louise on the left (coast)

Today is Christmas. The sky is a brilliant blue. The tops of the pine trees lay golden against the sky and the wind sings in the tree tops. The percussion of melting snow insistently punctuates the distant laughter of children sledding with their new gifts. The air is clean, moist and sweet. Wispy clouds dust the horizon in light shades of mulberry and the rolling hills glow in streaks of rust and blue. It's so quiet and clean. I need for nothing walking on the dirt road and no matter which way I turn, the light is amazing. I feel my thoughts move inside like wet hands in a warm mitten. Everywhere I go here, it feels like home. I simply cannot imagine how to fly west, now.

"In my little town...God keeps his eye on us all. And he used to lean upon me, when I pledged allegiance to the wall. Coming home after school. Flying my bike past the gates of the factory..." As we drove through town the other day I started taking photos to share with those few people out there who spent their childhoods here near Brattleboro, Vt. So much is still the same, yet it has evolved so much since we moved there in 1968. It sure wasn't the "Little San Francisco" it is, back then.  It's interesting to remember this.

There is snow. Lots of it. As far as the eye can see and still more landing every second. White snow falling thick and silently on the world from every window. So clean and soft and quiet. It's a few days before Christmas. We don't have a tree up, yet. And Santa has yet to drive into NorthPollaboro to stock up on goodies, yet. My parents who we came out to see barely see us in the moments the weather will allow before pulling shut the curtains on sane travel. We stay in a snug, modern, one bedroom wood cabin which now has heat and water and lots of tall windows which look out over the meadows and trees. It is a very lovely, and remote place to be snowbound in. There's not a working television or a cell phone that has service, but a modem, so this is the way I maintain my technological fix with the universe. The quiet is meditative. I sift through my memories of Christmas past and present to reexamine what lasts and what is inconsequential. Like seashells I hold the re

I realize up till recently I've been recounting a strange tale from La La Land, but I need to interrupt that story to announce that my story has been upstaged by a trip to visit my parents for the holidays. They live in Vermont. Right now we are visiting them for Christmas. My kids and I flew the day of the historic ice storm from Southern CA to the other side of the country. We are in the very cold and snowy wilds of New England in the Brattleboro, Vt. area. Newfane, Vermont, to be exact. My husband joined us 5 days later. It's certainly been an adventure. I put all those seasons of watching Survivor to good use when we tried to stay in a cabin without power one night. My parents have lived in the small, very humble town of Guilford, Vt. since 1968 and once or twice a year we are lucky enough to make a pilgrimage "home" to see them. This year's pilgrimage was in time for the end of "the ice storm of 2008." Which having just been through the

Speaking of Christmas and holiday movies...Guess where I was last night ? Well,  I was at the Drake and Josh Christmas Movie called, ironically, Merry Christmas, Drake and Jo sh.  And, newsflash, this was a "world premiere,"  which, take it from me, this mommy-blogger does not get to  attend every day.     Free popcorn, too. Naturally, these photos of are the people who matter most, my daughters. I have run and pick up some 12 yr old bday gifts for the one turning 12 soon. So far, only thing on her list is the first Twilight book and "some clothes I haven't grown out of, yet." BTW:  Any one got any other ideas what to give a tweeny girl who technically is a "tweeny," but in far less of a "Jonas Bros." kind-of way, than in "John Hughes" sort-of, way?    She's much wiser than I've ever been, so I'm pretty stumped at the moment. 

Just returned from amazing family Thanksgiving event near Sacramento, CA. Four generations of family on my husband's side of the family. Over 260 photos.   I can honestly say it was one of the best Thanksgiving's I can ever recall having. Much to be sincerely grateful for. Click link to see them all: Thanksgiving day 2008 at Patty and Paul Larsen's

Hannah and Her Sisters , by Woody Allen.   It may be my favorite film of his, let alone of all time. Story centers around several members of Hannah's family, who unite at Thanksgiving. To be honest, it's during another Thanksgiving scene in the film that I find most moving, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.   If you haven't seen this film, yet.  What can I say?  Do.   It's wonderful.  You don't even have to love NYC, although it certainly helps if you do. Here's the opening clip of Hannah ... justifying it's presence on my holiday-themed film clip list.

- over the river. and through the woods. to grandmother's house we go suburb. Fair Oaks. We started in the day before Thanksgiving post-fire rainstorm. Car packed to the gills with too many clothes and car-fun items. Too little sleep. Family gathering of 35+ await us after spending the day on the 5. The way to Grandmothers house was strewn with doll parts. Cactus plants. Power lines. Cars. Peeing in soggy, crowded Del Tacos. Homeless lying impossibly under rain-soaked blankets in the back of fast food restaurants somewhere south of Gilmore. Anderson Pea Soup. Almost there. But not quite. Patience is a virtue. Patience. Like the farm animals who still nibble for something green at the foot of scorched hills. Blackened posts man fields of barren land. Lone power lines the only sign of life past the grey smudge of a horizon. We note the amount of drivers who brazenly talk on cell phones while driving. We count Obama stickers. Note the absence of McCai

Tomorrow we all four pile into my cozy van and drive straight up the center of California to the city of Fair Oaks, for a big family Thanksgiving visit with husband's family. It's a large gathering and we will have about 30+ people for Thanksgiving dinner. Lots of family love and laughter. Seriously, what could go wrong? And so, in light of the advent of our entire holiday season, I am embarking on my own holiday salute. Louise's Holiday Film Clips . (All courtesy of YouTube.) Tonight, the night before the day before Thanksgiving I salute: Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

If you have to spend time at home with family this Christmas, and that doesn't always sound like the easiest thing to do -- and --- If you and your spouse don't always see eye to eye with each other about the kids and your parents, then here's your movie. Dennis Leary and Judy Davis aren't just funny, they're razor sharp-hilarious in this film.   In my personal best movies book, this one is a classic.  But, you do have to have a cynical side to enjoy it.  If you are zen and yoga and light and love, then this probably isn't your kind of flick.   But, if you find family issues as thorny and challenging as I do, then I highly recommend this movie. Let me put it like this, when it came out it made me laugh so much I actually went out to buy a copy. And that was when one bought them as tapes. As in VHS. That was then, this is YouTube.

Lucinda Williams played at The Wiltern last night. It was the last stop on her long tour promoting her newest CD Little Honey , and yet, she sounded as strong and real as if it were their first show out. I've seen her shows before, and I can tell you that her voice is even mightier now than it was in the past. She's expanded the intensity her range both musically and artistically. And talk about power. She's got it in spades, let me tell you. This woman is my inspiration for how to Not Go Gently Into That Good Night. But, meet every stage of our journey with grace, love and a deep appreciation for what is good about this Sweet Old World . Anyone who had wanted to be there, but couldn't make it? Well, sorry, but, you missed a fine night of great of great roots, rock 'n roll. Forgot to mention that she was joined for a few songs by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (who, for the record, has much better legs than Matthew.) for a cover of Cinnamon Girl . ( Ma

I'm very proud to know people like the ones who made this video -- People who have the courage to walk the walk and talk the talk, the kind of people who are willing to stand up for justice. I don't want to know the haters, I want to know the people who stand up for what they believe and aren't afraid of their own uniqueness. Those are the people I want to know. What makes America great is our very spirit of mandating equality and freedom for all which is the heart of what I am most proud of about being American. It is this fighting desire for a common equality that I love about America, but it requires a very important quality -- that we continue to keep our hearts and minds open. If this process stops, if we throw in the towel toward and give in to religious fundamental dogma, then we are doomed. Doesn't anyone take history anymore? Closed minds miss the boat when they refuse accept the one quality which will keep us alive, prosperous and relevant -- to recog

And we didn't burn up, our neighbors did. And last night the show did go on.  And today it will, too. My daughter is more stressed by her homework than the air quality, so that is a pretty good barometer of how life just goes on in California. I should add that this doesn't mean I don't feel horrible about our neighbors houses going up in smoke, we all do. I find it horrific. And it's mind numbing. We go outside, cough, and try to ignore that we're inhaling someone's apartment complex on the way to work. We turn on the TV and watch the virtual fireplace in our livingroom, and have to work hard to keep in mind this is not fake, but, is, in fact, a very real part of our own county burning. It happens so often, here in California. Disaster seems like it's part of the culture here. "Oh, a fire is burning in so-and-so's neighborhood." "Oh, the ground is moving. So what? I've seen worse. See you tomorrow. same time, same place.&q

When I woke up there was a hot, crazy wind blowing. I went outside and it felt like the devil's hairdryer was left on. A hot wind was blowing all the leaves, and dirt and branches about in a crazy manner, not gusts -- just hot, swirling wind...it's an odd and disturbing sensation being in this insistent, hot dry wind. And then in the early afternoon, I took the kids to GoodWill to find some treasure, but once we actually saw the distant sky, we drove home immediately. It was a thick, brown-black band of an almost liquid that spread out over the distant horizon on what was otherwise a clear and perfect day.

I admit it. At first, the title of this post was something weak and whiny like "Stand with me against hate!" Later, I changed it to an equally pathetic plea, "Take a stand with me against hate!" Then, I realized it. I'd been spending way too much time at middle school with my 6th grader, looking at the club signs, on the school grounds, there. So, let me say this differently, now. I'll say what I mean as adult to adult, as possible. Hate kills. All hate kills. Homophobic rage. Racist rage. Rage kills. We have to stamp out the fires of rage before they become a sick wildfire. Hate is a part of us, the potential for this is in our human DNA. However, what make us human is to recognise it's a constant defect we must check ourselves against. It does exist, but so does cancer. Both are not something we want to encourage. My father served in WWII. The holocaust is only one generation away. Hate kills. And hate is contagious. We need to take action

Not really.  Almost. This kind of caught my eye on Huff Post. The ENQUIRER's exclusive bombshell expose as Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, is caught with another man! Not only that but multiple witnesses have caught the pair lip locking on several other occasions. "I couldn't believe I was watching Cindy McCain passionately kissing and hugging another man!"...   Can you really blame her?  

This is Neil Ravenna.    Chef Neil Ravenna. And this is also a testament to how cool technology can be: Neil is a very, very, very old friend of mine. Knowing him goes so far back, it's almost a reptilian memory for me, it's so old. Therefore, finding him, via facebook, was something of a shock to my memory cells. I simply didn't think they worked that far back. Turns out even though I knew him as a kid in pre-1970 Vermont -- he's now gone even farther back to my old stomping ground, (the south.) And is currently a chef at Miss Melissa's Cafe in Moundville, AL! Holy Moses! This is from a podcast off their site called The Liars Table . I love it. Here he is cooking something so delicious that I'm going to have to go out and make it for us all tonight. Yes, Chef Neil Ravenna , you do need a cooking show. A cool one. Complete with Lucinda Williams, Jim Lauderdale on the radio over your grill and finishing by enjoying desert with you out in your Mary gro

...The Monkees was occasionally pre-empted for the CBS Children's Hour, a highly acclaimed hour-long series of 3 specials beginning with Jane Wagner's poignant teleplay J.T., the story of a shy Harlem youth's tough Christmas with an injured stray cat that he can't bring home because of his grouchy dad. So, does anyone else remember the line, "I want me this cat I found?" Well, it's from the TV movie. "J.T." which I've been trying to find for years , which aired one fateful Saturday afternoon on CBS in 1969. Here's how someone else on IMDB described "J.T." "I first saw J.T. in the late 60's or early 70's on a show possibly called "CBS Children's Television Workshop". It was on Saturday mornings about noon after the cartoons were over. It was aired sporadically after that around Christmas in the mid 70's. It isn't a Christmas movie per say but the plot is set around the time of Christmas. &qu

back by popular..., okay, by my second grader 's demand...

Clearly, this was a show that didn't seem so far fetched to a kid abruptly transplanted from New Orleans, to New England, who now lived in a cluttered little home across the street from a graveyard and abandoned church in Vermont. A place so rural and peculiar that kids skinny dipped at recess, or counted beans for math and some even smoking pot by 4th grade. A place where the Grown Ups lived for The Opera, or attending Bach organ recitals held in derelict barns, and would think nothing of driving hours down to New York City just to see anything starring an Original British Cast . This was a world were there were wild winter storms, and long, summer days where not even a plane over head could disturb the remote cool green of the summers days. A world where grave stones were places to play hide and seek, and no matter what time of day, the Grown Ups never missed even one cocktail party being thrown by Vermont's most glamorous Episcopalians. It was elegant, and eccentri

I was going to ask if it was okay to have some post-election coverage fun, yet, but, apparently the folks at S omethingawful.com already has been for a while now. So, why didn't I ever know out about Photoshop Phriday , before this? These two images are from their Election   2008: Tasty Surprises and Election 2 008: Fuzzy Surprises sections.

I saw Bill Maher last night and his "New Rules" was so absolutely perfect that it had to go into my blog. As always, Bill Maher was entertaining, but he did, however, become quite profound, I thought, with this line: "You know what phrase ( from Republicans ) I do not want to hear used frivolously for the next four years?...'Disrespect for the rule of law." Right, so, we won. They lost, and the ugliness is only getting started. Look what they did to Clinton when he was in power, and all the others like him. -- We have so much work to do, please don't let them pull any evil, distracting, expensive, "Ken Starr" crap, now. Not right now with our planet as seriously in crisis as it is. We have so much work to do. We can't afford to become more divided. Can't we put partisan fighting aside for the sake of our kids? They deserve a better world than, well, the last 8 years provided them with. Palin's whining that she never did anything

What surprises me the most is when they honk from behind. This is new for me. But, twice today I've been honked at and passed by drivers thrilled by my Obama stickers, giving me an enthusiastic "thumbs-up" sign as they gleefully pass me. One even rolled down his window to shout "Me, too! I thought I was the only one, here!" Huh? When did it get to be cool to support Obama in the OC? Seriously, this is Orange County. I thought I was the only one. When you live here in Orange County, CA, it's easy to think you're the only Democrat or Obama supporter in town. But when you look at actual final vote count, it's clear you've got a lot of company. Check out the numbers from Tuesday: McCain: 430,360 votes for just 50 percent of the total. Obama; 401,605 votes for 47 percent of the total. That's the best a Democratic presidential candidate has done in the OC since at least 1964, and also the worst a Republican has done since then. So it goes

Thanks to someone with very good taste (okay. My husband.) I'm have a link to one of the best photo books regarding President Elect Barack Obama, out there. Seriously, I know you're like, me. Tired and happy -- and feel entirely sapped and saturated with his awe inspiring win, but this is so big . You just have to take another moment to absorb it and see it from all sides, to fully appreciate. This Boston Globe photo collection of President-Elect Barack Obama includes astonishing images from over the past several months. (35 photos total.) Check them out. Take a look back at Barack Obama's rise to victory.