A Christmas Favorite: "Christmas in Connecticut"

I catch at least a glimpse of this Stanwyck gem around this time each year. After seeing Remember the Night for the first time, I now know this is not her only holiday classic. Stanwyck plays a Martha Stewart type living in New York writing for a ladies magazine all about domestic bliss. The catch is that she knows nothing about cooking, cleaning or marriage. Comedy ensues when she fakes her expertise for her boss and a homesick soldier on her borrowed farm.

Cranberry Mold: A Success Story / Blooms in Waiting

I blogged about the purchase of this mold back in November. I followed the instructions for un-molding and it jiggled out to freedom on the dinner table.

A selection of bulbs prepare to awake from a dormant slumber. The collection populates a rectangular drip tray to protect the wood top of the buffet.

The week before Thanksgiving I potted a selection of paper whites and amaryllis bulbs to - hopefully - bloom in time for the holidays. I will update their progress. I have had success with bulb forcing in the past. They do grow faster when you plant in a decorative glass vessel resting on a collection of stones or river pebbles. Water level should be just to the bottom to allow roots to sprout and not begin the process of rot. This year I planted most of them in a mixture of peat/potting soil and finished the pots with mood moss. Amaryllis bulbs can last 40 years with proper care and patience. The Guy Wolf pottery mossed over nicely this summer outside. The large center pot looks like it was procured from an old English garden.

Front Door Wreath 2009 / "Radio Days" 1987

A close up view of the this year's front door Christmas wreath, featuring a ring of pine cones and a simple ribbon. I purchased both the wreath and the spool of ribbon from Mahoney's. The bear door knocker is nicely framed by the round form.

Radio Days 1987



The Woody Allen brand does not always entice me to watch but Radio Days was worth the time investment. I also tend to enjoy the ones better that (a.) he is not in and only performs behind the camera (b.) he is not dating women several generations his junior ( in this case his absence solved (b.)). The era and tone go well with the warm nostalgia feelings the holidays raise from the ashes of cynicism. On that note, I will allow today's blog to conclude since I can offer nothing else as profound or moving. Susan may believe in Santa Clause but I don't necessarily believe in my ramblings. I think I may be a tad full of myself today.

Recently Watched on TCM

A Family Affair, the first (and the best) movie in the Andy Hardy series. It is easy to forget that Lionel Barrymore was an excellent "good guy" too and not just mean Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life.



I put Random Harvest up there with Now Voyager which also has an implausible story that sweeps you away. This is Hollywood sentiment at its best.



TCM teamed up with Universal to dig Remember the Night, a mostly forgotten 1940 release from the vault. A nice Christmas movie written by Preston Sturges. Farmhand (Sterling Holloway)singing in this clip would latter be the Disney voice of Winnie the Pooh. TCM's Robert Osborne on Night, "Bless the moviemakers of that era, they weren't afraid to be sentimental on occasion."

On this rock, a myth was built

In Provincetown, chipping at Plymouth’s Pilgrim preeminence
By David Filipov
Globe Staff / November 22, 2009

Anything Goes / Cole Porter /1934

Times have changed,
And we've often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today,
Any shock they should try to stem,
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.

In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes.

Good authors too who once knew better words,
Now only use four letter words
Writing prose, Anything Goes.

The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes

When grandmama whose age is eighty
In night clubs is getting matey with gigolo's,
Anything Goes.

When mothers pack and leave poor father
Because they decide they'd rather be tennis pros,
Anything Goes.

If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that's smart
Is intruding in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.

The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes

If saying your prayers you like,
If green pears you like
If old chairs you like,
If back stairs you like,
If love affairs you like
With young bears you like,
Why nobody will oppose!

And though I'm not a great romancer
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes...
Anything goes!

Two New England Literary Lions Reside on My Nightstand

Image wraps around book's dust jacket. Inside flap is void of description.

Books of The Times
Stephen King’s Latest Cast Feels Real
By JANET MASLIN
Published: November 12, 2009
“Under the Dome” gravely threatens Stephen King’s status as a mere chart-busting pop cultural phenomenon.

I have not picked up a novel by King in some time. The review refers to his book, On Writing, that was a straightforward account of the writing process - a writing manual that was an informative, entertaining read. His subject and tone should be a nice contrast to the red and green festive seasons close at hand.

So, first book on my nightstand is set in Maine.

Books of The Times
Father and Son in a Vortex of Chaos
By MICHIKO KAKUTANI
Published: October 27, 2009
“Last Night in Twisted River” showcases all of John Irving’s biggest liabilities, but evolves into a deeply felt and moving story.

And the second book on my nightstand (and on commute home because it is not cinder block size like King's latest) is centered in New Hampshire.

Interesting line that caught my eye on pages 48-49: "He was so unflinchingly calm that he radiated a kind of acceptance that could easily be mistaken for pessimism."

What a hoot! Owl checks out Faneuil Hall - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

James Egan of Egan Acres Tree Farm took this picture of the feathered visitor. Egan recently worked on the big Christmas tree at the marketplace for nearly an hour before realizing he had company, perched just five feet away. (Boston Globe, November 19, 2009)

What a hoot! Owl checks out Faneuil Hall - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

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