Love Stories in Green

Desperately needing to see green grass and green leaves in the middle of winter in Utah can make one want to move to warmer southern climes.

If that can’t be done, watching a movie that was filmed on location where greenness abounds can be a salutary substitute.

With greenness in mind (mostly), I started with the movie, “Persuasion,” based on Jane Austen’s novel of the same name. I persuaded the Knight to watch it with me. Fortunately, I had actually just finished re-reading the story again, so the plot and characters were fresh in my mind. The Knight, unfamiliar with the story, kept interrupting with plot and character questions as the movie progressed. At the end, the Knight agreed that the movie was an “OK” story and was not terribly insipid (even though there was a shocking dearth of gun fire and car chases).

Several days after that, my eyes again had an insatiable thirst for green. This time, I chose the movie “Emma,” again based on a Jane Austen novel. Unfortunately, I had not recently reread the book (since it is not my “favorite” Jane Austen novel), so I was a bit rusty on the details. Gallantly agreeing to watch the movie with me, the Knight once again asked constant questions. Even though he really didn’t want to watch this movie, I think he secretly liked it because “Pepper Potts” from “Iron Man” was the star.

A week passed and we were still in the midst of the bleak Utah midwinter, with no green grass anywhere to be found. Did I dare push my luck with another Jane Austen movie? I obviously caught the Knight at a weak moment. This time it was “Sense and Sensibility.” Such a lot of green! By the end, I was well aware that watching three Jane Austen movies in close succession had certainly been going “the second and third miles” on his part! (Lots of green but no “little green men.”)

Now, you won’t believe this, but it is true. I actually had the temerity to suggest that we watch “Pride and Prejudice” next. At this, the Knight balked. “I don’t want to watch that,” he said. He was adamant. (Whoever heard of going a fourth mile?)

Well, you probably already guessed it. He had a change of heart: “Pride and Prejudice,” it was! That’s why I married him: He’s a gallant, fourth-mile-Knight. He even professed to enjoy the movies.

Picturing Hope

On New Year’s Eve, last week, I bought a picture calendar at Michael’s on sale for 84 cents. Michael’s  84-cent calendar display by that time had only a few choices to select from such as Hello Kitty or Angry Birds or maybe Despicable Me. But there also just happened to be one flower calendar remaining.

The January picture is of a vase of purple lilacs on the window sill of an open window (a subliminal suggestion of warm weather). The old wooden window frame is painted bright blue.  Faded curtains frame the window. Interspersed among the lilacs are some fragile white flowers. I could not not buy this calendar. The picture of lilacs on a cold winter day conveys such hope to my heart and soul. I can almost smell the lilacs.

I stopped to gaze at the lilacs again today and my heart smiled enough to reach my face: Hope. The fact that the calendar cost only 84 cents also makes me smile. However, to me the picture is priceless.

On New Year’s Day, I changed our cottage sign. The December cottage sign was “Christmas Cottage.” The January cottage sign is “Hope Springs Cottage.” The idea that should come to your mind is the phrase “hope springs eternal” (from “An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope). It also implies, “hoping for Spring” (I am hoping for an early Spring).The background of the sign is a montage of snowflakes.

Yes, Winter will again yield to Spring. Meanwhile, the picture of the lilacs gives me joy and hope.