January - This and That

I hope this finds you well. Did you have a nice weekend? Ours was fun, and we enjoyed watching bald eagles at the lake and munching on Old Bay Goldfish Crackers appetizer while watching the Bill's football game. 

Joe and I went to the movie theater twice this week. We saw "A Man Called Otto" and "The Whale". Both great choices. Tom Hanks (Otto) can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. I was going to write a review since so many have asked me about the movie, but instead I am sharing a review that I enjoyed reading. I especially love the last sentence. LOL 

"I respect Tom Hanks as an actor of great ability but I do not take to all of his movies. This one was an unexpected pleasure as I was reluctant to spend time in a cinema watching it. As an octogenarian, I have the feel for a curmudgeon: not an intentional one but a person worn down by constant change and a slipping away of one's past. Life's successes and tragedies form us all if we make the distance and Tom Hanks showed how a young man in love with a beautiful young wife can change into Otto today. My hat is tipped to the Mexican actress Mariana Trevino whose character traversed many emotions and elicited them from Otto. A grand performance. Hanks Junior did a good job portraying Otto as a young man and the entire cast placed highly in the plot.

Sentimental yes, mawkish a tad but in these soulless times where politicians battle, war continues to mar our lives and social issues are twisted and bent, this is a sort of feel good movie even if the inevitable end comes to be for Otto, his death but luckily not from his few suicide attempts.
The drab environment and snow that kept me feeling cold was brightened by one thing we are craving for.  Kindness.
I reluctantly went into the cinema with my wife and came out impressed and glad I watched it.

BTW, I am sure my hearing is OK because I never heard one curse word in the entire movie."

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 Wow, "The Whale" exceeded my expectations. Brendan Fraser is terrific playing "Charlie" in The Whale. I feel the movie is a must see for everyone. Brendan Fraser won Critic's Choice Award for the movie and at the end of his acceptance speech he concluded, through tears, "If you — like Charlie, who I played in this movie — in any way, struggle with obesity, or you just feel like you're in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you, too, can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen."

Let's chat about the Dolly Parton Banana Cake Mix. Even my husband has noticed that all my friends (and strangers) love the topic. So far I have made the coconut cake and the banana cake, both were very good if you are wanting to use a cake mix. Most every dessert I make is from scratch, but these are good and everyone has enjoyed them. Dolly just added four new mixes to the lineup, and I should be able to find them in grocery stores within the year.

On Saturday, we went on a birding excursion on Onondaga Lake. Onondaga Lake is the largest wintering roost for bald eagles in New York State. We learned that you'd have to go Alaska to see that many bald eagles in one place.

This was my weekly outing from January 18. Our hiking club typically has three outdoor activities each week. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Deb