The Hills are Alive

I’m rather tired of whining about the cold weather (though it is only -6 as I write this post this morning). But it’s cold lots of places and I’m thankful to have a nice, warm house in which to stay out of the cold.

But the cold really has prohibited me from doing a lot of things outside. The roads are still pretty icy because they thaw somewhat during the day and then refreeze at night. And in the time it takes to drive from Point A to Point B, the car never warms up (unless Point B is Albuquerque!).

One would think that I would spend this time indoors baking Christmas cookies or at least cleaning my house. But alas, what I’m really doing is watching Christmas movies, crocheting, and answering the doorbell as all of my gifts that I ordered Cyber Monday are beginning to arrive. Yesterday, I had three deliveries. One of the nice things about being almost 60 is that by now I have forgotten what I ordered so it’s fun to open the packages and try to remember for whom I bought the ballerina doll.

Yesterday I watched the live version of The Sound of Music, which was on television the other night. I had set it up to record, knowing that my nights get away from me. It didn’t really matter because in Colorado, the program wasn’t live at all, but a recording of a live show. I hadn’t read about anybody falling down or forgetting their words, so I went into it with a positive attitude.

I wasn’t disappointed, but I must say, though Carrie Underwood has a marvelous singing voice, her acting leaves a lot to be desired. And it really isn’t fair to compare her to Julie Andrews, whose voice is as clear and lovely as a Christmas bell, and who knows how to sing and act at the same time. Still, I LOVE The Sound of Music. I think it has the most beautiful music of any musical ever written. And I absolutely cannot listen to "Edelweiss" without crying because it’s the song I have always sang to my grandchildren to get them to relax and fall asleep.

As I watched, I looked up Maria Von Trapp on Wikipedia only to learn that she didn't really love Georg at the beginning, but grew to love him over many years. Not nearly as romantic, so I don't blame Rogers and Hammerstein for changing that up!

The fact that Bill sang along with every number didn’t help my enjoyment. He was undoubtedly recalling our European adventure a number of years ago when we took the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg and they encouraged singing along. I could have lived without his participation yesterday.

All in all, I think it was wonderful that NBC gave this a try, and I enjoyed the production a great deal. I haven't heard how the critics received it, but apparently it was well-watched.

Much like Seinfeld, this was a blog about nothing. Enjoy your weekend and stay warm if it’s cold outside where you live.