Christmas At My House

One of the absolutely wonderful things about Christmas is that for a few days I have all of my Family under one roof. At Christmas we go out and buy our own gifts and wrap them. The fun is watching each other open our gifts and see what each other bought. For fun we write on the gifts of a family member who "gave" us that gift. It us most fun watching the grandchildren open their gifts. Sean is as wired as he Can be and is excited for each gift. We then have a really wonderful dinner with many traditions. One of my favorite dishes is Pomegranate salad that Kristine makes. Then the family plays a game of Shanghai Rummy which is very loud and boisterous. I politely excuse myself from this game because to me it is annoying and tedious. The rest of the family really enjoys playing the game. I had a good Christmas and enjoyed the interaction with my family.

I Dreamed A Dream

One of the most enjoyable experiences of my life was to go with my Family to see Les Miserables live in the Capitol Theatre. I loved it and have seen it several times since. Last night I went with my girls to see the new movie version. It was perfect.The Actors were phenomenal and each one fit the character the portrayed. The scenery was outstanding and the sets were spectacular. My all time favorite song is, "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables," and it was performed so well I had tears. I loved this movie so much that I am going to go back and see it this evening.

I went last night to see the movie again and it was twice as good. I paid attention to the scenes and the costumes. There are some Academy Awards here for sure. At the end of the movie, the both times I saw it the audience clapped, The final scene and song gave me goose bumps. I highly recommend this movie. I believe I would see it again, and I will definitely have a copy in the future.


So I went and saw this Movie for a third time ans it is still emotional and full of feeling. I have never done that before. I will probably go and see it again but not for a day or two. I can't  get the songs out of my head. I use them to sing myself to sleep.


Yes, I did see it for the fourth time. I was very tired and I slept through parts of it, but it was still very entertaining. I thought an interesting touch was that Colm Wilkinson who played the original Jon Valjon, played the priest. I have heard a lot of criticism of Russel Crowe, but I thought he did an excellent job. He just kept getting better. Amanda Siegfried got better with each showing to. Marius was outstanding. In his singing and his acting.

Wilson

I Hate To Tell You How Often This Happens.

 

 

I am deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other, My wife talks in the softest voice, I say "What" and she replies in the softest voice, so finally I agree. I lay awake at night and worry about what I missed, and what I agreed to during the day.

Really?

Bless the little Children and their Teachers.

I was truly saddened by the shooting of the students this week. It is a tragedy beyond understanding. I send the Hope to those mourning that I believe sincerely that you will have the opportunity to be with your children again and that you will be able to raise them. At the moment they are truly Angels and are enfolded in the arms of Jesus, and they have touched the face of God

Christmas

 

 

I wish the Christmas spirit which we have at this time of the year, would linger in our hearts for the rest of the year.

The Cellist

 



 Marilyn and Her Cello Teacher Jamilynn at her Cello Recital.

 

 

My Daughter Marilyn who is thirty-something has had a dream of playing the Cello. One day she decided she was going to do it. She got a Cello, and went and found an excellent teacher and began her dream. Last night she gave her first recital with the assistance of her Teacher. She has only been taking the lessons seven or eight months Although very nervous, she did an excellent job. I believe this shows that it is never too late to take hold of a dream. Her Mother and I are very proud of her. She has great support because half of the audience was there to see her.

Huh??

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered what Mount Rushmore looked like from the Canadian side?

Another Happy Tuesday



Mrs Cossa in the classroom.

Every Tuesday I help with a sixth grade class. This week Mrs. Cossa said she would like me to come all day, because she had a project that needed two adults. First I told her thanks for considering me an adult, and I would love to be there. The project was a Math lesson. We made Play-Doh and had to make half a batch. The lesson was they had to figure out in fractions what the new recipe would be. Now you think making Play-Doh with sixth graders would be boring for them, but surprisingly we had a lot of fun and they liked the project. I also did some chores for Mrs. Cossa like making the word Noel in die cuts for a future project. I was requested by the students to help them in spelling and then graded their papers. I also washed all the bowls and utensils used in the Play-Doh project. Mrs. Cossa's husband is from Africa and she spent a month there on vacation. She showed some wonderful pictures, showing the Kids how they lived in small villages. I hope the Kids realize from this how good we have it here. Virginia taught school for 33 years and I hardly remember an evening at home where she didn't have schoolwork to do. My goal with Mrs. Cossa is to do as much of her busy work as I can and allow her to enjoy her family in the evening. It is a wonderful day for me and I love the Students.

The Boys

These two beautiful creatures are my dogs Red and Rusty. Red is a Cavalier Spaniel, and Rusty is a Cocker Spaniel. Truly, these dogs are very special. They are part of Virginia's and my life the we wouldn't know what to do without. They are both very loving and gentle. They have become very bonded, and it is sad when we separate them for any reason. They cry and are very sad until they are together again. I got Red because of a very  fortunate meeting. I was walking across a parking lot and there was a girl walking this cute dog. I noticed that the dog was living in her truck. When I got into the building we happened the get on the elevator together. I mentioned to her what a cute dog he was. As she was getting off the elevator she mentioned that she had to find a good home for him because she was going through a divorce. I quickly jumped off the elevator and said "Here I Am." I told her he would have a loving home and that he would be well taken care of. After a few days she deemed that I was to have him. When she gave him to me she said, "Do you believe in fate." She was very worried about him and I was the answer to her prayers. My wife Virginia did not want another dog, but it was love at first sight and now they are best friends. Rusty came to us because my Daughter Marilyn wanted to get a dog. She was going through a bad time and wanted a dog that was hers. Virginia and I were not thrilled about the idea but joined in because we knew Marilyn needed something to take care of. She found an ad in the newspaper and wanted to go and get this dog that was for sale. We went and found that the dog was living in a crate because the owners had moved home with her mother and the home was very fancy and they did not want a dog running around. It was love at first sight for both Marilyn and I, so we purchased him and brought him home. His name was "Estelle" which we thought strange for a male dog so we changed his name to "Rusty" because of his coloring  and it went with "Red". He is now a joy in our family, and a best buddy to Red. Rusty is "Marilyn's" dog, but Virginia and I are very close to him. We have a Motor Home and they both love to go on vacation. We consider ourselves very blessed that they are both a part of our family.

The REAL Duke of Earl

I called my blog the Duke of Earl because of this song. When I wore a younger man's clothes it was a number one hit. It seemed every where I went in high school the chant of Duke...Duke... Duke would follow me. I kind of liked it because it was some attention. For awhile my nickname became Duke. After the song lost popularity it went away. But a funny thing happened in my older years, my co-workers started the chant again and it felt good. There were several artists who covered the song, but to me Gene Chandler will always be "The Duke of Earl."

The Lovely Viviene

This little cutie pie is Viviene the Daughter of my niece Allison. This is a good picture as she is full of vinegar. She has personality oozing from every pore. I like here very much, and I wish she lived closer.