2026, My year of Garden Narcissism

[heirloomgal]

Winter is also a great time to share movies. Youngest DD, in particular, loves to watch them with me.
I had never seen this family friendly film before, but I highly recommend it:

Captains Courageous, 1937​

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028691/

We as a family haven't been to the movie theater in the last few years, mostly because the product isn't entertaining enough to justify the cost.
Last year the 4 of us went to see

The Life of Chuck, 2025​

based on a story by Steven King. It is truly a lovely art film, with many surprises. I HIGHLY recommend it!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12908150/

I would love to hear more movie recommendations! I really struggle to find family friendly stuff, most of what's out there is not my cup of tea and I wouldn't want the kids to see it. I have researched quite a bit on family friendly movie sites, and even those ratings are not totally reliable.

 

[flowerbug]

I would love to hear more movie recommendations! I really struggle to find family friendly stuff, most of what's out there is not my cup of tea and I wouldn't want the kids to see it. I have researched quite a bit on family friendly movie sites, and even those ratings are not totally reliable.

Flight of the Navigator, E.T., Short Circuit, Galaxy Quest and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are some movies that i like which i can watch again at times. for seasonal movies i do admit to liking the original Grinch movie, the Rudolph animated one too. for not so seasonal there is Horton Hears a Who.

 

[heirloomgal]

Flight of the Navigator, E.T., Short Circuit, Galaxy Quest and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are some movies that i like which i can watch again at times. for seasonal movies i do admit to liking the original Grinch movie, the Rudolph animated one too. for not so seasonal there is Horton Hears a Who.

Flight of the Navigator! I love that one, we have a copy. And we have ET and Short Circuit too which I agree are also good and family friendly. We watch Goonies on rotation too. Galaxy Quest! I actually have that one and its still in the wrapper, I was a bit worried not knowing anything about it. So now I think I'll give it a try!! Thank you @flowerbug! We tried Dune a few weeks ago, oof, dud.

 

[flowerbug]

Flight of the Navigator! I love that one, we have a copy. And we have ET and Short Circuit too which I agree are also good and family friendly. We watch Goonies on rotation too. Galaxy Quest! I actually have that one and its still in the wrapper, I was a bit worried not knowing anything about it. So now I think I'll give it a try!! Thank you @flowerbug! We tried Dune a few weeks ago, oof, dud.

Galaxy Quest is a little more violence and adult themed a little, but nothing graphic, just goofy humor mostly. small kids probably won't even notice...

i've not seen the recent Dune movies but will try to catch them at some point. it is a favorite book of mine and i've re-read it many times, but movie adaptations are often not very good (like while all the LOTR and Hobbit movies were ok i didn't much like them nearly as much as i liked the music in parts).

 

[heirloomgal]

Galaxy Quest is a little more violence and adult themed a little, but nothing graphic, just goofy humor mostly. small kids probably won't even notice...

i've not seen the recent Dune movies but will try to catch them at some point. it is a favorite book of mine and i've re-read it many times, but movie adaptations are often not very good (like while all the LOTR and Hobbit movies were ok i didn't much like them nearly as much as i liked the music in parts).

The Dune we watched was the one that came out in 1984, directed by David Lynch. Apparently it is somewhat of a cult classic, though I found nothing entertaining about it, simply bewildering, long and bizarre. I only watched it a month ago and all I can remember is 'the spice the spice'.

 

[flowerbug]

The Dune we watched was the one that came out in 1984, directed by David Lynch. Apparently it is somewhat of a cult classic, though I found nothing entertaining about it, simply bewildering, long and bizarre. I only watched it a month ago and all I can remember is 'the spice the spice'.

yeah, that one i gave up on shortly after starting to watch it. there was another one that came out that i also couldn't watch for very long as it was just missing too much that was pretty clear in the books.

 

[SPedigrees]

The Dune we watched was the one that came out in 1984, directed by David Lynch. Apparently it is somewhat of a cult classic, though I found nothing entertaining about it, simply bewildering, long and bizarre. I only watched it a month ago and all I can remember is 'the spice the spice'.

The trick to watching any works by David Lynch is to not try to make sense of it. Best to just let Lynch's art flow over you. LOL

 

[ducks4you]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086112/

I raised my 3 daughters on this. GREAT family fare, and who not?!?! It is, after all, Gilbert and Sullivan at their finest. They wrote it bc their first collaberation,

made it's way to tour the USA, and the Americans didn't honor their copyright, therefore, "pirated" the operetta.
SO, they next wrote about piracy, and how the Pirates of Penzance couldn't make piracy pay, since the were too tender hearted.

 

[Marie2020]

Part of my healing is to jump in the deep gardening pool end. We are in the grip of cold and snow that has lingered here for weeks, which doesn't always happen on my property. DD took these photos of property and hoar frost as she drove home yesterday. I gave my DD my garage spot and garage opener until further notice. I didn't want to have her fairly new KIA fail. She said her car is happy to be spoiled. I ran my 2012 Toyota Avalon for a full 1/2 hour before parking behind the trucks--that's the white car that you see.
I finally kicked the ponies outside after a 2nd stint of a full week stuck in their stalls. We had moderate weather, then a sudden jump to -20 wind chills. View attachment 79595
My horses willingly went inside, then probably thought the next day, "HOW did she KNOW?!?!?"View attachment 79594View attachment 79596

Fairytale photographs

These pictures should be framed

 

[Marie2020]

THIS lady is my newonline habit--I love her writing! She is known as "Farmer Girl," and she also has a FB page. Here is a sample of her work:

Farmer Girl​

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I need to come clean about something that may rattle this community, cause a slight tremor in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and make at least three people whisper, “Is she okay?” (No. But also yes.)

I sometimes eat Cup of Noodles…raw.

Yes. Dry. Crunchy. Straight out of the package like a feral raccoon who just broke into someone’s garage and is now perched on top of the recycling bin making direct eye contact with the homeowner while chewing something aggressively.

And before anyone asks — no, this is not because I’m impatient. I’m a calf raiser in Western Washington. I willingly stand in rain that has no beginning or end. Patience is literally a personality trait here.

I eat them raw because they are like potato chips but somehow better — like if chips, pretzels, and unprocessed emotional trauma all were combined into a crunchy, salty snack. That crispy little noodle brick? It is the snack equivalent of chaotic good.

There is something deeply therapeutic about shaking the cup to disperse the seasoning, opening it, and crunching into it with the energy of a woodland creature that has fought three geese today and won.

Every bite is like:
crunch — “Not today, Brenda.”
crunch — “Western WA drizzle cannot and will not break me.”
crunch — “Yes, James, I do understand electrolytes.”
crunch — “Calves, please stop inventing illnesses at 2 a.m.”
crunch — “I am stronger than whatever that smell in the barn aisle was.”

It’s basically edible stress therapy. Emotional bubble wrap. The world’s crunchiest coping mechanism.

Do I understand this is not considered normal behavior by society?

Yes.

Will I stop?

Absolutely not.

At this point my personality is 40% calves, 40% rain, and 20% rehydration-optional noodles. I will die on this hill, clutching my snack like a noble, spicy raccoon warrior.

And when I go, my tombstone will simply read:
“She lived. She laughed. She had zero culinary skills."

I like her a lot, already