A British Series Anyone?

One of the best decisions I ever made was to get a

Netflix Membership. The movies come right to the mailbox. No trips to the store, no gas, no late fees

and best of all , their selections are great! I love British Pieces like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, anything Jane Austen. So when I got the membership it was only natural that I browse the British pieces. There are quite a few British Television series in their inventory. We have watched several different ones but this post is about three of my favorites.

" BRAMWELL" 4 Seasons, a total of 14 Discs : Starring, Jemma Redgrave, as Dr. Eleanor Bramwell and David Calder as her father Robert, also a doctor. In 1895, Eleanor becomes a surgeon. Met with much chauvinism from her male peers who refuse to accept her into their professional and social arena, she opens a free hospital in a seedy neighborhood in London.

This series shows a different side of life in turn of the century London and the trials faced by a woman set on becoming a part of a male dominated world . The characters are enduring and you tend to feel they have become family. Hubby and I were both disappointed when it ended.

" The Forsyte Saga" Two Seasons, a total of 5 Discs: Starring, Gina McKee, as Irenie Forsyte.

Irenie marries a Forsyte that she does not love. This series follows the prominent families ups and downs for three generations but it is Irenie's life that keeps you enthralled. This is a tale of unrequited love, forbidden love, acquired love and lost love. Very well acted and a wonderful series.

And now to my favorite......." The Duchess of Duke Street" Starring, Gemma Jones, as Louisa LeytonTrotter. Two Seasons, A total of 31 episodes. WARNING : IT'S ADDICTIVE !!

This series spans twenty years in the life of ' Ms. Trotter. Louisa Leyton , who only wants to be the best cook in all of England, is forced into marriage to her employers butler, Mr. Trotter, in order to become the mistress to the Prince of Wales. When the Prince becomes King, she is set free from the affair. She then opens " The Bentick Hotel" on Duke Street in London, an exclusive

place of lodging for the high and mighty of England. You will fall in love with " Ms. Trotter as well as the character of " Lord Charlie Haselmere" along with the staff, Merriman, Star, Major, Mary

and Fred the dog. We have six episodes left to watch and we just dread the last episode, we will miss everyone at " The Bentick Hotel"and think about them for a long time to come !

Did You See That?...... The Ghost of Windsor

Post of The Day Award from: David McMahon @ Author Blog

The Windsor Ruins is the site of 23 Corinthian Columns
left at what once was, the site of  Windsor Plantation Mansion. The columns cast iron caps were shipped down the Mississippi River via steamboat from St. Louis, MO in 1858. The mansion was completed in 1860 at a cost of $ 175,000.00. The mansion was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, who died two weeks after it's completion. The property remained in the family until 1974 when four great-grandsons of Mr. Daniell, donated it to the state for historic preservation. The site is located in the rural area of
Lorman, MS near Port Gibson,MS. off Hwy 61 between Natchez and Vicksburg. General Ulysses Grant declared Port Gibson, a "town to pretty to burn" during the Civil War. The house burned in 1890 after a carpenter working on the third floor, carelessly dropped a lit cigarette in a pile of debris. The ruins were used as a scene in the movie : " Raintree County"staring Elizabeth Taylor
and Montgomery Clift.

A couple of years ago, Hubby and I decide to take the 150 mile day
trip to visit the area. We toured the ruins, then went to visit Alcorn
University, where the two sets of cast iron spiral staircases from Windsor Mansion are now. We then returned to Hwy 61 and made our way to Grand Gulf, MS to visit the Grand Gulf Battlefield and Civil War Museum. It was there we learned that there is a family cemetery on the Windsor grounds. So, back to Windsor we go. We love old cemeteries.

As I mentioned before, this is a very rural area. The ruins

are about a quarter of a mile off the main road down a dirt road barely wide enough for two cars to pass. If you look at the photo of the ruins, on the right side of the photo, count down the right side to the fifth column. You can see it is disintegrating. The road curves to the left at the right end and you park in front of the ruins. Just as we got to the right corner of the ruins, a man steps out beside the disintegrating column. It is amazing how fast the brain computes what the eyes see ! In a matter of seconds my thoughts were. Where is his vehicle,
what is he doing in the middle of nowhere with no car? Then my eyes and brain came together to compute what I was really seeing! A Union Soldier in Uniform ! A full fledged apparition!


Did you see that, we both exclaimed at the same exact moment? If you saw a Yankee soldier in uniform, I said, then yes I did ! That's exactly what I saw he says. We then compared notes as to what we had seen and thought, while deciding if we were safe to exit the car. After calming ourselves we then set out to locate the cemetery. After about 30 minutes of traipsing through some pretty ruff thickets, we found it. What once must have been a very beautiful and peaceful place, was now over grown and deteriorating from decades of neglect. Some of the most artistic monuments I've ever seen, were now toppled and crumbling. The prominence of these inhabitants, long ago forgotten. A three foot hand built stone wall surrounding it, had been taken hostage by wild vines. So sad, I thought when I saw the graves of Smith Daniell and his wife, along with their children and the wife's parents, among other family members.


We headed back to our car and went back to Lorman to have a late lunch at one of our favorite places to eat the Old Country Store, housed in a two- hundred year old former feed store, is a restaurant serving the best fried chicken I ever tasted ! Mr. Davis prepares a country buffet that will rival any Southern Dinner on the ground you ever attended.
We head in and after hugs and hello's, we exclaimed to him; " we just saw the ghost of a civil war soldier at Windsor " ! Ohhhhhhhh he drawls, you saw, The famous Ghost of Windsor. What do you mean famous, I never heard there was a ghost at Windsor? Oh yes, he says, he is famous but of the hundreds of people that visit that place every year, only 3 or 4 people ever get to see him, you folks sure are lucky! A full bodied Union soldier ghost he says, ain't that something ? Since we know that General Grant seized the house and grounds for the use of his troops after the Battle of Bruinsburg and it was used as a hospital for the wounded, we can only assume that the ghost must have died there.



Now I had long believed in the Paranormal as the result of having spent three days in a haunted house in 1974 when I moved from Hattiesburg to Nashville. Hubby was on the border of belief because of an experience as a teen with a Green Orb that chased him and his friend. This was our first sighting of a full apparition however. It made ghost freaks out of us from that day forward. I can still see him plain as day...........I'd like to go back, soon! Think I could get that lucky twice? ?

" Living The Good Life".........There's Hope !

Today is a new beginning for not only America, but also the world.

There is Hope.......hope for change, hope for a better life. Hope that we all have a chance to live the good life ! Just what is living the good life ? I'm sure everyone of you have a different opinion of just what living the good life is. Different opinions are what make life interesting, right ? If you don't have a job.....getting one, might make it a good life. If you have a sick child, it would be a cure for the illness.

I believe the first step to living the good life is gratitude. I have had my share of what I thought were bad times. It was in these times, I called upon hope for a better day....you know the saying;

" this too shall pass". Pass it did, and a better day arrived! As I look back, it wasn't so bad after all. I raised three beautiful, healthy, smart children who became Awesome adults. Now that was living the good life ! For this I am so grateful.

Above you see pictures of four books from my Library....................

These are books about one couples opinion about what living the good life meant. Scott and Helen Nearing left their apartment in New York City in 1932 in search of the good life. They bought a farm in The Green Mountains of Vermont. They lived there for twenty years leaving in 1952 for another farm on the coast of Maine in Harborside. Their quest was due to "America's Back To The Land Movement" of which they are considered the Great- Grandparents . These books are incredible diaries of the day to day struggle and elation of becoming self sufficient on one's own land. A must for the Library of anyone who dreams of a self sufficient life on a farm. Scott Nearing died in 1983, three days past his 100th Birthday of a self induced starvation fast. Helen lived another 12 years, reaching the age of 91. Before her death, she preserved both their land and their lifestyle for future generations by establishing The Good Life Center which is open to the public.

Let us all embrace the Hope of a new day, a new year and Hope for a chance to pursue our own definition of what " Living The Good Life" truly means !

"The Dream"

In honor of today's Inauguration of President Obama, I wanted to post a video of my cousin Dr. David Murdock of New Orleans, LA. playing an instrumental version of the song " Oh Happy Day" on his saxophone. I was not able to upload it from YouTube but was able to upload this one which he has titled : THE DREAM.........Please click the link and enjoy this beautiful
music!
http://www.youtube.com/user/dmmnola
The photo is of David and my daughter Melanie, taken at her wedding.
If you read my post:" Never Say Never ", I mentioned that I had an Aunt
Wilma Murdock who was no relation to my husband. David is her son,
thus we share the same last name even though his Mother and my Father are brother and sister.
David is not only a medical doctor, he is an extremely talented musician even though he has never taken a music lesson.He plays several instruments including, Sax, steel guitar,bass guitar,piano,
organ and Cajun Accordion. He is a professional on all of them! He is also a wonderful singer/songwriter.

Free At Last......Free At Last !

Today being Martin Luther King Day and tomorrow being the Inauguration of the first African-American President of The United States of America.........I thought it appropriate to post about growing up in the racially torn Deep South.
I spent my early adolescent years in Houston,Texas, Shreveport, Louisiana and Nashville, Tennessee due to my Father being in Country Music. In 1961 ,my parents separated and my Mother, Brother, Sister and I moved back to our hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi to be near my Mother's family. I spent the next 13 years growing up here in what at the time, was a virtual hotbed of the Civil Rights Movement, moving back to Nashville in 1974.
On January 10, 1966 a local Civil Rights Activist, Vernon Dahmer's home was fire bombed by the Klu Klux Clan killing Mr. Dahmer. Vernon Dahmer was working vigorously to get blacks registered to vote. KKK Leader Sam Bowers and 13 others were arrested. When the trials started, my school teacher took us for a one day viewing. I have often wondered what her motive was.........? I don't have any recollection of what she did or did not say to us. All I remember is how horrified I was !
It instilled in me a fear of just how Evil the human race could become under certain prejudices.
It set the stage for my values of 'doing unto others' and determined not only how I would view racism for the rest of my life but how I would raise my three children to view it. From that day forward........I looked at the person, not their skin color and taught my children to do the same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/?wiki?vernon_dahmer Type in Vernon Dahmer on left search......

I have since carried the memory of a haunting photo which showed Vernon's four son's who were in the Military, in uniform viewing the ruins of their home. Four men serving their country who were not allowed to vote for the Commander and Chief !

It took 32 years for the Dahmer Family to see justice in their case and Thank God they did !
It truly is ..................A New Day in the Deep South ! God Bless President Obama and The United States of America, whose people's prayers have been answered !

The picture above is the front cover of the book:
" Prayin To Be Set Free "...Personal Accounts of Slavery In Mississippi, from the Real Voices, Real History Series

Greg Iles...A Mississippi Mystery ?

Want to meet one of the best Thriller Authors out there? Was that a Yes? I thought so...................Meet Greg Iles from Natchez, MS !Talk about a cannot lay it down mystery, that keeps you so on the edge, if the phone rings,you loose seven years off your life, plus leaves a memory that won't quit.......this is the man!I discovered Greg a few years ago during one of my frequent visits to Natchez. In his debut Novel, " Footprints of God" he proved he had homed his craft as well as any multi-published Author. My first read by him was; "The Quiet Game". After reading it.........I hurried out to the local bookstore for more! Pictured above are some of my Greg Iles collection plus a picture of Greg taken from an article in the local Natchez paper about the release of his 2005 book: " Blood Memory". If you ' like' John Grisham/ Patricia Cornwell/ Micheal Chrichton or James Patterson............you will ' LOVE' Greg Iles ! In my opinion he tops them all. I will warn you, there is strong language but no worse than what I've heard on TV. These books have it all...............cold blooded murder, murder for hire, serial killers, sex, Internet sex, crooked lawyers, civil rights, dirty politicians, Nazi intrigue and even a haunted monument in Natchez City Cemetery(" Turning Angel") ! There really is a legend behind this monument. Several are set in Natchez, one of my favorite places.His latest " The Devil's Punchbowl" also a famous Natchez landmark( also thought to be haunted) will be released on June 1, 2009 ! Hope you mystery readers read this Awesome Author and get back to me..............

NORTH CAROLINA AUTHORS....A SPECIAL BREED !

div>

I promised Carolyn at Mountain Musings blog , a post on my favorite NC authors and their books. I will start with Sharyn McCrumb. Although she actually lives in Virginia, her "Ballads"

are set in North Carolina. This is the series that is responsible for my love affair with NC authors. ' She Walks These Hills", ' Songcatcher', 'Rosewood Casket', 'The Ballad of Frankie Silver',' Ghost Riders' are a few of the titles. "Frankie Silver" is my favorite. Song Catcher was made into a movie and Rosewood is being made into a movie. The reappearing character of

Nora Bonesteel has kept me reading Sharyn's books. She has not written a ' ballad' lately as she became a NASCAR freak (you know, in the same way I am an NFL freak) and wrote two bestselling books with a NASCAR setting. ' St. Dale' (in my TBR stack) and 'Once Around The Track'. I did receive an e-mail from her recently saying she would be returning to the 'ballad'

series an introducing a young Nora Bonesteel.( Nora, is an old woman with the 'sight' in the previous ballads). This got me so excited! Sharyn is a brilliant storyteller and you will not be sorry you 'discovered ' her books.................

It was through Sharyn McCrumb that I discovered my next favorite...................Vicki Lane.

Vicki does live in the western NC mountains and has written four books whose setting is very close to Vicki's own farm. 'Signs In The Blood', 'Art's Blood', 'Old Wounds' and ' Dark Season'.

They are known as the Elizabeth Goodweather mystery series. Vicki is near completion of a stand alone book on one of the Goodweather series characters, Miss Birdie! Then she will return to the Goodweather series for the next book. Vicki also has an enchanting blog from her farm that her readers comment on.( I follow daily and leave comments) You can access it from my blog roll.

I have read the first two in the series and loved both! I have delayed reading the other two because my book club, 'Awesome Read' has chosen the first two as Feb. and March selections.

Since some of the 'girls' read this blog, I am hesitant to say too much except that I 'KNOW' great writing and Vicki is indeed a great writer!

I discovered the next author when Oprah picked his book 'Gap Creek' for her book club.

Robert Morgan is a master storyteller. His books to are set in his native NC and are based on tales he heard growing up. I have read 'Gap Creek', The Truest Pleasure',(my favorite)

'The Rock'( sequel to Truest) 'Blue Valleys', The Hitherlands',and The Mountains Won't Remember Us'.

In an earlier post I reviewed Sheila Kay Adams book 'My Old True Love'. Sheila also has a book of short stories,'Come Go Home With Me' that are just delightful and very informative of what it was like to grow up in the beautiful NC mountains. I keep this book in my guest bathroom for the pleasure of my guest. They always pick it up and comment on the stories.

Wayne Caldwell has written a bestselling book 'Cataloochee'. I discovered Cataloochee Valley by reading two non-fiction books by Wayne's cousin Hattie Davis several years ago. Cataloochee Valley is in the NC section of the GSMNP. A lot like Cades Cove but not nearly the traffic and much harder to get too but soooooooo worth the effort! This is where they introduced the Elk and they are just Awesome to see! This book is fiction and brings to life not only the Valley but it's residents as well. A really wonderful read!

I will end with a new discovery from my last trip to the mountains this past October. I picked this book up in an Antique store in Townsend,TN. It too is a book of short stories based on mountain memories of growing up. Gary Carden's, ' Mason Jars in the Flood & Other Stories'

is just pure fun to read. Think of how much fun it is to 'sop hot biscuits in a mixture of syrup and butter' and you'll have an idea of what I mean!

Hope this helps you to some great reads NC Mountain Woman! (CAROLYN) and all you other blogers too..............

The Interview

http://www.hyggedigter.blogspot.com/

My friend Kat at Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes was recently
interviewed by Willow of Willow Manor and we learned some interesting things about her.
Kat in turn expressed a desire to interview me..I accepted! She sent me these questions and
after careful thought...here are my answers. If you in turn would like to be interviewed by me,
please leave a comment at the end and I will send you 5 questions of my choosing.

1. Kat.........You have indicated a real affinity for the South and Southern Authors. How has this affected your own wonderful writing?

Carol.........I am truly partial to both the South and Southern Authors. Mississippi alone has produced some truly awesome Authors. William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Shelby Foote, Larry Brown, Carolyn Haines, Melinda Haynes, Patrick Smith,Willie Morris and let's not forget John Grisham and my very favorite, Greg Iles. The South with it's laid back lifestyle, traditions that are both wonderful and in some cases atrocious and it's hard fought ability to let go and move forward provide a wealth of material for it's present day writers. My writing is greatly affected by having grown up in a time and place that was a hotbed of the Civil Rights Movement, a place whose identity was destroyed by losing the Civil War, which in my opinion only furthered the racism.I think sometimes that I and other southern writers feel the need to "right the wrongs" and it shows up in our writing. I always been told that to be a successful writer, you MUST write what you know.........I know the South.

2. Kat..........If you could invite anyone to dinner( alive or dead) who would it be and why?

Carol.........It would be Jesus without a doubt! Why? I would like nothing better than to get his opinion on several matters of interest to me? An interview of Jesus would be awesome! I'd ask questions such as; How do you think your message of love, forgiveness and compassion got so messed up by organized religion? Why is it so hard for humans to look past a persons skin color and see the person? What really does happen when our body dies...is our spirit really gone or are we still around our loved ones in a "ghost"form? If I could have a dinner party? My guest list would include along with Jesus, Mother Theresa, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, Abe Lincoln, Dolly Parton, Oprah, Maya Angelou, Steve McNair( Former Titans QB) and all my blogger friends. Wouldn't we have a good time?

3. Kat............Your profile says your an NFL Fan. Have you ever been to a game? What in your opinion is the best game you've ever seen? (live or on TV)

Carol...............When the Houston Oilers became the Tennessee Titans in 1998 and moved to Nashville, I attended the first game in the new stadium. It was a pre -season game against the Atlanta Falcons. Tennessee won the game. I had never experienced such an electric atmosphere, I was hooked! I thought watching #9 Steve "AIR" McNair play the QB position was the greatest thing since indoor plumbing! A football freak was born! I lived and breathed Titans football! Now that has to be my best live game! I have been many times since but that was the best! On TV......it has to be SuperBowl 2000 when Tennessee came from behind to lose it by " 1" yard !! ONE stinking yard! I had to go to bed afterward !! However all was forgiven in September when I received a signed official Titans football for my birthday from my man, Steve McNair. I also attended his MVP party in Nashville along with Brett Favre and Allen Jackson! Be still my heart!

4. Kat.................... What is your favorite all-time film and why?"

Carol...............Gone With The Wind". Because I am Margaret Mitchell reincarnated? I wish! I really don't know why. It just makes me wish I had lived in that era and been a real Southern Belle! I loved Melanie Wilkes so much I named my only daughter that in hopes she would be just like her. She is defiantly Scarlett but my heart anyway!

5. Kat.................What is your fondest memory of your Mother?

Carol......After we moved to Nashville we returned to Mississippi every Christmas. Either my mother or my Mother-in-law would go home with us for a couple of weeks. One year my Mother went. It snowed about seven inches. Mom and my two sons Todd and Marty(7 and 3 at the time) went outside for a snowball fight. My Mom made a huge snowball and hurled it at Todd, striking his chest, knocking him down! He jumped up and said; Dang Grammaw.....I didn't know you played baseball!

And so.................the interview ends. Thank you Kat for this opportunity, I enjoyed it !

If you would like for me to interview you, leave a comment and I'll fire you off some questions!

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee

I started this blog in December just about the time things got crazy around here.

I have gotten several e-mails asking if I planned to blog again? I answered yes,
when things go back to normal.We had a wonderful Holiday Season, lots of parties, food and visits with friends then went to Tennessee to celebrate with the children and grandchildren! Came back and the NFL Playoffs began! This year my Tennessee Titans have the best record in the NFL and hopefully will make it tthe SuperBowl!

Reading...........my favorite thing in the world! I have managed to read two books in the past seven days.

The first was.........' My Old True Love' by Sheila Kay Adams.(Hardcover 289 p)
Shiela is a North Carolina writer. As you know, I am very parcial to NC writers or I should say Appalachian writers in general. I LOVED THIS BOOK !
What a wonderful storyteller Sheila is. She takes you back in time through the gentle voice of Arty Norton. Arty is a mountain woman born in a era and place
where heartbreak and joy change places as fast as people in an old fashioned cake walk.
If you love an Appalachian setting, down to earth mountain people, the Civil War and a good love story told by a master storyteller...........this is the read for you!

Second.........Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee (Hardcover 285 pages)
By Charles J. Sheilds.

Nelle Harper Lee the Author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird', is perhaps one of the most fascinating people of the 20th century. Why? Because after writing her Pulitzer Prize winning debut novel she practically disappeared from the scene. Most people think she died years ago when in fact she is still alive and well in Monroeville,Alabama.She was born April 28, 1926, making her 82 at present.
She lives a quiet,reclusive life and refuses to discuss anything to do with the "book" or writing.

I have always been fascinated by both Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell because these two women wrote what is considered to be the greatest novels
of the20th century and never wrote another published book.Years ago I read
'Tara Road' the biography of Margaret Mitchell and learned that she had expressed often that she wished she had never let 'Gone With The Wind' be
be published, 'It ruined my life' she said.

After reading 'Mockingbird', I learned that though she never expressed the same exact sentiment, Harper Lee may have felt the same about her book. When questioned as to 'Why' she never wrote another book,she would say;
"I said what I had to say in the first one".She also expressed to a close friend,
"when you start at the top,there is nowhere to go". Since this applies to both of these women's first and only books, I believe it answers the question of 'Why' in both cases.

"Mockingbird" is a well written and wonderful glance into the world of Harper Lee. Charles Shields has done an excellent job considering that his research
was hindered greatly by those close to Miss Lee in an attempt to keep her private life just that!