Evelyn's profileEvelyn Wallace -The Cast...PhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
October 31 Stay safe !Congrats to the Nuggets for their two opening wins and Melo's 41 points against the Trail Blazers !
 Don't drink and drive !
The Castle Lady with lots of kisses and no tricks !  October 28 This is it.... just go and take a friend !  I just came back about an hour and a half ago from seeing the first screening of Michael Jackson's family's This is it tribute and I was absolutely annihilated over the way it was edited in that we finally get to see the real Michael. To say I was pleasantly surprised is putting it mildly. Essentially the film takes us on a visual tour of what his London concerts would have been like if his untimely death had not stood in the way. Each song hit was highlighted with mostly outtakes of the process but with full entertainment value; some going back to the very beginning of his career with the Jackson 5.
At the beginning of the film we are given short bits on the backup singers and dancers who were picked by Michael to help with the comeback concerts and even their brief comments were very touching and heartwarming. Many of the set designs, special effects and videos he was planning on using are in full presence in this film so you don't feel like you are watching a documentary at all. Indeed, it isn't a documentary.
This may be the best tribute of all, despite what the critics say- and they already said too much- because it's Michael up close and real but in full swing the way he always is and as musical as ever. Some of the dialogue is eerily prophetic and the part where they cover Thriller was purposely changed and amplified to the max and to great effect.
 I have watched and listened to Michael Jackson all my life, I feel I grew up with him because in a very real way, I did. Tonight I got to see everything- the way he laughs, God blesses everyone and then breaks into his phenomenal dancing- and he was everything I ever imagined and more. His whole body was music and because of that everyone who stayed on the side of refraining from judging him continues to enjoy him even while we mourn his passing....
Want to read more ? www.parade.com/celebrity/celebrity-parade/2009/1028-kenny-ortega-this-is-it.html
Michael's autobiography Moonwalk has been re-released as well. It will be worth checking out.
  This is it ! The Castle Lady can't stop loving you !  October 24 United Nations DayThe love of one's country is a natural thing
but why should love stop at the border ?
-Pablo Casals
 Love you all, The Castle Lady !  October 08 Castle of the Cats ~ A Book Review It's quite possible that this book is the most original story in children's literature- long past and present. With stunningly beautiful illustrations and the whimsicality in the text, it's the most pleasure I've ever had in an overall reading experience. Even if you aren't curious about children's literature, you must see and read this book to understand the quality that can be achieved in this genre- whether you are a child or an adult child.
 Based originally on an old Latvian folk tale, the artist and writer transformed the fantastic old tale into a plausible delight, with humor and even a few morals which are embedded into its richly woven tapestry of words and images. When I corresponded with the artist, Katya Krenina, back in August of this year she told me that she used mixed media to make the book as authentic as possible using textiles of the era and grew her own catnip for use in her collage. She states in the blurb, "The tale is in Latvia, but my heart is in the Ukraine." Some changes according to this unsurprising nationalism just add more texture to an already rich tradition in her visual art. Eric Kimmel's English prose adds another dimension to the story and makes the art come alive. The basis of the tale was gleaned from a book published in the Soviet Union titled, "Tales from the Amber Sea." Eric chose the story, "The Palace of the Cats" and transformed it into a feline-friendly story.
Castle of the Cats is an entrancing voyage into another dimension for your child and yourself! I won't divulge the story but I urge you to discover this beautiful book yourself.
 Four paws up ! The Castle Lady will meow her way into your heart !  October 05 I Love Autumn ! For those of you who are not aware of it, autumn happens to be my favorite season. I thought I would share the following ideas on why I feel this way and just a few of the reasons why I love it so much. - The Castle Lady
 Autumn is a beautiful name. If I have a daughter one day I think I will give her this name. It makes me think of auburn hair, too.  I love all the colors associated with autumn as well.
There is something so earthy and yet distinctive about them.
 I like the song "Autumn Leaves" sung by Nat King Cole.
The feel of autumn is unique. It is so refreshing and lively and the natural
scents which permeate the air are absolutely invigorating to me.
 For all those who reverence this almost mystical experience of a season,
Enjoy !
 hugs and kisses from The Castle Lady !September 28 Christianity is JewishChristianity was first embraced by Jews because it is the fulfillment of what had
been promised and handed down by faithful Jews through the centuries.
Therefore, it is far more Jewish than Gentile.
Gradually people learned that God meant the message of salvation
through the Messiah to be given to any
who would listen, regardless of their national,
racial, or religious background.
-Edith Schaeffer author of Christianity is Jewish
May Yom Kippur be blessed and joyous for you !
 The Castle Lady
September 26 The Story of Ylang-YlangCette billet dedie'e a`mon ami merveille des Live Spaces, J J du Pyrenees !
This past summer when I was working both in my P.C. lab and my studio (involves continually going up and down stairs) I smelled the aroma of my favorite flower, Ylang-ylang. I tried to track down the source of the scent but could not explain it and I had several other people go to the base of the stairs to sniff and they described the scent of a flower I have loved, along with my best friend Debbie, since adolescence. While I never did track down the reason why that scent came for about an hour and then went away as mysteriously as it came, I got a little curious about its origin since I have never really known any particulars about it at all. I did some internet research on it this year and the following information is my discovery and summation. Perhaps J J can tell me more if he is familiar with this curious but diffusely-endowed flower.
Because it has a very light but pervasive scent I had prejudged it to be of exotic origin. In several accounts I have heard of this scent being compared to jasmine and neroli and I agree that the intensity is matched but it has a uniqueness that really cannot be compared to other flowers. The aromatic components of the essential oil, which I keep a vial of at all times, are benzyl acetate, linalool, p-cresyl methyl ether and methyl benzoate. When the scent is produced artificially, however, it is always too heavy and must be diluted sometimes 20 to 1 with exotic water. This most famous perfume which makes use of ylang-ylang as one of its components is Chanel No. 5 but is not used as a high note and most likely only uses a very small dose. My personal opinion is that ylang-ylang should be worn alone and if you use the essential oil you must dilute it to the degree I've already mentioned for use in summer. This can be adjusted to suit you, by the way.
 The flower itself is not visually beautiful to the eye. This close up of the usually yellow blooms can be pink but the pink color is very rare. It is shaped like a sea star, as this one is, and generally curly appearing almost like tiny amorphus bananas. This particular cananga- which is its genus- is from the annonaceae family along the order of magnolias. Its binomial name is cananga odorata forma genuina. It grows on trees which grow fast, exceeding 5 meters a year generally attaining a height of around 12 meters in maturity. The tree itself is found in rainforests and native to the Philippines and Indonesia and is most commonly grown in Polynesian countries (i.e. Melansia and Micronesia.) As a matter of fact the name is from the Tagalog language (the Philippine language) and can mean both rare and wild, interchangeably.
 In addition to producing the flowers, the cananga tree also produces fruit which turns out to be an important food item for birds, in particular various types of pigeons and doves which are native to Polynesian countries, as well. A related species to this tree is the Cananga fruticosa, basically a dwarf version of the above mentioned cananga odorata forma genuina. The essential oil I mentioned up above is also used to relieve high blood pressure, normalize sebum production for those with skin blemish problems and is also considered an aphrodisiac. Margaret Mead did research on ylang-ylang in the Solomon Islands and found the latter claim to be in serious use for such purpose. Apparently it is a common practice in the Philippines for the flowers to be spread on the bed for newlywed couples. They are also used to make leis for women and on religious symbols! A component of the flower is also an ingredient in the motion sickness medicine, MotionEaze !
The Castle Lady easing on down the road
 and blowing healthy kisses your way !
September 22 Two Poems for a Crow As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
I slept in the Earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
In the morning I went,
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new Joy;
But I met with scorn.
William Blake
(born Nov. 28, 1757 in Golden Square, London
died August 1827)
'and did those feet in ancient time walk upon England's mountains green...'
Dust of Snow
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Robert Frost
(1874-1963)
You won't rue my kisses ! The Castle Lady
 The reproduction of the painting of the corvine above was done by Rudi Hurzlmeier.
It is classified as absurdist, but I think it's delightful and a great way
to usher in impending Autumn !
A New Year for the Faithful ! All my love to the Singer family, Simona, Patty and anyone I may have forgotten to mention.
Mazel tov ! from The Castle Lady ! September 19 Who Really Stole the Tarts ?They told me you had been to her,
and mentioned me to him:
She gave me a good character,
But said I could not swim.
 He sent them word I had not gone
(We know it to be true):
If she should push the matter on,
What would become of you?
I gave her one, they gave him two,
You gave us three or more;
They all returned from him to you,
Though they were mine before.
 If I or she should chance to be
Involved in this affair,
He trusts to you to set them free
Exactly as we were.
My notion was that you had been
(Before she had this fit)
An obstacle that came between
Him, and ourselves, and it.
Don't let him know she liked them best,
For this must ever be
A secret, kept from all the rest,
between your self and me.
 copyright by Lewis Carroll Lithographs by Tenniel
from Alice in Wonderland
Wonderful and truthful endearments from
The Castle Lady
 Lewis Carroll was the pseudonym for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who was born in England in 1832 and educated at Rugby and Oxford. His qualifications were that of a minister but he never served in a church as one and rarely preached anywhere. Instead, he taught math and wrote works on Euclid, Algebra and Mathematical Logic. He also tried his hand at photography although much of his work was destroyed. It is claimed that he wrote Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and The Hunting of the Snark for the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, Alice Liddell, although much of his writing has been paralleled as doubling for political commentary. Whatever the reason, I find it refreshing sometimes to read these books over again when political intrigue seems to be a little heavy. He died peacefully in 1898 two weeks before he would turn 66. September 15 Searching for Mr. GoodMovie ! ! ! When it comes to finding the perfect movie and I'm in the mood to go to a theatre to see a new film, the task is a little more difficult than in the past, with all the new ways of getting information, buying tickets (from Fandango, of course ! ) getting to the theatre on time and making myself comfy in those new huge, plush seats. It ought to be easier than ever to see a new film but I think it's a huge hassle in comparison to staying at home to watch a DVD, pay-per-view or a scheduled cable film in your own living room with your own goodies and your broken-in lounger. Personally, I've taken to watching DVDs on my P.C. when I have time because that's the most convenient way. In retrospect, I wonder if all these conveniences made us too lazy to go out and meet the public. I remember my mother dressing me up to go to the movies ! ! How things have changed!
This last Sunday I decided to take Mom and myself to see a movie. I think Mom's become too sedentary and it seems as if (just for fun, mind you!) no one ever takes her anywhere. I started looking at what was available and noticed something that looked like it was sci-fi:
 Later on, I found a review on this one that said there were quite a few gross-outs in it including the forcible removable of someone's fingernails. That went off the list immediately- gaaack !
 I had seen a very short preview of Julie and Julia on T.V. and had already decided that I wanted to see Meryl Streep become Julia Child, so that was inked as a definite. Then I saw what looked like a very romantic movie titled The Time Traveler's Wife. I didn't know anything about it but the photos for it looked interesting to me even though I am definitely not an avid chick-flick attendee.
  I thought we were not going to make it on time because Mom came up with several shopping trips she wanted to make before we went to the theatre. I was pleasantly surprised to find out we arrived at the box office just in time to see Julie and Julia and so we paid and went into the tiny theatre that was nearly empty. It did fill up half way before the film started to run, finally.
I'm so glad we went to see this film. For one, Meryl Streep never disappoints me for her authentic portrayals and perfect accents. It seems she adopted The Method somewhere along the way. She was Julia Child. Why do I say that? Well, Child always put on a fake French accent which in itself was good but definitely overdone. So how does a person match an overdone fake French accent without overdoing it? Well, Meryl Streep did and (may I say it?) ~ with finesse ! Her hair and face were made up in such a way that you forget that you are not looking at the actual person and she became multi-dimensional, which is what people most likely want to see the most. The behind-the-scenes Julia who faced many obstacles in going all the way with her passion, once she ascertained what that was, and how she dealt with her many trials, is fascinating ! This film does not touch on her alcoholism but vaguely implies it. Even so, her real story is very entertaining and maybe it's for the best that we remember only certain aspects of her life.
Julie and Julia is really two stories on a parallel plane, however. There is also Julie from Brooklyn, who doesn't seem to know what to do with herself until she discovers the world of cooking with Julia. She's a blogger who becomes a foodie and consequently a celebrity in her own right. I had a sense that she felt inadequate as a cook. She certainly flounders quite a bit through most of the recipes and discovers she hasn't the heart to even boil lobsters. (Her husband ends up taking the honors.) If you like light fare that is entertaining and uplifting Julie and Julia will be just right for you. Go see it at the cinema. So many subtleties are lost on video and I'm not sure why. Meryl must be seen and appreciated in a theatre.
After this movie, Mom and I started talking about cooks she has followed in her life. She has a sizable library of cookbooks and a drawer full of her own written-down recipes which she either acquired from her father, who was a baker, or those of friends and relatives. Mom loves to bake and owns a baker's oven which likes to overheat even though it's a fairly new stove. We determined that the famous cook who influenced her most and whose book is worn to falling apart is that of James Beard. Just recently I spied a wonderful new copy of his book, "The Fireside Cook Book" which was originally published back in 1949. That was probably when Mom started cooking in earnest. One philosophy of his which I would echo wholeheartedly is this:
"There is absolutely no substitute for the best. Good food cannot be made of inferior ingredients masked with high flavor. It is true thrift to use the best ingredients available and to waste nothing."
I agree with that philosophy and try to stick with it as much as possible even though I am not a traditional cook at all. I am more likely to try exotic dishes of all ethnicities and my favorite is mandarin Chinese cooking. The ironic closing of the movie is when Julie visits the museum which contains Julia's kitchen in a recreation exhibit. A very life-like portrait hangs to the side on the wall of Julia with a berth. She leaves a large stick of butter rather than flowers. It is ironic because Julia's use of butter was as much a staple of her recipes as any other ingredient.
I don't think I share the passion for butter in my food but I believe I share the passion of both women for following and completing the dream all the way through to the end, even if the end is a bit bitter, after all. We can always dilute it with sweet kindness. That's the best bon-bon in the world.
With kisses like chocolate,
The Castle Lady !
 September 11 The Forgotten Genius of Stubblefield A little more than a hundred years ago a Kentucky farmer proclaimed, "I have lived fifty years before my time." His words were ambiguous to his slow-minded detractors but he paved the way for the wireless technology we enjoy today in the form of cell phones. I don't need to tell anybody where we have gone from there. Look around you. How many people do you see texting, taking photos, surfing the internet and talking on devices that were crude talk boxes only twenty years ago? Wireless technology has taken off in forms no one could've even predicted a few decades ago but we enjoy all this because one seemingly common man came up with a very uncommon idea and invention.
 Nathan and son, Bernard That Kentucky farmer was a man by the name of Nathan Stubblefield born in Kentucky on November 22, 1860. Many years before Marchese Guglielmo Marconi presented his radio-signaling system as his first successful invention, Nathan should have wowed the crowd that loitered around on the court house lawn in Murray, Kentucky in 1892. Hundreds of people showed up for his demonstration in which he claimed to be able to send messages through the air without wires. At points approximately two hundred feet apart on the lawn, Stubblefield set up two boxes, each two feet square and not connected in any way. The boxes contained telephones and when Stubblefield and his son talked to each other from opposite, disparate sides of the court house their voices were made clearly audible to the curious crowds which gathered around both boxes.
Even though his invention was clearly a success most of the crowd hooted and snickered like the common folk they were, not realizing the magnitude of the event they had just witnessed. Even so, he left with his equipment angry at his expectations of missing accolades. At this time, Marconi was only a teenager fresh out of Bologna University but his invention was that of telegraphy and not anything at all like what Stubblefield had discovered. At the time, Stubblefield was a telephone repairman who barely eked out an existence on his farm in Calloway County. His first demonstration barely made a ripple of recognition to the locals but he hadn't given up at that point, quite, either. He did, however, attract national attention by the few who were astute enough to see the potential of his invention.
When news finally reached the St. Louis Post Dispatch he was sent for by the paper to go there and give a demonstration. Some weeks after they sent Nathan a letter they received a post card from him which said, "Have accepted your invitation. Come to my place any time. Nathan Stubblefield, inventor." A reporter from the Dispatch showed up on his farm on January 10, 1902 and Stubblefield gave him a simple demonstration.
   This innovative genius handed him a telephone which was connected to a pair of steel rods about four feet long and told him to take the set anywhere he wanted in the neighborhood, stick the rods into the earth and put the receiver to his ear.
In a newspaper article some days later, the reporter relayed his experience. He walked at least a mile away from Stubblefield's house, put the rods into the ground and claimed that he could hear every syllable Stubblefield's son spoke into a transmitter as clearly as if he were standing right next to him. In explanation, Stubblefield explained that he was merely using the electrical field which permeated the earth, the water and the atmosphere itself. He predicted that some day wireless transmission of speech would enable people living in Kentucky to listen to weather reports from the nation's capitol and hear music and news from points all over the world.
 Everything snowballed after the newspaper article was published, bringing invitations for Nathan to take his invention to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in May of 1902. He gave a successful demonstration at Belmont Park in Philadelphia, May 30, 1902 and went on to Washington, D.C. presenting his invention to scientists of his time. This untutored, simple Kentucky farmer was receiving attention from the likes of Tesla at his Philadelphia demonstration. In Washington his apparatus was installed on a steamship with Bartholdi and other prominent people stationed at places of their choice along the Virginia shore of the Potomac. As the ship rolled down the Potomac River startled dignitaries communicated with those aboard the vessel, clearly and distinctly by merely sticking the customary iron rods in the earth and speaking into their telephones. On May 21, 1902 the Washington Evening Star proclaimed, "First Practical Test of Wireless Telegraphy Heard For Half Mile. Invention of Kentucky Farmer. Wireless telephony demonstrated beyond question," in the headlines.
With all the laudits he received and financiers asking him to sign contracts so the invention could be developed further, Stubblefield chose to sign on with the Wireless Telephone Company of America who were responsible for the publicity, public relations and demonstrations in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Their hope was to attract wealthy investors but when Stubblefield found them to be a fraudulent stock promotion outfit he walked away and back to his lab.
Since the company acquired the rights to his natural conduction wireless phone, he dropped work on it and began working on a prototype for his electromagnetic induction phone. In 1907 he filed for a patent on it, but the first application was rejected. He worked on the application for another year, showing his device to be an improvement on earlier applications of other inventors clear back from the 1880s but by the time they accepted the application it was already outdated and useless.
What Nathan invented was a wireless telephone using natural conduction through the magnetic field of earth and water. The difference in the later inventions of others, which still didn't match the clarity of Stubblefield's device, is subtle to the unvigilant eye but he made the quality of transmission unequaled by comparison. He had been experimenting with ground radio since 1882, around the time that a man by the name of Amos Dolbear filed a patent on what he termed induction wireless telephone and demonstrated it publicly in the U.S., Canada and Europe. His invention, however, used an elevated capacitance, which acts as an antenna and only uses the earth for grounding. The induction coil used is a self-inductance creating high tension in free space. In short, it was not the same as a Hertizan wave transmitter.
 Around the time that Nathan was trying to show the Murray locals his invention, Tesla had been working on a transmitter that had better construction rather than of great power. He wrote, "This is essentially, a circuit of high self-induction and small resistance which in its arrangement, mode of excitation and section and action, may be said to be the diametrical opposite of a transmitting circuit typical of telegraphy by Hertizian or electromagnetic radiations." He performed double ground experiments with impulses, spoke of them in lectures and he patented embodiments of these ideas in 1901. Even so they never achieved the powerful transmission with clarity, tone and volume of Stubblefield's ground telephony. The device which Stubblefield invented used natural energies magnifying them to full capacity. All other inventors used artificial sources such as batteries, alternators, dynamos etc.
Stubblefield's true research was sourced in magnetic waves and never made use of ground terminals for exchanging signals. His aim was always long distance wireless telephone communication but his invention was entirely distinctive from radio transmission. From the beginning his transmitters and receivers were telephonic, not telegraphic and used the earth as a battery powering an apparatus which was connected to a long horizontal aerial line. (Apparently, the waves that Stubblefield used were longitudinal in nature.) Marconi eventually used a diagrammatic symmetry which was similar to Stubblefield's in conjunction with grounded copper wire conductors and achieved some success with long distance transmission but Nathan had done this without use of alternators or spark exchange and his medium was voice transmission not the dot and dash system of telegraphy which was Marconi's lot.
His system reasoning was that since electrical waves traverse the earth it would be possible to send signals to distant places. Eventually using electrical waves which were naturally present in the ground and would serve as carriers for the human voice- and more eventually. Therefore his technology made use of the earth as both power generator and signal conductor. This makes the power limitless and cannot diminish in deference to the time of day or even length of use.
 Stubblefield's wife, daughter and himself next to a wireless induction device. As time dragged by and other inventors took up the torch for wireless technology, Stubblefield became increasingly reclusive, morose and stopped working his farm. He was sued by financial backers. His children sold his farm and his wife left him. After his death in 1928 of starvation, investigators found wires leading from the roots of trees on his property. Small arc lamps were attached to the wires and they were put out because it was believed that those lamps had been creating a strange hillside sunlight. However, it did not explain the warmth and light which emanated from the ground around his property, apparently, day and night. In addition, many people had heard loud and unfamiliar noises coming from the area surrounding his cabin. It was supposed by some that he had discovered a way to transduce natural impulses from the ground energy into audio.
Two weeks before his death he remarked to a neighbor, "The past is nothing. I have perfected now the greatest invention the world has ever known. I have taken light from the air and earth... [the same way] I did sound."
On March 28, 1928 he was found dead in his bed. Neighbors who had broken in to investigate noticed that the interior was not cold but warm as if it was heated by a strong fire. Town officials trying to locate the source of the heat found two highly polished metal mirrors which faced each other and they radiated great heat in rippling waves.
A stone memorial on the court house lawn at Murray, Kentucky, marks the spot where he made history in 1892. He is now a local hero and has a radio station named after him. The locals still seem to think that he invented radio. They don't know the half of it.
Would you like to read more about Nathan? Check out www.icehouse.net/john1/stublefield1.html
Bob Lochte's pages on the Murray State University web site
 The Castle Lady
sending you kisses you'll never forget !
Physical science normally proceeds by inductive reasoning tested by experiment.
-Walter M. Miller, Jr. from "A Canticle for Leibowitz" September 08 Punctuation Hell and Other Egregious Blunders Back on August 15th of this year I happened to notice this wonderful little slice of literary criticism in the funnies. It isn't the first time I've read these short quips on proper grammar, phrasing and punctuation of the English language on this delightful strip but this one hit on a subject which has inspired me to expound on just a few of my pet peeves concerning writing.
 www.candorville.com by Darrin Bell
Faulty usage of quotation marks is just the tip of the iceberg on my long list but let's get started with that anyway. Listen up:
Quotation marks seem to be a whimsical sarcasm tool currently but in a professional format their use is quite specific. They are the only way to distinguish somebody else's words rather than our own in a sentence but there is a right and wrong way to employ them. The only proper use is placed with a comma preceding the quotation mark and closed with a comma preceding the closing quotation mark when inserted within a sentence. When the quote is used at the end of a sentence then a period precedes the closing quotation mark . They are the indicators of a direct quotation of someone else and not a single word emphasis of your own or the person you are quoting. I wish to further state that a single word does not constitute a quote.
Any other application of quotation marks is a violation of their proper use. If a person wishes to emphasize a word, it may be best to italicize or underline when italics are not available. To use quotation marks in emphasis when chiding your own use of a hackneyed word or phrase is inexcusable and as far as I'm concerned, ought to be punishable by law !
 While we're on the subject of writing, if I may go on, my other pet peeve is rampant exploitation of the phrases sort of and kind of. Worst of all, would of, could of and should of gets my hair curled in a knot. The first two are the snakes-in-the-grass among the qualifiers which no one seems to be aware of inside or outside the literary world. Not only do qualifiers punch holes in any good narrative but they are stumbling blocks as bad as any four-letter word laid claim to or played as a substitute for a good noun. The last three just simply don't exist. These phrases should be written as would've, could've or should've but as I stated already, these qualifiers should be avoided as much as possible by a serious writer, outside of use in dialogue.
If you are serious about writing the English language as a profession may I suggest that you obtain copies of two reference books? The first is The Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference and Strunk and White's Elements of Style. While the rest of the world is sitting back and telling themselves that writing is just typing, you can be at the business of proving them wrong.
The Castle Lady
proving excellence one kiss at a time !   September 04 The Birthday Dance Hey Everybody !
It's my birthday !
Time to do the Birthday Dance !
 Watch me now !
The Castle Lady with a jig, a jug and a hug !  I've got a lot of info, castles and new everything coming your way in September so stay close by ! September 03 Cheshire Crossroads... "Cheshire Puss" she began rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name; however, it only grinned a little wider. "Come, it's pleased so far," thought Alice, and
"I don't much care where," said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you walk," said the Cat.
"-so long as I get somewhere, " Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
Alice felt this could not be denied, so she tried another question.
"What sort of people live about here?"
"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter; and in that direction", waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like; they're both mad."
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat; "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad ?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
excerpt from Alice in Wonderland by
Lewis Carroll
 Just mad about you.... wild even !
The Castle Lady
 LOLAugust 28 Goodbye to Summer
It's hard to say goodbye to summer
the water on the rocks beats on
in rhythm to a low lying wind
 that caresses our skin and fills our hair
with memories of an earlier rhyme
 when our hearts still searched for a place to share
a lofty lair with a misty clime.
Laughing at the olden ways
 amid the pounding heat
which still purveys something sweet
leaving a scent that lingers for days...
 and makes me stretch out my hand for time...
more time.
By Evelyn M. Wallace
All Rights Reserved by author
August 28, 2009
 With fond kisses, The Castle Lady August 21 Don't Let Them Lie to You ! ! !The following message is from the desk of Bobby Clark the Executive Director of Progress Now Colorado. It is a democratic organization with the people's welfare in mind. I agree with this message wholeheartedly and that means 100%. If you are starting to wonder about all the Republican rebuff you owe it to yourself to check out the following and do something about it. - The Castle Lady
 To find out more facts on Obama's Health Care Package click:
 Is the public option dead? If you read the headlines, you'd think so. But it's just not the case. The bottom line is this: nothing has changed. President Obama has always said that health insurance reform must lower costs, must ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans, and it must increase choice and competition.
He believes the public option is the best way to achieve those goals. Presidential senior advisor Valerie Jarrett reiterated that on Saturday at a public event, and this morning Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius was explicit: "We continue to support the public option that will help lower costs, give American consumers more choice, and keep private insurers honest." But industry lobbyists are still spending $1.4 million a day to convince Congress otherwise. Tell Congress not to back down. Despite the fear mongering and outright lies from reform opponents like State Senator Josh Penry, Coloradans need health insurance reform. Our premiums have increased 91% since 2000. Every day, 100 working families lose their employer-sponsored insurance because it has become too expensive. And those who do have insurance worry about insurance company bureaucrats making decisions about their medical care instead of their doctor. (Evelyn's note: Does it make sense for Republican politicians to go on and on about Obama controlling the health care program and not mind that the insurance companies already do that to a large extent without asking us our permission to do so ? Think about it. )
President Obama's plan will ensure that Coloradans have secure, affordable choices for health insurance. A public health insurance option will serve as a check on the greed of the for-profit insurance industry. Tell Congress to make sure a public option is included in the final bill. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/publicoption Don't let partisan ideologues like State Senator Josh Penry bamboozle the public into believing falsehoods about the President's reform plan. In a recent op-ed, he wrote that reform "isn't going to come from Washington, D.C." but from "private-sector innovation." It's the same tired, hackneyed philosophy that brought us the health insurance system that is bankrupting Colorado families while lining the pockets of health insurance CEOs. To declare your support for the President's health insurance reform plan, including a public option you have to let congress know you support it. With a kiss, hug and atta-boy, The Castle Lady !
My condolences go out to the Kennedy family. The "Lion of the Senate" will be greatly missed.
August 20 I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends... I've had full intent on doing a showcase on all the friends I've made on MSN Live Spaces through the years and I made a definite decision that I would not let the year 2009 pass without getting the job done. Without any further ado here is a small tribute from me to you all of just a few of the wonderful people I've come to know- there are so many of you now, more than a hundred ! - I wish I could fit everybody in this entry.
 Maybe I'll do some more a bit later on this year... - The Castle Lady
 Most recently you may have seen my friend Doug and Leona's comments quite a bit. Both are like me. Writing is our raison d'etre. They both have hearts of gold and keen senses of humor and I also respect their opinions to the utmost !
Doug is the author of the amazing Caledon series of books which can be sourced at your local internet or regular bookstore. Just look for Sword of Souls; Chronicles of Caledon or The Crimson Reaver (a part of the same series). He's got his own world up there in the Badlands and with a nice family to boot ! He wrote an entry on me earlier this year which was absolutely charming and absolutely Doug too, entitled, "Has Anybody Seen My Pal?" I just adore him...
 isn't he precious ? ?
 It's Doug's birthday today, too, so wish him a Happy Birthday, OK ?
Leona is a retired teacher and poet at heart and you can find that out if you check out her book, "At the Starting Gate" . I have my own personal copy, signed and everything, and the book contains more refreshing insights into life than I have read anywhere in recent memory. We both have a multitude of blogs to keep up with all our ideas and her motto is : It's never too late to dream...
I concur. She's also a very natural beauty, don't you think?
I have quite a few Italian friends...
Mirco is a long time friend. We have bantered back and forth in Italian and English when we chat on messenger and he's wild about Avril Lavigne! In fact, his web site is almost totally devoted to her !
  Giuseppe loves cars like me and he's happy working on them all day long !
My amorous friend Francesco convinced me to put photos of myself on this blog and now, in retrospect, I'm glad I took his advice. It was an idea meraviglioso ! So here's what he looks like:
 Not bad, huh?
Now Joey Dalton is from the deep South (all the way down there in Eureka, Kansas) and he can make me laugh like nobody's business ! His photos will make you giggle for weeks !
 This looks nothing like him but it's what he gave me. See ? Look in the network for a cowboy avatar !
Bobbi and
If you see an avatar of the Fab Four hanging around my network it's not your imagination! Definitely click on it and you'll get a chance to see some Beatle memorabilia plus much more. Carolyn's blog actually is the Yellow Submarine !
    Olivier, aka Olicat is the best French ami any American could have and he's got a young family started ! He really loves cats, his baby daughter Eva and of course her Mama ! He really knows the meaning of Joie de Vivre but he's a hard worker and has a lot of beautiful and fun web sites!
  Some of my friends have been more pen-pals than internet pals- but occasionally they visit- we just can't see them- so, say hello to Lyns and Karen in England, Dima in Belarus and Ron in Australia! I've written to Karen since we were both fifteen !
Dima of Belarus Lyns and her boyfriend !
Karen
 Ron the Aussie Joy is the very first Christian friend I made on MSN Live Spaces! Here she is with three of her closest friends in Spain! I don't know where exactly they're at but it's Spain!
 Joy is here on the far right !They really look like they're having a great time, huh?
 Well, that's all I have time for now but,- who knows ? - , if you're on my network you might see yourself on here in the near future!
Many kisses for my many friends !
The Castle Lady
 hee hee, I just love to kiss ! August 17 And the Reuben Award went to...Every year they give out an award to the top cartoonist here in the U.S. which is called
the Reuben Awards. We have great funnies here, I think, and I'm going to show you with just
a few that I read on a regular basis. Actually, the truth ? I read them all every day.
These are just a few my favorites:
 Garfield, baby ! An old favorite, Blondie. People used to call me Blondie when they didn't know my name.
 Hagar the Horrible- very often the best in castle humor !
But the winner this year was a relatively new guy ....
 tu pete' ou quoi ? XD
  Before summer started one of the top cartoonist awards went to Mark Tatulli with LIO.
I love LIO the best, too, and I still say that kid reminds me of someone...
The Castle Lady, with only the best in reading!  August 12 Ode of a Dancing Girl I have, on a couple of occasions through the years, posted some poetry of Rabindranath Tagore who was an Indian poet, artist and philosopher. He kept to strong political opinions which did not fit in with his times or even his country in many instances. He was a free-thinker whose influences were both traditional and departures from his native culture. He is published quite a bit in English plus many other languages and his personal history is long and fascinating. The following is from his book Gitanjali which was published in English by Macmillan in 1913. I have enjoyed his viewpoints in poetry. The English translation of his poem is his own writing, the title to this entry is mine.
- The Castle Lady
 Dancing Girl, undated ink-on-paper art by Tagore
আমার এ গান ছেড়েছে তার সকল অলংকার
Ornaments would mar our union;
they would come between thee and me;
their jingling would drown thy whispers."
"My song has put off her adornments.
She has no pride of dress and decoration.
Rabindranath Tagore
(May 7, 1861-August 7, 1941)
Proverbe du Jour:
"শূন্য নদীর তীরে রহিনু পড়ি / যাহা ছিল লয়ে গেল সোনার তরী" - Rabindranath Tagore
Translation: All I had achieved was carried off on the golden boat- only I was left behind.
All my love and kisses!
The Castle Lady  |
|
|
's+Blog+-+Windows+Live&referrer=){kind=small}
