While it's not unusual here for months to become reversed as to climate, this December is definitely wackier than most. We are amidst a strong streak of mild weather more suited to late October and early November, as we race towards Winter Solstice. The vicious tornadoes that ravaged Kentucky and Illinois overnight Friday manifested themselves here as very high winds and thunderstorms with heavy downpours. We got 1.2" of rain. None of our trees blew down, and our power stayed on. However, there were many trees and poles down in the county and city, with plenty of short term power outages. Most Great lakes shipping came to a standstill, as the captains wisely steered their vessels into sheltered coves. Things are back to normal today, and it is sunny, mild, but still breezy.
In domestic news, our fridge died on Thursday. We had a $90 repair bill to tell us that the fridge had lost its freon due to a leak, and was no longer any good. After another $2300 spent we have a new fridge, the best one we have ever owned. However, it didn't fit through the door into the kitchen. I don't wish to go into any details at this time, as they are too painful to recall, but the fridge is now in its place and working like a charm. In upcoming domestic news, we also need a new washing machine. Look for an update on this topic next week. It's a good thing that we don't have any travel expenses these days. We still have a $3000 tree to be cut down in our far back yard, though after the recent wind storm our tree guy will likely be far behind again, with us pushed back to the bottom of his list.
In art news, I came across this tiny print by one of the German Romantic artists. It's the only piece in the Detroit collection by him, but we have seen some of his wonderful landscape paintings, mostly in a travelling exhibit held in Toronto many years ago now. The image below is larger than its actual size. Deb is thinking of using it as a location in one of her upcoming short films. If ever a set for a fairy tale was etched on to paper, this is it.
I have two movies that need reporting, both black and white and both shown on Criterion. The first one was a tale of highway robbery, starring James Mason and feisty Margaret Lockwood as two swashbuckling highway robbers. Called The Wicked Lady (great title!), it is from 1945 and was directed by Leslie Arliss. From the blurb on Criterion's website: "This nasty, subversive treat was the most commercially successful of all the Gainsborough melodramas." And it's just in time for Christmas! There is a 1983 remake floating around somewhere, starring Faye Dunaway.
My going away choice (yes, Wicked Lady was my choice!) was called Cluny Brown, from 1946 and directed by Ernest Lubitsch. Though we had seen it before, it had been many years. This is a very funny movie starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones, about a young woman who must "find her place" in English society. Boyer plays a Czech writer fleeing the Nazis just before the war, and Jones is a free spirit who loves working as a plumber. She gets a job as a maid in a quiet household, and finds out the hard way that Boyer, whom she had met earlier and hit it off with, is a guest at the house. The picture is a complete send up of the British class system, and is quite hilarious in places, while making its point about how one should behave and not behave. Boyer is great in this role, one of the few times I really enjoyed his acting. Movies this good never seem to age, either. Una O'Connor has no speaking lines, but contributes some very funny moments, making the most of her small role.
Mapman Mike
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