DEER

KRAMPUS IS COMMING TO GET YOU!

One of my Hungarian aunts told me that one  year her sons were so bad that Santa Claus came and took the toys back...but maybe it was Krampus who snuck into the closet and took them away?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

BECOMING SANTA : MAGYAR AMERICAN FILM REVIEW

How does Santa get all his work done?  This is a documentary film about the process that some people, mostly men, go through to properly represent Santa.  It includes an ongoing interview of a graduate of a special Santa Claus School, where the students are told that to children of a certain age, the excitement of meeting Santa is like a fan meeting a rock star.  There they learn the best way to fulfill the role. Such as, not making promises they canot keep. And yes there are conventions for full bearded men to compare notes.

Meanwhile, there's a look back to the development of Santa Claus.  Did he always wear a red, white fur trimmed coat?  Was he always fat and jolly?  Was it a Coke-a-Cola ad that introduced us to the man we expect down our chimney with toys?

The history of Santa Claus goes back to Saint Nicholas, born rich, who gave much of his fortune away to people who needed the extra help. In the United States, Santa is a hit by the Civil War era when he makes the Harpers Magazine cover and is suggested to be on the side of the Union. This is a black and white etched look figure, not so fat.  In Austria and other European Countries, his visits coincide with the visit of a darker character, a mean, even evil character who can punish children for bad behavior.

Are you ready to take your holiday decorations out of the attic and start to deck the halls?  Watch this one before you begin, while you have some hot chocolate and grilled cheese, and take your ornaments out of the tissue paper.  Santa's sincerity will grab your heart and maybe even bring a little tear to your eye. 

I'M THANKFUL FOR...

My dog, who is sleeping at my feet at the moment.





The surprise $100 that a Minister gave me from a Deacon's Fund due to an emergency.


And that I'm going to see some relatives that I haven't seen in 18 years, a whole generation grown up without my being part of that, but, I look forward to it.




We told my dog that she's going to have a whole lot more people loving her and that she will get to see the ocean.

WHITE GOD : MAGYAR AMERICAN HUNGARIAN FILM REVIEW

Called "Stunning" and "Masterful" by critics quoted on the back of the DVD box, at the end of this film I had to agree! This one will take all dog lovers on a twisting turning emotional rollercoaster, for you will meet some very unkind and unsympathetic Hungarian characters in this film, making you wonder "is that how it is in Hungary?" and it will tweak your animal activism no doubt. 

Is it true that in Hungary a dog is not respected for being a mixed breed street dog and that people only want pure breeds?

After you see the dog star of the film "Luke and Body" evade the unfeeling animal catchers, endure terrible conditions at the Hungarian equivalent of a "shelter," and be sold to a brutalizer who turns him into a killer for sport, you will be cheering when he leads the pack out of the place, then they rampage in revenge.  You'll also be wondering, "Who trained all those dog actors to maraud?  And what about that scene where the one dog delights in ripping up a brief case? (I laughed!)

Lots of violence here and without apology.  You'll be reminded that packs of dogs have been known to attack humans.  But what of the preteen who loved him and searched for him and never wanted to give him up?  I won't spoil the ending for you, but let's say that she has her moment with the dogs and we can only hope that they all get away!

Race out and borrow, rent, or buy this film!

Then, make a donation to an animal shelter.

C 2017 All Rights Reserved  Magyar-American BlogSpot

To read other film reviews on this blog, click on the label FILM REVIEW!

ALL SOULS - ALL SAINTS

HUNGARIAN TRADITIONAL FOLK "COSTUMES"

WALKING IN HUNGARY : MAGYAR AMERICAN BOOK REVIEW

Downloaded this one as an e-book gratis my public library and an app called Overdrive.  Have you ever wanted to walk where the roads don't go? Pictures throughout, one gets the feel of the Hungarian rolling countryside, ruins, and other geographical and historical features you may want to see the slow way. A lovely book with insider tips such as how trails are marked and which bus lines are best to a particular location. Of particular interest to me the Hungarian "highlands" and Castle Fuzer.

BIODIVERSITY LIBRARY - GRAPES

TRYING TO BUY A GOOD WHEELED DOG CARRIER! TRYING!

If you're wondering where I've been (while hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires rage) well, I've been shopping for a decent, roomy, well made, wheeled dog carrier for my beloved

She started showing signs of being a senior as the new year began.  She can't take the heat much better than me and started sprinting out to the lawn to do her business and then coming right back into the house, rather than expect a long walk to do so that she used to. She still wants to chase squirrels but she doesn't want to do the mile or so walk to get to the nearest park that is full of them. I figure I can get my exercise and then let her use what energy she has to chase them.

Accepting that I had no control over her health care or diet until she was near 5 years old, and that her "designer breed" lives on the average to be 12, I accepted that her life was changing and so was mine.
No more worrying that I gave her enough exercise!  Was I really ready to have a house dog that likes to lay around? Now I sometimes wish I could take her with me on my adventures knowing I can't.

She started stopping when she figured she could not go on!

I mean she just stops!

She did this in the middle of a busy intersection and I had to scoop her up while cars were coming.  I started scooping her up and carrying her a ways, setting her back down. If I say the word Lift she stops and looks up into my eyes, anticipating.  I put my hands down and she jumps up.

And so one hot day I rigged up a box on a dolly with a bungee cord and took her with me to a garden I volunteer in once in a while which is a half mile walk.  She loves it there, sitting beneath a chair in the shade with a nice bowl of water and some treats.  She can watch birds fluttering in the bird bath from her spot.  Once in a while a golden dragonfly comes to the lily pond. She needs the mental stimulation if not the physical effort of having it.  She loves getting up in the box and holding on as I wheel, the wind blowing past her nose.

I accept this is how it is now.
But also that while she has become a senior dog, she is not exactly ancient or ready to give it all up.

A friend has a 12 year old about her size.  She is acting like this 12 year old.  I began to wonder if when I rescued her they had her age right.  There was a birth date on the kennel that was convincing.  I called them.  They admitted that the birth date might have been made up.

So I decided this was not a passing phase.

This was real.

And the thing to do was to buy a wheeled dog carrier!

I can't believe how difficult this really is.

First I called a number of local one owner pet stores.  I also called Target, Walmart, Kmart, Pet Smart, Petco... The problem?  They only have those hideous baby carriage type contraptions.  Or they have those hard plastic boxes.  I want the luggage type, with plenty of room and air flow, soft but sturdy. For the most part they had nothing on the floor, nothing to try her in, and I was repeatedly advised I go on line to purchase. 

My dog is twelve pounds.  The next problem was going on line to sites such as Doctors Foster and Smith and Petsmart, where these carriers are sized by the weight of the dog.  Let me tell you I put her in one that was supposed to be good up to 15 pounds and she could barely move.  So I realized we need to go to the medium but I couldn't find a medium anywhere locally to try her in.

Finally I found a medium on a day I didn't have her with me at a place called Centinella Feed.  It was red.  I suspected this was the best wheeled dog carrier I had seen, but I didn't want red.  The price with tax was about $165 dollars.  I asked if they could order one in for me in another color, such as beige or black.  They said no, they only keep one on the floor at a time.  So I went on line and for about $50 less there are plenty of places to order that exact product in black.

I haven't ordered this product yet.

I never order on line!

If any of you have a 12 pound senior dog who you wheel around, please let me know what you bought!

RED SQUIRREL

HURRICANES GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY? DON'T RESETTLE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Hurricanes?

I heard someone on the radio say that.  He said that there would be lots of jobs, so much rebuilding.  I ask you, with what money? Insurance?  A recent speech by HUD's Ben Carson emphasized that the government would provide NEEDS not WANTS.  That means basics.  Rebuilding is up to YOU.


Don't come to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to resettle here.  The cost of living, in particular housing, has gone "through the roof" which is not such a funny pun.


Let me explain just how bad it is.
I know several good people who are near homeless or facing homelessness.

Scenario One

This morning I ran into a senior citizen with a disabled son who has lived in the same apartment with the help of a voucher Section 8 from Housing Authority of  Burbank for 23 years.  This woman was also working into her senior hood.  The landlord had long ago stopped repairing things, including the plumbing, and she had previously told me that the Housing Authority questioned how she could possibly go on.
So, what happened?  She was given 6 months notice to move, with a rent increase (no rent control in Burbank) to $2700, more than double than she had been paying.  Five months in she had nowhere to live, and on an emergency basis, she and her disable child moved into a senior building.  It was last minute and she had to give away 70 percent of her possessions to fit them in this new place.


Scenario Two


I met "Pat" while waiting for the subway in Hollywood.  A clean cut man in mid life he told me he had moved from Vegas with an agreement to share an apartment with two other men already there. He lived there three weeks when the landlord raised the rent by $300 and said he had to go.  Pat is sleeping on the Subway, has a gym membership, and is applying to shelter programs near sleepless, so the question is, WHEN will someone take him in?  He has a good education and other marketable skills, but has not been able to look for work with so little sleep.  I have him texting me every day, as he does not have a street buddy or anyone to look out for him.  I can barely but he says he has a case manager now.


Scenario Three


"Emmy" is a single mom with a child whose father is out of state, living with her mom, and they are not getting along.  After months a friend offered her a small single apartment at a reasonable rate, and she is going to take it soon.  Without any furniture.  Her mom meanwhile told me that her parents are renting rooms in their house for $800.  So her parents who OWN a HOME are making $1600 a month on people who have nowhere to go.
Scenario Four
Took some donations to a local church service center that has a little clothing and food giveaway and there met another man who lost his apartment after 23 years.  In this case the rent just got higher than his income.  He's sleeping in his car while looking for a room to rent, hoping to have a separate entrance.
Scenario Five
I met Becky at my pharmacy where she is a very helpful clerk.  The single mom of two, she also lost an apartment that was going to be torn down and where everyone else fled with a couple thousand dollars given to them.  A lawyer protected her and got her better money.  But one day she had to go. Basically, she is in an RV in a friend's drive way, paying rent to be in it, and she and the kids are sick of living that way.  Their grades are dropping.  She is on my list of people who need AFFORDABLE HOUSING.


The whole situation here is going downhill fast and I mention this because in the past I have posted advice for incoming immigrants. I now think immigrants who are not independently wealthy should not settle in Southern California.


I fear that what happened with KATRINA will happen after the last two BIG HITS BY HURRICAINES.  Basically HUD or other funds will be used to help some people who are displaced MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  CHOOSE ELSEWHERE.  I met Katrina families who were allowed to use my gym for free when they came out.  They were whole families in rooms in houses and applying for homeless shelters.


When you've lived most of your life in a place, it's very difficult to imagine where else you might go.  Even the most flexible of us have a hard time with all the changes.

REVISITING A SINGLE YELLOW ROSE by ANNA KOCZAK

A couple years ago, I posted about this book.  Here is a scene from page 38 of the paperback that took place 70 YEARS AGO in the Chapter September-October 1947.  Sadly too many Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans remember these times because of their personal losses.

...Koros opened a document and handed it to Father. "It's your turn, Gyula," Koros said flatly, The paper bore the stamp of the government.  Like those before him, my father was being asked to sign away his land.  It was bad enough that this man treated others in the town with contempt, but that he could be so cold-hearted to someone who was part of his extended family shocked me.

"And if I don't," my father asked.

Waving his hand at the policemen, he said, "You will."

"Sign it, Gyula," my mother said, a catch in her throat.  "The land is not worth the price we'll pay if you don't."

At age sixty two, with the flourish of a pen, my father lost most of his land, his horses, his vineyards, his friends, his fruit trees, everything he'd worked for over a lifetime.  My mother too lost what she loved.  And so did all of us.

Father dropped the document on the ground. "It's all yours, Feri." Then in a calm voice and looking him in the eye, he added, "Men like you disgust me."

Tears tugged at my eyes.  I was furious and already imagined strangers cultivating and harvesting our land and the land of our neighbors.  How could this man so casually destroy people's lives.  Father was right.  He was disgusting...


I recently read this book over again.  The twists and turns and tensions build, but I'm picking up on some things I didn't the first time around.  Not only were Anna Toth's favorite color of roses yellow, but red roses were hated because they were associated with the Communists.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS