Things of minor consequence

by chuckofish

There is a lot going on in the yard these days…sometimes right on your front doorstep. And there are pumpkins at Trader Joe’s.

In other news, baby Ida is on the verge of crawling. She is highly motivated.

Her style is mostly reminiscent of this:

You go, girl!

This is interesting. “”There is no half-mile anywhere on Earth which means more to more people — not to millions, but to billions — than the half-mile that is the City of David.”

And happy birthday to Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) who, when I was growing up, was considered the quintessential Frenchman. Unfortunately, I don’t think they make Frenchmen like him anymore.

We also remember John Qualen (1899-1987) who died on this day. He was a character actor who made over 100 films, many of them as a member of John Ford’s famous “stock company.” You remember him, playing Scandinavian immigrants and the like in such movies as The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), or as the Norwegian resistance fighter in Casablanca (1940). He’s probably best known for playing Muley in The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

He made a lot of good movies. The mark of a really excellent movie, don’t you think, is when the minor characters are allowed to shine and you remember not just John Wayne or Henry Fonda, but John Qualen and Russell Simpson and Ward Bond and Jane Darwell.

So pay attention to the little guy. And look around your yard. C’est magnifique. Have a good Tuesday.