One movie review and some pictures

John's new bionic knees

I went up to see John in the nursing home on Sunday and took this picture of his knees. Friday those stitches will come out, but he's already able to walk around with help from his walker, and for quite a distance, too. So I'm hopeful he'll be out of that place soon. He said he thought it could be up to six weeks in there, but I don't think it will take that long. He's doing really well.

Plus, I don't know about you, but hanging out in a nursing home is not good for one's mental health, if you ask me. He seems to have plenty of help, and he's also getting two physical therapy sessions a day, so there are good things about it. But frankly, I can hardly wait to get out of there, and I'm only visiting. It's something about the looks on the inmates' faces: blank and hopeless. I could never volunteer in a place like that, or I would be depressed in no time at all.

Yesterday Judy and I went to see Unbroken at the theater, and I now understand why the reviews are mixed. Although it is a wonderfully well-made movie, it focuses on the time spent at sea (47 days) before he and another guy were "rescued" by the Japanese. And then it goes into the time he spent as a prisoner of war, with plenty of brutality by one guard in particular. The part of Lou Zamperini is played by Jack O'Connell, someone I had never seen before. He was great, but the guy who played the prison guard (Miyavi) was simply incredible. But if you read the book and wanted to see how he turned his life around after the war ended, it is summed up by a short picture at the end. The movie is good, but it could have been spectacular. I would give it a B. But go, see it and let me know what YOU think of it.

I just spent a couple of hours getting my Trailblazer pictures for 2014 up on my Flickr site. I haven't been doing it quarterly, like I did for so long before, because frankly, my pictures are just not as good as they used to be. You can find them here, if you want to see the 40 pictures I chose from all the ones I took during the year. I figure my fellow Trailblazers will go there to see if there are any really good ones (or really bad ones) of themselves. Anyway, I'm finally caught up to date!
:-)

New movies and a few reviews

December sunrise from my front porch

I was thinking that I took this picture on Christmas morning, but frankly now I'm just not sure. It's pretty enough to grace this post, in any case. I just got back from seeing Into the Woods with my movie-going pal Judy. (All links in this post will go to the Rotten Tomatoes website so you can read for yourself what others think of these movies.)

I didn't actually know the setting of this musical from the 1980s, although I was pretty sure it was about fairy tales, and it is. It mixes Cinderella with Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood together with some clever songs. I enjoyed it very much, but you would have to be a fan of musicals to enjoy it at all. I found it to be entertaining and fun. Meryl Streep is wonderful in it, but she's pretty wonderful in anything, to me anyway. The reviews have been mixed, but I'd give it a B.

Last week we went to see Wild, with Reese Witherspoon playing the lead. This movie has gotten the best ratings, and it's another one I enjoyed. The book was adapted very well to the screen, and I think she will definitely get an Oscar nomination for her performance, which was outstanding. Laura Dern plays her mother and is also excellent. The true story (if you don't know it) is about a young woman whose mother's death at 47 threw her for a loop and she became very self destructive. She decides to hike the Pacific Crest trail alone for over a thousand miles to get her life back on track, and the movie covers the experience in excruciating detail, along with flashbacks to her earlier life. I'd give it an A.

The movie that has stayed with me the longest, however, is The Theory of Everything, the true story of the early years of Stephen Hawking's life and his relationship with his first wife. It's based on her memoir and as soon as I got home I went looking to see how closely the movie followed facts. It's pretty much correct, with some things rearranged for dramatic effect, but still very close to reality. Eddie Redmayne plays Hawking and is absolutely stunning in the role. He inhabited the part and the disability so well that I actually forgot he was acting. This one gets another A from me.

Next Monday we will see Unbroken, which has received rather dismal reviews. (It's the only one in the group that has received a "rotten" rating.) But I've learned to take other people's ideas about what is good and what is not with a grain of salt. There are plenty of movies that I hesitated to see because of the reviews and I loved them after all. Anyway, it's movie time for us!
:-)

Christmas Day 2014

Bellingham Bay and Smart Guy on Christmas Day

No hike today. Smart Guy and I had a leisurely morning and then we went for a walk from the apartment to Bellingham Bay. The cold wind and brisk temperatures (well, not that brisk, around 40F or 4C) made it feel quite cold to me until I warmed up. It was about an hour after high tide when we got to the bay. We didn't stay long because of the wind, but it was nice to be there together. This is part of his regular walk and I only visit it a couple times a year. It was nice to be together.

After I scouted out a place for my coffee and enjoyed it to the last drop, I went to visit John in the nursing home. He was moved there today from the hospital and it was the first time I had been inside the North Cascades Health and Rehabilitation Center. I got his stuff moved around so that he can easily reach important things like his new iPad, plugged it in and then left after about a half hour.

It was over 85F in his room when I walked in, and there is no way to turn down the heat, so I opened all the windows and let fresh air in. John cannot get up by himself and I guess that will be the way of things for the next several weeks, but frankly, it made me depressed to think about myself being in such a place. It's Bellingham's newest nursing home, and although it's not bad for what it is, I was anxious to leave.

But it's Christmas, and there was no way I wouldn't go to visit him today. Tomorrow when I'm in the coffee shop, we'll have a video chat so he can join us at the table where we usually sit. Here's what his environment looks like right now:

John in his new home for awhile

His legs are swollen and encased in pressure stockings, and he needs help to get out of bed and stand next to his walker. I didn't stay when the nurses went to take him to the bathroom because I was afraid that it would be hard to see him in pain. Plus he wasn't feeling all that well with the room temperature so high. I hope next time I visit him it will be better.

But otherwise, I've had a wonderful Christmas Day, with an hour's walk with my very special guy. When I finish with this, I'll dial up my family in Texas and say hello. I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas Day!
:-)

Christmas Eve eve

What if I wanted to check out one of those?

I just went to the library to return some books that will come due by the end of this week, and to pick up one suggested by one of my blogging friends. I don't remember who, I almost never do, but this one  is about the oldest Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz-Sommer, who recently died. I've looked at the book jacket and I know I will enjoy learning about this amazing woman, who lived to be more than 100.

It's pouring outside, with the rain drumming overhead, making a gentle sound as I sit tap-tapping on my laptop keys. I'm beginning to settle in for the duration, with only one short excursion by bus tomorrow, Christmas Eve, to the gym for a good workout. Thursday, Christmas, nothing in the entire town will be open, all the grocery stores closed (good for them), giving all the employees the day off. I'll be searching for something to blog about on Thursday, my usual hiking day. Or maybe I'll give myself the day off, too.

If you don't see me on Thursday, I am wishing all my readers, and everybody in my Blogosphere the happiest and safest of Christmases! May blessings overflow in your life.
:-) hohoho

Last Market of the year, and a birthday

The outside vendors at today's Farmers' Market

You might notice in the above picture that the pavement is a bit on the wet side: we were forecast to have heavy rain all day long, and when I first woke up, that's what it was doing outside. Buckets of the stuff, and I thought drat, it's Saturday, the walk with the ladies. I waffled about whether to go or not, but finally put on all my rain gear and went. By the time we met (19 of us), the rain had stopped. We did our usual five-mile walk and headed back to the coffee shop.

My coffee and Peggy's scone

Then I headed to the market, just to see it for the last time this year, as it will close at 3:00pm today and not re-open until April. There is a slight chance they may do what they did last year and have one Saturday a month, but the number of vendors will be down to just a few. I visited my friend Margo, who makes the wonderful batik designs, and she was busy helping customers buy some last-minute gifts. I am rarely without some Margo scarf or hanky.

Margo and customer

I have bought lots from her and if I were visiting my family this year, I'd be buying some gifts here, but we're staying home and not traveling anywhere farther than downtown Bellingham. Margo was at Leo's birthday party a couple of nights ago, as we celebrated his sixth birthday. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him (there were probably two dozen adults and Leo) and this is what he did:

Leo being bashful

I think it might have been just a little overwhelming for him, and as he opened presents and got more and more excited, I realized he was probably more than a little overstimulated. I caught this wonderful picture of him as he blew out his candles:

The raspberries on the cake spell out "6"

He loves ice cream cakes, and his mom (holding the cake) always makes one for him. I feel so happy to be included in this circle of friends, all because of the coffee shop we frequent. He takes the place of a grandchild in my heart, and I love him just as much as if he were my own.

All these pictures were taken with my new iPhone 6, and I'm very pleased with them. I keep forgetting about the "burst" mode that allows you to hold down the button and take numerous pictures all at once, and then choose the one(s) you like and get rid of the rest. I was just lucky I got this one right at the moment he was blowing out the candles.

And now the rain is drumming hard on the roof, and I am very glad it didn't do this while we were walking this morning! Life is good, and I hope you all have your chores and shopping finished for the coming holiday, so you can sit back and relax. I'm happy to be done, with only a few things to wrap and deliver.
:-)

Hike and a Christmas party

Most of the group at the trailhead

Today we met an hour later than usual, to go on a nice easy hike of six flat miles (three out, three back) before gathering for our annual Christmas party at Amy's place. Although she hasn't been able to join us lately because of her knee replacement and back problems, she still wanted to host the party, and we were more than willing to allow her to.

Marjan, Frank, Karen

We don't see Marjan and Frank very often any more, as they usually hike with the other Senior Trailblazer group. Frank is 84 how and doesn't move as fast as he used to (who does?) and Marjan is now 78 but still hikes as fast as ever. Karen bounces around from one group to the other, so it was really nice to have some friends we don't see very often on the hike. There were twenty of us in all.

Linda, Peggy, Marjan, Ward

This picture shows the end of the trail, where we turned around and went back to the cars. And then we all made our way to Amy's for the party. I picked up Smart Guy, who was waiting for me at home with the salad and the wine. When we arrived before the main group got there, I saw that a dozen or more people were already at Amy's who did not go on the hike. There were many people and a very festive atmosphere.

Amy and Jacqueline

Everyone brought food to share, and there was more than we could all eat, but most of it was very healthy and I did fine... until the desserts. And then a piece of pecan pie and a piece of cake were my downfall, and I didn't even touch most of those scrumptious goodies.

Seniors all concentrating on the task at hand: eating

We all enjoyed ourselves very much, as well as getting a chance to know the spouses of some of our regular hikers. Although I don't usually allow myself to eat so much rich food, it was worth it. And the cake! It was to celebrate a very special occasion: Helen's 80th birthday!

Helen and her cake

Helen doesn't hike with us much any more, but she went out with the Senior Trailblazers for 14 years, faithfully. For her birthday, she decided to put a cool purple streak in her snow-white hair. I told her she looks simply beautiful and is an inspiration for me. She told me she hopes that I can still hike when I myself turn eighty. I figured it out: if I still am able, I will have been hiking with these wonderful people for 15 years! A great day.

Selfie in the mirror

All the pictures taken today were with my brand-new iPhone6! I am very happy with my new purchase, and I'm thinking that on days when the weather is fine, this may be my go-to camera of choice. I've got a lot to learn, but it's definitely fun.
:-)

Coffee shop goings on

A bird? A plane? No, it's coffee!

I thought my coffee this morning looked a lot like a bird, or maybe something else with wings. Very pretty, and thanks to my barista I was able to enjoy it after taking the picture. But I have to say, I think I've helped to create a budding techno-geek in the coffee shop. Not my friend Gene, either.

Gene all engrossed in his tablet, my iPad Air and John's iPad Mini

My friend John bought himself an Android tablet, which he could barely use, and he brought it to the coffee shop to ask me how to use it. I really didn't know, and being an Apple person I told him I wished he had bought something I could actually help to show him how to use. When he would ask me a question, I would look it up on Google on my iPad and we could eventually get the task done. But last week, he walked in with an iPad Mini! He had decided to join the Apple bandwagon and will sell his perfectly usable (by someone else) Android.

John learned how to use FaceTime yesterday, and I have already received three phone calls from him. He's delighted that he can call and video chat with me. This morning he called to introduce me to his cat. John is a dear man, and I'm happy to help him out, now that I actually CAN. He is going to have both of his knees replaced this coming Monday, and I will be looking forward to a lot of calls from him.

I'm just a bit worried about him, though. This is a major thing he's doing, and I don't think realizes just how major. He will be transferred directly from the hospital to a nursing home until he's back on his new knees. My fingers are crossed for all to go well. Tomorrow I will get him a few more apps that will help to keep him occupied during his convalescence.
:-)