summer reruns....itis a Turner Classic Movie night

Here is a picture of me with my "Scout" (To Kill a Mockingbird) haircut.









Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is on tonight and I am thankful for this classic artful movie that touched me as a child and the lessons reflected in this script have never been far from my heart. Macon, GA in 1932 ...the time was slower in this quiet little Southern town experiencing hard economic times...fear of loss and fear of change as well as the despair of embarrassing one's self to pay their bills with bartering with collard greens and fresh eggs. The Cunninghams were a family known as country folk living very close to the earth. Atticus is too old to do many things that Scout and Jim would like to do ...like play football for the Methodists. Gardens for vegetables in the front yards and a summer visitor known as Dill...a wee bit puny for seven years old...visiting his Aunt Stephanie for a two whole weeks. A time of gentle relations and manners in a hot summer Southern town where a child's imagination has a way of running away with realities. A character named Boo...a quiet recluse who is rarely seen and his character of being a maniac is highly exaggerated. The words and description roll off the pages ...that is what I remember as a twelve year old reading an adult novel for the first time. My mother had to assist me when I was unable to decipher the social regulations and expectations in a Southern town where the lines in society were very clearly drawn. Courage is a lesson that is clearly illustrated as the plot develops...Harper Lee is a wonderful writer and Ken and I both are looking for our copy of the well worn paperback to reread this summer. I remembered the time when our houses were close enough and the screens were open and our quiet evening conversations and salutations could be over heard in the evening breezes. The Tom Robinson character's dilemma were over shadowed by the racial tensions and racial prejudices were openly expressed. The hateful words were more vicious tools of despair than the actual weapons used to keep people in their proper place. The crime of an accused rape and assault of Luella ...poor white trash and a victim of an overbearing and hateful father who runs his house with an iron and hateful fist. As you can see I am really hooked by this classic movie and so grateful that it is commercial free ...a great treat at the end of the day when there is nothing but awful reality TV on most channels.

I found a black wooden bench with a shelf below the bench for storage for 75% off and a side table with three drawers for further display and storage but...someone stole the 4 larger wicker baskets for the lower part of this table. I am pretty sure I will "problem solve" and find way to put a shelf into this space and place smaller baskets...I talk them down to $10.00. I promised Ken this was absolutely the last piece of furniture I would buy before I move things downtown. I went to JoAnns and found thick foam ...5 inch thick...for a cushion for the wicker love seat and some beautiful canvas ...made for outdoors and sunshine...to cover for an artist special touch. maybe tomorrow I will make the cover and photograph to share. All the materials were on sale for 50% off plus I had an extra 10% off the total costs. My mother was smiling down on me when I was stretching my pennies and making every one count. I am getting back to my movie for now. Rituals and customs we could all learn from if the world would slow down enough to really listen. Imagine and live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart