Gardening with Lora: Festive Halloween Pumpkins with Flowers

Even though it's cold out, you can still have some gardening fun with flowers for Halloween. You can even use pumpkins or other gourds you've grown yourself. Same goes for flowers! Here are some examples:

Here's a simple idea for mini pumpkins. Just scoop out the insides and place flowers in a bunch in the little pumpkins.

 

For this one, remove the seeds and carve as if you were making a regular jack o' lanterns, but instead of a candle, fill with a floral bouquet.

 

 

I love decorating my yard with fairy gardens. This one is in a carved out pumpkin with a little graveyard scene!

This one is my favorite. The flowers are very pretty, plus I like the addition of the lace around the pumpkin, and of course my beloved chili peppers!

Arts Connections Advice #5

 

Q: I am an adult in the IDD community. I still look forward to dressing up in costume and trick or treating every year. Sometimes other people don't understand and they say mean things. How can I have a good time trick or treating and stay safe?

A: There's no rule about who can or can't trick or treat and no age limit, but some people may not understand why a grown up would still want to participate. That doesn't mean you can't, but there are a few tips to make trick or treating a better experience. One thing you can do before you even head out is to let your neighbors know ahead of time that you will be trick or treating. You can deliver notes and even a festive bag of candy to sweeten the deal. Introduce yourself and explain why you still love to trick or treat. Also, make sure you go with a responsible adult, so that they can intervene and explain your situation if anyone questions you. Make sure you stay close. Be sure to maintain a respectable distance between yourself and any children you don't know. For your costume, it's probably a good idea to stick with something that isn't too scary or disturbing. Also avoid full face masks. Let people see your smile and your eyes. Just be safe, friendly and polite so that everyone can have a good time.

If you're too nervous to go out into your neighborhood, there are often agencies that have Trunk or Treat events and Halloween parties where you can mingle with other folks in the IDD community. If you want to stay in, wear a costume to hand out candy is always a fun option.

Q: Some of the spookier and scarier elements of Halloween, like witches and vampires, make me uncomfortable. How can I still enjoy the holiday?

A: Make sure that you let the people in your life know that you don't care for scary monsters so that they can give you support. Focus on festive decorations with pumpkins and consider wearing a character costume from your favorite Disney movie. Superheroes are a good option, too. Put on your favorite silly Halloween songs, like Monster Mash and Purple People Eater and make sure you have some yummy treats on hand. Even if you can't completely avoid the scary stuff, the more you communicate with family, staff and friends, the more likely that they will honor your preferences and make it a fun holiday experience.

Mark's Movie of the Week #6: West Side Story

West Side Story 

 

Mirisch Pictures; Seven Arts Productions; United Artists; October 18, 1961; 152 minutes

Screenplay by Ernest Lehman 

Based on West Side Story; Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by Arthur Laurents

Produced by Robert Wise

Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins 

West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title, which in turn was inspired by a William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  It stars Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony, Russ Tamblyn as Riff, Rita Moreno as Anita and George Chakiris as Bernardo, and was photographed in Super Panavision 70.  In New York City in 1957, two teenage gangs compete for control of the Upper West Side.  The Jets, a group of white teens led by Riff, brawl with the Sharks, Puerto Ricans led by Bernardo.  Lieutenant Schrank and Officer Krupke arrive and break it up.  The Jets challenge the Sharks to a rumble to be held after an upcoming dance.  Riff wants his best friend Tony, the co-founder and former member of the Jets, to fight at the rumble.  Riff invites Tony to the dance, but Tony says he senses something important is coming.  Riff suggests it could happen at the dance.  Tony finally agrees to go.  Meanwhile, Bernardo's younger sister, Maria, tells her best friend and Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, how excited she is about the dance.  At the dance, the two gangs and their girls refuse to intermingle. Tony arrives; he and Maria fall in love instantly, but Bernardo angrily demands that Tony stay away from her.  Riff proposes a midnight meeting with Bernardo at Doc's drugstore to settle the rules for the rumble. Maria is sent home; Anita argues that Bernardo is overprotective of Maria, and they compare the advantages of Puerto Rico and the mainland United States.  Tony sneaks onto Maria's fire escape where they reaffirm their love. Krupke, who suspects the Jets are planning something, warns them not to cause trouble. The Sharks arrive, and the gangs agree to a showdown the following evening under the highway, with a one-on-one fist fight. When Schrank arrives, the gangs feign friendship. Schrank orders the Sharks out and fails to discover information about the fight. The next day at the bridal shop where they work, Anita accidentally tells Maria about the rumble. Tony arrives to see Maria. Anita, shocked, warns them about the consequences if Bernardo learns of their relationship. Maria makes Tony promise to prevent the rumble. Tony and Maria fantasize about their wedding. The gangs approach the area under the highway. Tony arrives to stop the fight, but Bernardo antagonizes him. Unwilling to watch Tony be humiliated, Riff initiates a knife fight. Tony intervenes, leading to Bernardo's death with Riff's knife, and a melee ensues. Police sirens blare, and everyone flees, leaving behind the dead body. Maria waits for Tony on the roof of her apartment building; her fiancé Chino (an arranged engagement) arrives and tells her what happened. Tony arrives and asks for Maria's forgiveness. He plans to turn himself in to the police.  Maria is devastated, but confirms her love for Tony and asks him to stay. The Jets and their new leader, Ice, reassemble outside a garage and focus on reacting to the police. Anybodys arrives and warns them that Chino is after Tony with a gun. Ice sends the Jets to warn Tony. A grieving Anita enters the apartment while Tony and Maria are in the bedroom. The lovers arrange to meet at Doc's, where they will pick up getaway money to elope. Anita spots Tony leaving through the window and chides Maria for the relationship with Bernardo's killer, but Maria convinces her to help them elope. Schrank arrives and questions Maria about the rumble. Maria sends Anita to tell Tony that Maria is detained from meeting him. When Anita reaches Doc's, the Jets harass and even try to rape her, when Doc appears and intervenes. Anita angrily lies, saying that Chino has killed Maria. Doc banishes the Jets, gives Tony his getaway money and delivers Anita's message that Maria is dead. Tony, distraught, runs into the streets, shouting for Chino to kill him, too. In the playground next to Doc's, Tony spots Maria and they run towards each other only for Chino to shoot Tony. The gangs arrive to find Maria holding Tony, who dies in her arms. Maria stops the gangs from fighting, takes the gun from Chino and threatens to shoot everyone, blaming their hate for the deaths. Schrank, Krupke and Doc arrive, and the gangs form a funeral procession, with Maria following. The police arrest Chino and lead him away. In addition to singing voices Marni Nixon, Jimmy Bryant, Tucker Smith and Betty Wand, West Side Story also stars Simon Oakland, Ned Glass and William Bramley.  West Side Story had songs like "Jet Song", "Something's Coming ", "Maria ", "America ", "Tonight ", "Gee, Officer Krupke", "I Feel Pretty ", " One Hand, One Heart ","Somewhere ", "Cool", and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love ".  West Side Story was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and won 10 Oscars including Best Picture (Robert Wise), Best Director (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins), Best Supporting Actor (George Chakiris), Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Best Art Direction-Color (Boris Leven and Victor A. Gangelin), Best Cinematography-Color(Daniel L. Fapp), Best Costume Design-Color (Irene Sharaff), Best Film Editing (Thomas Stanford), Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal and Sid Ramin) and Best Sound (Fred Hynes and Gordon E. Sawyer); and Jerome Robbins for his Academy Honorary Award. West Side Story was one of the true musical of the 1960s.

 

DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas

For the crafty Do-It-Yourselfer, there are tons of cool ideas to try on the internet. Some are easy, and some are DIY "Pro." Here are some of our favorites.

Easy

Great For Kids

Funny

Festive

Elaborate

Gardening with Lora: First Frost

Lora just brought in her flowers to protect them during winter weather. Lora lives in Albuquerque, which is in Zone 6 with the average first frost falling between September 30 and October 30. It's nearing the end of October and there is definitely frost in the morning. You can use a number of different resources to estimate the first frost in your area, including the Farmer's Almanac, The National Gardening Association website, being familiar with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. But probably the most important thing you can do is to keep an eye on your local weather report.

Mark's Movie of the Week #5: Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days 

 

(The Michael Todd Company; United Artists; October 17, 1956; 182 minutes)

Screenplay by James Poe, John Farrow and S.J. Perelman 

Based on the 1873 book by Jules Verne 

Produced by Michael Todd

Directed by Michael Anderson 

Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 American epic adventure-comedy film starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Robert Newton and Shirley MacLaine.  The film's six-minutes-long animated title sequence, shown at the end of the film, was created by award winning designer Saul Bass.  Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow presents an onscreen prologue, featuring footage from A Trip to the Moon (1902) by George Amelie, explaining that it is based loosely on the book From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne.  Also included is the launching of an unmanned rocket and footage of the earth receding.  In 1872, an English gentleman, Phileas Fogg, claims he can circumnavigate the world in eighty days.  Fogg met four fellow members of the Reform Club stating that he can make the journey and arrive back at the club in eighty days at exactly 8:45 pm that evening.  Together with his resourceful French

valet, Passepartout, Fogg goes hopscotching around the globe generously spending money to encourage others to help him get to his destination faster so he can accommodate tight steamship schedules.  Having reached Paris they learn that a tunnel under the Alps is blocked. Thomas Cook , an agent who assists them, offers to hire or sell them his hot air balloon.  Fogg buys it and they fly over the Alps drinking champagne.  Blown off course, the two accidentally end up in Spain, where we see a table-top flamenco sequence performed in a bar.  Later Passepartout engages in a comic bullfight.  Next, they go to Brindisl in Italy.  Meanwhile, back in London, suspicion grows that Fogg has stolen 55,000 pounds from the Bank of England so police inspector Fix is sent out by Scotland Yard to trail him (starting in Sue's restaurant) but must keep waiting for a warrant to arrive so he can arrest Fogg in the British

controlled ports they visit.  In India, Fogg and Passepartout rescue a beautiful young widow, Aouda, from being forced into a funeral pyre with her late husband.  The three then travel to Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, and the Wild West (including the Sioux Nation).  Reaching New York, they arrange their passage on a cargo steamship traveling to Venezuela.  Fogg bribes the Captain to go to England.  Alas, they run out of coal mid-ocean and the ship stops.  Fogg buys the ship and then instructs the crew to take everything that burns, including lifeboats to provide fuel!  They arrive in Liverpool where, still with just enough time left to travel to London and win his wager, Fogg is promptly arrested by the diligent yet misguided inspector Fix.  Detaining Fogg at the police station, the humiliated Fox discovers that the real culprit has already been apprehended by police in Brighton.

  Although Fogg is exculpated and free to go he now has insufficient time to reach London before his deadline, and so has lost everything but the enduring love of the winsome Aouda.  Upon returning to London, Fogg asks Passepartout to arrange a church wedding for the next day, Monday.  Salvation comes when Passepartout is shocked to be informed that the next day is actually Sunday.  Fogg then realizes that by traveling east towards the rising sun and crossing the International Date Line, he has gained a day.  Thus, there is still just enough time to reach the Reform Club and win the bet.  Fogg rushes to the club, arriving just before the 8:45 pm chime. Passepartout and Aouda then arrive behind him, shocking everyone, as no woman has ever entered the Reform Club before.  Around the World in 80 Days has celebrity cameo appearances by Edward R. Murrow, A.E. Matthews, Ronald Squire, Ronald Adams, Walter Fitzgerald, Findlay Currie, Robert Morley, Fredrick Leister, Basil Sydney, Noel Coward, Sir John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Harcourt Williams, Martine Carol, Fernandel, Charles Boyer, Evelyn Keyes, Jose Greco, Luis Miguel Dominguin, Gilbert Roland, Cesar Romero, Alan Mowbray, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Melville Cooper, Reginald Denny, Ronald Colman, Robert Cabal, Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Mike Mazurki, George Raft, Red Skeleton, Marlene Dietrich, John Carradine, Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton, Col. Tim McCoy, Joe E. Brown, Andy Devine, Edmund Love, Victor Mclaglen, Jack Oakie, Beatrice Lillie, John Mills, Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold.  Around the World in 80 Days was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture (Michael Todd), Best Screenplay-Adapted (James Poe, John Farrow and S.J. Perelman), Best Cinematography-Color (Lionel Lindon), Best Film Editing (Gene Ruggiero and Paul Weatherwax), and Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Victor Young).  The film was originally distributed by United Artists in two Todd-AO 70 mm versions, one for Todd-AO 70 mm release at 30 frames per second reduced to 35 mm for general release.  The original Todd-AO 70 mm running time without the extra music was 179 minutes.  The 70 mm print shown at the Rivoli Theater in NYC was including removing most of the prologue with Edward R. Murrow remained and the entire "Trip to the Moon" clips were cut.  The intermission was also cut for the 1968 re-release which included the freeze frame of the ship and fade into the second half.  Around 1976, after its last network television broadcast on CBS, UA lost control of the film to Elizabeth Taylor, who was the widow of producer Michael Todd and had inherited a portion of Todd's estate.  In 1983, Warner Bros acquired the rights to the film from Taylor, and reissued the film theatrically in a re-edited 143-minute version (this version would subsequently air only once on Turner Classic Movies, this was before any restoration on the movie was announced).  In the years that followed, a pan-and-scan transfer of the alternative 24 frame/s version was shown on cable television.  In 2004, WB issued a digitally restored version of the 24 frame/s incarnation on DVD, also at its full 183 minute length, but also including the original intermission, Entr'acte and exit music segments that were a part of the original 1956 theatrical release, and for the first time on home video at its original 2.2:1 aspect widescreen ratio.  This restored version was reconstructed from the best available elements of the 24 frame/s edition WB could find, and was subsequently shown on Turner Classic Movies. With its all-star cast and dozens of locations Around the World in 80 Days was the film of the 1950s.

 

Arts Connections Advice #4

 

Q: I want to move to a new city and get a new job. How do I make a big decision like this and how do I plan ahead?

A: The first step when planning a big career move is to make sure you have all the skills you need for the path you want to take. You can start by taking classes and researching the field you want to enter. Next, you can look for internships and entry level positions in your current area, perhaps with the help of a job coach or mentor. Then you can start looking into what it would take to relocate. Some important questions to ask are: do you have a support system in this new city? If not, how might you build one before taking the leap? Do you have housing options? And can you line up a job ahead of time? If all of this seems out of reach right now, what can you do in your current situation to make the best of it?

Q: I have what I think is a cold. But these days it's hard to tell. I haven't tested for COVID-19 yet, but I'm staying home just to be safe. What can I do to make sure others don't get sick?

A: It is really difficult right now to know what to do in these situations. It's important to do your best right now, even if there's no straight answer. Our best means limiting exposure to others, even if it's not 100% perfect. Make sure that you have at home tests on hand and test every 2 days. Even if you have a negative result, you might want to stay home if possible and wear a mask when you need to go out. If we all wore masks when not feeling well, we could limit exposure to many viruses--not just Covid. The good news is that if you are testing negative, you are at least less contagious and less likely to spread the virus. If you do test positive, make sure to quarantine and follow the current CDC and/or WHO guidelines. And just remember, we're all doing our best.   

Gardening with Lora: Seasonal Planting

 

A chill is in the air and that means that the first frost will arrive soon. Then the snow will follow. With this changing of the season, outdoor gardening will come to an end. But during winter, you can enjoy gardening by tending to indoor plants--especially if you have a greenhouse. In the spring and summer I like to plant chile peppers, tomatoes, spinach and green beans. These will be harvested in the late summer and early fall. I always look forward to chile season, when I roast the chile and eat it with beans and tortillas. As for flowers, I plant different types at different times of year according to their needs.

Mark's Movie of the Week #4: Lincoln

 

Reliance Entertainment; Participant Media; Dune Entertainment; Amblin Entertainment; The Kennedy/Marshall Company; DreamWorks Pictures; 20th Century Fox; Touchstone Pictures; November 9, 2012; 150 minutes.
Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Based on the 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Lincoln is a 2012 American biographical historical drama film, starring Daniel Day Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln.  In January 1865, U.S. President Lincoln expects the Civil War to end soon, with the defeat of the Confederate States.  He is concerned that his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation may be discarded by the courts after the war and that the proposed Thirteenth Amendment will be defeated by the returning slave states.  He feels it imperative to pass the amendment before hand, to remove any possibility that freed slaves might be re-enslaved.  The radical Republicans fear the amendment will be defeated by some who wish to delay the passage; support from Republicans in the border states is not yet assured.  The amendment also requires the support of several Democratic congressmen to pass. With dozens of Democrats being lame ducks after losing their re-election campaigns in the fall of 1864, some of Lincoln's advisors believe he should wait for a new Republican-heavy congress.  Lincoln remains adamant about having the amendment in place before the war is concluded and the southern states are admitted.  Lincoln's hopes rely upon Francis Preston Blair, a founder of the Republican Party whose influence could win over members of the border states' conservative faction.  With a Union victory in the civil war highly likely, but not yet secured, and with two sons serving in the Union Army, Blair is keen to end hostilities quickly before the spring thaw arrives and the armies march again.  Therefore, in return for his support, Blair insists that Lincoln allow him to engage the Confederate government in peaceful negotiations.  Lincoln knows that significant support for the amendment must come from radical Republicans, for whom negotiated peace is
unacceptable.  Unable to proceed without Blair's support, Lincoln reluctantly authorizes Blair's mission.  In the meantime, Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward work to secure Democratic votes for the amendment.  Meanwhile, Lincoln's son, Robert, returns from law school and announces his intention to discontinue his studies and enlist in the Union Army, hoping to earn a measure of honor and respect outside of his father's shadow before the war ends.  At a critical moment in the debate in the House of Representatives, racial-equality advocate Thaddeus Stevens agrees to moderate his position and argue that the amendment represents only legal equality, not a declaration of actual equality.  Rumors of their mission circulates, prompting both Democrats and conservative Republicans to advocate for postponing the vote.  In a carefully worded statement, Lincoln denies there are envoys in Washington, and the vote proceeds, passing by a margin of two votes.  Black visitors in the gallery celebrate, and Stevens return home to his "housekeeper" and lover, a biracial woman.  On April 3,1865, Lincoln visits the battlefield at Petersburg, VA, where he exchanges a few words with Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. On April 9, 1865, Grant receives Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.  On April 14,1865, a cheerful Lincoln expresses to his wife that they will be happy in the future and later meets members of his cabinet to discuss future measures to enfranchise blacks, before leaving for Ford's Theatre.  That night, while Lincoln's son Tad is watching Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp at Grover's Theater, the manager suddenly stops the play to announce that the President had been shot. The next morning at the Petersen House, Lincoln dies with a peaceful expression across his face; in a flashback, Lincoln finishes his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. Lincoln also stars Sally Field, Gloria Reuben, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gulliver McGrath, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Elizabeth Marvel, Bill Camp, Adam Driver, Jared Harris, Asa-Luke Twocrow, Colman Domingo,Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan, David Strathairn, Bruce  McGill,  Joseph Cross, Jeremy Strong, Grainger Hines, Richard Topol, Dakin Matthews, Walt Smith, James Ike Eichling, Tommy Lee Jones, Lee Pace, Peter McRobbie, Bill Raymond, David Constable, Stephen Spinella, Michael Stuhlbarg, Boris McGiver, Walton Goggins, David Warshofsky, Michael Stanton Kennedy, Raynor Scheine, Christopher Evan Welch, Wayne Duvall, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, John Hawkes, Byron Jennings, Julie White, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Hutton, Jackie Earle Haley, Gregory Itzin, Michael Shiflett, Christopher Boyer and Hal Holbrook who played Lincoln in the 1976 miniseries Carl Sandburg's Lincoln and the 1985 & 1986 miniseries North and South Books I & II.  Lincoln was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 2 Oscars including Best Actor (Daniel Day Lewis) and Best Production Design (Rick  Carter and Jim Erickson).  It is also listed on many critics top ten lists including The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly , The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, The Times-Picayune, ReelViews, Time Out New York, The A.V. Club, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Rolling Stone, IndieWire, New York Daily News, Boston Globe, HitFix, Associated Press, Salon.com, MSN Movies, The Denver Post, NPR, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.  Lincoln was Steven Spielberg's best!