Are we sure it's not winter yet?

In February of this year, I posted a Judy Collins song called “The Blizzard.” We again find ourselves in a blanket of white. So I was not surprised when I began humming that beautiful song Monday as we drove back through wooded areas of Connecticut that “sparkled like diamonds.” It truly was a magnificent sight.

Again this week I had to skip my music class! I am afraid I have not learned all that much about Beethoven this term. We will not meet for the next two weeks, which leaves just one more session for this term in early January. The weather so far does not bode well for that session. Who says winter starts on December 22^nd? If all that white covering our yard is not winter, I fear what lies ahead!

But finally today the weather is showing signs of improvement. It is sunny outside and the temperature is headed to above freezing. Meanwhile, I made a big pot of vegetable soup, motivated by the weather and by the anticipated need following some dental work Barry is having this week.

At the end of the day we went to see the movie “Nebraska.” Woody Grant (played by Bruce Dern) is an older man whose brain is on the decline. Woody receives a letter telling him that he has won one million dollars in a sweepstakes which he must claim in Lincoln, Nebraska. Although his wife and two grown sons try to explain to him that this is not for real and beg him not to go, he refuses to believe them and begins making his way to Lincoln from his home in Montana. His younger son David (played by Will Forte, who some of you may remember as one of the Saturday Night Live regulars from 2002-2010) decides to join his father on this journey, primarily to try to help keep him safe.  

Along the way, they stop to visit Woody’s brother and sister-in-law and their two sons, and see many of Woody’s relatives and old friends. When they hear that Woody is traveling to claim his prize, one by one they begin making demands that he help them financially, even making up stories of how he “owes” them for money they in fact never gave to him. Eventually, the extended family and friends find out that Woody has fallen for a scam. Woody and David make it to Lincoln, and Woody must finally accept what has happened.

The movie was shot in black and white. There are no beautiful scenic vistas here; only a bleak open countryside filled with poor and unhappy people who might as well be living in the early 20^th century rather than the early 21^st. The ending is not quite as dark as this all sounds, but I do not want to spoil it for any of you who might have a chance to see this film, which we heartily recommend. The acting was superb. Bruce Dern makes Woody seem very real, and June Squibb (not at all a familiar face to us) is excellent as Woody’s wife, Kate. What makes this movie so compelling is the Bruce Dern character, Woody. Although there were some plot twists and circumstances that seemed contrived, Woody reflected a very real situation with which many families must deal.

If you are reading this on Wednesday evening before 9 pm on the US East Coast, you can tune in to a live 20-minute internet David Roth concert by clicking here

 Concert Window

Have a nice evening!

Love,

Rebecca