Two Movies, Along With Some Fall Flowers for Good Measure

Two movie going experiences within two weeks is a rarity around these parts. Generally, I'm a
stick- in-the mud when it comes to movies, mostly because  I am uninterested in the Apocalypse, vampires, time travel, super heros, and extreme violence. So, pretty much everything that is currently in vogue. Nevertheless, this time of the year a few films of interest oftentimes appear, so there you go. Or, in this case, there we went.

Don't be surprised by the pop up of flower photos--my title told you they were coming!! Isn't this the absolute cutest? I went crazy when I saw it at the garden center, so, no, I take no credit for growing it, and I only hope it lasts for ages!

"St. Vincent", with a short piece from the Washington Post, including a video here, was good. Bill Murray was fantastic, as were the supporting players, in what is really a Bill Murray vehicle showcasing him as a crotchety, what we later learn, old veteran, with hidden secrets. The story of how he came to play the part is here, and believe me, it's a good one. The bottom line is this: we went away from the theater feeling good, that things will turn out right in the long run if given the right circumstances. I say---go see for yourself!

Look who is sitting pretty these days? A rare photo for me as I generally cannot get them to sit still long enough in the Jatropha tree for a photo!

On the other hand, we did not leave the theater feeling even the slightest bit good after seeing "Nightcrawler" on Friday evening. This trailer gives fair warning.

Because I did not see the trailer, only a small synopsis, as in two lines, in the newspaper, I thought maybe it would be interesting. That it was. Jake Gyllenhall is superb, playing the creepiest guy I've seen in film for quite some time. Think Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men", and you get a little bit of the picture. Instead of a gun, Jake Gyllenhall uses a video camera to wreak more havoc than you ever thought possible. The entire cast is outstanding. Although local television news is not as extreme as pictured in the film, it's probably closer to the depiction than we'd like to think. Have you ever wondered who does shoot crime scene photos and videos? I had not, prior to seeing this film. Here is an article about Chicago's real life "Nightcrawler." The name of the film should have been a tip, however, somehow I did not get it. Think cockroach? Nevertheless, both Bruce and I came away somewhat shaken by the seamier side of life shown in the film. Should you go see this one? Depends on your tolerance for the violent and creepy.

Bougainvillea gone wild at our neighbor's house down the street! Gorgeous, isn't it?

The mild temperatures during Fall make for a great time for flowers in Florida. Our red hibiscus, out back, is going mad with about forty blooms, which I hope is a trend that continues until Matt and Tom arrive on Friday.

Regina has a climbing rose on her front porch that is looking mighty fine.

While on my bike ride the other morning, someone has this version of the Passion flower covering a fence. More often than not you see the purple version which is good, but this is my favorite color.

Alongside the pool chairs I bought some purple to brighten the back yard, and guess who came to check things out?

If you've been wondering why I've not posted many bird photos of late, it is not because I have not wanted to, believe you me. For whatever reason, the birds have been few and far between during the last couple of weeks. Except for a Saturday morning when about a gazillion red winged blackbirds came to feed.

Their colors are fantastic this time of the year as well. In spite of only four being on the feeder in this shot, there were plenty more waiting their turn. :)

So, all of the above flowers are terrific, but the real show stopper, blooming around the city, are these sunflowers!

To tell you the truth, I don't really know what these are called because they grow on very tall bushes, reaching maybe twenty feet into the sky. Whatever their name, they are glorious! While riding I came across a yard with multiple bushes, and just as I was wondering how to get a shot, the folks came out of the house to head to work. Asking nicely, she was gracious enough to let me roam her yard at will.

At the other end of our street, a neighbor has a fence covered with these blooms.

Lovely, aren't they?

While on the subject of watching stories unfold on the screen, did I ever tell you terrific the HBO mini series, Olive Kitteredge was? If not, I'm doing so now. I'm clueless as to how a person could watch it now, but if the opportunity presents itself, I recommend that you do.

Good news!! It was so darn warm yesterday that I got to wear the blouse I wrote about here! And just when I thought Siri was pretty darn useless, I asked her about the pink bunny pictured in that blog post. Incredibly, or so I thought because generally I can't even get her to call Bruce, "she" searched the web and I discovered it was in honor of, well, how about you read about it here?

Okay, enough writing, because the truth is, I should be working on my final order before the weekend show in DeLand, where they treat the artists better than almost any show I've ever done. I must get on it....