January Ain't So Bad...Considering...

January in 1864 Michigan:
Gray skies making normally vibrant colors look bland
Cold - sometimes very cold - temperatures with a harsh wind
Many times little or no snow, other times a ton of snow
Short days and long nights

Can you imagine just how dreary January was in the 1860's? Daily work was probably even more monotonous than usual.

But, we're in the 21st century, right? Where one can have a big screen cable-connected television with 500+ channels and surround sound, the home computer where the internet provides the whole world at one's fingertips, cell phones where one can be connected at all times, movies anytime we'd like in the comfort of home, an automobile to go anywhere at anytime, 24 hour stores and restaurants, the electric light that enables one to turn night to day, warmth in any part of the house, your own room, ipods and mp3 players that can hold more music than one can listen to in a year...and the list goes on and on.
24/7
And yet, the whine of "I'm bored" and "there's nothing to do" prevails.
And not just from the kids - - - - - - -
Can you just imagine what our ancestors would think of us knowing what we have here in the 21st century compared to what they had in the 19th century? Can you just imagine if they could've seen the wonders of the future - the future that is now?
And we have the nerve to whine that we're bored.
It's knowing the boredom that our ancestors lived through that keeps me a bit more "up" this time of the year. I know that probably sounds strange, but it truly does. As much as I love the past - heck, I'd live there if I could, you all know that! - I still appreciate what we have today.
Then again, maybe we have it too good...
Think I'll click over to Facebook and see who I can connect with today.
See you next time!

Movie Nights to Beat the Winter Blahs

The mid-winter season is upon us. For my family and I this is a great time of year to watch movies on the cold Friday and Saturday nights. Oh, we watch all sorts of movies: adventure, drama, historical, and comedies. And sometimes we'll throw on a kiddie cartoon for our daughter. But, mostly it's adult oriented. No, I don't mean that kind of adult, mind you!
Of course, for me, if it has something to do with history I will probably like it, even the far-fetched flicks such as the National Treasure movies. Great fun to watch.
Most years we will do a theme. A few years back we watched classic movies of the 1930's and 1940's: Judy Garland musicals (yes, including Wizard of Oz), Jimmy Cagney gangster flicks, the great silents of the teens and twenties...
A couple years ago was American history, which found us watching everything from Three Sovereigns for Sarah and The Patriot, to the countless Civil War movies that we own.
Then there was the year we watched the epic flicks where the story took place overseas such as Braveheart, Rob Roy, Gladiator, and Ever After (Rosalia loved this last movie!).
Last year we watched family TV shows - Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction...as well as newer comedy movies like For Richer or Poorer, My Best Friend's Wedding, and American Graffiti (I know A G is not new, but it is new-er!).
This year we are looking to watch time travel movies.
The following is a list of Time Travel movies that I either own or have seen:
Back to the Future I, II, & III
Timeline
The Time Machine (1960)
A Christmas Carol (all of its incarnations)
Peggy Sue Got Married
The Final Countdown
Kate and Leopold
Somewhere In Time
Two Worlds of Jennie Logan
Frequency
The Love Letter

Now, the last two listed are not really time travel per se, but I believe they can fall into that category.
Except for A Christmas Carol, we haven't watched any of the others in quite a while, so it should be quite a treat.

I'm already thinking of future themes, such as BBC productions of Dickens and Austin, and maybe even have a "series" season, where we can watch the John Adams HBO set, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Wars.
A cowboy theme - John Wayne and Clint Eastwood - might be a good one, too.

I guess cold winter evenings can be rather enjoyable.
Maybe we'll invite friends over as well...
Movie nights - - - gotta love 'em!