WATCHING THE ECLIPSE
The highlight of this past week was certainly the eclipse on Monday afternoon. We were not in an area for a total eclipse but were expected to get 80-84% coverage. It was a lovely sunny day with lots of blue sky. The Chief Penguin and I walked to the downtown park, partly for better viewing, but mostly to be with other people. We arrived just before 2:00 pm and quickly snapped up two of the electric green Adirondack chairs near the fountain.
Not much happened for quite a while; then wearing our approved cardboard eclipse glasses, we gazed up and saw the sun being nibbled at by the black moon. As time went on, more kids and families and couples gathered and found places to sit. The blackness kept encroaching until around 3:10, we had just a fingernail sliver of golden sun left. Quite something to see.
It never got dark here, but the sun did get dim and the air cooled a bit. The weather was so salubrious, we stayed on awhile longer, checking every little bit to see the process slowly reverse as more of the sun emerged again. An amazing experience! The next one isn’t for another 20 years—odds are we might not see it!
INTERLUDE—MUSIC & FILM
Cary Town Band
One of the perks of living where we do is a wide assortment of free musical events and movies. This week it was a concert by the Cary Town Band. In existence since 1987, the band is made up of all woodwind instruments and boasts 50 plus players, all volunteers. It’s led by a former member who brings enthusiasm, knowledge, and a bit of fun (think the occasional theme costume) to her conducting.
This program featured music from composers like Sousa and Verdi to Elton John and John Williams all under the umbrella of people’s jobs. Pieces included selections from the Lion King, Superman, Phantom of the Opera, and Die Meistersinger among others. Cary Town Band presents four or five concerts a year including one for the Fourth of July. This was a fun evening!
Beyond Silence
The previous week we enjoyed a showing of the German film, Beyond Silence, released in 1996. It centers on Lara, a young girl interested in music and particularly the clarinet. She hears, but both her parents are deaf. They three communicate by signing, and Lara’s parents rely on her for translating in interviews with her schoolteachers or when watching TV. She aspires to study the clarinet in Berlin, and there is tension and then a rift with her parents. It’s a sensitive portrait of coming of age and learning to navigate boundaries and limits.
If the premise of this film sounds familiar to you, it may be that you’ve seen or heard of the 2021 American film, CODA (Children of Deaf Adults), which has some similarities, but the girl in it has a talent for singing. Interestingly, CODA is actually considered to be a remake of the French-Belgian film from 2014, La Famille Belier, where the girl is also a gifted singer. For those who are intrigued, it’s possible to buy or rent any of these films from Amazon or other sources.
VIEWING NOTES
Nolly (PBS Masterpiece)
I watched one episode of Nolly, a series about an early British TV sitcom star who was suddenly let go from her show. Much as I like and admire Helena Bonham Carter as an actress, I didn’t really get engaged with this production. Nolly wasn’t very likable, too much of a prima donna, and the other characters seemed stale and dated to me. Maybe the humor is too British or maybe it gets better in future episodes, but I had enough.
Call the Midwife (Season 13, PBS)
Perhaps you think you’ve witnessed enough breech births and had too much sweetness and light to continue with this series. The Chief Penguin occasionally has felt this way—but he continues to watch Call the Midwife with me. So far, after three episodes, I think that Season 13 is a winner.
Midwife often deals with serious medical issues of the 1960’s; in previous seasons it included Thalidomide babies and lung-infecting black mold. This season when stalwart Fred becomes seriously ill, everyone is reminded of the importance of an up-to-date tetanus vaccine.
After all these years, I’m fond of many of these characters from Sister Julienne to Trixie and Nurse Crane, and even Miss Higgins, who has loosened up somewhat. They make for a winning cast of characters and continue to delight viewers like me! Recommended!
Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
