Chiggers or Red Bugs

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Chiggers are tiny little reddish mites that live in grass and woodsy areas that love love love to sneak up under your clothes, preferably along a bra, underwear or sock line where its warm and snug. 
The common Southern solution for bites is to apply a dab of nail polish. The idea is that the mite has burrowed into the skin and the nail polish seals off its oxygen supply so it dies. Apparently this is a myth. According to several recent articles on the subject, by the time the bite itches, the mite has moved on or been washed off. It can take 24 to 48 hours for the itching to start.  The mite didn’t burrow in at all, but secreted a skin liquefying substance around a hair follicle, and drinks the juice.  The nail polish method does stop the itching, but so would a cortisone cream or a dab of meat tenderizer.
  When going in the woods, it’s best to use an insect repellent and tuck your pants into your socks so the ticks and mites don’t have easy access. If you plan on a picnic, do set out a blanket. Resting on a big log while wearing short shorts a tank top is an invitation for the bugs to convene for their own picnic.
But don’t make this  a reason to avoid a lovely hike in the woods.  
I’m not crazy about chemical stuff, there are some less toxic products available that work pretty well. And best to take a shower with a mildly abrasive soap or brush as soon as you can after your hike. 
Chigger bites itch like all get out, but unless you are prone to skin rashes and allergies, they aren’t usually any more harmful or lasting than mosquito bites. 

 

 

A Room With A View (1985) From the Novel By E. M. Forster

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This is one of those movies that I could watch again and again. 
  1. The cast is perfect–-creating memorable characters that decades later I still chuckle over: 
  • Dame Maggie Smith as Charlotte Barlett the fastidious chaperone (Freddy: “Why is she so…[makes face] Charlotte Barlett?” Lucy: “That’s because she IS Charlotte Bartlett.”   
  • Simon Calow as the Reverend,  Mr. Beebe — can’t see him now without picturing him running naked around the swimming hole “Come! Have a bathe!”
  • Helena Bonham Carter as our heroine, Lucy Honeychurch–young, passionate, willful…resisting the bridle of British social constraints. 
  • Julian Sands as the free spirit George Emerson– I will always picture him up a tree yelling “Faith! Love! Beauty!” and Denholm Elliott’s character, Mr. Emerson explaining, “He’s shouting his creed.”
  • Denholm Elliott —  I can’t remember who said it now, I suspect it may have been Sir John Geilgud — something about there are three actors who will always upstage you: children, dogs, and Denholm Elliott… whoever said it, it’s so true. I adore Denholm Elliott in this movie — he conveys such feeling, such soul–expresses so much emotion through his buggy, teary eyes.
  •  And then there’s Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil Vyse, Lucy’s intended. Hilarious!!
  • Rupert Graves portrays Lucy’s breezy, happy-go-lucky brother… reminds me of my own brother, Iggy.
  • Dame Judi Dench is Eleanor Lavish  

If you like a”costume thang” that is, a period story, this one is a radiant gem. Lucy meets the Emersons while in Florence and is attracted to unpretentious and peculiar George, but back in England, she feels pulled towards a betrothal to Cecil who has firmer social standing.  But she and Cecil don’t have much in common (thank goodness) and he doesn’t appreciate her. He sees her as a beautiful wife, not a person with interests and passion. When George reappears in her life, the lies she tells to others and herself begin to unravel.  Does one follow ones head or ones heart? 

A delightful romp of a romance.  

 

Hey, Baby, What’s Your Sign?

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When I first imagined what my business sign would look like, I pictured something like this:
elegant, simple, soothing, right? I even approached the local sign company, Hey, Baby, What’s Your Sign about having it made. 
But then Lorraine’s sister, Lerlene the artist found out I needed a sign. I’m not sure quite how it happened, but before I knew it, this is what was installed on my road: 

Okay, I’m not so good with photography… here’s a closeup: 
  At first I was not able to breath…it was so not what I expected. But it’s getting a lot of buzz, so people know where my camp is now. And to be honest, while it’s not at ALL what I thought I wanted, it’s growing on me, even though it looks more like an acid trip artichoke than a lotus flower… 

To Have and Have Not (1944) Bogie and Bacall

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No small wonder Humphrey Bogart fell in love with Lauren Bacall while making this movie… she smolders.  Intrigue, spy stuff, action, romance, this film is perfect and glossy. It features one of the most iconic scenes of its era: the “you do know how to whistle, don’t you?”   
I don’t think I’ve ever been that cool in my life… and she was only nineteen!
Cassablanca is a classic Humphrey Bogart picture and also a must-see… but while Cassablanca has the star-crossed lovers-who-must-part ending, To Have and Have Not is the opposite– soul mates who are meant to stay together. And while it’s a war time film, the drama is balanced with romance and a bit of comic relief with Walter Brennan as a sweet, drunk friend.
In 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, author Stephen Jay Schneider notes that the director wanted a true partnership between the two main characters– Slim is not going to slip into an apron, stay at home and bake pies while Harry goes out to fight the fascists and win the war; they will do it together. She is “as intrepid and daring” as her counterpart. Funny how women’s roles shifted so much between the 40s and the 50s…
Some interesting trivia about the movie can be found at the Internet Movie Database website that follows–for example, the movie notion launched because director Howard Hawks made a bet that he could make a great movie out of the worst Ernest Hemingway story! (I think he won the bet.)  Bogart said he fell in love with her portraying her character, Slim, who…more trivia… was based on Howard Hawks’ wife…see below–
More trivia:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037382/trivia

Found a public domain photo of the real “Slim” with husband Howard Hawks and their dog:    Slim indeed!!! Is there a size smaller than zero? I think the dog has a bigger waist!

Urliss and Hollis’s Chicken In a Biskit “Redneck Corn and Broccoli Casserole”

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Chicken In a Biskit is a Nabisco product, and thusly trademarked.

Not long ago, I went over to Hollis’s to borrow a post hole digger because mine was cheap to start with, the handles were wobbly and the grabbing cups grabbed nothing. When I arrived, he and Urliss were just tucking in to Sunday supper, and insisted that I get a plate and join them. Luckily, they weren’t dishing up one of their this-might-be-rescued-roadkill meals. Urliss offered me first choice from the Publix fried chicken carrier, and pushed a tub of potato salad toward me. Hollis passed the casserole dish, and said, “Have some redneck broccoli casserole.”
It was surprisingly tasty. I mentioned that I was adding recipes to my blog, and they said, “You can add our recipe, if y’unt to.” Urliss scribbled it out on a napkin. I rewrote it so you stand a chance of reading it:  
**Note: If you can’t find Nabisco Chicken In a Biskit crackers, you can substitute your favorite. Just be sure to pick something not-too-dry, if you know what I mean… something buttery to readily soak up the veggie juice. 

Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) : Marilyn Monroe Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft

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Fatal Attraction caused a sensation in 1987 with Glenn Close terrorizing Michael Douglas as an obsessed lover. I haven’t seen it since, but I do recall it was riveting. Glenn Close scared everyone and “fatal attraction” became a cliché.
It was a reboot of Play Misty for Me (1971) , one of Clint Eastwood’s directorial efforts. Watched it twice a long time ago… as I recall, overall, it had great tension, but dragged in places and the film was kind of grainy. It’s probably been cleaned up and re-released…I should try it again.
Not a big Marilyn fan, I stumbled on this recently. WOW! It holds up! Marilyn did a terrific job as a combination of vulnerable, unhinged, lost but dangerous woman.
The plot: she’s had a troubled past, and her cousin, an elevator operation in a hotel, gets her a job as a hotel babysitter. But while she’s babysitting, she meets a man just jilted by his girlfriend… the man reminds her of her dead boyfriend, and soon she believes he is her boyfriend, and will do anything to keep him.
To be honest, I’m not a Richard Widmark fan…not sure I buy the ending, but I loved Anne Bancroft! I’ve never smoked, but wow, she knows how to work a cigarette…I can see why they were so popular in the movies. 

 

Poison Ivy VS. Virginia Creeper : How to Identify

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Look carefully at this photo. It’s a perfect example of how sneaky poison ivy can be; it likes to hide in other plants.  See my red arrows? The jaggedy-edged, three-leaf jobbie is the poison ivy. The five-leaf stuff is Virginia Creeper. Both have hairy vines, both can grow up trees. They will lose their leaves in winter, and come back with a vengeance at the first sign of spring. 

Never try to get rid of poison ivy by burning it! The oil particles get get into your lungs and your nose. If anyone has a non-chemical solution for getting rid of big areas of it, let me know. If I find one or two, I’ll dig it out with a shovel and toss it… but when it gets aggressive and dense… that’s something else.

  Yup! That’s poison ivy working its way up a tree!

The leaves can vary in size and jaggedy-ness, but they’re always in three-leaf clumps.

Don’t lean against a tree or hug it if you see hairy vines or three-leave clusters!

 

 

Florida Invasive: Coral Ardisia

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brazilian pepper plant small pupsSadly, you’ll think this is a lovely plant. Hardy and perfect deep green with red berries, perfect for Christmas decorating, right? Sorry! This is one of the most invasive plants in Florida… and it’s classified in with skin irritating plants like poison ivy and poison oak!

The hardy little pups spring up in communities like this with an impressive,  reverse- umbrella root system : Fortunately, they’re fairly easy to pull up when they are pups.  If you see one on your property, don’t cave to its luster! Yank it with gusto before it sets berries. Once it establishes on your property, you’ll lose many hours of your life eradicating it. 

“It has many names
Common names include coral ardisia, coral berry, Christmas berry, hen’s eyes, scratch throat, Australian holly, coral bush and spiceberry.”

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/five-facts-about-coral-ardisia-in-florida/

Charade (1963)

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charade ttitle

It’s hard to imagine this movie being successful with any other actors.  Audrey was 35 and Cary was 59… hard to imagine that she’d fall in love just like that…but he IS Cary Grant after all and  this movie is just fun. And so 60’s! : the cartooning in the opening credits, the music, her hairstyle and clothes (Givenchy designed Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe–check it out).

The plot:  She went off on a ski holiday with a friend. While she was gone, someone threw her husband from a train. When she gets home, she finds he had sold everything in their house in Paris — and, ooh la la, what a house!  She has nothing. Along comes Cary Grant, a nice older gent who wants to take care of her. Soon, three men are after her, threatening her. She has something they want. What?

    charade back jacket   charade cover

ARNIE, or There’s Your Sign…

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When I bought the Stinkin’ Skunk Ape Fish Camp, it came with Arnie, the concrete camp mascot. He’s tacky as it gets and has nothing to do with meditation that I can think of, but he makes me laugh and Max, the previous owner, now in a retirement home was keen on him. It seemed disrespectful and sad to think of getting rid of him. So I got him cleaned up and replaced the sign for the office.