Well, it has been about the rainiest July I can remember here in Western North Carolina. The rivers are moving into the flood plains, hiking trails turning into creeks, sugar ants invading the kitchen, mosquitoes buzzing around in relentless packs, and paddlers all around these parts downright rejoicing. We expect the everyday afternoon thunderstorm in the mountains, but this is just silly.
At least some days, like today, we’ve had sun. I hope you are enjoying the summer sun wherever you may be!
Some good stuff to share today:
1.) The Lone Ranger soundtrack:
Love it or hate it (and the critics, of course, hate it) the new Lone Ranger movie has an absolutely incredible score. I saw the movie Saturday night, when my husband took pity on me after a particularly tough week of mama-ing the 3 year-old and the infant (remember: it rained and didn’t stop), so I went by myself. Have you ever been to a movie by yourself? Sitting alone in the pitch dark, drinking a Coke without having to share, and just soaking it in? It’s glorious. And it’s one of my favorite things to do. Everyone should give going to a movie alone a try.
Anyway, back to the music. Hans Zimmer composed the score. His stellar resume also includes Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Gladiator, and many more. I used to watch old black and white reruns of The Lone Ranger on TCM when I was a kid. Sitting in the theatre Saturday, totally caught up in Disney’s raucous escapism, I almost leapt from my seat when the Lone Ranger theme music burst out. Seriously, I looked around for my horse.
2.) What I’m reading right now (and just finished reading):
Second, A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon. This one includes
four Outlander tales–basically stories involving different characters from her wildly popular Outlander novels. (Outlander is coming to the movie channel Starz as a mini-series in September 2014. If you haven’t read the novels or know who Gabaldon is, and you dig historical fiction, get thee to a library or bookstore forthwith.)
Lastly, there’s The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, which I finished last week and is already past due to the library. I have mixed emotions about this one, and I’d love to hear what you all have to say about it if you’ve read it. Besides the fact that it’s a novel for adults, and involves no magic, of course, it does touch on some of the same themes–mainly the existential and often cruel nature of modern life–as does the Harry Potter novels. And it’s dark. Really, really dark.
3.) A truly Southern wedding announcement
My mother-in-law sent me a copy of this wedding announcement that a friend sent to her. The wedding took place on Fenwick Island, South Carolina, and boy if this announcement doesn’t shed a little light on just how particular in our tastes (and a bit nuts) we Southerners are, I don’t know what does.
Here’s a quick sample: “As evening fell, youngsters played in the yard and a canine guest swiped a piece of wedding cake.”
I can no longer deny my love for singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. She’s awesome. This is her new music video for a song on her Bear Creek album called “Keep Your Heart Young.” She asked fans to send in home videos that she could add to her own, and apparently quite a few did.
I absolutely love this song, and my oldest daughter and I belt it out in the car whenever we get the chance.
5.) Willa, 12 weeks old
I know, I’m shameless. I can’t help it. I’m completely enamored with my new baby girl.
Hey, all! I'm posting this here and at my author website a wee bit early. This is the fault of baby brain: if I waited until tomorrow, I'd never remember.
Today is the Summer Solstice: the longest day of the year, the official first day of summer and, as it so happens, my husband’s birthday! Oh, how I love the summer. Sunday was the first night I’d noticed the lightning bugs. I’m sure they’d been around already, but we’ve got an infant in the house, and so some things have lately gone unnoticed. We tried to get our 3 year-old to catch them with us, attempted to explain just how cool these little glowing creatures are, that they mean summer and freedom and magic–but she just wasn’t into it. Oh, my broken heart. But she’ll get it one day.
Some good stuff to share:
1.) Native Eyewear is sponsoring a contest called the “Locals Only Project,” where viewers can vote for the best outdoor town. Native Eyewear will travel to that town and make it the centerpiece of their next catalog. My town, Brevard, NC, is up this year! And we are truly lucky and blessed to live where we do: in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at the foot of Pisgah National Forest, with the best mountain biking track and hiking trails East of the Mississippi.
2.) Last night I pulled a movie from our DVD library that I haven’t watched in a long time. Called True Women, it was a CBS miniseries in the ’90s starring Angelina Jolie, Dana Delany, and Annabeth Gish, and based on the novel by Janice Woods Windle. I’d picked the DVD up in some pile of “for sale” stuff a while back. Set over five decades, starting in 1830s Georgia and Texas, against the backdrop of the Indian Removal (Trail of Tears), the Alamo and Texas independence, the wars with the Comanches, and eventually the Civil War and women’s suffrage, it’s full of capital-D Drama.
Parts of it are overly-sentimental–mostly the over-the-top Southern accents, which only Gish really gets right–but it’s a rousing adventure and a story of three very independent Southern women in a wild and dangerous time. The relationships between Delany’s and Gish’s character (they play sisters), and between Delany and her character’s husband (played by veteran Western actor Powers Boothe) is lovely and real.
Check it out: an escapist adventure for a few hot summer nights! (And I bet you could get it for free from your local library.)
3.) Speaking of libraries–very cool places to be in the summer–here’s the list of the latest books I’ve checked out. (All novels.) They’re sitting on my bedside table and the side table where I feed my baby. I’m optimistic I’ll make it through all of them in time to check out more for July, especially considering the wee hours and I have grown quite friendly:
Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter The Casual Vacany by J.K. Rowling
I’ve got to admit: I’m a chronic re-reader. I just finished re-reading Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, and Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. And, I recently gulped down Susanna Kearsley’s newest, The Firebird, as soon as Amazon.com delivered it to my door earlier this week. More on that soon!
4.) In my CD player: (And, yes, I still have a CD player) I’m currently listening to new albums by two camp buddies of mine (read: friends I worked with for years at a camp in the NC mountains): Bradley Carter’s The Real Job (CD jacket designed by another camp buddy and talented artist, A.J. Power) and Shannon Whitworth’s High Tide.
Quite a bit of talent comes out of the NC mountains. Check them all out when you have a chance. And I’ll write more later about all these books and this great music, here and at my blog. No guarantees on when (she types as the infant cries from the bassinet), but it’ll come.
