Can't wait to get to Heaven

Aunt Elner and the positivity of life in a wonderful book by Fannie Flagg 

Aunt Elner is for sure a remarkable character. What it is mainly impressive reading "Cant' wait to get to Heaven" (it's the title of a beautiful song)  is to find and discover a lady like aunt Elner, able to be friend with everyone, always helpful always there for everyone. Enthusiastic of life, she will be in grade of intriguing people, let them choose a certain path in their life because of her enthusiasm and passions for various topic, like for example electricity.

Someone incredibly active although her age is not anymore close to the 20s  but to the 90s, able to put life and biggest questions of life like: what was born at first, the egg or the chicken? in an open confrontation with friends and relatives.

Don't laugh: it's  a very serious question and you will see that every answer you will give there will be some contradictions. Yes because....The egg can be born before the chicken but so...Who the hell created the egg? And if your answer will be the chicken, ok, wow, great, but....Who gave the life to the chicken? The chicken was at first a mammals and only later there was a mutation? We don't know. It's one of the biggest uncertainties of life. Ready for obtaining an answer from some scientist.

Curious, intrigued by life, aunt Elner, very religious, discovers once Discovery Channel putting in serious discussion the Holy Bible's written Word. "But so the story of Adam an Eve is not true considering the story of the Man described on that tv program?" she asks one day by phone to a relative.

She feed up various animals she loves so badly. Aunt Elner doesn't kill any animals. They're all religiously protected.


Well this one and much much much more is aunt Elner a positive lady like also all the other ladies and men protagonists of this book.

The story starts when aunt Elner falls from the ladder while she is picking up from the fiji tree some fijis for additional jam. And once fall she is devastated by a bunch of wasps.

While relatives, neighbors, friends, are all sad and astonished for the departure of aunt Elner, she flies away......


In a world of Beatitude, In Heaven talking with Dorothy and also trying to eat a piece of caramel cake. Oh well Dorothy had a radio program once and aunt Elner in the remote past didn't lose any Dorothy's show. This lady gave suggestions to the housewives, with great tips, advice, wonderful recipes. Of course she is dead. Like also Ginger Rogers and Edison. Two wonderful people. Aunt Elner is never worried for being there or for being dead or because she left her relatives and friends. She starts to be comfy with Dorothy and her caramel cake...But her trip to Earth is not yet finished....


The book needs to be discovered. I would be seriously tempted of telling to you more. Let's say that aunt Elner and her ulterior passage  back to the Earth will (again) change for better the existence of all her dear ones.

At the end what we can simply do, is to add the well Heavenly Caramel Cake offered by Dorothy to aunt Elner in Paradise.



Neighbor Dorothy's Heavenly Caramel Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,

1 3/4 cups cake flour (sift before measuring)

Resift with 1 cup brown sugar

Add:

1/2 cup soft butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla


Beat for three minutes. Bake in greased pan for 1/2 hour





Caramel frosting




2 tablespoon cake flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cip brown sugar

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix cake flour and milk. Cook to a thick paste over slow flame. Cool.

Cream sugars and vanilla with butter and shortening. Beat until light and fluffy. Blend in salt. Mix in cooled paste.- Beat until fluffy. Should look like whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Guido, la fisarmonica e il tempo che fu

 Ricordiamo la recente scomparsa di Guido Smacchia, di Pietralunga

Profondo cordoglio espresso dai pasqualari di Calfrate e di Salceto Lame e da tutta la popolazione pietralunghese per la scomparsa di Guido Smacchia, 88 anni classe 1926 il cui funerale molto sentito e partecipato è stato celebrato il 10 marzo alle 16 del pomeriggio a Pietralunga presso la chiesa di Santa Maria. La messa officiata da don Salvatore è stata commovente e sentita. Guido era nato a Col di Cistone località di Morena. Tanti i ricordi che affollano le persone. Bruna Polidori (mia mamma) di Morena era stata un'amica d'infanzia e adolescenza del suonatore di fisarmonica come verrà sempre ricordato.

Ci racconti qualche aneddoto Bruna.

 "Che bello quando andavamo a ballare nella loro grande cucina a Col di Cistone o da qualche altra parte. Guido era nato Morena e aveva questo suo talento per la musica. Era lui il suonatore che ci faceva muovere i piedi a tempo di musica durante tutte le serate danzanti. Guido suonava la fisarmonica sin da giovanissimo. Inoltre con Guido, i suoi fratelli e le sue sorelle  e altre mie amiche del posto "paravamo" le pecore tutti assieme. Guarda: loro avevano anche le vaccine".

Un altro aneddoto che Bruna ricorda con grande piacere: "Le spiazze di cotta".

Che cos'erano?

 "Dei luoghi dove veniva lavorato e appoggiato il carbone. Una volta che il carbone veniva venduto usavamo questi luoghi così chiamati, spiazze di cotta, per ballare tutti insieme. Parliamo di ballare dentro un bosco, con tanto di fisarmonica di Guido, assieme ai suoi fratelli, alle sue sorelle, alle mie amiche Dela e Jolanda, alla sua adorata ragazza Maria detta la "Mariola" che viveva alle Frontaglie ancora".

 Tanti gli amici e le amiche di Guido che ne ricordano il bell'esempio, la gioia e la felicità che ha regalato loro con serate danzanti, amicizia e giovialità. Quello che ci auguriamo è che Guido  riproponga in Paradiso per le anime più buone della nostra zona ormai scomparse  e per il diletto del Signore queste suonate. Sono certa che tutti quelli di qui ormai lassù lo stavano aspettando  per rimembrare l'angolo di Terra dove un giorno i loro spiriti avevano conosciuto gioie, dolori, felicità, afflizione e tanta musica grazie a Guido.

                                        Alla famiglia vanno le più sentite condoglianze.

                                                            Anna Maria Polidori

Alice through the Looking-glass looked through director Bobin's eyes

Bobin: "People must say at the end of the movie I loved to be in this place". 

What a big success it was Alice in Wonderland's production by Disney directed by


 Tim Burton

 and starring

Johnny Depp.







 A real big, huge massive success for Disney Company in 2010.

 The company with this move reached two billions of dollars thanks to the international worldwide box office. Not bad at all.

As maybe you'll know very early Disney will produce another sequel of the movie considering that the Carroll's books involving the adventures of Alice are two: Alice in Wonderland and


Alice through the Looking-glass


The second book couldn't be left all alone, don't you think so?
And so here we are again-

Starring

Johnny Depp

 in the role of the Mad Hatter

 and Mia Wasikowska as Alice  the Disney is ready and enthusiastically launched for another trip in the underland and in the purest fantasy thanks to Carroll and the incredibly imaginative adventures lived by Alice in this second book.

The sequel will be released may 27, 2016.

Talking with the director emerged from him a serious, real and incredible passion for Lewis Carrol's fantastic and imaginative world.

James Bobin




 talked of another passion, movies apart: “The thing about me is that my secret passion is history". 

Bobin in fact studied history to the university and his wife is  a historian to. Alice in Wonderland was created by Lewis Carrol during the Victorian age. It was in fact released nov 26th 1865 and it is indispensable to re-create the fascinating world of that historical stunning moment. And Bobin knows it.

The director in fact added something of important.



  "Alice is set in a Victorian fantasy land". And it means that there will be for sure certain characteristics, bits and relevant ideas the director will want to develop on screen. 

Bobin: "There’s no limits to new ideas to use to create a fantastical world. Plus the Victorian age...".

James Bobin told about his previous movies and what it moves his soul.

 "My movies have a lot of historical context.

He also said he is a

"Huge fan of ruins".

"You see a lot of ruin work in my movies. I love ruins".

That's why Bobin is thrilled for Alice Through the Looking-Glass: "It is not just a historical movie but also a fantastical one. Like a fantasy world".

Thrilled he revealed: "I couldn't pass it up.It’s one of the things I really wanted to do, and I’m also a huge fan of Lewis Carroll. In England he’s this incredibly influential, basically comedy writer".


Not only. To the director Lewis Carroll can be compared to Monty Python.

"Carroll is surely known as a fantasy-guy, but if you read the book as an allegory of the world or satire on the world and how it worked in those days, well you can trace like Lewis Carroll to Monty Python. They’re part of the same family to me".


But what it means for the next Alice's director working on a production?

 "Well I felt I would find interesting this story. That's all I ask to my work. That it's interesting to me. We work at a very deep level so you spend a lot of time doing this stuff, so you have the love the material".  And the story. This is so true.

It will be a different sequel. Bobin hired The Hobbit production designer Dan Hennah for many reasons: "I loved the work he did on The Hobbit . It impressed me a lot.  This one is slightly different because it’s set in Underland. in different parts of Underland, so it has a slightly more human world".

What the viewers will find on theaters when they will go to the cinema for seeing Alice Through the Looking-Glass?

“The movie is not a real action movie. The movie is a movie where you wanna create a world where you’re happy to spend two hours of your life. You wanna be there and think: ‘What’s around that corner? I love being in this place.’ And that’s what it felt like in the first movie, I liked being in Underland and I love the idea that we’re gonna create that world again, a place where you’re happy to spend time.”

What a wonderful promise mr. Bobin! We are all ready for two hours of escapism from this world for another one much more happy and cheerful. 

What will mean for the director to work on this Disney production in a more profound level?

" For me? An opportunity to try and recreate the world I love from the past in this really interesting way"

Good luck and good work mr Bobin!

Anna Maria Polidori

Black Mass and that romantic kitchen of the 80s....

 Cross Creek Pictures scouting for locations in Massachusetts because of Black Mass starring Johnny Depp

It seems that people and residents from Massachusetts can be pretty cheerful. In fact a new production is coming to their towns very soon and wooh wooh! one of the stars involved in the project is Johnny Depp! Yes, you have read well! The nice pirate Jack Sparrow is launched in another production:  Black Mass -  White Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal -  based on the book by Gerald O'Neill and Dick Lehr.

Amazon picture

 The director will be 



Scott Cooper 

and


 Guy Pearce



 will play the role of the brother of Johnny in the movie.

Although the rest of the cast has not yet specified and it is still unknown, something is starting to happen.

Cross Creek Pictures in fact is searching for potential locations in various part of Massachusetts and these days the residents in the various areas involved in the filming are receiving a flyer. In this flyer it is specified that "We are interesting in  scouting  and potentially filming your property for the movie. If your property is chosen as a location for the film, you'll receive a compensation based on the scope and extent of the filming".

The movie will be a historical one. Three decades, very interesting ones: the 60's, 70's and 80s.

It appears fundamental for the production of the movie that every house needs to have "Elements unchanged since then - especially an 80s kitchen -

The various houses will be primarily photographed and later locations will be chosen by the director based on the photos and the various characteristics required by the production.


Anna Maria Polidori

Books for Dogs: cambiamo ricercando quell'Italia che ci ha fatto innamorare

 Le signore di Books for Dogs all' "Antico Giardino" con Alberto Sordi e l'italiano che è stato

La scorsa settimana, 26 febbraio le signore del Comitato Books for Dogs hanno inaugurato la loro nuova sede al coperto di vendita di libri usati a Umbertide.

 Lasciato il pub L'occhio, l'orecchio e la bocca le signore hanno concentrato la loro attenzione sul bar: L'Antico Caffè Giardino sempre centrale e sempre soprattutto accogliente. Siamo andate all'inaugurazione. C'erano tutte le signore tranne Penny Radford la fondatrice, in giro per qualche angolo di mondo.

 Angela Nutt, Josephine Kay, Jill Esserey la signora Heather, tutte unite per rendere lo spazio che occupano un luogo accogliente, culturalmente fertile e ricco di stimoli. Ogni mercoledì dalle 10 sino a l'una.

Mi ha colpito entrando nel bar il grande e sentito omaggio all'Albertone Nazionale e ho ripensato con malinconia ai cari tempi andati quando l'Italia era felice e caratterizzare un italiano medio non voleva dire tirare fuori il peggio che c'è di una persona ma solo il suo meglio. 

I libri costano uno-due euro e ore le signore hanno aperto una finestra sul cinema con la vendita o l'affitto di DVD usati. Acquistati costano tre euro, affittati due euro.

In inglese.

Da sin: David, Josephine, Heather, Eva e  Jill

Con Josephine Kay, la tesoriera di Books for Dogs facciamo il punto sull'ultimo importante evento che hanno tenuto lo scorso dicembre: Il Tea party presso L'occhio, l'orecchio, la bocca.

"Non è andata bene comincia Josephine, o meglio non come ci saremmo aspettate. Distanti le crife altissime e belle delle edizioni passate. 800, 600 euro sono solo uno sbiadito ricordo. Guarda: abbiamo totalizzato in tutto solo 284 euro e qualche spiccio".

Comprensibile forse bisognerà, una mia idea ripensare il mese in cui organizzare il tea party. Neve a parte e tempo brutto c'è poi da considerare il mese di dicembre: un mese di tasse che rabbuia ogni animo umano. La tredicesima vola via per mutui, tasse, bollette, qualche regalo e il portafoglio è prosciugato. Certo: gli italiani e gli stranieri continuano a essere generosi nonostante tutto con le charities vicine e lontane cui danno fiducia, però ci sono troppi pensieri da affontare e la cifra che Josephine ha mostrato la dice lunga sulle preoccupazioni che dicembre porta sempre con sé da un pò di anni a questa parte.

Anna Maria Polidori

Martin Sheen: tickets available at the Gubbio!

The Gubbio Project is ready for celebrating with  Martin Sheen the first 10 years of anniversary of the project this next march 27th at the  Kelly Cullen Community,  220 Golden Gate, SF

6:15 PM Hors d'oeuvres & Wine  7 PM Program

Tickets for the meeting with actor Martin Sheen for another speaking events are ready at the cost of 100 dollars each. Discounts on group purchases.  

Martin Sheen will team up with the Gubbio Project co-founder Shelly Roder (that we had interviewed in 2005) and Fr.Louie Vitale will introduce Martin Sheen. 

Martin Sheen, Shelly Roder and Louie Vitale will focus on these topics: the "Sacred Sleep" in St Boniface Church for all the homeless living in the Tenderloin, the first anniversary of Pope Francis and the changes this Bishop of Rome is bringing to the world and of course Martin Sheen with the occasion will introduce to the people his latest movie: Trash.

Anna Maria Polidori