The Bleak Midwinter

It's cold enough for winter, but at least it's sunny and virtually snowless out there, beyond the coziness of Lone Mountain Homestead.  We have very few plans for the holidays, other than the usual: reading, practicing piano (one of us; the other one is making an animated film), watching films, hoping for clear nights with usable temperatures, and doing some gaming.  The exception is this Friday, when we will visit Detroit.  There is a fun film event at the DIA that day that we would like to attend.

 

In local news we enjoyed, as usual, our Winter Solstice party for two.  This is our longest event of the year, and it runs from about 7:30 am until around 10 pm.  This year we not only saw the sunrise (it is reborn!) but also the sunset.  That is a rare happening here at this cloudy time of year. 

Solstice sunrise, looking southeast from our rear picture window.  The sun rises here at 7:58, but we didn't see it until almost 15 minutes later.    

 

At sunrise we first noticed it on the top of our tallest tree, a white pine we planted many years ago.  The pine cones sparkled with a golden hue as if they were lights on the tree.  We had put up our indoor decorations the night before.  Besides an all-day wood fire in our living room fireplace there was good food and drink aplenty.  And there was Wagner.  This year we chose the next opera on our to-do list.  Wagner only wrote one comic opera, the same one that is his only opera with no supernatural elements to the story.  Die Mastersinger von Nurnberg also happens to be his longest opera, and the only one of which we have no recording on the premises.  Spotify to the rescue!  We were able to listen to all 4 CDS by playing it on the computer, with blue tooth relaying the sound to our stereo speaker system.  It took us most of the day to get through its 4 1/2 hours.  It is a very funny opera, and great fun to listen to.  Deb had downloaded a pdf English translation and we were able to follow along.  The opera has much to say about music and, of course, a united Germany and its old traditions.

This is the version we listened to, courtesy of Spotify.  We have a free account. 

 

I mentioned gaming a ways back.  We began our 11 days of gaming with two games of Carcassonne.  First game just a regular game, which Deb won handily.  Then we played adding the Robbers to the scenario.  I won, just.  We will need to play the playoff game soon.  Today (Sunday) we will play Middle Earth: The Wizards collectible card game, also part of a series.  We also made some progress on Tengami, our current PC game.  And I am nearly finished with Road To India, a mystery adventure game.  A problem arose where the game crashed just at the end of a movie, as the next section tried to load.  I finally had to download a saved game file so that I could restart my play once the game had loaded properly.  But they worked fine, and I should, hopefully, be able to complete the game.

 

Late on Solstice morning, with its long shadows.  Note the tiny bit of snow!

My Solstice beverage of choice, collected on our autumn road trip. 

 

The Detroit River was busy with ships today. 

 

Our wood fire, kept going today from 8:30 am until about 5:30 pm.  

We sat here and listened to opera.

 

Solstice susnet, 2024.

Solstice sunset with passing ship, one of five ships that I watch year round.

The Federal Bering had been in Detroit.  This is a salty, and during the year it travels to Europe, the Mediterranean, and South America.  Good by Bering until next year.
  

On the subject of opera for a few moments longer, we got to see Maria, a 2024 film starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, the Greek opera singing sensation.  Somehow Mubi got hold of it, even before it is being released worldwide.  We get to see the final week of Callas's life, her downward trend accelerated by drug addiction and depression.  She was also addicted to being admired, and needed to be noticed wherever she went.  Through flashbacks we get to see other key moments in her life.  She began singing in childhood, and was traumatized by the abuse of soldiers who not only used her for sex, but made her sing first.  While her older sister was able to "close the door" on this sad episode of their lives, Maria was never able to.  Her affair with Onassis is given a lot of coverage, as well as her attempt to return to the stage.  Having lost a lot of weight quickly in later life, it likely affected her ability to sing.  Jolie does some of the singing herself, though the greatest moments are lip synced with Callas performing.  She is capable in the role, though she is unable to garner much sympathy from viewers for her character.  Callas was not really a very nice person.  At least today we can still enjoy her many recordings, including some done in her prime.  Recommended for music fans, but not for Tomb Raider fans, unless they love opera.

Now showing on Mubi.

We also watched My Blueberry Nights, a romantic comedy from 2007.  Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai made his first English film about two people who meet, then separate for a year, and then get back together.  He runs a small cafe in New York, while she has just learned that her boyfriend has dumped her for another girl.  She goes often to the cafe (pie and ice cream) and they talk.  She feels that she has to leave, and heads to Memphis, then out west and on to Nevada, before finally returning to the cafe in the final scene.  She writes him letters, but never leaves an address, so he is unable to find her.  Her adventures on the road as a waitress in different locations make up the bulk of the movie.  Highly recommended, with good writing and acting.

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bunuel

Turning first to dental news (always popular with my readers), Deb has had a tooth bothering her for many months now, an upper rear molar.  It really began to make itself noticed last Friday.  It was a long weekend, so she had to suffer until Tuesday morning, when she was able to call for an appointment.  She got one for today--Thursday--at 3 pm.  She was back out at the car by 3:45 pm.  She has been referred to an oral surgeon, who will remove the tooth, someday soon she hopes.  Her consultation with that doctor is next Wednesday.  Our family dentist took some pressure off the upper tooth by filing down the lower one, which has helped considerably.  The area is infected, so she is on antibiotics for 9 days, 4x daily.  Except for the drugs, this is all out of pocket expense for us, as we have no dental plan.  It's been a weird month for unexpected expenses, including our faulty garage door spring.  Our eave troughs also were installed, to the tune of $2700.  I am paying a small fortune to have my book translated into French, and we are trying to enter Deb's newest film into a major festival each month.  On it goes.  Good thing we are extremely rich, on our half pensions.

It has been raining lately, and we got caught in a major downpour returning from Windsor this afternoon.  The Homestead grass is growing much faster than bamboo, and the humidity feels tropical.  Next comes the extreme heat, due to last for a while.

A group of high speed cyclists zooms past the Homestead.  I was sitting on our front steps awaiting a ship to pass by on the Detroit River.  As can be seen in the photo, once things are leafed out our view is somewhat obstructed.

The Federal Bering is one of five ships I watch constantly on my marine traffic website page.  Flagged from the Marshall Islands, this ocean going ship is an occasional visitor to the upper Great Lakes.  Making its first pass of the new season, it is heading for Windsor, where it will load up with salt.  It came most recently from northern Scotland, and I was able to follow its journey day by day.  It was last seen passing downstream on October 30th, 2021. 

Turning to film (next week I'll discuss books read), we have watched 3 good films since my last report.  First from Mexico came Danzon, a harmless and very charming film from 1991, by female director Maria Novarro.  It's about a woman who leaves her job and teenage daughter in Mexico City to search for her older male dancing partner, whom she believes might be in Vera Cruz.  There isn't very much plot, but the lead actress has great charisma and is a natural in front of the camera, making the film easy and fun to watch.  Recommended for fun and relaxing viewing.

Now showing on Criterion. 

I chose Viridiana, the 1961 film by Bunuel.  Filmed in Spain, it was never allowed to be screened there, after the church complained about it.  It won the main prize at Cannes, however, and today is regarded as his masterpiece.  There are 4 extras that come with it on Criterion, including an interview with the actress who played Viridiana, the virgin who inherits her uncle's estate (along with his son), and tries to convert a part of it to a place to house and feed the extremely poor.  The film is easy to watch, very funny in places, and totally devastating in others.  The uncle (played by Fernando Rey) dies early on by suicide, after attempting to seduce the extremely religious Viridiana, his niece.  She is expressionless and without much emotion throughout the film, seeing herself as a mother figure to the poor and downtrodden.  Rich with symbolism (The Last Supper) and filled with scenes that cannot be forgotten once seen, this b & w film still packs a punch over 60 years later.

Now showing on Criterion, in a pristine print. 

Lastly comes The Bandit, from 1946, from the same director that brought forth the 1949 Italian film The Mill on the Po.  This story takes place immediately after the war, when Italian prisoners are returning to their homes by train.  It is winter and very dismal.  Two army buddies bid adieu to one another.  One returns to his farm and his young daughter, but Ernesto is soon embroiled with a violent outlaw gang that robs and kills, just managing to stay one step ahead of the law.  This film is a classic sleeper, seen by hardly anyone but worth viewing both because of its fine story, and its stark view of post war Italy.  Starring Anna Magnani as a woman not to be crossed.

Showing on Criterion until May 31st. 

We've also being watching various lecture courses on Wondrium.  I am nearly done with the SF course, and we are about half way through the archeology of North America.  Deb is also watching a botany course.  And we are into the second season of Undone, showing on Amazon, an amazing animated fantasy series we started watching just before the pandemic struck.  Season 2 finally made it, and it's quite as good as the first season.

Now showing on Prime. 

Later.

Mapman Mike