Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Ever have one of those moments when you are totally overwhelmed in making a decision because you have too many options and wonderful choices? If I used a platitude for this it would be "I feel like a kid in a candy shop that offers every confection known to man."

Well, this past April I set out to the task of putting no less than fifteen "romantic" castles on my Castle Lady spaces blog and wound up covering about five, total. They were not well known castles such as Neuschwanstein, Windsor, Belvoir, Warwick, Edinburgh, Lichtenstein, Versailles, Chambord, Dublin, or Blarney.

The truth is I just had a difficult time deciding on the fifteen castles in question because the number of castles is staggering and then... I just ran out of time. I reimmersed myself in the research I did for five years and suddenly realized two weeks had run past my nose while trying to make the decision.

I've fallen in love all over again with all of the castles, some of which you have probably never heard of, but because of their unique place or features should be right up there with the "well-known" castles.

It made me realize how important these books will be, and not just on an esthetic level. On a deeper level these magnificent monuments to the past are revelatory exercises in the treasure trove history offers us. They are the menhirs of our ancestors struggles- together and apart. Most of all, they speak to us of ourselves. Man does not shed his past, genetics or lineage without great struggles and even then he may not. Indeed, I believe in the closing of his life, he must embrace and face all three and with bravery.

Therefore, I have decided on two principles in the making of the "Castle Lover's Guides TM" The first is that "famous" is not the all-consuming passion that will drive me forward into production and the second is that there is no such thing as an insignificant castle, story or historical person. For the time being, I'll keep the word insignificant out of my vocabulary.

The Castle Lady sends warm kisses and hugs! Mwaah!

http://www.ilovecastles.com/
http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/

Ah! May Day! Such splendour, such...

 

     I believe there once was a grand tradition in the United States for May Day. For all I know there may still be some traditions carried out in various parts of the country- unbeknownst to me. I can't remember a single May first that had any specific rite in my family or any social circles I may have been a part of during the years I have spent in Colorado but there is no doubt there is something special about it. Anyone with a working olfactory nerve and time to take a walk can tell you that!

     Since I have been doing more international instant messaging and putting more and more of my work on the internet I am coming to realize that Europeans treat it as a real event and holiday. For instance, today in France many people will buy a bouquet of Muguet des Bois (for us it is Lily of the Valley) for someone they love. Russia used the day to denote a special day for women which went international. They refer to it as Women's Day and is meant for the support for women in all walks of life as a day of independence. It believe it was also meant as a support for women by women. I like to remind myself that while it's good to feel that men take an interest in women's rights and support them, there's nothing like knowing that other women are looking out for you and your best interests because there is a common bond. We have been oppressed and we're never going to let that happen again.

      So, May Day for me has a special meaning. One of hope in sisterhood and one of eternal hope in the life that God set in motion when he made Eve out of Adam. What clever pieces of art we are, no matter our shape, color, size or brand!

 

 

     Evelyn Wallace          Kisses and hugs from your sister!

The Castle Lady

 

 

How I broke the Red Sox Curse

     More recently I've been pondering our contributions to society that we are often unaware of but which make a much more profound effect than we may ever realize- even on our clearest thinking days. If a person works in a direct service or personal service industry he or she may be more aware of this than most, but often what seems simple courtesies may make a deeper impact than was even originally believed by those who started these "industries". I'm thinking basics- restaurants, hotels, beauty salons, shoe shine etc.

     However, I believe that no matter our place- in the large and complex machine we call civilization- we all make changes to those we serve ( and believe me, you serve somebody! ) in so many ways that we may be dead before the full effects are felt. Good or bad, we all make our contribution. The truth is that it's up to us what that contribution will be.

     I don't know how many of you reading this have seen the movie, "The Emperor's Club", but when you get the chance- if you haven't seen it- please rent, beg, borrow or steal this DVD and watch it. If you steal it then you'll want to pay close attention to the character Bell and his son who attends the prestigious American boarding school that the story centers on.

     My attention, however, was focused on the character very well portrayed by Kevin Kline, who is a teacher at this school. I watched him focus on the student Bell through his schooling and his later years and his ungrounded feelings of failure. His impact isn't revealed until the very end of the movie and his shock is profound and moving.

     Now, I told you that to speak of this: You can make a difference no matter how young, old, beautiful, ugly, or insignificant you may think you are- that's irrelevant. When I was going through my mail the other day I realized I was throwing most of the paper that came in the box out- being mostly pleadings for contributions to this charity and that.... When I got to the Meals on Wheels contribution form it asked me if I wanted to give  $30,  $60, $90, $120 or other and just for a moment I had the teeth-grinding urge to put underneath it: Please send me

     While you are busy holding back the laughter I will be busy thinking and listing all the unseen contributions I have made in bettering this world. How do I know this to be true for certain? All I have to do is look at my intentions. No one can see them, but they're there- deep inside me- and I know that I have done good. This is more important than you may realize but eventually you will. You're going to have to look in that mirror sometime.

    

The Castle Lady will give you

all the hugs and kisses you need!

Evewall@msn.com
www.ilovecastles.com
http://castlelady.spaces.live.com

 

Oh! I almost forgot. The answer to the title subject is:

I bought a Boston Red Sox t-shirt when they were still losing.

Classic Architecture

I recently put up a photo on my http://castlelady.spaces.live.com blog that was sent to me from a very lovely friend I have in Italy. I have displayed it here but you may also see in the photo album at the bottom of the above mentioned home page under the More Castles album. It is the one tagged caserta which is the first photo in the line-up.
It shows how classicism in architecture can render absolute magnificence even in its simplicity. There is a good reason why it is the most favored style but has so many variations that it is often misnamed or not recognized- even by experts.
This is how I would describe this building's fascia. It features aedicules above mullioned windows with ionic colossal columns. The centralized niche with balconet adorns the fascia. Note the modillioned detail of the pedimented tympanum on the roofline.
It sounds so complicated and rather gothic doesn't it? That's the problem with describing architecture. Let's face it, a photo or picture is worth a thousand words. We all know what we like and what we don't, n'est ce pas? I don't often get into detail describing architecture unless it is so eclectic that in order for someone to understand what they're looking at it is necessary. I would rather the photos speak for themselves.
This is what can be expected in my writing and my books. Location of a castle or architecture definitely affects how we perceive it. Also, the surrounding environs will also speak to us, if we listen, particularly when we are viewing medieval architecture.
In my books, I will give basics and never bog you down in unnecessary descriptions of the said architecture. I want to give you a slice of history served up with the beauty of what was created so many years before us. If we come to understand the circumstances around which our ancestors moved, breathed and lived out their lives, we may come to a better understanding of ourselves and what our purposes in this life may be.
The Castle Lady bringing you beauty, love and warm kisses! Ciao!

Gender-Bender???

With the flurry of all the writing I've been doing lately I have come across some old writing. The following piece, according to what I wrote down (which has to be right- I'm really good about writing everything down) is from July 8, 1998! You can just bet someone had given me some grief at the time, because the idea is mind-blowing when you really start to think about it seriously. But I'll let it speak for itself:

How much of your life revolves around your gender?

Would your life go on if you were stripped of your sexual identity?

How drastically would your life change if you were suddenly just yourself

with that aspect no longer needed and gone?

When one seriously considers these questions it brings you home to your

real self. The one you were from the beginning and the one you still are

underneath all the sexual frivolity.

Think of how many of your activities would cease and how you would start using

the new free time you would have.

Think of how people would perceive you if they had to rely on the way you think,

act,

talk,

etc.

rather than size you up as a sexual object?

Think of how freeing it would be to your body and soul to be able to finally eliminate sexual stereotypes that have colored and pre-formed your life up to now.

Think of how your life would've run if you had never had to deal with the interferences your sexual identity has interposed in your life.

I wonder about people whose whole lives seem to center completely on their gender.

Well, after I re-read this I remembered the confrontation that was the inspiration for this set of random thoughts and self-questioning. To be truthful the confrontation was so awful and WEIRD that I'd rather not tell you what it was!

However, this subject does make me think about people who would be most directly affected. How about strippers, prostitutes, athletes, models, beauticians, actors and actresses (here, a slight nod to Hillary Swank, a rare exception!) and even singers? At one time, singers only worried about what they sounded like on the radio, but now it seems that they need to seduce their audience. Indeed, music should be about sound- not sight in particular. I consider myself to be a part of the MTV generation and yet I can't help wishing we could go back to just concentrating on the music. It could certainly stand some improvement.

Leave a comment if you read this, I am genuinely interested in your opinion on this issue.

"If you are born with it, you'll have it when you're 100". -

Sophia Loren when asked about her endless sex appeal.

; )

Evelyn Wallace
The Castle Lady

www.ilovecastles.com
http://castlelady.spaces.live.com

Speak softly but carry a big shillelagh!

How was your St. Patrick's day? I have better ones in memory but can't honestly say any of them have been much of a celebration. For one, I've never been a green beer drinker, and if you have more than one Guinness you may find yourself in for a bit of a tussle. As a matter of fact if you're not Irish the latter may knock you on your keester. Keester. That sounds Irish doesn't it?
Well, actually there are a lot of Irish Gaelic words that have crept into the American English language and some of them you use everyday totally unaware that the words origins are not Anglo-Saxon or foreign words. Take the word slogan for example. It is actually from the Irish sluagh ghairm which means "army cry". Or how about kibosh? Doesn't that sound Jewish? I'm sure I've heard Jewish people use that word, but as a matter of fact it's from the Irish word cie bais (lit. cap of death) and is pronounced kye-bosh, and is our word for clobbering someone. Usually it is phrased, "put the kibosh on" (someone) and this was first used in print by- of all people- Charles Dickens in "Sketches of Boz".
The word dun is used by us primarily to say that the color of something is rather dull. It is from the very old Irish word donn which means dark and they used it to describe the coats of certain horses. If someone blathers on here they also rather blather in Ireland, too! (ha ha!) That word came from the Irish Gaelic as well, which is blether. An Irish reel would be rightly spelled righil and being dour would most likely be du`r , however they borrowed that from Latin!
Hooligan as a word is rather strange isn't it? Even for most cultures it would be because it morphed from an Irish name! Originally the Gaelic name was O hUallachain then it became anglicized to Houlihan. It became Hooligan during the 1890s because of a pub song made about the rowdy Hooligan family which terrorized London at the time. Today any hoodlum or young thug is a hooligan.
Well, I think I've about worn this out! I'll share a few more of these with you next year. In the mean time, just for the record, keester isn't Irish. It also is not English. Most likely it came from the German word kies which refers to flinty ground or gravel. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that one!

Love and kisses from

The Castle Lady

One man's way may be as good as another, but we all like our own best.

- Jane Austin

Argh!

Today has been one of those days where I want to find a nice big closet, stick my head into it, and scream my head off! All because of some dumb glitch with my PC which it seems nobody from Dell to my ISP can seem to agree on as to what is the real problem.
I spent an hour and a half trying to find the correct source for DLing Internet Explorer 7. Then it took another hour to DL it. (Yes. You read that correct, an HOUR!) All the while my afternoon writing hours are ticking away.
All I know is that everything we've tried doesn't work. I cannot post a single entry from my own PC on my official Castle Lady blog in LIVE SPACES and I have to go to public computers to post my entries!
Needless to say I am beyond frustration and into the realm of giving up on that thing entirely. This problem should have been solved by now and I can't seem to get anyone's help on this problem.
This makes me think of poets like Emily Dickinson who years ago quietly wrote her verses in little booklets she hand-made and then kept them neatly put away in bound packets in a hope chest. She did not have the frustration of trying to figure out how to get a machine to do her will.
I think simple is better. I always did and I always will.
Who loves you like a songbird on the wing? The Castle Lady

Translations

I've spent the last couple of days translating French text into English and I believe I finally understand what people go through who translate books! They must go out of their mind! Not only do you have to change words to correct usage for the language you happen to be translating it into but you also have to deal with the idioms and word quirks of the particular writer in question of the original language in which the piece was written. Now I think I have a healthy respect for translators. Furthermore, I don't know that I'd want to do this on a regular basis either, because I feel my English suffers, somewhat, every time I have to do any translating of over, say- two to five hundred words.
That may not seem like a lot but that first paragraph I just wrote went well over a hundred words! Well, I think I'm done for the day. I have letters to write tomorrow- about five of them, I think ! At least they'll all be in English. I have a paper to write on Manchester and get it posted on my Castle Lady blog before everyone starts to think I've given up on posting anything on castles! ; )
I have an over due entry on Women in Rock that turned out to be the writ of the century. I have half a book written at this point. Hmmm. Maybe....
Well, we'll see. At any rate, I have a kazillion things to write tomorrow and then I have to do one nail client. Life is crazy but I love the writing life. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The Castle Lady coming at ya with lots of kisses!

The Ides of March....again. ; (

Well, here is March once again and I am up to my eyeballs in work. I have so many projects I am working on at the moment you wouldn't believe it and if you could see the amount of space I have to work in you might wonder how I do it.

Well, back to work. I have so little time to get this all done. There might also be a move (i.e. new town) coming up real soon. All you toga wearers should know.... I'm watching you!!! ; )

The Castle Lady with a hug and a kiss!

Resurrection!

I can't believe how long it's taken me to get back to this blog! Wonderful things have been happening though. I have my own web site up and running but it'll be a work in progress for many years. Have a look! www.ilovecastles.com

If you're into history in the United States and famous people then you'll have to check out my book, "Robinson and Crawford County" which was published in June of 2006. It's absolutely a work of art, if I do say so myself! I wrote 100% of the text and did 100% of the layout. To buy your own copy go to www.arcadiapublishing.com and buy one. If you want a signed copy from yours truly, send me an e mail at Starry20@hotmail.com and I'll send you back an e mail on how to obtain the copy.

I covered most of North England on my Castle Lady blog this year so if there's anything you want to know, just check it out at http://castlelady.spaces.live.com and you'll get a little treat for the eyes plus some of my personal stuff. Doesn't everybody like personal stuff?

I promise to come back a whole lot sooner than this for additional posts. Don't give up! I'll be starting a blog soon directly connected to my I Love Castles site and it will be a lot like my castlelady.spaces.live blog but with a whole lot more photos.

As soon as that's up and running I'll let you know!

Keep checking in! Whhoooo loves YOOOU? The CastleLady that's who!