Autumn's Peak

 It's been a busy time in and around the Homestead, and the best days of autumn are slipping past.  We had four days in the mid to high 70s F this past week and weekend, and it was sunny.  A strange time was had by all.  Most importantly, there were three clear nights in a row!  Good bye reading program; good bye movie viewing.  Hello galaxies!  Today it's getting cool again, and it's grey and very damp.  I just went outside to take some photos, and here are a few of them of the Homestead yard.  Our leaf colours are peaking today, but I missed out on the sunny day photos.

Looking back towards the creek that splits our two back yards, from our deck.

Looking south towards the busy intersection, hidden by our trees.

Our laneway that leads from the front yard to the back. 

I won't bore you with medical appointments and such, but Deb has begun disposing of her mom's jewellery, both costume and the good stuff.  Yesterday she sold the good stuff, and now she is sorting through mountains of costume stuff.  Lois was a lover of bangles and shiny things, and gaudy brooches and necklaces.  Our house is still filled with her stuff, but Deb is determined to get it all out asap.

It has been a slow reading month for me as far as number of books goes, but I am still determined to finish up (someday) my main SF reading project. I am now well into my "free" reading period, mostly books still on my shelf (not many left!), and my thousands upon thousands of books on Kindle, mostly the Delphi series.

In viewing news, last week I selected 5 short films as my main selection.  The first of these was a very funny film by Gabriel Abrantes, called The Marvellous Misadventures of the Stone Lady.  It's a very well done animated film about a statue in the Louvre that goes walkabout, and well worth seeking out.  Next came a series of four ten minute or so films called Relic 0, Relic 1, Relic 2, and Relic 3.  Directed by Larry Archiampong and from 2017, these UK films are quiet and meditative, with unusual photography accompanying a narration.  From the Criterion description: "Larry Achiampong’s RELIC series moves between African and Western vistas as it ruminates on time, history, and colonialism."  We both liked these films, and recommend them if they can be found on-line somewhere.

Now showing on Criterion. 

My going away choice was called Dolemite, a blaxploitation turkey from 1975, about which the less said the better.  It had its moments, but very, very few of them.  Most of them involved outrageous pimp suits!

Leaving criterion in a few days. 

Deb's movie choices included the 1933 Penthouse, starring Myrna Loy as a gangster's doll  who helps out an attorney nail the killer of her girlfriend.  Fast moving and fun to watch, Loy is the star (once she finally appears), and went on to a great career of mystery movies.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Moving up in years (but still in b & w) came China Doll, her pick for leaving Criterion Oct. 31st.  Starring Victor Mature, Li Li-Hua, and Ward Bond, it's a war time picture that takes place in China, which the Americans used as air bases to supply their troops battling the Japanese.  Part of the series Hollywood Chinese, a survey on the history of Chinese representation in American cinema, curated by filmmaker Arthur Dong, we have now seen several of these pictures.  This one features an interracial marriage, and a child born to them.  Miss Li-Hua was a Chinese movie superstar, and this was her only Hollywood film.

Leaving Criterion Oct. 31st/22

Li Li-Hua. 

Deb also chose Ken Russell's horror comedy film Lair of the White Worm, from 1988.  It's about the fourth or fifth time we have seen it, and it's always fun.  There are some very funny lines, and some truly hilarious scenes ("Rosebud;" The Snake Lady emerging from a large wicker basket as a snake charming song blasts from the neighbour's huge speakers; Peter Capaldi piping his way to safety with a vampire policeman close behind him).  Definitely a fun film!

Now showing on Criterion. 

Mapman Mike

 

 
 

Lone Mountain Homestead Bus Stop

 After more than 30 years of living here without any public transport, we now have a (very) limited service between Windsor and Amherstburg.  And there is a bus stop right outside our door.  When the service first began in September, the nearest stop was 1.2 miles away, making it pretty useless for us.  That's 2 1/2 miles of walking if the service was used.  But it's local election season, and we had a visitor stop by the house one day a few weeks back, representing someone running for reelection.  He asked me if there was anything troubling me that the mayor could fix (why do they only ask during election season?).  So I told him the bus stop was too far away to be useful.  He said he'd mention it to the mayor.  A few days later Deb and I went out for a walk, and Deb spotted the new bus stop sign on a pole about 50 feet from our property.  It's a temporary one, but it's posted on Google Maps!  When the permanent one is up, I'll be sure to take a photo.  We plan on taking the service into Windsor soon.  I will report on that, too.

In viewing news, we have watched the final (8th) episode of Rings of Power.  Some big revelations were made, and we finally got to see some rings being fashioned.  The three Elven rings look pretty sweet.  Our Middle Earth Collectible Card Game has all the correct information about the rings, too.  The Elven rings are very difficult to use in the game, as the character and ring must be in your play deck, and hopefully pop out when needed.  But now I am more interested in using them, so we'll see.  Overall, the series is quite splendid.  The story is not as much fun (or familiar) as the main Tolkien books, but it has built an incredibly complex base from which to expand, and is also laying down strong foundations for the Third Age.  We will likely rewatch the series, perhaps near Winter Solstice, and then maybe again next summer, before Season Two is released.  Yes, it's that good.

In cinema viewing, there are two to report.  We watched a short film by Ulrike Ottinger called Laocoon and Sons.  It's a strictly avante garde film from 1975, a throwback to some of the best Dada film work.  Somehow, though often ridiculous, the film works, and is fun to watch.  It's only 48 minutes long, and that certainly helps.  She seems to be a very interesting director, and we will watch more of her films in the future.  We also watched a short documentary, an interview with the director.  This is the third film of hers we have seen.

Now showing on the Criterion Channel.  

 

Next up was a documentary about Dennis Hopper, called Along For The Ride.  From 2016, it is directed by Nick Ebeling, and is hosted by Hopper's best friend and aide, Satya de la Manitou.  It's a fascinating film about a man who is very hard to categorize and pin down.  He doesn't fit in any of the boxes.  He was an actor (method), director, editor, photographer, and a very troubled person.  Drugs and alcohol were a large part of his existence, but he did manage some incredible performances and films, including Easy Rider, Mad Dog Morgan, and two films with Wim Wenders, in one of which he played Tom Ripley, from Highsmith's novel "Ripley's Game," and the other one where he plays Death.  Definitely worth watching.

Showing on Criterion until Oct. 31st. 

 

Mapman Mike

A Funeral In Lindsay

We left Thursday morning for Lindsay, about a five hour drive in good weather and traffic conditions, and returned Friday afternoon.  Deb's mom passed away September 14th, and it was now time to lay her to rest, so to speak.  Her body had been cremated earlier, so it was mostly a small get together of family and close friends.  The one problem with living to 94 years of age is that you don't have many friends left by the end.

Deb had prepared a small speech, and two other women spoke as well.  The gathering was at Mackey Funeral Home in downtown Lindsay, in the chapel and adjoining room.  Deb had also prepared a slide show to run continuously in the background, and she made a 2 1/2 minute film of images of her mom from early childhood to a much more recent photo.  Set to music, it really was a professional job.  She also had some framed photos laid out for viewing.

Neither of Deb's two older sisters were able to make it.  Sharon, the oldest, is herself in a LTC home after suffering a major stroke earlier this year.  And Stephanie, the middle sister, is amidst selling her home in Merida, Mexico.  However, all 5 grandchildren came, all boys.  Four of them came from Alberta and Saskatchewan, and another from North Bay, ON, where he lives and takes care of Sharon.  It was the first time in about 30 years that all the cousins were together.

The gathering, speeches, and film were all very well done, with many stories being told of Lois' wilder days.  The short film was a big hit, and a very moving experience.  The whole thing lasted about 1 1/4 hours, and afterwards the 5 boys, Deb, and I went to a large pub next door for food and refreshment.  That was a fun gathering!

Deb and her nephew bodyguards in Lindsay.  From left is Kevin, youngest son of Sharon (he is growing his beard for Halloween, for his costume as Hagrid).  Next to him is Blake, Sharon's oldest son, who lives in North Bay, ON.  Then come Steph's three sons, Colin, Jeff, and Darrell.

Lindsay is a canal town, with some fine walking paths.

The canal lock in downtown Lindsay. 

Next morning was the interment of the ashes at the local cemetery.  Autumn colours were in full splendour, the morning was grey and chill.  Colin, Darrell, and Jeffrey made it to the cemetery with us.  That only took about 15 minutes altogether.  We were shown the grave of Lois' mom and dad by friends Mary Ann and Jack in the same cemetery.  Lois' mom had died back in 1975.  After that the three boys left for Toronto airport, then Deb and I had breakfast with Mary Ann and Jack (both Tolkien and fantasy fans).  We left for home about 11:30 am and arrived home shortly after 5 pm.

Lois and Ted are back together.

Lois' mom and dad, and Deb's grandparents. 

Autumn colours were peaking on our trip to Lindsay. 

I'll be back soon with our regular programming.

Mapman Mike

 

 
 

Furnace Time

We test ran the boiler today.  The house was down to 65 F this morning, and it was 40 F outside and there were blustery winds.  We managed to survive till now without heat, but we gave it a good morning blast, which actually lasted all day.  Later we baked pumpkin pies, and Deb made a large batch of soup, which also helped keep things warm.  Tonight it is clear, still windy, and the temp will drop even more than last night.  So we will likely reblast the central heat upon awakening yet again.  The price of natural gas is such that last winter we paid $91 per month on the budget plan.  That pays for our hot water and heat.  However, this year the fee has jumped to $137 per month.  That's more than a 50% increase in the price of gas.  Of course seniors on fixed incomes can easily handle this sort of thing, right?

Yesterday we took an autumnal walk on the local rails to trails path.  It was turning cold, and the wind was up.  There is still corn in the fields, standing at least 5' high, and the stalks rattle in the wind.  The dry spell we have had since mid June continues unabated.  Most of our evergreen trees are suffering, and turning brown.  There is no measurable rain in our ten day forecast.  On it goes.

 

A lone cyclist approaches us on the trail.

This should be a running stream.  Only shaded puddles remain. 

We have just watched episodes six and seven of Prime's "Rings" series.  I thought there were only six episodes, but there are eight.  Last episode is released next Friday.  Six and Seven go together as a pair, featuring a battle and several great losses.  With each episode running close to 70 minutes, and sometimes beyond, there are about ten hours of viewing altogether.  Anything to do with the dwarves continues to be the highlight.  Galadriel is rather one dimensional for a supposedly wise elf, but the lone elf warrior is a truly great character.  The special effects continue to be beyond belief in virtuosity, and with several story lines taking turns, there is never any real boredom.  It's hard to fathom that people are saying that this series moves at a "glacial" pace; usually it's moving too fast for comfort.  These are people raised on Marvel movies, which all seem to take place in fast, breathless motion.  I think Tolkien himself would have been quite impressed with this production.  I'm hoping that the estate is impressed enough to hand over the Silmarillion to Amazon someday.

In movie news, there is only one to report, as we have been watching four different TV series,and still mostly are.  The King of Chinatown is from 1939, and was my leaving Oct. 31st choice for last week.  Starring Ana May Wong and Akim Tamiroff, it is actually quite good, and the plot holds several surprises.  Wong plays a highly regarded Chinese/American surgeon who saves the life of a local bad guy, one who sells protection to Chinese merchants.  But he is not a stereotype, but rather displays a heart and even a bit of soul.  And there are even some Chinese actors playing Chinese!  Likely quite a bit ahead of its time, and not lurid at all.

Leaving Criterion Oct. 31st. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

The Rings of Power

But first, the local news.  We are slowly getting through a very busy October.  This week we both had our haircut, long overdue, followed by a trip to the lawyer in Kingsville handling Lois' will.  Still to come are a doctor's visit (me) and my postponed dental cleaning.  Deb also needs to go to her mom's bank, but she is waiting for a call back to book an appointment.  Next week is Lois' Celebration of Life, which Deb is handling (quite well).  Throughout all this I am currently suffering through a bout of poison ivy.  We cleaned up some of our yard a week ago last Saturday.  On Tuesday night, in the middle of the night, I began to itch.  Thinking it was mosquito bites, I applied some cream and carried on.  Two days later, it had spread down both wrists, just past where my work gloves had protected my hands (thankfully).  I've been itching badly for over a week now, with likely another week to go.  Taking Benadryl and applying hydra-cortisone cream.  There are times when it doesn't bother me at all, and other times.....

Back to TV viewing now.  For the first time in my life I am seeing Tolkien brought to film that fully satisfies me.  Prime Video's  Rings of Power is easily the most awesome fantasy epic ever filmed.  We have seen 4 of 6 hour long episodes, with an obvious big battle awaiting.  We have met harfoots (hobbits), men, elves, dwarves, orcs, and many other strange creatures, including a man who arrived via meteor.  We have visited Lindon, home of the western elves, and been to Moria to see the wonder that the dwarves have created.  We have been to Numenor and seen their wondrous city.  In short, the scenery and backgrounds have been non stop jaw droppingly beautiful.  The creators have learned much from Peter Jackson; the detail in clothing, armour, weapons, furniture, tools, and jewelry are unsurpassed.  Best of all there is some music, some elf singing and some dwarf praying.  There is humour, much violence, but also many quiet moments.  It all rings true of Tolkien's writing.  Despite reading some criticism that things move too slowly, they don't.  If anything, things are happening too quickly, and I wish I could linger longer in places.  The Numenorean ships are breathtakingly beautiful, and when we first enter Numenor it is a sight never to be forgotten.  Same with the dwarf mines and their underground city.  And the approach of the elven ship into the western lands is also handled with perfection!  I could go on and on about this series, but suffice it to say I like it very much.  Read the appendices to Vol 3, "Return of the King", and you will see how slender was Tolkien's vision of the 2nd age.  A few paragraphs and a chronology, and the Prime folk have created something as deep and breathtaking as the 7 Tolkien books themselves.  My only complaint is that Galadriel, a slender woman, is  given the power and strength of several giants.  She is tireless, and seems more ninja and Conan the Barbarian than female elf.

We are also making progress with the three other series on Prime: Wheel of Time, Tales From the Loop, and Night Sky.  When those are finished, I will report more fully on them.  All are promising, but so far somewhat uneven in quality.  I'll also report back on the final two episodes of Rings.  Tonight we watch part 5!  Deb's going away movie choice was a strange pick for her.  Called Car Wash, it is from 1976.  The action takes place over a full work day at an LA car wash.  It is a comedy with some drama, and well worth watching.  Richard Pryor pops in with the Pointer Sisters (who do an energetic number).  He is a preacher who preaches about the value of having money!  There are many priceless moments, and the film captures the 70s like no other.  Fun to watch.

It's Criterion run ended on Sept. 30th. 

It's been awhile since I posted a landscape image from the DIA.  Their massive Van Gogh exhibit is now on, though I am not sure when we will get there.  I haven't checked into tickets yet, though I likely will soon.  In the meantime, here is a seasonal American landscape painting I have always enjoyed seeing.  The artist is considered a tonalist, and there are several of his works in the DIA.

Landscape, 1921.  Dwight William Tryon, American, 1849-1925.  Oil on panel. 11.5" x 17.6".

Mapman Mike

 

September Reading Summary

 It's that time again, when I look back and see what I've been doing with some of my time.  In this case, reading books.  There were three clear nights used for astronomy, thus cutting into my night reading time last month, and of course the passing of Deb's mom.  Even so, I managed to get through all Avon/Equinox books (eight of them), and four others.  One of those was an epic novel which took some time to get through.  Seven books in total were read on Kindle.

Robert Silverberg started out the month with a collection of short tales, volume six in a nine volume oversize paperback edition, all with great covers.  The stories are from 1983-87.  Silverberg introduces each story, and provides a forward as well.  There were fourteen stories, including three novellas, lasting over 400 pages.  The stories "Multiples," Symbiont," and "Sailing to Byzantium" are singled out for recommendations to readers.  "Multiples" is a fascinating story about the near future, when people with multiple personalities are the envy of people who only have one.  A young woman tries to fake her way into the "club" of multiples, only to be found out.  But perhaps there is a way for her to become more than a single person after all.  Intriguing story telling.  "Symbiont" is Silverberg's throwback to the days of monsters in pulp fiction, and this is a great little story about future war and its hideous weapons and after effects.  Highly recommended for pulp fans!  On to "Byzantium."  Nearly every SF writer in the 80s wrote a version of this kind of story--are we real or just a computer construct?  When The Matrix film came out in 1999, everyone freaked out about the concept.  But it had already been done many times by some fine writers.  When a man is brought to the 50th C from 1984 New York, he finds the inhabitants a queer lot.  They resurrect 5 cities at a time, people them with semi-intelligent AI human types, and use the cities as tourist attractions.  But when a man from the 20th C eventually meets up with another captive like himself, but from the 25th C, he learns that he isn't really who or what he thinks he is.  A great story, with an interesting love interest.

Next came a one-off novel co-authored by Piers Anthony and Philip Jose Farmer, entitled The Caterpillar's Question.  I had been anticipating reading this for some time. Though a good enough story, it suffers from a confusing and disjointed plot line.  One book doesn't really do justice to the theme, and might have been a series if the authors had so decided.  All in all, it's rather a restless story that some might find appealing.  However, it does win Cover of the Month.

Cover of the Month for September, by Romas Kulkalis. 

Next came Volume 2 of Harry Harrison's Stars and Stripes series, called Stars and Stripes In Peril.  Though devious Brits are up to no good, and looking for revenge against Americans after their defeat in Vol 1.  Harrison has concocted one of his best series here, and I zoomed through Vol 2 as easily as Vol 1.  There is very little variation in the quality of Harrison's writing--let's just say that he has the knack and loves to use it.  High adventure and fun to read!

Kenneth Bulmer has written a winning series about the British navy in the time of the Napoleonic wars.  Set mostly in the Mediterranean Sea, the series of 14 books called Fox are must reads for Bulmer fans, as these might be his best books, and fairly consistent in quality.  #7 was called Court Martial, as Fox gets his reward from the British navy for risking his life, saving his crew, and picking up after the mess left by his captain.  Hilarious in one way, but quite believable.  Bulmer's sense of humour is at its best in these books, too.  I love books about the sea that have a great authenticity about them, and these books rank highly.

Next came another group of stories by E C Tubb.  Though I still have a massive SF series of his to read (Dumarest saga), I am reading his other stuff first, and mostly enjoying his short story writing.  Mirror of the Night is a collection of ten of his weird stories, many published in the 50s and 60s in Weird Tales magazine.  At least three of the tales are worth reading.  They include "The Ancient Alchemist," "The Artist's Model," and "Sell Me A Dream."  In this last tale, a man hunts through junk shops to find something worthwhile.  He eventually does find something of considerable interest.  Like a story by Dunsany.  The first two are traditional ghost stories, but well told.

I have read all of the novels of Jack Williamson, and what a fantastic adventure it was!  I am now reading his shorter fiction from the early 30s, but I found People Machines in my collection, a group of 9 stories written between 1939-1969.  The author discusses writing technique (he taught SF writing at a New Mexico university) and how it is applied to short story writing, with each story illustrating one or more of the techniques discussed beforehand.  The best story is called Jamboree, and is from 1969.  Have you ever been to Girl Guide or Scout camp?  Me neither, and this story reminds me how glad I am never to have gone.  Both humourous and horrifying at the same time, this is a very good story.  Other good stories abound.  I will only mention one more,"Starbright," from 1939.  A man acquires a small piece of a meteor in his brain, and it gives him almost magical powers.  The first part, dealing with the man's family and financial problems, is quite priceless.  A fun story.

Next I read An Alien Heat, Michael Moorcock's first book in his "Dancers At The End of Time" series.  The action takes place a million years in the future, amidst the most decadent society ever imagined on paper.  Jherek Carnelian is the main character.  We first meet him at a lakeside picnic with his mother.  Here we discover that Jherek was "born," something that appears to be a rare event in this time.  Next we attend a grand party, where the full picture of the decadence of the age is fully illuminated.  We follow the adventures of Jherek that lead from the events of the party, until he is hung for murder in 1896.  In between, quite a bit happens.  The book, while mostly refreshing, is quite tedious in places, especially as it deals with Jherek's naivete when he returns to the 19th C to look for a woman, who was sent back to her time.  It becomes very tiring, and we are often reminded of the Eloi in the film version of "The Time Machine."  Jherek has no skills whatsoever in dealing with events in the 19th C, and becomes even less than a child in the hands of people from that era.  He is incapable of dealing effectively with any situation that arises.  For even a child would learn minute by minute, and begin to deal more effectively with events than Jherek ever does.  So at times one wishes to throw the book against the wall.  Be warned.

Barry Malzberg again teams up with Bill Pronzini in Acts of Mercy, a murder mystery from 1977.  Who is murdering the opponents of the current President?  Is it the First Lady?  Is it the President himself?  Is it a secret service agent?  A friend? Foe?  Read and find out.  A good yarn, and easy to read.

I am running low on books by Harry Harrison and Jack Williamson, and will soon have only six authors remaining.  I can also the see the end of the Silverberg books approaching.

Turning to books off the shelf and sitting around on my Kindle, I read one actual physical book and three from Kindle.  The 7 Wonders is by Steven Saylor.  I use to e-mail Steven a long time ago, before I realized how major an author he was (tons of books published).  He had a website about sword and sandal movies, such as Hercules, as we had some fun discussions.  Then I began getting notifications from him regarding books of his being published, about a character in ancient Rome called Gordianus.  Gordianus is a detective, possibly the fictional world's first big solver of mysteries and murders.  His books are set in ancient Rome, and he deals with actual events happening as his stories develop.  We both have read many of his books.  The present book tells of a journey Gordianus made when he was 17-19, with a trusted scholar, to see the 7 ancient wonders of the world.  The book is extremely well researched and great fun to read.  First published as a serious of short stories, he has grouped them chronologically and added material to sew them together.  In addition to visiting all 7 ancient wonders, we also spend a lot of time in Alexandria, so the lighthouse and library are included.  This book caused me to dig out a Thames and Hudson book I bought many year ago in London, UK, called 70 Wonders of the Ancient World.  I read the section pertaining to the 7 Wonders, and am now carrying on reading the rest of the book, one wonder at a time.  Great fun (and educational, too)!

Turning to Delphi Classics complete works of authors (which continue to come out with new titles every month), I read three.  First up was an epic 3 volume novel by George MacDonald.  His second novel is called David Elginbrod, from 1863.  It is supposed to be one his less overtly Christian works.  Oh boy, but there is still a lot of Christianity in it, especially the further one reads.  The author is against most churches and preachers, the less imaginative the worse things get for him.  He ties in Nature to God most strongly, and seems to get at a truer Christianity that most Christians and churches ever do.  I first came across MacDonald from the Ballantine Fantasy series, where he contributed three books, including Phantastes (his first novel, and absolutely fabulous), Lilith, and a book of shorter novellas which Lin Carter named Evenor, agains which is totally worth seeking and reading.  I have also read a children's fantasy novel by him called At The Back of the North Wind.  So I already have some experience with the author.

 

The first volume of  David Elginbrod has a setting in rural Aberdeenshire, and remains there for the entire time.  This part in itself makes the novel worth seeking out, with its limited, barren setting, and very small number of characters.  The reading can be a bit of a tough go, however, since he writes dialogue in local dialect.  The author provides a vast glossary at the back from Scots to English, but I dinna pay no attention to it.  At first it is pretty slow going, and some sentences passed right over my head.  But after a while I began to get the gist, and could score 50% understanding much of the time.  Luckily, the rest of the book is in a more normal English.  Volume Two moves us on to a rural area close to London, and eventually we get to London itself.  Later, the novel becomes part ghost story and part mesmerism, as one of the leading ladies succumbs to the evil power of a man from the continent.  All in all this is a truly amazing story, even though it takes a long time to get through it (around 650 pages, with about 200 of those having some very tricky dialect).  The settings and characters are written so strongly that they will likely never be forgotten by readers.

 

Next came a short novel by Arthur Machen.  The Terror (1917) is written on a similar theme to Hitchcock's film The Birds, but on a much wider scale.  Not only birds rebel against humans in Machen's horror story, but bees, horses, sheep, cows, and especially moths and rats!  What I found truly remarkable about the story (which could make the scariest film ever made) were the reasons people came up with to explain what was happening.  They capture what true paranoia actually is, as people would believe the strangest ideas of something that is truly unexplainable and beyond experience.  Quite a harrowing read.

 

I finished up with an early novel by Richard Marsh, from 1893.  Part farce, part Looney tunes cartoon, and part horror story, The Devil's Diamond is a novel unique in my experience.  A priceless diamond with supernatural powers must be given away, and not sold.  While in possession of this diamond, the worst of bad luck will happen to its owner.  With many laugh out loud scenes, as well as some that will make the hair on your head stand up, the only other author I know who can do this sort of thing as well is Eric Frank Russell.  If you are looking for something fun to read, and well off the beaten track, look no further than this story about a rich business man who thinks (at first) that been given the diamond by his deceased brother is the best thing to have ever happened to him.  Like when the hunter Elmer Fudd first spots wabbit twacks.

 

In viewing news, which will be discussed in more detail in my next post, we have finally turned our attention to Prime Video's The Rings of Power.  We watched episode one last night, and by the end of the weekend we will have seen five.  If the first episode is any indication, we have a major winner on our hands....

 

Mapman Mike