Toolbox

Chapter 61
On set the next day, the scene was getting puzzled together. The hired hands were busy, diligently working the 'behind the scenes' carpentry.
Simmy was working the design aspect of the set. Surrounded by her electricians, her glazier and her foreman, she walked around the inside of the building where the scene was being constructed.
The 1920's apartment had this wonderful interior courtyard and the business that had originally set up shop there had downsized, closing their doors, maintaining only their flagship store.
"Where's my Glazer?" Simmy shouted.
A young man hustled over, looking a little peeved.
"It's glazier, Mom," he corrected.
"Sorry, darling! I'm always getting that mixed up. You're such a big soccer fan." She punched his arm good-humoredly.
"You must admit, they sound kind of the same."

Good Forgiving Friends

Chapter 60 (cont'd)
As J.P. & Crew left to get the scenes set for the next day, Jayne stayed seated and Don came back to ask if she was catching a lift back.
"No, I need to talk to Simmy for a bit. I'll catch a taxi later if I need to."
Don looked at Simmy and she waved him off, "Go! I'll see to it that she gets on set when she's needed. You've got her cellphone number, yes?"
Don nodded and turned to get in the car with the rest of the Crew.
Simmy sat down at the little garden table and asked, "More coffee?"
Jayne was fidgeting already but replied anyway, "Yes, tea would be even better though."
Simmy got up and said, "I'll go make some. You just sit and enjoy the beautiful weather."
Ten minutes later Simmy came back outside with hot tea, milk and sugar. The wall of sweet peas was off season this year. It was blooming in the warm Autumn days.
"What's off today, Jayne?" Simmy poured two mugs of tea.
"I'm really struggling with some of my relationships. I'm having a hard time forgiving people. I just don't know if I'm capable of forgiving."
"None of us are on our own. Your fresh relationship with Jesus is going to be a test on many days. Sometimes it's good to deal with one thing at a time. If you try to tackle all of your past at once, it'll sink you like a submarine without a snorkel, if you're not careful."
"Well, I just feel so overwhelmed right now."
Simmy calmly took a sip of tea, "Do you know what my Doctor said to me a few years ago?" Simmy didn't wait for an answer. "He said that every healthy person goes through three bouts of depression in their lifetime. That's normal."
Jayne looked at Simmy cautiously. "Normal?" She spoke the word slowly.
"He also said, 'your life is like a lake and the problems that you haven't dealt with are like balls that you try to keep under the water. The harder you try to keep all the balls under, the more frenzied you'll get and, eventually, you just can't do it anymore."
"That's how I feel right now. My ex-husband and I are still having spats. I thought when we split that I would be free, if you know what I mean."
"Forgiving is the method that brings freedom," Simmy said.
"How can I forgive the things he did?"
"Let me quote Dr. James Richards, 'Forgiveness doesn't have anything to do with saying it's okay!'"
"Well, that's a relief!" Jayne sat back and relaxed for the first time that day. "Because what he did is not okay!" She stated emphatically.
"That's right! You have to deal in truth. I used to hang out with a woman who had some leadership duties in my church. She would tell me the crazy things people would do or say to her and I would respond with, "What? Are you serious?"
"Then she would respond with, 'Oh, it's okay,' in a very unconvincing tone."
Jayne was listening intently, "What did you say then?"
"I asked her one day, 'Why do you always say, the rotten things people do and say to you are okay? They're not okay! Why do you do that?"
"And then?" Jayne was leaning forward.
"She didn't want to talk about it any further so I dropped the subject. But... because she wouldn't deal with the problem, she started acting the same as these other people. And... when she directed that meanness my way, I quit the relationship because nobody likes to be crapped on all the time."
"Ooh, I don't want to become mean," Jayne shook her head as she picked up her mug for comfort.
"'It's a new day' is a television program that I watch quite frequently, if the guest is interesting." Simmy grinned. "This last week, Willard said, 'If a certain behaviour is accepted in a group, then, when you live within that behaviour, you will do it without any conscience qualm. You won't FEEL," Simmy emphasized that word, 'like it's lying or cheating. So, your heart gets convinced that it's the right way to go.'"
"Oh, oh, I can see this slippery slope," Jayne mumbled.
"'As long as we stay within that world, we could have sinful behaviours that are accepted within that group.' End quote!"
"So, deal in truth," Jayne said.
"You have to start there, Honey. It helps if you just start being honest with yourself. You can't make other people change but you don't have to hang out with people who are crapping on you either. Find some good, forgiving friends. Wholesome!"

North by Northwest

Chapter 60 (cont'd)
J.P. shakes his head and gets back to deciding which scene will best suit the film, next.
"1958or 1959ish, let's do a scene from that time period, the year I was born. Perfect. It's time to introduce the children into the film," J.P. speaks.
"We'll do a Christmas either in New York, Lake Placid or..."
"You could have Christmas in Quebec on the Plains of Abraham," Simmy spoke cheekily.
"My Dad loves Canadian Hockey," J.P. answered.
"The Plains of Abraham and hockey?" Simmy asked.
"That does sound kind of strange, doesn't it?"

Everybody's Aunt Judith

Chapter 60
The phone rang in the morning just as Simmy was pouring a cup of coffee.
"It's me, who are you!"
There was silence on the other end of the line and Simmy sighed.
"Hello?" The voice sounded hesitant.
Simmy laughed gregariously, "I love answering the phone that way. People never know what to say. Is that you, J.P.?"
"Yes," the voice sounded slightly brusque and irritated. "What's for breakfast?"
"Harvest loaf and 'Rubena' apples, and coffee," Simmy stated simply.
"We'll all be there in twenty minutes," J.P. hung up after that threat.
"I suppose I should have told him that the apples are soft and probably not very edible anymore," Simmy's face mirrored an 'oops' moue.
Half and hour later, the Crew arrived and Simmy pointed to the coffee and harvest loaf and added a warning about the apples. This edict had the loaf pan emptied in a hurry.
J.P. followed Simmy into the back yard where the leaves created a golden yellow carpet to walk on.
J.P. was holding the book, 'Judith' by N. L Saloff- Astakhoff.
"So, what did you think about the book?"
"Too heavy for the film."
"Do you want to write it in as an 'Aunt Judith.' The woman no one ever mentions because she became a Yeshua follower." Simmy held her fingers to her lips and gasped for effect.
J.P. squinted his eyes and tried to keep his mind open. "Do you have an Aunt Judith?"
"Absolutely! 'Judith' was among the top 50 most popular names between 1940 and 1960, in the United States. That fits in perfectly with your movie and... she was a wife of Esau. That should honour your Jewish heritage seeing as that is chronicled in the first book of Moses."
"The man who sold his birthright isn't exactly our crowning moment." J.P. squinted.
"Every family has a symbolic 'Aunt Judith' that is kept hidden away, not talked about much."
"Do you have an 'Aunt Judith?'"
"Quite literally!"
"What is her 'indiscretion,'" J.P. mimed quotation marks as he spoke in a Sherlock hushed tone.
"Well," Simmy lowered her voice and looked around surreptitiously for effect, "her husband baptized their own children."
"Is he a minister?" J.P. asked.
"Not a real one," Simmy laughed.
"What does that mean?" J.P. was confused.
"That's all my folks will say about it, even now. It's an unspoken heresy," Simmy spoke in a deep, mysterious tone. "One of my pastors, who had his Doctorate, by the way, thought I should baptize my son because I had been the most influential in his life of faith."
"Did you do it?"
"No!," Simmy exclaimed. "I was way too worried about what my parents would think."
"That's why we're working on this film together. Your parents, my parents... add a little more lace on the black cap of your sect but underneath... not so different, huh?" J.P. spoke candidly.
"I can actually see how that can work into the film. When we do scenes with Richard and Lucy's children, we'll have an inquisitive daughter asking all the risque questions that challenge the family traditions."
Simmy nodded, "That will be extremely authentic for this day and age. Shall we say the daughter is an 'Esther Petrack?' That scene about the Sabbath has the whole internet twittering."
J.P. laughed, "We're still making headlines with our religious struggles, aren't we?"
"Everybody has them, J.P. Even your daughter, E.P.?" Simmy wrinkled her nose in 'Oy' fashion and a 'how far do you want to go with this in the film?' eyebrow questioning.

Weaver of Dreams

Chapter 59 (cont'd)
J.P. and Crew all had lunch at Green Oak Gardens. The line up, for the Russian variety of perogies, was a long one.
Simmy was perusing the books at the various tables. 'Nothing New' had some competition this year and Simmy could see why. Their prices had risen substantially from the previous year and there were a couple of new, enterprising businesses that had set up as well. "In the world of business, this is nothing new," Simmy punned the idea in her mind, her lips mumbling the thought.
J.P. was looking over a book called 'Judith' which was a story about a martyred Jewess- turned- Christian, in Russia.
Simmy was holding a copy of 'A Weaver of Dreams' as she approached J.P.
"What are you thinking of buying?"
J.P. held the small book, heavily, in his hands. "It's a true narrative about the life of a girl, the daughter of a prominent Jewish family in Russia- the Weinbergs."
Simmy lifted her eyebrows, "Well, that does fit the bill for your movie. You can't find a name more Jewish than Weinberg."
Suddenly J.P. laughed, "My mother knows a couple of Weinberg families and she often says, of the one father, "His big desert is definitely a hierarchy problem."
Simmy suggested, "Why don't you read it and see if any of it inspires you? Why not ask your Mom if she has read it? Her relationship with 'Rabbi Thomas' must have garnered their own personal 'Discourse of the Rabbis.'"

Green Oak Gardens

Chapter 59 (cont'd)
Scene continues...
"What's the desination, my love?"
"Well, I thought we'd make a day of it and go out to Green Oak Gardens. Those Russian born people make the best perogies. We'll get some at their Autumn Sale."
"Ooh, good idea, I love poking through old books. Maybe the 'Nothing New' women will have a table there again." Lucy chuckled.
"Is that a pun?" Richard asked.
"Quite surely! It is always so odd for me to look these kerchief-ed women in the eye and realize that they are very well-read, with minds that are sharp as a tack. You have to get past the kerchief, though."
"What does the town name, Beausejour, mean?" Richard asked.
"There was a village in France that was so named. It was part of a commune. I don't know if it has any bearing on this town."
"Well, let's go investigate. Hop in, my love."

Calvin and Don follow the car with cameras while Bart takes a seat inside the car to get a few shots and close-ups of Lucy and Richard.
"Don't start your next lines until I give you the signal," Bart instructed.

Lamb Shift

Chapter 59
J.P. had decided there would be a 'new car' event worked into the film on this day.
"Richard and Lucy buy a new car," J.P. explained to the Crew.
"We'll make like it's Montreal. Richard comes home from his day at the University."
"Keep it simple," J.P. explains. "Lucy will be cinched in waist, flared skirt giddy, about the hot red car."
'Take 1'-
Richard pulls the car up in front of a small bungalow and honks his horn. Lucy, in bobby socks and ponytail, comes out of the house and happily runs down the sidewalk to the car.
Richard steps out and reaches for Lucy lifting her off her feet and twirling her around.
"Did you win the Nobel prize, darling?" Lucy smiles, her red lips celebrating.
"No, no, that went to Willis Lamb. We'll have to wait for that. I'm still a young pup but..." he swung the but into a musical note of 'there is some good news.' "The physics department got a large donation this year to commemorate the work that Einstein contributed in his lifetime. So...we all got a raise and I picked up this little beauty that we've been talking about."
"Let's go for a drive," Lucy simpered with just enough womanly wiles to mix some chemistry into Richards' physics.

Dinner in Style

Chapter 58
At Union Station the next day, J.P. & Crew were setting up a scene to include the arrival of Lord Athlone and the Princess Alice. It had not yet been decided if the scene would be used to re-create the Quebec Conference of 1944 using the Hotel Fort Garry as the Hotel Frontenac, or if the scene would be used to depict their arrival after the meetings.
J.P. was sitting with Simmy and hashing over the possibilities.
"Well, you can decide if you want to play up World War II in the movie, or play it down. The movie is about your parents, so you can shoot the footage today and decide later how you would like to use it."
J.P.'s shoulders were a bit tense but they relaxed when Simmy offered options.
"Most of the information you can find on the Earl and the Princess, during the second world war, is almost strictly ambassador status. They used their power to protect and offer a temporary home for stateless members of royal families displaced by the War. Royalty came from Norway, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Greece, Austria and the Netherlands."
Simmy waited for the information to work into J.P.'s genius mind.
"If we use the footage, we'll make it a news story," he paused, "in the movie. It may have seemed to others that they didn't do anything significant during the second world war but it seems serving a dinner in style was rather under-appreciated," J.P. gave a deep chuckle.
"As it is today," murmured Simmy.
"Yes, maybe we'll make the scenes brief with a stronger emphasis on the arts, like the Jane Eyre film that debuted in 1944. We'll use that poster in the photo ops."

Sherlock Time-piece

Chapter 57 (cont'd)
The creative curve was developing within the movie crew as the hum of internal flywheel energy was moving within J.P.
"Jayne, how do we get people involved, in a meaningful way?"
The young Lucy and Ethel looked at Jayne and waited, interested in the next move.
Jayne looked around the dimly lit railroad station, walked over to the one pseudo station master and said, "Would you pose for a photograph?"
A stutter, a garbled, "Well, I don't know..." was followed by Jayne taking charge of the scene.
"Props..."
There was music playing that was perfect for the setting.
"Hey Sherlock, can I borrow your cape and hat?"
Simmy quickly obliged.
"Would you wear these?" Jayne didn't really wait for an answer.
"Would you wear this hat too?" She plunked the hat on 'Station Master's' head.
"Stand over here, please!" Jayne was moving quickly before her model could object.
"Timepiece! Who's got a timepiece?"
Simmy produced a silver pocket watch which had Jayne saying, "You do come prepared, don't you!"
"I try," Simmy winked.
Jayne got 'Sherlock' all set up for the shot, then stepped back to take a couple of pictures.
After getting two photos, Jayne changed the lighting effect and 'Sherlock' moved out of position.
"No, no, get back into that position. It was perfect!"
'Sherlock' grimaced and Jayne realized that the cane belonged to the man so... "Oh, are you in pain?"
The sympathy from a woman half his age had the older station master put his leg back up on the stair to pose again.
Jayne finished taking her photos and retrieved all the props and thanked the older gentleman.
"There, what do you think, J.P.?" Jayne was feeling quite proud of herself.
"Engaging! That was positively engaging!" J.P. clapped and the Crew joined in as Jayne took a bow.

Railway Stations

Chapter 57 (cont'd)
In the afternoon, J.P. & Crew arrived at Union Station. They went into the museum to get a feel for the history of 1944. There was only one man staffing the old trains and Jayne had a hunch he wasn't 'doing it for the money,' as they say.
There was a group from Montreal that was signing in just as they were. One person from London had been there that day, probably that retired school teacher, revisiting her own history.
Many photos were taken to see what could be used for film shots, edited in for effect.
Suddenly, Jayne bubbled, "J.P., we should try to do a dance scene like the one that was choreographed in Antwerp last year, at Central Station."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY)
J.P. suddenly had a flashback. "I watched 'Making of T-Mobile Dance' and the thing that I was most impressed with were the comments from the people at the end of that short clip. The mini interviews. People said things like,
'Made my day!'
'I wish it could be like this every day!'
'It put a smile on my face!'
"And the best one,"
'I felt, I FELT A MOMENT OF LOVE!
It was connective, like for five minutes there, everyone was relaxed, it was happy, it was nice! Yah!'"
J.P. paused and you could hear the crackle of his synapses firing back and forth in his brain, from left to right and back again, thinking of all the angles.

Canadian Haven

Chapter 57
J.P. woke in the posh surroundings of the newly renovated Hotel Fort Garry. One of Canada's grand railway hotels, it was just one block from Union Station. At a glance, in camera view it was The Plaza of New York or, more importantly, Chateau Laurier. Todays' scenes would take place in a three-way combination using this hotel as both the Fort Garry and the Laurier.
J.P. heard a knock at the door with a voice quietly threading through the heavy door, "Room Service."
He got out of bed, donned the hotel robe and haphazardly dashed his open fingers through his sleep tousled hair. He opened the door and received the tray, already FEELING the movie scene with old trolley and uniformed server.
J.P.'s sleep had been creating the scene from all angles. He had read Paul Hemps' 'My Week as a room- service waiter at the Ritz' just before falling asleep and his creative hum was cross-checking information, always imagining for film-worthy creativity.
He closed the door, after tipping, of course, and went to sit in the chair where his coffee and newspaper had been placed at his behest.
"Behest?" he mumbled to himself. "Who do I think I am? The Earl of Athlone, that's who," he puffed out his chest.
The front page story was called 'Her haven from war's horrors' with a story that was so timely for his movie, he was speechless.
There was a rapid knock on the door and J.P. got up to open the door, newspaper in hand. He barely had the door open a crack when Jayne, Don, and Calvin burst in, Jayne carrying a copy of the local newspaper as well.
"You won't believe this," Jayne started.
"Oh yes, I will," J.P. stated, waving his newspaper in the air.
"We are totally in-step. This film is going to be epic if this continues," Jayne fairly well glowed with triumph.

Rest Room Humour

Chapter 56 (cont'd)
"Let's get an evening scene in here now. We'll have the Tribune delivered to the hangar. Lucy and Ethel will end the day with... with what?"
J.P. hollered, "Jayne, did you get a newspaper from 1944?"
Jayne was trying to hide her smile as she passed the cut and paste edition to J.P. for his perusal.
J.P. glanced at the front page paste-up and grimaced. He looked at Jayne but she just lifted her eyebrows in firm query.
"We couldn't find anything on the merits of the Yeshiva University?" His jaw was firm but not totally unyielding.
"The Jews were making headlines all over the world J.P., but the soldiers were listening to 'Songs in the Night' after Billy Graham recruited George Beverley Shea as his director of radio ministry. The radio show was broadcast over the 'Armed Forces Network.' The U.S. Army began broadcasting during World War II using equipment and studio facilities borrowed from the British Broadcasting Corporation." Jayne gave a concise report without contrived emotion.
"The AFN is the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service which is pronounced 'A-farts.'" J.P. mocked.
"Therefore, the second article on the page, J.P.," this time the sparkle of mirth in Jaynes' eyes gave her away.
"Alright, we'll go with this. I like the rest room humour. We can write that into the script easily."
"The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, joined with the BBC as D-day approached. I think we've got all the media covered correctly for authenticity in your film J.P."
"Thanks for the research, Jayne."
The next scene was acted out with just the right amount of lightness to bring the tension into balance from the scene that had been filmed in the morning.

All For Love

Chapter 56
The next day brought in gloomy September weather and J.P. had a feeling that the filming was no longer being guided by his hand alone.
The film Crew had gathered at the warehouse and J.P. was giving directions for the scene.
"Lucy will receive a letter from Richard but she won't even open it until she is at work, where Ethel will be available to share in the events of the letter. The scene will be set in the airplane hangar offices."
"Where are our very young Lucy and Ethel this morning?"

Letters, To and From

Chapter 55 (cont'd)
Late in the afternoon, Jayne and Simmy presented their 'find' to J.P.
They went to the warehouse where J.P.& Crew were setting up for a scene. The Crew was just stopping for a break. Jayne put her offering of freshly made, German donuts, on the table.
As everyone gathered around, Simmy pulled the book out of her bag, "Look at our 'find' J.P." Simmy grinned and waited.
"Longfellow, you found a copy of 'Longfellow' with gold lettering. Well, I am impressed. This will work nicely into the scenes that we're going to do in the next few days. I've already got the love letters ready. We'll commence with the shoot tomorrow. I still have to get some old furniture."
"I watched 'Letters to Juliet' yesterday evening. It was so romantic!" Jayne sighed.

Donuts and Longfellow

Chapter 54
J.P. moved the filming of the movie to the 'Chicago of the North.'
A film friendly city, the rich heritage of every race and nationality desiring to live a peaceful and prosperous life, had put down roots here.
The film Crew had gathered at a small eatery in the heart of the Exchange District and J.P. was giving instructions for the day.
"Jayne, you're looking a bit sad today. Why don't you ask Simmy to go shopping for a few old books today? Would you like that?"
Jayne smiled, a hopeful and grateful relief of a smile. The shadow in her eyes, momentarily, lifted.
"Give her a call. She knows this city and can probably show you around."
Jayne sprang to her feet and smiled sincerely, "You guys have a great day."
. . .
Within the hour, Simmy and Jayne were driving down some history rich streets, on the hunt for old, beautiful books to use for the movie.
"Where would you like to go, Jayne?"
"Do you have any ideas? I'd just like to relax today. I'm a little stressed. I didn't do my homework."
Simmy quickly glanced at Jayne out of the corner of her eye, "I know a couple of places. We'll stop for one of the best donuts you've ever had."
Jayne brightened up immediately, "Ooh, I'd love to bring the Crew some special donuts."
The next two hours were a dance of dime store, dusty fingers, lifting and scouring behind, and humming old songs as they sifted through old LP's, just for the fun of it.
After two stores didn't uncover any good finds, Simmy suggested, "Let's go get those donuts. We could use a pick-me-up."
As they walked into the donuts store, Jayne said, "It smells good in here."
There was 'no ambiance' to draw the eye, just three old brass lighting fixtures, one without a bulb in it... and Simmy thought, 'This man needs 'new eyes' to see his store like we do.'
There was a finicky customer ahead of them. He was tall, wore shoes that looked like they could have been purchased in 1945, and he carried a cane.
These two were in no hurry to finish with their exchange. The tug-of-war to see if the customer could get an extra brown paper bag from the store owner was lengthy and hard fought.
Simmy sensed it wasn't their first battle of wills.
A group of four people entered the shop and one of them said, "Mmm, it smells nice in here."
Just five minutes later, another group came in and the drawing card was, again, elicited, "It smells good in here."
Simmy laughed, "Everyone is saying that today."
Finally,... it was her turn to order.
"What is your nationality?" She asked the store owner, who was cramming six donuts into one small brown paper lunch bag.
"I'm German."
Simmy replied, "Ich spreche Deutsch aber nicht sehr gut!"
He looked at Simmy across the glass showcase. His eyes squinted in suspicion, warning, 'You're not getting two brown paper bags so don't try and schmooze me.'
"Where were you born?" Simmy smiled and kept the connection going.
"I was born in Germany. I was in the U.S. during the war, the Vietnam War, but I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't have to go. I studied engineering but after the War, I went to pastry school and became a chef."
Simmy smiled, "These are the best donuts. I come here just to buy these."
After Jayne finished with her order, they exited the shop so the other groups of people could get looked after.
Simmy looked at the store owner and said, "Guten Abend!" It was likely to be 'abend' by the time he looked after them all.
The next store yielded a prize indeed. Simmy had only found a small package of six gold buttons to purchase but she stood behind another customer, impatiently waiting to pay her fifteen cents.
As she looked at the shelf above the two small, older Russian women, she spotted twinkling gold letters, 'Longfellow.' Calmly she asked one of ladies if she could see the book. The little old lady spoke forth her knowledge, "If a book doesn't have a date of printing, they say it's very old."
Simmy opened the book looking for a date, "LONDON, FREDERICK WARNE & CO. BEDFORD STREET, STRAND."

'Newbie' Takes Direction

Chapter 53
Simmy woke to the sound of equipment on the front street. As she went to take a peek out the front window, city workers, with tree trimming tools, were creating Popsicle ornaments out of thick, lush trees.
There was a man standing under Sam and Simmy's tree, but he seemed to be distracted by the tree trimming happening two doors down. When Simmy saw him shake his head which usually means, "Newbie hasn't been trained right... doesn't know which branches to cut. Oy!"
She grabbed her camera and popped out the front door to ask some questions and just in time... 'Newbie' was standing under their tree, happily wielding a power trimmer. Simmy shuddered.
"What are you doing?" Simmy asked as calmly as possible.
"We're trimming the trees," Newbie replied.
Simmy smiled, "Don't trim too much!"
'Newbie' paused, attentive to the warning, and then, "We don't have to trim your tree at all if you don't want it trimmed. We're just trying to cut the branches that may lean into the street and impede the passing of large trucks. If you don't want your tree cut, I don't have to."
'Newbie' waited for an answer.
Simmy looked at what had already been lopped off and calmly stated, "How about if you just even it out now?"
"Absolutely!" Newbie replied, very congenially happy to comply.
When 'Newbie' was done the trimming job, the branches were neatly hefted into the composting truck.
'Newbie' smiled at Simmy and said, "Thank You!"
Simmy smiled back, "You're welcome!"

La dolce vita

Chapter 52
Scene set is at Old Winery Inn... 'Ethel Entertains'
J.P. is sitting in his 'Director' chair.
"Take 1"
Ethel is sitting on the deck, enjoying a glass of wine. Lucy comes around the side of the house.
"Hello, Lucy! How are you today?"
"I'm wonderful." She wilts onto a dainty garden chair and says, "What's this?"
"I'm trying a 'Gewurtztraminer.' My brother John says this is his favorite."
Lucy gets a stiff, odd look on her face.
"Are you alright, Lucy? Can I pour you some wine?"
"No!" Lucy almost faints off her chair.
"Are you sure?" Ethel looks perplexed.
"The Jews were not welcomed in Barr. They experienced much persecution there," Lucy acted out believable venomous outrage.
"Well, 'Gewurtz' just means spicy and 'traminer' actually originates from the South Tyrolean town of Tramin at the foot of the Dolomite mountains. Were the Italians good to you?"
Lucy blows out her lips, into her poodle cut hairdo and puckers her red lips, "Alright, if you don't have a 'Riesling,' I'll have a 'Gerwurtztraminer.' I hope none of my ancestors are rolling over in their graves right now."
"Cut!"
J.P. bursts into laughter.
"Lucy, were you ad libbing? Try to remember that the movie is about my folks, not your red-haired namesake. Now, again, from 'Alright, if you dont' have a 'Riesling.'"
"Take 2"
Lucy- "Alright, if you don't have a 'Riesling.'"
Ethel- pours Lucy a glass of wine, sets it in front of her, then raises her own glass, "La Dolce Vita."

Mission Without Borders

Chapter 51 (cont'd)
The sun was a beacon in the sky on a warm Tuesday morning in Canada. Simmy put on some Simon & Garfunkel while the coffee was brewing.
"Good music just doesn't age," she thought.
The mailbox clicked.
Opening the 'Missions Without Borders' envelope, she found a heart-shaped piece of art that had been taken somewhere deep in Europe. Moldova?
She whispered a prayer for Viorel, in a University somewhere in that region. An adopted son who had not met his Canadian family.
Simmy remembered the day she had received news that Viorel was no longer in the orphanage... a polite way of saying that he was 'of age' and he could no longer stay. Worry! Fear! He had no family! And then... Anger... she had picked up the phone and demanded to know if he was safe... somewhere in Europe...
Poor Doug had scrambled, phone calls were made, an answer was promised for September.
Simmy had prayed, cried, and waited... but SHE WOULD NOT BACK DOWN... she was protecting her investment... then, in September...the good news came...

Accepted...,
against all odds,...
because someone cared,
prayed,
believed
that one deaf child,
never visited by anyone while in the orphanage,
could...
BE SOMEBODY.
An opportunity...
accepted into the Arts program,
SCULPTING,...
in a University somewhere in Romania,
Against all odds.

Simmy lifted her hands up to the heavens, in praise, knowing her seed investment, quietly planted, faithfully tended, was growing into a bold dividend.
A human IPO, said to be a risky investment, a short prospectus with no material property. What could be expected for a dividend yield?
Simmy grinned...
Expect Much.

She whispered a prayer for Dymtro, a younger investment.

Lights of Broadway Evening

Chapter 50 (cont'd)
After a country jaunt followed by a bike ride through the neighborhood, Sam and Simmy tootled downtown to take a peek at the 'Lights of Broadway' competition.
The traffic was bumper to bumper on Broadway. They could only find three different displays.
"Ooh, Gian Rocco Creations gets my vote. I love the glitz! Isn't that another way of saying John, again?"
"I don't know," Sam said. "Is it?"
"I think so!"
After taking a few great pictures Sam and Simmy headed back home to wrap up a beautiful Sunday.
Sam went downstairs and googled 'Lights of Broadway' to see if there were any photo ops so he could satisfy his curiosity about the fourth display that they hadn't been able to spot.
"Hey, google Gian Rocco Creations," Simmy coaxed.
As the website came up, Simmy whistled, "I thought I could do Christmas up nice. I concede. His supplies beat mine."
"Barely," Sam mocked purposely.
"Hey!" Simmy aimed for his abs.
"Okay, I'm just kidding!" He backed away protecting his ticklish ribs.

Mayberry Afternoon

Chapter 50
The sun shone brilliant and clear on Sunday. It was a perfect September day.
Driving home from the Riverwood church service Sam and Simmy talked about the teaching that P.T. had introduced.
"I really agree with what the pastor said about living out ones' life in the authenticity of Christ. Jesus approached every situation with individual, specialized love. You can't find a neatly wrapped up version of 'Christianity 102' in the Bible. I've believed that for a while already. It sure was good to hear the Pastor say it."
"Think of Giovanni. Remember when he came and stood at the end of our driveway. He had been diagnosed with cancer and he didn't want to have the surgery because he would have been restricted by the results. He told you, in his broken English, that he would consider having it, if he was young, but because he was almost eighty he didn't want to experience all that pain and then be physically restricted."
"You know what he said to me? He said, 'Maybe God will help.' I hugged him, we both cried and I told him that I would pray for him and that definitely, God would help."
"What DID you pray for him?"
"Lots of things. Firstly, I prayed that God would heal him, physically."
"Do you remember the Sunday morning he jogged past our house after I prayed for... I can't even remember anymore... energy or something miraculously cool! I laughed and laughed in pure joy! Most eighty year old men would not be asking God for the ability to jog but I thought he might like to feel young and carefree. I love asking God for the most fabulous. Why not?"
"Has it been three or four years since that day?"
"I don't know exactly but he's told a few people, I think. Some people wave at us when we ride our bikes through the neighborhood. I think that couple with the chihuahua must know Giovanni. They sure like us."
"You said you wanted a Mayberry kind of neighborhood."

I Miss Mayberry

Chapter 49
Celebrating life... one life... that is what a birthday celebration is all about. Simmy thought about the last year. What a difficult year it had been.
Most people didn't communicate anymore. In a world where communication was 'king' in so many ways, it was just a pure sadness that people chose to communicate only if they felt like it or if there was something in it for them.
"It's been a really tough year, Lord. I don't know who stole my 'Family' sign from the wedding, Lord, but I would like it back. That may sound silly to You but it's important to me. Who would do that?"
"Sam, I'm going to the store to get a few things for the party."
"Are you getting some pop?"
"I'm taking my bicycle, no, I'm not getting pop."
Simmy headed off to the store, a bit huffy. She picked up all the extras for the party, paid and went outside to the bike rack.
There was a young boy and a Mom tying a dog to the bike rack. The boy didn't want to leave his pet.
"Is he likely to bite me?" Simmy asked as she eyed the space between her bike and the dog.
"No, he'd never bite," the Mom replied.
Simmy tried loading her three bags into the small front carrier as the Mom and son walked away. Struggling with the bags, she didn't notice that the young boy came back almost immediately.
"You didn't want to leave your dog, did you?" Simmy said kindly.
"No," he replied quickly as he bent down to hug and ruffle the dogs' fur.
"How long have you had him?"
"Your bike chain is off," the boy exclaimed espying the problem from his view hunkered down with his pup.
"Oh," Simmy didn't know what to do first. The load of groceries was too heavy so the bike was going to fall over if she let go.
"I can put it back on," he volunteered.
"I don't want you to get your fingers dirty. Your Mom might not like that. Could you hold my bike?"
"Okay," he sounded a little disappointed.
As Simmy fumbled with the darn chain she could feel his feet shuffling agitatingly. Almost immediately, he burst out, "Could you hold the bike? I could do it!"
Simmy stood up and the young lad bent down and his small nimble fingers could fit into the tiny space between the shield and the chain. He had that chain on in a jiffy.
"Thank you so much." Simmy said.
"See, I don't have almost any grease on my fingers at all. I'm used to putting my chain on my bike."
"I'm Simmy. What's your name?"
"I'm Nick."
"Hi Nick. Thanks again."
As Simmy rode away with her bike, Nick called out in old-fashioned Mayberry form, "Bye!"
"Bye!" Simmy replied.
That little exchange warmed Simmy for the rest of the day more than any phone call, tweet, email, or text message. Just a sweet young boy being helpful in an innocent way on a warm autumn day.
The evening birthday provided some face to face gaming and Simmy once again thought, Old-fashioned is still the best when it comes to communicating. She put on Rascal Flatts and sang along...
"I miss Mayberry
Sitting on the porch drinking ice cold Cherry Coke
Where everything is
Black and White..."

Attitude Backwards

Chapter 48 (cont'd)
The fresh breeze of a beautiful Autumn day blew in to distribute some of the heavy rains mold of the Summer. Simmy woke with a pounding headache and headed straight for the allergy medication. After her morning ablutions, she made a beeline for the coffee maker.
She reached for the coffee beans and almost dropped the jar when she noticed the cat sitting on top of the kitchen cabinets.
"What are you doing up there? You can't be on top of the cabinets. Get down."
The cat looked at her and didn't move a muscle.
"Ooh! Your behaviour is starting to get out of control. I'm taking you down from there as soon as my coffee is brewing."
Simmy stayed true to her words and got a chair to climb up on the kitchen counter and reached over the refrigerator to pluck the family cat off the cabinetry.
After this nonsense, she got down to work, setting up a scene for this mornings' blog. Well, Joyce Meyer was still dealing with 'Attitude' so that was still the topic.
She put her 'Attitude' sign in front of mirrors, thinking... we mirror the attitudes around us... our attitudes are mirrored in those around us... sometimes our attitudes are backwards... a backwards attitude can help you look forwards...
Too many quips.
She heard the alarm bleep on the SUV signaling that Sam was home from work. She went outside to greet him. He was chuckling.
"What's so funny?"
"I was just listening to Adler and he had an advertisement for his show. A guy called in and said, "My Dad was a Green Beret and my Mom was a Jesus freak. I believe in peace and Jesus is the answer. If you don't agree, I want to punch you, until you do."
Sam and Simmy broke out laughing.
"Ironic, I'm talking about 'Attitude' on my blog today. Now, that's a funny one!"

Keep Moving Forward

Chapter 48
The week was moving along and Simmy finally had a few really good chapters down for her novel.
Sam had to go back to his job and the vacation was definitely over. Autumn was moving in with a change in the leaves and J.P. had promised to keep in touch and let them know where they would film the Fall and Winter scenes. He said he had a few prospects in their fair city and he was keeping his fingers crossed for them to work out.
Nicknamed, 'The Chicago of the North', it was likely that J.P. would be shooting in their fine city within a month or so.
In the meantime, Simmy had time to get her novel written.
It was late in the evening and she turned on a Joyce Meyer show. She grabbed her pen and took a few notes... things she'd heard before but needed to be reminded of.
Joyce was her candid self... "I used to pray and ask God for huge things. I asked for so many large projects... I'm sure I heard God say... Are you sure?"
Joyce continued, "Anything you pray for is something you're going to have to take care of!"
Simmy wrote this down in her journal, mumbling... 'Careful praying...'
The Message- Matthew 9:38 What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"

Untying Knots

"Cross painting- Molly"
Chapter 47 (cont'd)
Simmy checked her email and found a 'note from a friend.' She opened it, like a child at Christmas, knowing there would be something interesting in it.
Sam leaned over her shoulder, asking, "What's new with our friends?"
She sent me 'The Knots Prayer.'
"Read it to me!" Sam leaned back, in meditative pose, closing his eyes to envision.
Simmy started, "Dear God:
Please untie the knots
that are in my mind, my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots,
the can nots and
the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase all the will nots,
might nots,
that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots,
would nots
that obstruct my life.
And, most of all,
Dear God,
I ask that You remove from my mind, my heart and my life all the 'am nots' that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough.
Author known to God"
Simmy felt the truth of the words sink into her soul,
realizing,
knowing,
"everybody feels inadequate sometimes." She spoke the last sentence out loud.
Sam nodded, "That's why people gossip, lie, subvert the truth, malign anothers' character... the list goes on and on... all because people can't admit their own mistakes or admit that someone may be better at something than they are."
"The weakness of mankind... admitting ones' own weakness. Always ironic!" Simmy spoke the simple truth.
"What did you once say was the core sin of..." Sam stopped to try to remember the conversation.
Simmy finished his thoughts. "Oh, the 'Everybody's Inadequate' sin. When you need to keep telling people that, you just create a noose knot that strangles whatever creativity there may be in people.
"So, it's a 'not knot.'" Sam quipped.

It Isn't Always Black & White

Chapter 47
The sun shone brightly in the sky on Sunday morning. Simmy woke and got out of bed slowly, sarcastically singing, "The old grey mare she ain't what she used to be, she kicked on the wiffletree,..."
Sam heard a snicker and said, "What are you singing?" His forehead scrunched with one eyebrow up and one eyebrow down as he waited for a reply.
"Just poking a little fun at my groaning joints. They enjoy the humour."
"Should we try to catch a service at St. Andrews or see if Riverwood has a new one posted on their website?"
"You don't look too snappy this morning. Check the Riverwood website," Sam said, putting the coffee on to drip.
Sam looked out the window and called, "Hey, there are a couple of dogs loose outside. I'm going to make sure that they aren't scaring the cat."
Simmy grabbed her camera and hurried outside getting a couple of pics before the two dogs ran off, happy to be off-leash.
"They're tagged and better groomed than you and I so they belong to someone," Simmy said.
"Abbey's off-leash park is close by. Maybe their owner was taking them for a walk."

Venerable Knowledge

Chapter 46 (cont'd)
J.P. was listening intently to Vincent, learning his curve, of learning.
When Vincent had gone down a list of historical places that he had visited in Israel, J.P. countered with, "Lux et veritas floreant!"
Vincent combed his mind for the phrase, "That is the motto of a University in my home city."
"Yes it is," J.P. replied. "Did you know that Christ Church, Oxford is a college as well as a cathedral?"
"I do know that is has produced many British prime ministers," a look of hesitancy combined with right honourable intentions combined on the young face to create a vulnerable knowledge.
"You've got to go to school to learn a little, to get out of school to learn a lot," J.P. chucked Vincent on the back good-naturedly.
"It sure has been a lot of work to learn a little," Vincent grinned with good humour.
"I can't imagine what it will be like to learn a lot."
J.P. smiled a mentor kindliness, "Learn from unexpected places, Vincent... like your trip to Israel."

Jewish Vincent

Chapter 46 (cont'd)
Vincent was 'all in' when it came to talking about his trip to Israel.
As he settled into the chair, he suddenly remembered the potatoes on the barbecue. He got up, put the chair away, and hunkered down on the brick path, close to J.P, foregoing the chair.
Being a little uncomfortable would prod him to get up, periodically, to turn the potatoes over.
Vincent recalled, "I didn't know about the 'Taglit-Birthright Israel.' That was very interesting to me. Some of the students that we were there with, told us about this agency."
J.P. nodded, "Yes, every Jewish diaspora receives a gift of an educational trip to Israel when they turn 18. They can claim this gift until the age of 26."
"That is just incredible! That fund must be enormous." Vincent was, again, thought-clouded by money.
J.P. bypassed the comment with, "Did you leave a prayer at the Wailing Wall?"
"I did. I figured, if Obama feels good about leaving a prayer in the cracks of the wall, then I could too."
"So, what do you think about the peace talks that Hilary Clinton is presiding over?"
Vincent loved to talk politics and he had a natural ability to tesseract information in a parietal mastery. He wove the tesseract with a precise cerebellum needle. His brain stem alerted the parietal to integrate all his learning by piercing the temporal lobe, always using his occipital powers to keep his frontal lobe answering to the cerebellum balance.
If you could have observed his brain, in action, a star of David pattern was being woven in hypercube action.
The heel of his sock, with light bulb placed into it, for darning, was getting a new weave.
A 'gospel of peace shoes' weave?