Saint Myra

Obviously, it's the day before Thanksgiving.  Obviously, I'm counting my blessings.  Isn't that the standard course of things as Thanksgiving approaches?  I noticed alot of people have been posting on Facebook the things for which they are thankful on a regular basis.

I'm a regular thanks-giver though, so relegating it to just Thanksgiving seems a bit limited.  While I like to believe (although I'm not sure this is really true) that I don't have a lot of hard and fast life rules, I'm a firm believer in the half-full cup.  When I say firm believer, I mean it like exercise -- you have to really practice it to achieve optimal benefits.  Actually, it's one of the reasons I blog regularly and do my best to keep the tone upbeat.  It's not that life isn't always perfect but by golly, it's pretty darn good.  Sometimes, I even keep a list  of things I love.  My rule for the list is that it has to be specific things.  I can't write things like my husband or children* because that's too easy although I do have Jack Russell Terriers on the list which seems like cheating because how can you not love JRTs?  They're so cute and funny (I have one sitting on my lap right now as a matter of fact.  Did you know I read somewhere that Jack Russells aren't lap dogs?  HA.  hahahaha.  Clearly, that person didn't have a Jack Russell.  But I digress).  Mary Rollins has started doing this too.  It was a writing prompt -- write a list of 100 things you love -- and she will occasionally tell me something she added to the list.  We have both far exceeded the requisite one hundred.

Back to being thankful and living in gratitude.  I was thinking this morning in the quietness of my house that currently contains three sleeping thirteen year old boys how much I love my cleaning lady.  She came yesterday and did her magic.  Saint Myra, as I commonly refer to her, arrives every other week.  The night before her arrival is one of frantic straightening and I announce repeatedly to my children in a Touret's syndrome kind of litany, "Myra comes tomorrow," "The cleaning lady comes tomorrow," "Tomorrow's a Myra day" in the hopes that they (Will in particular) will straighten their rooms and bathrooms so that Myra's ministrations can have an even greater impact.  In their heads, I know what they are thinking, "Isn't it Myra's job to clean my room?"  But alas my darlings, Myra cleans and you must straighten so that Myra can do her job.  I was confused by that as a child myself in the brief periods that we had cleaning ladies. 

As difficult as the Monday night hurried, scurried decluttering for our Tuesday visit is, it's nice to put away the detritus that has gathered on the coffee table and counters over the last two week that no one has had the motivation to return to their rightful places.  And, it's lovely to come home to the slightly antiseptic Pine-sol smell that follows in her wake.  Saint Myra has a gift and I'm terribly grateful to her for she is far cheaper in the long run than marriage counseling, divorce or psychotherapy.   In addition to believing in the half-full cup, I also believe in the peace of a relatively clean home.  To note, I used to think that only boring, uncreative people had clean homes...

So on my ever-growing list of things I love, today I'm grateful for Saint Myra.  And, grateful for our very comfortable home at which we plan to stay, just our little family, on Thanksgiving day.



*it is perfectly acceptable to put children/husband-related things that they do you especially like.  For example, I love that Marc does my taxes...

When Zombies attack...

It's not often that I get to write about zombies in my blog but I marked a new milestone in my life last week: my very first zombie movie.  Technically, I watched my very first zombie TV show -- The Walking Dead -- but at the time I didn't realize it wasn't a movie.  Growing up, my big brother Morgan had a brief but exciting fascination with the Dawn of the Dead movie series that involved midnight watchings at Crossroads and the Kentucky Theater followed by frightening and dangerous tales of post-movie explorations while walking home and running into actual zombies.  Being a girl and younger, I was never allowed to go to midnight movies and so missed the opportunity to watch zombie movies.  His wild stories lent a glamorous hint to the zombie movie genre but never so glamorous that I felt compelled to watch one on my own. 

Last Saturday Will and Graff (who was staying over for the weekend) camped on the couch watching Netflix while Mary Rollins was at Nutcracker rehearsal.  I had some laundry to fold and suggested we watch some Doc Martin while I did it.  The boys looked at me like I was a zombie (Will did anyway, Graff was a bit more polite) and so I found myself watching my first zombie movie (okay TV series).  I had so many questions!  How do you get to be a zombie?  Is a zombie the same thing as an inferi (from Will, "Mom, do you really have to turn everything into a Harry Potter reference?")? How come not all dead bodies turn into zombies? If a zombie is already dead, are you really killing it? 

It was so exciting.  And, kind of gross but like a train wreck, I couldn't look away.  I had even more questions I wanted answered.  Like, why do all zombies drag one leg behind them?  Can't you just out run a zombie when they have that limp?

Graff and I took a break somewhere doing the second episode to go pick Mary Rollins up from rehearsal.  Not surprisingly, she wasn't interested in watching zombie movies when she got home.  She took a shower.  We watched more zombies while she did.

The best part of zombie watching has to be the conversation that surrounds it.  Will told me that in a zombie attack, I'd be the family member that he'd chose to have with him because I'm the most resourceful.  Needless to say I was flattered.  Mary Rollins would be the first to be eaten (to which she agreed) and he thought his dad would be pretty useless, too.  In addition, in the case of a zombie attack, Will said the Reverend Janey (aka Graff's mom) would bring him great comfort.  We all agreed, she's just the kind of a person you'd want on your side when zombies roam. 

Zombies are a great metaphor for life, too.  For example, once something is dead -- like a relationship -- can you really re-animate it? 

On Sunday, I got four tickets to Young Frankenstein at the Opera House..  I couldn't help but think it was more than a small coincidence that Saturday's TV zombie fest was going to be followed by Broadway's tribute to the zombie!  Is there something about zombies to which I need to pay attention?  See above reference to zombies as metaphors.

Regardless of the deeper meaning of zombie-ism, I had no idea what I'd been missing.  Zombies are fun!  Perhaps zombies could even be the new vampire.  Well...then again, maybe not.  None of the zombies looked like Cedric Diggory. 

Over the last week, Will and I watched a few more episodes without Graff from the first season of The Walking Dead.  We have one left.  I missed some important parts of the plot by virtue of having to leave the room to cook dinner and while Will tried to catch me up, I'm hoping that maybe Graff will come back and watch the episodes with me again (he doesn't have Netflix).  One thing's for sure, I won't be watching any zombie movies or TV shows by myself.  Or, after dark.  If I learned anything from my zombie weekend, it's that zombies, like most things, are much more terrifying when the sun goes down. 

Even if I could outrun one...

The scary stuff is over...

Thank goodness you're never too old to carve pumpkins

Finally...Halloween photos on the blog...
My sole goal for the afternoon of November 2 was to put away our Halloween decorations, however, it was raining and I didn't want a wet skeleton in the house. Instead, I spent a few minutes looking over all the goofy pictures we'd taken over the last few days.and then suddenly it was time to hop in the car and start driving people places. So, sadly these photos never found their way to the blog until mid-November.  You still want to see them though, right?








I thought I'd just skip posting about them but I liked them so much, I just had to finish it out.

Katie considered carving a pumpkin but then
decided unscrewing Will's head worked
just as well...

Pumpkin Mania on the Steps of Old Morrison

Christina's owl

MR's Mummy Cat

There has been some debate over
whether or not Christina has created a
self-pumpkin.  I say "yes."  What do you say?

March Madness Performance just before Lexington's 10th annual Thriller Parade

Art Car -- seen on the way home from the Thriller parade (this thing was amazing).  I talked to the driver
at a stoplight.  She was driving home to eastern Kentucky from a parade in Ohio.
She says she "won't spend any money ever in the unconstitutional republic of
Lexington because of the smoking ban inside public places."  Personally,
I really like our smoking ban...





Will's photo here really is the end of Halloween.
He didn't trick or treat instead he went "Candy Jacking"
whereby you just go to the houses with baskets
of candy left out and take some handfuls.  He claims he left
some for other people...

"Do not take my picture..."



This picture just makes me laugh and laugh.  MR
Christina were going to be Elpheba and Galinda
from Wicked for ballet class on Halloween night.
But Kroger was out of green face paint, so they both stood at
their closets ( I only saw MR do this) and talked through what
they could be.  The result:  Black Swan and White Swan. I'm going to save this picture for ever next to their Bellatrix and Hermione
impersonations.  Even now, two weeks later, I cannot stop laughing at it.  Everyone should have a best friend who is their alter-ego...(to note: Christina is really not at all like Bellatrix or the Black Swan but she sure captures the look!)

And this picture.  It was a prompt for The Cathedral Writing group last week. 
Go ahead, you write your own caption for it.

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore

Here at At Home in the Bluegrass, I like reading books. Lots of books. And sometimes, I like to let you know about books I’ve read!


I had the good fortune recently to have a new historical novel land in my lap -- Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy. I have to confess I have a secret love of historical novels, especially those about women whose stories are merely outlines in recorded history and of whom we know little. Theodora of Constantinople (did you just say "who?") was the wife of Justinian I, 6th century Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Quick synopsis: Theodora rose from being a young child actress/prostitute of the Hippodrome to marry the Roman Consul Justinian who a few years later become Emperor, she the Empress and one of the most important and influential women of the Roman Empire -- a real life rags to riches story but one so infinitely colored by politics, sexuality, religious discord, and clever marketing you might think you were in the midst of a medieval reality show.

I knew only a little about Theodora and 6th century Byzantine history before I read Stella Duffy’s new novel. What I did know came from a scattered remembrance of the Byzantine Empire acquired during a few history and religious studies courses. Having that knowledge was helpful although I still found myself looking up various terms. Even without a complete understanding of the historical backdrop, the story of Theodora is riveting. Fleshed out by the author from a framework of conflicting sources written in Theodora’s own lifetime, her life’s detail portrays a controversial woman ahead of her time – an early feminist? A woman concerned with the welfare of women and children? A religious convert? A consummate actress? In spite of having rights severely limited by law, Theodora was able to make many of her own choices and appears to have had far greater control over her destiny than women for centuries to come. She was both respected and revered, and like most powerful women of history -- accused of scandal, witchcraft and heresy. Theodora’s story, which would be factually scandalous in any era, is perhaps even more intriguing in context of the timeless questions it raises about politics, power and religion.

I have heard that Theodora is soon to be an HBO series. I suspect it will have all the pageantry, passion and style as the Tudors!


And, just so you know, I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but the opinions expressed here are completely my own!  Always are, always will be...

Whoohoo! Go Pioneers

It's a big night tonight in Lexington!
 
Transylvania University is playing the University of Kentucky in basketball.  The Battle on Broadway, it's being called as these two hometown teams face each other. 

Important Facts:  Transylvania has played UK before.  In fact, the record is tied between the two schools, 7-7. 

This is the first game in 100 years. 

Are the Mathews going to be there?  You betcha! Although poor Marc had to go to New Orleans for a conference.  He was really bummed but he's working through his grief by hosting a "watch" party at a bar down there.  I'm taking my dad and both of the kids are taking friends. I suspect that Transy will have more fans in Rupp Arena than any other visiting team has ever had playing UK!

I'm so excited right now, I just went home and put on my Transy T-shirt in the middle of writing this blogpost!

Go Pioneers!!!

xoxoxo--Gwen, Transy Class of '88