“How good to rise in sunlight”

by chuckofish

As you can imagine, I have been doing a lot of snoozing, watching tv and reading as I recuperate from surgery.

High on my list of things to do, is watch episodes of Lovejoy, the British tv show from the early 1990s which starred Ian McShane as the antiques dealer/amateur sleuth. I also read the first novel in the Lovejoy series, The Judas Pair from 1977. It was great–full of details about the antiques trade and actual suspense! Lovejoy himself is a great character and, for once, the tv show is well cast with Ian McShane.

I am now waiting with bated breath for my lot of 10 Lovejoy novels, which I purchased on eBay, to arrive. Then I will be all set (for awhile.)

I know she was 104, but I am still very sad that Olivia de Haviland has died.

She was a beautiful lady, a great actress and a devout Episcopalian. They don’t make ’em like Olivia anymore. Aren’t we lucky to have a large array of Olivia’s films to remember her by! She made some classics in her long career. My favorites include: Captain Blood (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Santa Fe Trail (1940), They Died With Their Boots on (1941), Devotion (1948), The Proud Rebel (1958) and a lot more.

Into paradise may the angels lead thee, Olivia, and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. (BCP, Burial of the Dead, Rite I)

And I have to say I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Regis Philbin who also died recently. He endeared himself to me when he co-hosted Regis and Kathie Lee, which I watched during the 1980s when I was home with three little kids. He even made me like (a little bit) The University of Notre Dame, which he loved so much. Going there had clearly meant everything to him, a smart-alecky kid from the Bronx, who made it to the Big Time. The man was a workhorse, a rare thing nowadays. RIP, Regis.

And here’s a poem for Monday–seize the day!

Dawn Revisited
by Rita Dove

Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don’t look back,
the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits –
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours
to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You’ll never know
who’s down there, frying those eggs,
if you don’t get up and see.