LIFE & ARTS Journal of a living lady By Nancy White Kelly #362 Month of January The year of 2009 may go down as one of Tiger’s worst years, but it will certainly be remembered as one of my best ones. With metastatic cancer, any full year past diagnosis can be considered a good year. In spite of the big C, I look back and think of all that transpired these last twelve months and I am truly grateful. Nobody in my family died. Granted, Buddy and I lost a couple of good friends, but only temporarily. My Christian faith keeps me up-beat, knowing that this life is not the end, just a new beginning in foreverland. We now enter the second decade of the new millennium. Remember Y2K and all the up-roar ten years ago? Most people were hoarding beans and rice. My unsuspecting spouse never knew that I had cases of diet cola in the attic, my one addiction that he has never liked. My response to his nagging is “Choose your poison.” At least my obsession is fizzy caffeine in a can and not some grittyorange fiber drink that you must mix. The last sound I hear every night, and certainly not a romantic one, is that of a rattling metal spoon in a glass of water. Gulp. Gulp.
A decade ago the Y2K bug was considered a clicking time bomb for all major computer programs. When the minute hand ticked Jan 1, 2000, no great catastrophe occurred. Almost every bank worked fine, no major power outages were reported, airplanes still flew and the whole world went on with its normal life. The sky didn’t fall after all. Now I hear buzz about the year 2012. True, the Mayan calendar ends on 12/21/2012. The dooms-day speculation is surging. While I do believe in an up-coming apocalypse, we must part ways when discussing dates. My Bible says that not even the angels know when this event will occur. Until then, I live day by day, appreciating the good that occurred in the past year. There were several notable markers. My cancer scans were stable. No new tumors were found. I wrote a short essay and won a trip to London and to the Holy Land, accompanied by son Charlie. The Ye Ole Coin Shop had its best year thus far. A fresh coat of paint improved the look of our aging house. We made several new friends. The list could go on and on.
Reel Memories: #109 - The Mark of Zorro
By: William V. Reynolds Columnist As a child, i was fascinated by characters who had a double identity.Today many such characters in stories are said to be suffering from multiple personality. But in those days we weren’t concerned with such trivialities. We knew who the hero was whether he wore the mask or not. Furthermore, we knew that justice was going to prevail no matter how the hero was dressed. The legend of Robin Hood, the good outlaw, has been told over and over again. People never seem to tire of the tale. BBC America is currently running a series called Robin Hood. It’s just one of many over the years, especially the last century. In 1919 Johnston McCulley wrote a story called The Curse of Capistrano which introduced the masked hero
Zorro. A year later it was made into a silent film The Mark of Zorro (1920). This story basically became foundation for all Zorro movies that followed. The 1940s version is a remake of the Douglas Fairbanks film of 1920. Although the character is based on a real person, Joaquin Murrieta, the story bears little resemblance to the historical figure. Don Diego Vega (Tyrone Power) returns from Spain where he has been attending the Academy. He finds the situation greatly deteriorated since his departure. Although he is an accomplished swordsman, he decides to become a foppish fellow whose only interest is in the finer things of life. This makes him a prime target for the wife of the local Alcalde who has a marriageable niece, Lolita (Linda Darnell). Lolita despises the foppish Don diego, but when she learns the Diego and Zorro (the Fox) are one and the same, she is delighted.
January 6, 2010 I dare not gloat. We have several family members and acquaintances who have lost jobs. Some may lose their homes. It is our Christian duty to help the truly needy. I had much rather be the giver than the givee any day. In my six and a half decades of living, I have come to believe that some of the most generous people are among the poorest. A true judge of character is how a person treats the down-andouter and the least among them. To whom do we readily speak? Where do we sit when there is a choice of seats? Recently a customer bought a widow’s mite from our coin shop for a friend. It was a tiny piece of embossed metal, a genuine, but crudely stamped Roman coin from the historical era of Jesus. The mite was all the poor lady had to give and she gave it cheerfully. Compare that to the ostentatious announcements of generosity by our contemporaries. Giving to worthy causes is good, of course, but must celebrities promote their philanthropy so publically? Two of the best gifts I received this year were semi-anonymous, no recognition wanted. One was a check for $500 that helped a young man fulfill a dream. The other was a donation to use for heat which brought grateful tears from the sick recipient. You can’t outgive God. Happy New Year, readers. In 2010, dare to share. nancyk@windstream.net
*To be held at the Peacock Playhouse
Not only does Diego have to deal with the corrupt governor Quintero (J. Edward Bromberg) he must also fight off the governor’s henchmen, Captain Pasquale (Basil Rathbone). At each encounter Zorro leaves his calling card, the letter “Z”, with his saber into whatever surface is handy. Actually this swordplay is the highlight of the movie. The scene where Zorro fights with Pasquale is said by many to be one of the best sword fights ever captured on film. Basil Rathbone, who was an accomplished swordsman himself, is supposed to have said, “He (Power) could fence Errol Flynn into a cocked hat.” Basil; should have known because he had played opposite Flynn in Robin Hood. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best original Score in 1941 Academy Awards. Today we give a reel memories salute to Mark of Zorro. William V. Reynolds is the author of “Murder in the Okefenokee” available at McCaysville Public Market and Pat’s Country Kitchen in McCaysville; Parris Pharmacy, The Book Nook and Ingles in Blue Ridge; Book Nook in Blairsville; and Phillips and Lloyd in hayesville.
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