Getting long in the tooth

My front porch in the fall

The beautiful flowers I've had on my front porch all summer long are beginning to get, as they say, "long in the tooth." (I just looked up where the phrase originated: it comes from judging a horse's age by looking at its teeth, which continue to grow as they age.) Other than the pretty chrysanthemums, which bloom gloriously in the fall, all my other flowers are beginning to fade. Soon it will be time to put them all to bed.

The leaves from the trees are also beginning to fall, but there are plenty more just beginning to turn and drift to the ground. To me, it's a delightful time of the year. And it always amazes me that while we in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying fall, those in the Southern Hemisphere are moving from spring into summer. The Aussies are getting ready for the heat, while we are bundling up for the winter to come. It's all because of the tilt of the planet that gives us our seasons. You can read about it here, at one of my favorite websites timeanddate.com.

For some reason, I'm having a hard time focusing on the task at hand this morning. I've already spent some time looking up the origin of that phrase, then quotes about it, and each one of those events have caused me to go off on yet another tangent. I did find a quote from Angela Lansbury that I like:

I have never directed. But I think I could. I have thought about it. I'm a bit long in the tooth to start.

She's 93, so yeah, I guess she might be right about that. She has been around for a long time. Now I wonder how she's doing. That took me on yet another tangent, and I found this article that has seven surprising facts about her. I didn't know she has three citizenships: England (her place of birth), Ireland (her mother's homeland), and the United States (her adopted country). You can read the article yourself and enjoy learning more about this long-in-the-tooth celebrity. I have loved her since the days she was on "Murder, She Wrote." She also holds the record for the most Emmy nominations (18) without a win. And she's still working, an inspiration for those of us who are much younger than she is and feeling long in the tooth ourselves.

I wonder why it is that some people manage to stay active and involved in life for so long, and others don't. I'm sure part of it is genetics, and working to stay fit and active, but there must be other reasons, too. I'm resisting going on yet another internet search to find out! I'll never finish this post unless I find some focus. Falling into google searches is a habit I hope I never get over, though. I've learned some amazing facts and really enjoy the challenge of it all. Deciding what phrase to use is key, and that means starting and stopping and going down rabbit holes at times, but it's still a lot of fun.

It also makes me reminisce about what I did before we had all these research possibilities. When I was a girl, my sister Norma Jean and I would spend hours reading new (to us) words in the large dictionary we had at home. We also had a huge set of Encyclopedia Britannica volumes that I would spend time reading at random. Because of changing times, those books would now be useless except as collectors' items. (I am resisting another urge to go find out.)

Last week my friend Judy and I went to see A Star Is Born, a new movie with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I loved it, although I would have been in bad shape if I had left my ear plugs at home. The music was way too loud, but I guess that's normal for movies these days. The main theater in Bellingham, owned by Regal, is notorious for blasting your eardrums. Some people love it, I guess, either that or they are already deaf. But once I plugged my ears, I was able to get lost in the movie and really enjoyed it. It is the fourth iteration of the same story. Maybe I'll try to see them all (made in 1937, 1954, and 1976) and see which one I like the best. This latest one, however, is getting rave reviews. Here's one:

While praising the direction, acting, and writing, Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune argues that a A Star is Born's formula has always been very seductive to audiences, even when it has been written poorly, and Cooper's few missteps include being a bit of a scene hog.

Bradley Cooper is a good actor, and I have to agree that he might have spent too much screen time on himself, but Lady Gaga again wowed me with her talent. This person can not only sing, but she can act as well. She deserves all the accolades she gets from her performance in this movie. And when I think that this is the same person who at first only seemed out to shock people (think about the meat dress, for instance), I have been continually amazed at how incredibly talented she is. By the way, in case you were wondering, her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. The movie is well worth your time, in my opinion.

 Well, I think I did it. I managed to stay focused enough to get this post written before it became too long in the tooth. I'm feeling a little anxious to get going this morning and get off to the coffee shop. I could spend many more hours sitting here following lead after lead, but I'm going to stop right here and change my focus to the task of getting out of bed and finding my way into the new day. I do hope that whatever you decide to do with your day, it will be rewarding and enjoyable. And don't forget to hug someone today. Until we meet again next week, I wish you all good things. Be well.