HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL MY FRIENDS

I want to take a moment and wish everyone a Happiest, Safest and the Scariest Halloween this 2009. My all your adventures be filled with Treats and very few Tricks. I would like to recommend this Halloween a really good look at Edgar Allan Poe and the movie "The Legend of Hell House". Edgar Allen Poe wrote some great works:

"The Black Cat"
"The Cask of Amontillado"
"A Descent into the Maelstrom"
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"
"The Fall of the House of Usher" - Check out Movie with Vincent Price
"The Gold-Bug"
"Ligeia"
"The Masque of the Red Death"
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue"
"The Oval Portrait"
"The Pit and the Pendulum" - Check out the Movie with Vincent Price
"The Premature Burial"
"The Purloined Letter"
"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether"
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
My favorite Poem was "The Bells": so check it out on the POETS.ORG and other great poems which I don't feel we appreciate much anymore. My recommendation for a good suspense scary movie would be "The Legend of Hell House".
(1973) A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove/disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation, and solve the mystery of the Hell House

REMEMBER TURN OFF MY PLAYLIST TO HEAR
Here is a link for youtube for a sneak peek. I love this movie and the original movie "The Haunting" with Julie Harris.

Agatha Raisin - What a Woman and What a Find!

I want to make a recommendation about a wonderful author that I stumbled upon for mystery and that is M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). I'm a big admirer of Agatha Raisin and all her escapades. She comes across as a real strong woman character that I think many women could identify with. She was a public relations professional and sort of semi retired and sold her business and went to go live in the countryside of Carsely in the Cotswold's.

This is a place that I would love to visit and appears to have a sense of community that is present throughout the books. What I like about the stories are how she gets into all these adventures but has the good friends of her sidekick Toni, Detective Bill Wong, Charles (caring but sometimes very annoying), Mrs. Bloxby (the vicar's wife), James (who didn't really appreciate Agatha and how real of a woman she is) and especially Roy (who I would want to be if I were a character in her life. He gets to enjoy the city life but spend good times with Agatha and enjoy the country weekends and share in all of her experiences. They also eat really good meals at the local pub (and usually Agatha picks up the tab). Anyway, I can only hope that there will be a television series based on these books and I think they would do really well. She also writes about a character called Hamish MacBeth who I haven't started reading yet and I look forward to exploring his adventures as well. So, if you like a good mystery check her out. There are twenty books starting with the "Quiche of Death" and ending to date with "There Goes the Bride".

A Very Special Birthday Wish - Mary - The Kitty Lady

I want to make a very special birthday wish to Mary Veronica Keegan. She celebrates her 65th year on this planet and has a very warm, kind and loving heart. She is friendly, caring and if you were to meet on the street you would walk away with knowing someone very special and feel that you met a kind soul.
She lives in a magical world of her own and is dedicated to her husband who suffers from a illness that cannot bring back the time they shared. She is an avid kitty lover and has taken care of distressed cats for over 30 years. Her best friend is Jack and I will always have fond memories of her many kitten companions especially one named Hissy that cherished her kindness and would only come to her.

She is an avid reader and can recall all of the many thousands of books she has read and loves a really good crossword jumble. She loves watching and feeding the birds that come into her yard as well as spending hours at thrift stores, garage sales or just wondering the stores and looking at amazement all the new gadgets and items that she dreams to explore.
She has inner and outer beauty that over the years has only gotten more charming and delightful as you spend time with her you see what makes her so special that over the years she has many friends and acquaintances that smile when they hear her name and always wish her a friendly hello like someone they adore.
She is a true Scorpio and I want to wish her a wonderful, safe and happy birthday on this Wednesday. She has added fond memories to my life that are tucked away for rainy days and I want to say that I have always loved her and her ways.

Enjoy your day with all my best and a big hug and a kiss across the miles from me to you.
Love your curious little monkey named George

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MANY, MANY MORE!

Won't You Be My Neighbor? Mister Rogers

Growing up I must admit that I watched cartoons which I'm sure everyone did whether it was the Flintstones, Jetsons, Speed Racer, Josie and the Pussycats, Felix the Cat, Underdog, Rocky and Bullwinkle or the many others that I watched or you watched. Ok, I watched a lot of cartoons. I'm kind of glad because today I don't see anything in the cartoon arena that would appeal to me today as a kid. I must also admit that I never really watched Captain Kangaroo but I did watch Mr. Rogers Neighborhood on Public Television. (channel 13 in New York)

I didn't watch all the time but I did watch it and always learned to be more in tune with manners and respect. I guess watching Fred Rogers enter the door and change into his sweater was something you could always rely on and it was a comfort. Anyway, today I write this because of a little gem of a book came out called "The World According to Mister Rogers" Important Things to Remember. I took the book home and read it and was delighted at its message. Mister Rogers was a enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years and this book sends a inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes and insights.
Fred Rogers dedicated his life to serving children and through his program he became a part of everyone's neighborhood. I'm glad he was in mine. He founded a non-profit organization called Family Communications and it continues to support Mister Roger's Neighborhood in it's national broadcast over PBS stations. Check it out. I don't think we have many role models today for children with a lasting impact on our community. I picked this quote because it's close to my heart. "Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort.
TURN OF PLAYLIST TO HEAR
I have the Mister Rogers theme song for your enjoyment. - courtesy of youtube.