwart Scout faces down the crowd and sees someone she recognizes. She conducts an innocent, uninhibited exchange with Walter Cunningham Sr., and engages him in a disarming, candid, yet humanized conversation. Scout makes him uncomfortable in front of the mob:

I said, ‘Hey,’ Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting along? (He turns and looks away.) Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember? We had a talk. I went and got my daddy to come out and thank you. I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter. He’s a nice boy. Tell him ‘hey’ for me, won’t you? You know something, Mr. Cunningham, entailments are bad. Entailments…(She suddenly becomes self-conscious) Atticus, I was just saying to Mr. Cunningham that entailments were bad but not to worry. Takes a long time sometimes…(To the men who are staring up at her) What’s the matter? I sure meant no harm, Mr. Cunningham.

Scout’s words cause him to break up the potential lynching. The embarrassed crowd disbands.

The movie is as heartbreaking and heart warming as it was when it first previewed (1962).   Do yourself a favour and rent the movie.   Settle down with a bowl of popcorn and a box of Kleenex and go back to a time when movies were worth watching.

Pyjama Day

I am on holidays until next Wednesday.  Yesterday my DH and I drove to Fredericton in a snow storm to take my oldest granddaughter shopping.  That is what good grand parents do! Besides she deserved a shopping day.   Sarah received her marks and has a 3.0 grade point average, not too shabby considering she has always been home schooled, this is her first year at college and is holding down a part time job.  She has not received the marks from her best class so the average may go up.

The snow storm hampered our shopping a bit, but we still had a good visit.  Of course we had to top it off with a visit to our favourite bookstore-coffee shop Reads. Sarah drops into Reads each morning for a cup of coffee on the way to school.  That girl has good taste.

I traded my books for a new stash.  Last evening I started  The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and read until after midnight.

Today is all about me.  I plan to stay in my pyjamas until it is time to take a shower and put on fresh jammies.   As the temperature is minus 14 with a wind chill factor of  20, I slept in rather than going to the gym.   The rest of the day will be dedicated to puttering, quilting, reading and cooking.   Sounds busy but to me it is a perfect holiday.  What is your idea of a perfect stay at home day?

Good books and good stew

The current temperature is 5 degrees, it feels more like November than September.  Tomorrow will reach a high of 10 degrees.   When the weather is this chilly my favourite space is at home snuggled up with a good book.  On the way home today, I picked a pile of books at the Great Canadian Dollar Store for $3.00 each.   My plan is to spend most of Saturday reading and nibbling.

Here’s a recipe that makes an incredible soup regardless of the weather.  ( I omit the peanut butter and cilantro).   This stew is very adaptable to changes, I’ve added lentils, different peppers, and a variety of root vegetables.

Adapted from the Crazy Plates cookbook by Janet and Greta Podleski.

Rockin’ Moroccan Stew

2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (or more if you like)
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
1 can (19 oz) tomatoes, drained and cut up
1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp each ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander, and chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp light peanut butter
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic until vegetables begin to soften.

Add all remaining ingredients except peanut butter, and cilanto (if using). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Stir in peanut butter and cilantro (if using) and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve hot.

How to beat the heat

Where is the best place to be when the “feels like” temperature is 40 degrees Celsius?  At the movies of course.    Jen, Michelle and I are going to The Time Travelers’ Wife.   The ju-jubes and pop are hidden in our purses,  along with the kleenex.   All we need to purchase are the tickets and a huge carton of popcorn.

My second favourite place on such a hot and humid evening is laying in front of the air conditioner enjoying a good book.  This is what’s on my bookshelf this week.  Many of the books I picked up at yard sales for a quarter or at Village Value for $1.00.

This Charming Man

“At the cemetery three kids noisily playing football around a grave. Disrespectful. Until realized it was their little brother who had died and they had made him goalie.”

If this line from Miriam Keyes “This Charming Man” does not bring a lump to your throat, then it is not a book for you.  You laugh, you cry, you wonder “where the hell did that come from”.   If you want to be entertained, buy this book.  I love the way each character’s story was typed in a different font.

Synopsis

Lazy Saturday

We woke to a world of muffled sounds as our area was covered with a blanket of fog.  I come from a long line of brits and irishmen who lived by the sea and long for the sounds of a fog horn when land bound.  Rarely do we get a foggy day in the Miramichi,  in Saint John it was as natural as breathing.  I love how the moisture carries the smell of the earth and the trees.   My earliest school memories are of walking home in the fog in the south end of Saint John, the smell of the sugar refinery and old houses sharp on my nose.

I read myself to sleep each night but I read more in the summer than any other time of the year.    There is nothing better than to be completely lost in a book, spending an entire day reading sprawled in the hammock or on the chesterfield in the sun room.  Saturday was a perfect stay at home and read day.

I hurried through my early morning  shopping, quickly prepared lunch and spent the rest of the day reading propped up by the numerous pillows on our bed.  My DH and kitty would join me when it was cat nap time.

This week I finished “The girl next door” by Elizabeth Noble.   When I start casting the list of characters in my head I know I’m hooked.   By chapter 5 I was working on the sound track.  This is a funny, happy and sometimes  heart rendering story of the tenants living in a New York brownstone.   Elizabeth Noble is the author of The Reading Group, The Tenko Club, and Alphabet Weekends.

Product Description – From Amazon.ca
“A gorgeous and unforgettable novel set in a turn-of-the-century brownstone on New York’s Upper East Side, The Girl Next Door follows the stories of the building’s residents, showing their lives, their loves and the way they live together.
Meet Eve Gallagher in Apartment 7A, newly moved to New York from London with her ambitious banker husband. She’s lonely and lost…until she meets elderly neighbour Violet, who’s concealing a tragic story of her own. The Kramers and the Schulmans in Apartments 6A and 6B are about to find their lives intersecting in a most unfortunate manner when Jason Kramer falls head-over-heels for Rachael Schulman.
Jackson Grayling III in Apartment 5A is 26, fantastically wealthy and a directionless layabout. He’s attracting the attention of a gold-digger in 2B even though he’s far more interested in the beautiful and hardworking Emily Milanowski in 3B. And finally, plain, dull and self-conscious Charlotte Murphy rents 2A and works in the Public Library. She lives in a dream world and is desperate to be anyone but herself. Will any of her neighbours ever take enough notice of her to help her?”

Saving on Saturday

Saturday is my typical shopping today, but never to the mall.  I’m at the age where I don’t need to purchase the latest “must have” outfit.  As long as what I’m wearing is clean, a suitable colour and doesn’t make my butt look big, I’m happy.   My first stop was a “New to you, gently used” clothing sale at one of the Catholic churches in the area.  It brought back memories of going to rummage sales with my Nanny Daly many years ago.  We were taught at a very early age to reuse, hand down or as they say now re-purpose clothing.    Everything item at the sale was priced at $1.00.  For $28 I purchased 6 two piece suits, 2 three piece suits and 20 various dresses, tops and pants.   Whether I shop at a thrift store or a church sale I buy by brand name, the clothing were all Northern Reflection, Traditions, Sag Harbour, Lindor or Gap.  Just because the price is cheap does not mean the item has to be an inferior quality.   At least four of the outfit had the original sale tag still attached.    Once I got home I sorted through each item, any that did not fit quite right I packed in a bag which I will give to my friend.  What she doesn’t like she will pass on to someone else or send to the Salvation Army.  You can be Lady Bountiful to your friends when you shop so cheaply.

After my clothing fix, it was time to buy groceries.  Here’s how I save on buying groceries.  Bend down- the less expensive items are always on the bottom shelf, the middle eye level shelves are reserved for the pricey items.   Use coupons -  on an average I save $10.00 weekly for cutting coupons from flyers or  coupons on line.   Read the ingredients, if the first one is water, try to make the item from scratch.  Shop alone, I love my DH but I go shopping by myself, on a Saturday after I’ve had my lunch, this cuts down on any impulse shopping.  Learn to cook, the Globe and Mail featured a good article this weekend.  Down be afraid to buy mark down items, many stores discount their meat and procedure on a particular day. Find out what day your grocery store does mark downs, you could save up to 50%.   In my area it is the day before the new flyers as they need to reduce their inventory on any items brought in for the previous week’s sales.   I’m having guest for dinner today, they won’t be able to tell that the ham was purchased at 50% off.

After grocery shopping I dropped into John the book guy’s store.  He sells used books, DVDs, CDs, etc for prices varying between $3.00 and $5.00.   Bring your books or magazines in for a credit, bring his books back and he will reimburse you half of the original price.  This is what I purchased with the $44.00 credit note I received for bringing back books.   The total cost of these books brand new would be $157.00 plus tax.

Living a responsible life style is something to practice everyday, not just once a year on Earth Day or when it becomes trendy to do so.   It just takes a bit of planning.

The Reader

I finished ”The Reader” in two nights, now I want another one just like this one.  The writing is clean, quick, poignant, incredible.   It brings a lump to your throat with just a few words………..the type of book I love.  

 

Don’t just take my word for it, here’s a preview.  Let me know what you think.  

What are you reading this week?