Carolina Moments: Staying Cool

Like much of the country, we here in North Carolina have been challenged this week with extreme heat.  High 90’s, humidity, and feel-like temperatures of 100 or more have made staying inside more desirable and the healthier choice.  

The Chief Penguin and I started a new TV series, did more reading, took advantage of the indoor fitness center, and went to a movie (yes, in a theater.) But we didn’t walk downtown per usual, we drove!

TV:  RETURN OF THE DETECTIVE AND THE VICAR

Grantchester, Season 10 (PBS)

Alphy & Meg (swoon.com)

While some viewers may have tired of police detective Geordie Keating and his series of helpful vicars, I continue to be engaged and charmed by Grantchester.  From unconventional and conflicted Sydney Chambers to Will Davenport, bighearted and caring but happy to gain a father surrogate in Geordie, to now Vicar Alphy Kottaram.  Alphy is viewed with suspicion: an outsider with brown skin, and forebears from India most likely.  

As is often the case, the interrelationships dominate the series over the murders.  In the first three episodes, love, sex, and race are central.  Alphy claims not to be lonely, but becomes invested in establishing a relationship with Meg, the attractive town librarian.  Co-workers DC Larry Peters and Miss Scott are deep in lust—even in the workplace.  Leonard is annoyed with his partner Daniel and needier than usual, while several members of Geordie’s family are grappling with their roles in work and life.  

Although the time frame is 1962, the issues raised are remarkably contemporary.  The writing is good, the characters have real depth, and humor and poignancy both play a part.  Recommended, especially for those who are already Grantchester fans!  This season has 8 episodes.

SUMMER READING: FOOD & HEALING

Finding Freedom by Erin French

Author French (nytimes.com)

Published in 2021, Finding Freedom is Erin French’s journey from her childhood in small Freedom, Maine, to her return much later as the successful owner and chef of the Lost Kitchen.  Her memoir is both gut-wrenching and mouth-watering.  Her descriptions of food of all types will make you salivate.

French’s father owned a diner and was a demanding and dominant figure in her youth.  He was easily angered and never hesitated to belittle her and her efforts.  Her mother was timid and unassuming and generally silent in the face of her husband’s anger and attacks.  She did not leap to Erin’s defense.  For a time, French worked the line in the diner and found real satisfaction in the work.  Making food to share with someone else was gratifying. 

Going away to college, but dropping out when pregnant, she then married a man two decades older.  The marriage was a mistake, but motivated to cook, she created a supper club in their house.  The supper club was successful and led to the purchase of an old mill for a real restaurant.  The combined stress of motherhood, the business, and an abusive husband resulted in addiction.  How she fought her way out of both addiction and the marriage took time, determination, and patience.  Ultimately, she made it.  

I admired her conviction to overcome what she had lost, and I loved her descriptions of foods and cooking. They resound with warmth and love.  Recommended for foodies and those who find good memoirs satisfying.  (~JWFarrington)

AT THE MOVIES: ONE IMPRESSIVE WOMAN

Prime Minister (Cary Theater & theaters elsewhere)

Ardern & daughter Neve (nantucketfilmfestival.org)

It’s unlikely that you will ever see such an intimate, up-close portrait of a government leader than this film about Jacinda Ardern.  Prime Minister charts the stunning election of Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand’s 40th prime minister in 2017 and the following eight years.  She was young, just 37, a somewhat reluctant politician, and a newly pregnant one who gave birth while in office; in short, she was an unusual leader.  I followed her time in office through the international news and was impressed by how successfully she juggled the demands of job, home, and motherhood.  

Her term in office coincided with a gruesome terrorist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, a volcano eruption, and Covid-19.  One crisis after another or so it seemed.  In these situations, she led with compassion, kindness, and order. Her actions kept New Zealand from suffering hundreds of deaths from Covid.  Ardern was remarkably open and candid with her constituents.  And the access she allowed to her private life for the political diary project and for this film is amazing.  Footage of her in her political life and casually at home is interspersed with excerpts from thoughtful interviews she gave at regular intervals throughout her time as prime minister.

Overall, the film makes you wish there were more leaders like Jacinda!  It’s just plain excellent, and I highly recommend it. The C. P. and I also enjoyed seeing familiar scenes in New Zealand where we spent October 2017 and those at Harvard where Ardern recently held joint fellowships in the Kennedy School of Government.

Note: Header photo of spurting fountain outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Capers: Drama, Book, & TV

FUN MUSICAL FOR A SUMMER NIGHT

Some Like It Hot (DPAC, Durham)

This past week the Chief Penguin and I went to our first performance at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) in downtown Durham.  We went with a group and transportation was provided to and from.  It’s amazing how stress-free this makes the logistics.  (Confession: we used to chuckle at seeing all the buses outside the Sarasota Orchestra performances, waiting to take seniors back home.)  

Jerry & Joe (Facebook.com)

Some Like It Hot is based on a 1959 movie that starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe.  Set in 1933, two musicians in Chicago, Jerry and Joe, are trying to find a new gig when they witness a mob murder.  Fleeing the scene, they end up masquerading as women and joining an all-women’s band which travels to San Diego.  The play is a high energy comedy, but more character-driven than the movie with a more contemporary ending.  

Joe finds it difficult and frustrating to play being Josephine.  Jerry, as Daphne, comes into his/her own and feels seen and comfortable.  The cast of the movie is all white, while here several characters, including Daphne, are Black which adds another perspective.  Overall, there’s humor, but also heartfelt emotion.  The music is lively and the dancing, all tap, is fabulous.   I think we left tapping our toes all the way home! 

DPAC itself was an experience.  It’s a huge venue (more than 2500 seats) and all attendees are electronically screened before entering.  Inside, with the crowds and chaos, we were initially overwhelmed.  We had seats on the second level in the last row, a long way from the stage, but high enough that the sightlines were excellent.  

FINDING WHO YOU ARE

Violet (Justice Theater Project, Raleigh)

Antonia Hollered as Young Vi (thejusticetheaterproject.org)

Earlier this month, the C.P and I went to the last play of the season from the Justice Theater Project, a musical entitled Violet.  This company performs in a church and is celebrating its 20th year.  Their focus is on dramas with a message. Violet premiered off Broadway in 1997, won several awards, and was revised and then presented on Broadway in 2014.

Violet is a naïve young woman from North Carolina who leaves home and boards a train to Tulsa.  She is seeking to have her scarred face healed by a TV preacher.  It’s the 1960’s, and on the train, she becomes friendly with two soldiers, Monty, a white officer, and Flick, a Black enlisted man.  How her adventures play out and what she learns about herself and what matters form the crux of the drama.  

The dialogue is almost all sung. The voices were very good, but some actors didn’t enunciate making it hard to catch all the words.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed the performance, and it’s been well received locally.

READING:  POLITICAL FALLOUT

Original Sin by Jake Tapper & Alex Thompson

The subtitle of Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, tells you almost everything you need to know.  I read this book recently and certainly was aware of most of the content.  No big reveal other than the extent to which Biden’s closest aides and his family members, especially Jill and Hunter Biden, drastically limited access to him.  As his term went on, fewer and fewer of his cabinet members and others met with him regularly.  

Communication was handled by those closest to Biden, and even after Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June 2024, these individuals bought into an alternate reality that he was still capable of running for re-election.  The book made me sad, upset, and angry.  Sad for Biden and upset about his stubbornness and hubris in not being honest about his limitations. Angry about those individuals who enabled him and let themselves be in denial.  Sadly, Biden is not the only politician who believes he will endure forever; too many other examples exist in Congress and elsewhere. (~JWFarrington)

VIEWING:  STRUGGLING AFTER DEATHS

The Survivors (Netflix)

Mia & Kieran (digitalspy.com)

This crime series (6 episodes) is based on Australian author Jane Harper’s book of the same title, The Survivors.  Set in Tasmania on the coast, The Survivors opens 15 years after the deaths on the water of Kieran’s brother Finn and a friend.  Kieran has returned with his girlfriend Mia and their baby Audrey to visit his parents, Verity and Brian.  Another girl, Gabby, died at the same time as the men.  Gabby’s death has been less remembered until Bronte, a local woman, starts asking questions about it.  Add in yet another death, and tensions, suspicion, and distrust run high.  Those who are alive and knew the deceased ones must cope with their memories and events in the present.  

I am a big fan of Jane Harper’s novels having read all of them.  The Survivors series starts out slowly with numerous watery flashbacks but picks up the pace as it gets farther on.  Recommended, especially for Harper fans!

Note: Header photo of hot pink blooms ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Carolina Capers: “No Kings,” Fiction, & Food

FLAG DAY 2025

Peaceful Protests Here & Across the U.S.

Yesterday was Flag Day, typically a time to celebrate the Stars and Stripes and the principles of freedom for which it stands.  The holiday commemorates the adoption of the American flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.  When I was growing up, my father, a Navy veteran, very purposefully hung a flag on the front of our house each year.  As did many of our neighbors.

Yesterday was Flag Day with a difference.  Yes, there was an event in D.C.  Many of us chose not to watch or celebrate it.  Instead, in large cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, in medium-sized ones like Atlanta and Tallahassee, and even in some of the smallest towns from Morrisville to Pittsboro to Seneca Falls, ordinary Americans gathered to protest the actions of the current administration.  Called “No Kings Day,” it was an opportunity to rally against the deportation of law-abiding individuals, to call out the unwarranted firing of public servants, and to stand against the brutal attacks on science, healthcare, and higher education.  These protests were peaceful ones.

The Chief Penguin and I participated in the “No Kings” demonstration here in Cary.  It was our first demonstration.  We carried our homemade signs and waved at the passing cars, appreciating the many drivers who tooted their horns in support.  When I had read that 800+ people had signed up to attend, I was a bit leery about what to expect.  I went prepared with my phone and ID cards and was happily surprised by how much larger the crowd was and impressed that everyone seemed to be enjoying the experience. 

Dressed in red or blue and white, some holding kids by the hand or pushing strollers, all ages were represented.  Yes, there were a few speeches, but most of the action took place at the intersection, extending well beyond the four corners of this heavily traveled thoroughfare.  

Some folks even chanted.  We were very glad to have been part of it all.  Power to the people and the power of the people!

POPULAR FICTION

Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Author Reid (amazon.ca)

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of several novels including the commercially and critically successful The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  Her latest one, Atmosphere, is set in the 1980’s and features astronauts training for a mission on the space shuttle.  Joan Goodwin is a self-proclaimed nerd who has always loved the stars and dreamed of going into space.  Unappreciated by her sister and a loner, she is an astronaut when women were still a novelty.  Yet Joan becomes friends with both the men and women astronauts in her group.  In the process, she learns new things about herself and discovers love where she never expected it.   

Reid did her homework; the space program details, and the shuttle flight are realistic and gripping.  The characters are well drawn and fleshed out, especially Joan’s delightful young niece Frances.  Some of the philosophizing about God and the place of humans in the universe is a bit heavy-handed.  Nonetheless, the action is fast-paced, and I raced through the book in less than a day.  Just right for a beach vacation.

DINING DELIGHTS

Changing light installation at the Fenton

This was a week of dining treats.  The Fenton for dim sum, a nearby Indian restaurant, and a popular ice cream parlor.

Brewery Bhavana in Fenton

Last fall, we liked very much the lunch we had at Brewery Bhavana, a Chinese restaurant in Raleigh, and even sampled two of their beers.  This time, we made our first visit to the Fenton complex and the new branch of Brewery Bhavana.  

Outdoor seating at Brewery Bhavana

At 5:30, the restaurant was full of couples and families, and just two tables were free.  I was glad I’d made a reservation.

This dining room is smaller than the Raleigh one and the menu shorter, but we loved what we ordered. Refreshing cucumber salad with its hint of heat; light, almost fluffy buns filled with curried chicken; and pork and chive dumplings.  There are two chicken entrees and Peking duck if you reserve ahead for it.  Add in a cocktail or a glass of wine or beer and you’re set.  We will be back to dine but also to explore Fenton’s other dining options.  Not to mention being tempted by the goods in the Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn stores. 

Saffron in Cary

Saffron is in a nearby mall with both Harris Teeter and Walmart stores.  The Chief Penguin and I had poked our heads into Saffron one time but not eaten there before.  Lunch this week was the best Indian food we’ve had since moving to North Carolina!  We shared an order of samosas and rosemary naan and sampled the garlic naan.  

He ordered lamb vindaloo, and when it wasn’t quite spicy enough sent it back to up the spice level from medium to hot.  Success!  I ordered the chicken curry medium, and it was simply delicious.  The portions are very generous and come with jasmine rice.  We each took some of our entrees home to savor again.   

Andia’s Ice Cream

One of us is a big ice cream fan, the other an occasional indulger. We joined a group for the first round of an ice cream rating competition, Scoop of Approval.  Andia’s has several locations in the Research Triangle including the one in Cary we visited.  Smart tasters purchased the six-flavor sampler, while the Chief Penguin and I stuck with one scoop each, French vanilla for him, the prize-winning double dark chocolate for me.

Started and run by Andia and her family, Andia’s ice cream has won many awards.  Andia herself is the only female Grand Master Ice Cream Chef and one of just 15 of such chefs across the U.S.  As for the ice cream, the vanilla was excellent and the chocolate good, but not as deep dark as I would like.  Andia’s creates many more flavors besides these, including summertime options such as lemon poppy and lavender lemonade.  The perfect treat for a hot day.

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is a view of some of the people participating in “No Kings” in Cary.

Summer Reading 2025

Introduction

Since moving to North Carolina, I’ve kept up with new fiction through the excellent library we have. Consequently, my summer reading list this year is a mix of new works and older ones including classics by Thomas Hardy and Edith Wharton that I’ve not previously read.  It’s a baker’s dozen and like previous years, I probably won’t read all of them but will be distracted by other books that catch my eye.  

Some of the titles on my summer list

Both of my granddaughters are avid and voracious readers which delights me no end! Hence the inclusion of a few photos of book lovers from years past.

Listening to Grandpa

The List (in alpha order by title)

Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy (Hardy’s first published novel that is partly a detective story)

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (novel set in Russia and a best book of 2020)

The Dry by Jane Harper (crime novel set in Australia by one of my favorite mystery writers; re-read for book club meeting)

Deep in a book

Finding Freedom by Erin French (memoir by a Maine-based chef)

Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths (mystery, #7 in the archaeologist Ruth Galloway series)

The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton (romantic comedy set in the 1920’s)

Last House by Jessica Shattuck (family saga from WWII to Cold War, by the author of The Women in the Castle)

Reading in Maine

The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson (WWII fiction about librarian spies)

The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (her latest novel, set in rural North Dakota)

The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard (historical novel with Edgar Alan Poe by the author of The Wildes)

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer (recent nonfiction about gratitude and community recommended by my friend Martha)

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan (3 short stories by this Irish author)

Twist by Colum McCann (contemporary novel about underwater cables by a prize-winning author)

Storytime 2019

Note: All photos except for Storytime ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)