Afton wanted to know what the deal was with my Disneyland remark on yesterday's Sabbath Leaves. It is complicated and has a lot to do with me being selfish, sounds like a good blog post...
We are having a family reunion at Disneyland this Thanksgiving. I am not excited. I have never really had a desire to go to Disneyland. I mean as a kid I wouldn't have said "No" to an offer but I never dreamed of Disneyland.
Reasons why I don't want to go:
The commercialism of it all. Yuck it just makes me want to gag. Disney everything all for sale! Don't even get me started on how ticked I am at Disney for getting copyrights for everything extended just so they could hold on to vintage Mickey.
I have issues with Disney movies, fun movies and all. I am a huge fan of the art in Sleeping Beauty and used to be obsessed with Snow White but the way they twist the original fairy tales really bugs me. It isn't the fact that they do it but the fact that after one of their movies is out it becomes synonymous with the fairy tale and the original is lost to the public knowledge. How many people know that the Little Mermaid really dies, that Beauty from Beauty and the beast had sisters, that the witch tricked Snow White with a poisoned comb, and tight corset strings before the apple, that Sleeping Beauty lay asleep for 100 years and many princes died trying to reach her?
I have problems with the values Disney teaches through their movies. Fairy tales by their very nature are made to teach virtue to children.
In the Disney version of The Little Mermaid Ariel disobeys her father, runs away, sells her soul to the sea witch and wins the prince in the end. In the original she dies because she did not listen to her father. Which would you rather your children learn that by disobeying they could be in mortal danger or that by disobeying and selling your soul you will win happiness?
There is also the universal theme of true love conquers all in their movies, and you know what sometimes true love isn't enough. Sometimes love at first sight isn't love. Often the Disney Characters think that they know better than their parents or caregivers.
And then there are the crowds. We are going in November so it probably won't be as bad as it could be but I hate crowds of tourists. I try to avoid them at all costs. I like to go to the Children's Museum on days when there will not be any field trips so we can have room to enjoy the experience and not be worried about losing people.
There is the whole carnival aspect of it. I can't shake the
foreboding feeling that it will be like a big expensive carnival, hot, dusty and sticky.
Which brings me to the expense. The whole things seems to me like a gigantic HUGE waste of money. I can't fathom how much we will spend and couldn't that money be better used for practical things or many small, economical family vacations?
I am betting dollars to doughnuts that the costumes will not meet my exacting standards and that will annoy me.
And this whole "Happiest Place on Earth Thing" Really? I am pretty sure I will have sore feet, a headache and a hungry belly combined with cranky over tired children. I will be worried about kids running off. There will also be the family reunion stress of making sure 17 people are happy and getting to what they want to do. How exactly will this be happy? I think that seeing a happy Cinderella and Jasmine walking down the street will really tick me of in these moments.
And so in preparation for our family reunion I am striving to get a better attitude about Disneyland. Do you think they sell those in the gift shops?
Our beautiful World: I think my potato plants are so beautiful. So green and leafy, and last year when I harvested the potatoes, it was like digging buried treasure and they lasted most of the winter.
I took Liberty Bell out this afternoon for a ride. Spring has been here for several weeks, the violets are spent, the tulip trees have dropped their flowers and the daffodils are staring to look a little sad but there were still some amazing blossoms.
While I was taking a water break I saw those big, fat fuzzy bumblebees in this plum tree. I rummaged in my basket for my camera but by the time I got it out they had moved on to another tree. I did get this great shot of a honey bee though.
I eagerly await this every year. Two of our neighbors have these Double Flowering Cherry Trees. There are one or two days when they are fully bloomed before the blossoms start falling and they are breathtaking. I take a picture every year.
Our Beautiful World: Peacocks, love them or hate them they are beautiful. Did you know that female peacocks are muck less showy and called "peahens?"
Blessings: I am grateful for hammocks today. Hammocks for escaping, playing, cuddling, napping, reading, swinging and chatting. I love hammocks.
Father,
This is a repost from a while back. It seemed appropriate for this day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and savior. Today is very blustery yet there is sunshine in my soul. My house is filled with cherry blossoms, Easter eggs and blessings overflowing.
Our Beautiful World: Rhubarb. I had some last night and is was heavenly even if it did give me really bad heartburn.
Our Beautiful World: It is so fun to be driving somewhere and see the bright blooming forsythia bushes. I am grateful for all happy yellow blooms in early spring.
Our Beautiful World: Earthworms, I know they are kinda slimy, gross and creepy. But these little guys are a garden's best friend. They aerate the soil, till it and decompose organic matter into soil. I am sure that they preform a multitude of other benefits. "Hooray for earthworms!"Including the gigantic one I found in the garden yesterday that scared the wits out of Nutmeg- it was the size of a small snake.
Our Beautiful World: We have had a bit of fog lately and I love it. I adore fog, it is so mysterious, romantic and dramatic.
In the Disney version of The Little Mermaid Ariel disobeys her father, runs away, sells her soul to the sea witch and wins the prince in the end. In the original she dies because she did not listen to her father. Which would you rather your children learn that by disobeying they could be in mortal danger or that by disobeying and selling your soul you will win happiness?
Our Beautiful World: Honey and Honeycomb. I have been reading a few books where bees and honey figure prominently and I am obsessed with honey and eating it.
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