Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

What-ho, all, and how are you doing on this fine November day?  (That is, I hope it's a fine November day when I publish this post.  The chances of my actually checking the weather before doing so are very slim.  I suppose I'll have to take my chances.) (**Publishing edit:  It is currently Dark of Night™, so who's to say whether the weather is fine or not?  Alas for holiday seasons and work schedules and school deadlines which necessitate these ungodly hours of Past Ten PM™.) As many of you probably already know, 2023 has been the 100th anniversary year of Walt Disney Animation Studios.  Like so many others, I count Disney movies as some of the most fun and influential media of my childhood, so I wanted to be sure to celebrate a century of the studio in some way before year-end.  (I've also managed to eke out at least one post per month this year, and I'm determined to finish strong with that trend, so here I am, sliding onto home base just under the w...

First of all:  A gentle hug for all of those to whom this day brings more pain than joy.  For those who have lost children, for those who have lost fathers, for those who wish they could have a closer connection to their child or their father, for those who have been abused by their child or their father, for those who — for whatever reason at all — just have a complicated relationship with this day.   You are inexpressibly loved. ♥ Greetings, gremlins!  Having celebrated my favorite fictional mamas last month, I would be remiss if I didn't give The Boys™ the same treatment, wouldn't I? This list was actually harder to finalize than the last one, and I'm still not 100% satisfied with who made the final cut and who was relegated to the Honorable Mentions category, but we're gonna go with it.  The title promises "a few of my favorite fictional fathers," right? 😉 ⸻  ⸻  ⸻ ❀ Jacob Whitting ❀ Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991); Sarah, Plain and Tall:...

First of all:  A gentle hug for all of those to whom this day brings more pain than joy.  For those who have lost children, for those who have lost mothers, for those who wish they could have a closer connection to their child or their mother, for those who have been abused by their child or their mother, for those who — for whatever reason at all — just have a complicated relationship with this day.  You are inexpressibly loved. ♥ Happy Mother's Day, my little munchkins!  In honor of the holiday, I wanted to spotlight some of my favorite mamas in the realm of fiction.  This is a small sampling, and there are, of course, several other maternal characters for whom I harbor deep affection. 😉 In the interests of narrowing down the list, I tried to confine this post to characters who are either introduced to the story as mothers or whose maternal role is one of their most significant contributions to the story.  That's why I'm not including the lovely ladies p...

Hello again, and happy September! My good friend Rachel has kindly nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award, and what better way to (theoretically) get back into the groove of blogging than with a nice, laidback Q&A?  Thank you, Rachel! Rules List the award’s official rules Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog Thank the person who nominated you   Provide a link to your nominator’s blog Answer your nominator’s questions Nominate up to 11 bloggers Ask your nominees 11 questions Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts Rachel's Questions 1. What was your favorite movie when you were 10 years old? Spirit:  Stallion of the Cimarron , because I had Taste™. 2. What's your favorite movie now? My Fair Lady , because — I flatter myself — I still have Taste™. 😉 Joking aside, though, it's actually interesting:  I enjoy several of my other top favorite films more.  I turn to The Parent Trap (1998) and You've Got...

I have, in fact, done this post before.  (And you can read it here , if you absolutely must.)  But it's extremely outdated, so for the past little while I've been compiling a more accurate list. And then, lo and behold, Cordy's annual Lovely Blog Party rolled around, providing the perfect opportunity for actually publishing said list.  (Everyone, thank Cordy for making this possible. *polite clapping ensues*  And be sure to head over to her blog to join the party!) For this post, I'm refining my options with the following filters: 1.  Movies must be entirely contemporary:  which, for my purposes, I am defining as being set anywhere from the 1990s to the present day. 2.  Movies must be entirely "real-world" — which, in this instance, means that there can be no magical or fantastical elements.  (Hence why Penelope isn't on this list.) 3.  Movies must be entirely or primarily comedic in style.  For example, I debated putting  The Mirr...

Also known as, two lovely Christmas tags. 😉 Yes indeedy, two dear friends have both passed me holiday tags!  I don't often double up on tag/award posts, but since we're already halfway through December, it seemed like the best move. 😛   First, let's start with Heidi's tag:  the 12 Delights of Christmas . 1. A favorite Christmas tradition? Watching The Sound of Music on New Year's Eve! 😃💕 2. Say it snowed at your domicile, would you prefer to go out or stay curled up inside? Ideally, I'd have a whole day in which to do both!  It's actually snowing as I write this (😍), and I'm hoping/planning to go outside for picture-taking and hiking, as well as to spend Quite A Bit of time reading in an easy chair.  3. Tea or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, for sure. 4. Favorite Christmas colors (i.e. white, blue, silver, gold, red and green etc)? I really can't decide . . . in terms of combos, probably white and green.  But I also need some splashes of multi-col...