FUSION Speech and Debate Showcase

Hello, friends! It is an absolutely gorgeous day today and I am enjoying it immensely. I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I talked to all three of my handsome, precious sons, who bless me so much.

Hubby and I enjoyed a unique treat recently, when we attended the FUSION Speech Showcase. Fusion stands for "Floridians Using Speech to Influence Our Nation," and it is a Speech and Debate Chapter of the Institute for Cultural Communication. Don't worry, I had never heard of it either, until our nieces got involved. They've been going for months and working really hard; this showcase was a sort of "recital," but the kids had to audition to recite in it. The standards are very tough.

It's a little difficult to explain the evening exactly. The kids performed what some might call skits, but not exactly that. If you are familiar with Anne of Green Gables, you'll remember the gatherings where people would recite poems and things. It was more like that. The kids, either singly, in duos, or sometimes in a larger group, use their voices, facial expressions and body language to dramatize something. They don't use props or costumes; they act the material out. Sometimes they've written the material themselves, but not always. Sometimes the recitation was comical, other times dramatic. I laughed and I cried! This was a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining evening; and I am pleased to say that there are some very impressive young people (in this chapter, home-educated) learning how to communicate compellingly!

This was also a fund-raiser for the Gabriel House, which is a local "Christian home for abandoned, displaced, underprivileged, and medically needy children." And I do mean home; this is a loving couple who sponsor children in their home, find adoptive homes for them, and often adopt the children themselves. They accept no government funds, and they are not an institution. But over the past 20 years they have been rescuing children, getting them medical treatment, seeing them adopted, and also loving them.

Altogether an excellent evening!

Just Stuff

I had a splendid Mother's Day! First and foremost, all three of our "boys" (who are really men, but hey, I'm a Mom and they'll always be my boys), came over. We had a wonderful visit, both all together, and individually. We always have a great time when we get together, with lots of conversation and laughter. Then I always enjoy them individually as well. They are so unique and endlessly interesting. Our oldest son had Engagement photos to show us, that were just wonderful. I am putting my order in for several! He also gave me texting lessons, since I didn't have a clue. I'm really bad at it, as it turns out, but at least now I understand how to do it! You never know when I might need that information, and I appreciate the patient lessons. Then we had a good talk, which is a rare treat these days. I am so gonna miss him when he moves away to begin his married life.

Our middle son brought me some beautiful plants that I am so excited about! One is a Dipladenia, which I have been wanting for years, with big, pink, trumpet-shaped flowers. We got it planted yesterday, right where I can see it from the kitchen and back porch. There's another one with pretty, yellow flowers; I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it's beautiful. I love plants with yellow flowers. They are always just like sunshine. Hubby is making a special place for me to plant it in front of lattice. He (son) even brought a little pot of red gerbera daisies, that I'm keeping in my kitchen. They are so cheerful! He was the recipient of my practice texts, as well, and exhibited great patience with my silly messages. He is such a generous man.

Our youngest brought some beautiful Nepalese pottery. You light a candle in the bottom, and the little bowl in the top holds a scented cube (White Chocolate Berries! Smells heavenly). It went straight in to my new bathroom, for use during a leisurely bath. He was his usual cheerful, thoughtful self, which I find a very pleasant combination!

I am so proud of our boys, they are strong, sweet, intelligent, funny, amazing Christian men, and I love 'em to pieces. I am very happy and proud to be their Mother. I also enjoyed spending time with my own mother and my mother in law, both of whom I am cherishing more as the time with them grows shorter.


Thanks be to God, it is finally raining! It has been so, so dry. Spring is always dry, but they are saying this was the driest spring in 75 years, and everything has been screaming for rain. There have been such terrible fires, including the one above, behind the golf course and near the Nature Center, a few miles from our house. Roads have been closed, including major ones like Alligator Alley, which is the preferred route from the west coast to the east. Recently, when we were watering our poor, thirsty plants, hubby started noticing movement from every direction. To our amazement, small lizards began running over, along and beneath the fence, straight to the water. They were licking it off leaves and out of small puddles, and there were dozens of them. We've never seen that before! The summer rains are quite early this year, and we are very grateful. During the hot, humid days, the clouds gradually begin to build up larger and darker in the sky, until, with an impressive roll of thunder, the wind freshens and the rains come pouring down. I love storms, and I love the huge, fluffy clouds; I would be quite content in heaven just to float around on my own, special cloud for a few thousand years. For now, I'm content to watch them rolling lazily along above me, bringing the promise of much needed rain.

Funny Movie Reviews

Our middle son gave me this little strawberry candle in its adorable little red crock, for Mother's Day.
He's the son we call "Blockbuster" because he knows all the good movies. He gave me "Madagascar" for Mother's Day, which is a hilarious movie. Here are some mini-reviews of some of the movies he's given me, plus a couple more that I found absolutely hilarious, just in case you missed them. The first 3 are animated.

"Madagascar" is about zoo animals that escape to the wild. If you pay attention, you'll catch sly nods to a lot of different movies sprinkled throughout. The penguins and the lemur king are highlights.

"The Emporer's New Groove" is about a bratty emporer who is turned in to a llama. It kind of made me think of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" in the way it appeals to kids and adults and is clever. The character of Kronk is a definite highlight.

"Flushed Away" is about a rich, up-town mouse who gets flushed down his toilet ("Poor little Roddy, flushed down his own potty"). It is hysterical! Lots of sight gags. The scene where the mouse has fun with the little girl's toys is a highlight, but the french frogs and the mime with the cell phone steal the show.

"Johnny English" is about a James Bond Wanna-Be played by Rowan Atkinson (of Mr. Bean fame). If you don't mind lots of jokes about bottoms, you'll probably laugh yourself silly. A little like the old Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers.

"The Importance of Being Ernest" is based on Oscar Wilde's play. This version was made in 2002 and stars Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy!!!), Judi Dench, and others. It isn't as funny as the other movies, but it is fun. There is one picture of a naked lady in an old book, and there is a young lady who gets a tattoo on her bottom. It's just a light romantic comedy/farce.

Ten Thousand Villages

I went to a little shop locally called "He, She and Me." It is a delightful shop, part customized clothing, part coffee shop and part showroom for craftsmanship from all over the world. A great deal of the very artful displays consists of merchandise from Ten Thousand Villages. This is a way for true craftsman from every corner of the world to sell their art for fair market value. The variety and beauty of the items is truly amazing. The craftsmanship is impressive. And the prices are very reasonable. With each item comes a Romance Card, telling a little about how the item is made. There is jewelry, scarves, candle holders, vases and teapots and baskets, musical instruments, planters, stationery, journals and photo albums, pictures made of straw, Faberge eggs and stacking dolls from Russia, and on and on it goes. I bought a little paperweight, made of a river rock from Vietnam. The artist puts 8 coats of varnish and iron oxide, with each coat taking up to a week to dry. Then he painted the koi and covered it all with a clear coat. It's so smooth and unique! Going to the shop is like visiting an art museum, only with pieces you can actually afford to buy. Especially since I got gift cards to the shop from my youngest son for Mother's Day!

Bella

My son got me a movie for Mother's Day, called "Bella," that I had never heard anything about. But I have reason to trust my son's taste, so that night my husband and I watched it. It was wonderful, and I can heartily recommend it. I can't tell a lot about it, it is better if it unfolds naturally, but I can say there is a young man who is a very good soccer player, until a tragedy occurs, and there is a young woman who finds herself pregnant, to her dismay. Then a story unfolds that is worth the telling. There are two small things that took a moment to get used to. One was that even though this is a movie without foul language, it does have a lot of conversation in Spanish, so you have to read the English if that is all you speak. Also, it does jump around some, but you quickly get oriented, and it is somewhat necessary to the story.

Another thing, though not a flaw, is that this is an adult movie. Now, by that I do NOT mean what passes for "adult" now - i.e. for immature jerks who ought to be old enough to know better. Instead this is a story for real adults, mature, responsible people. There is no sex, bad language, or cruel behavior. It does have real love, family, and compassion. But still it is not for children. If you choose to watch it with a spouse or friend, I think you will be glad you did. Then, after you watch it, google it and read some of the interviews with the writer or actor, which will reveal things that enrich it even more.