The Fairytale Love Story That Ended in Tragedy

I enjoy presenting unique things of interest you might not otherwise search and seize.

This fairytale is much more than mesmerizing; perhaps magical!  

It is forevermore heartbreaking bringing layers of sadness and tears.

For the first time on camera, Zsuzsi Starkloff tells the story of her forbidden

relationship with Prince William of Gloucester, in a film rebuilding the lost

legacy of the royal family's own James Bond who died tragically at the age of 30.

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Side by Side, Until Death We Part

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© Courtesy Jake Hardy-Moore  James and Donna Eaton, who were married for 58 years, were killed, March 3,2020, when three tornadoes struck parts of Tennessee, including their community of Mount Juliet.

"They exemplified what it was to love," Jake Hardy-Moore told ABC News of his grandparents, James and Donna Eaton, on Thursday.

The two were born and raised in East Nashville and met when they were young children. After they married, the loving couple raised their family in Mount Juliet. The couple had three children, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. The large family was the pride of their lives.

As residents in Tennessee began the laborious task of cleaning up and rebuilding their communities -- and lives -- after at least three tornadoes touched down in parts of the state, one family mourned and remembered a couple that was found dead in their home, side-by-side, after being married for nearly 58 years. 

READ MORE OF THE STORY CLICK HERE

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Night Witches/Women's Month

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Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night

They were a crucial Soviet asset to winning World War II.

Brynn Holland

They flew under the cover of darkness in bare-bones plywood biplanes. They braved bullets and frostbite in the air, while battling skepticism and sexual harassment on the ground. They were feared and hated so much by the Nazis that any German airman who downed one was automatically awarded the prestigious Iron Cross medal.

All told, the pioneering all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment dropped more than 23,000 tons of bombs on Nazi targets. And in doing so, they became a crucial Soviet asset in winning World War II.

The Germans nicknamed them the Nachthexen, or “night witches,” because the whooshing noise their wooden planes made resembled that of a sweeping broom. “This sound was the only warning the Germans had. The planes were too small to show up on radar… [or] on infrared locators,” said Steve Prowse, author of the screenplay The Night Witches, a nonfiction account of the little-known female squadron. “They never used radios, so radio locators couldn’t pick them up either. They were basically ghosts.”

READ MORE FASCINATING INFO CLICK HERE    

OR READ ABOUT THE MOVIE CLICK HERE

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Shel Silverstein

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The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

A Short, But Sweet Post

(Patience Will Reward You)'

About Shel;

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Women's History Month

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 Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month. It's a time to celebrate the important role women have had throughout history. It originally began as Women's History Week back on March 7, 1982. The first month-long celebration occurred in 1987.

Women have had and continue to have integral roles in a variety of fields. Each year, the National Women's History Alliance names a theme of Women's History Month to highlight all that women have done. 

We all are familiar with famous women in our nation's history. But many women in our personal circles have also demonstrated strength, courage, and character. They are trailblazers and pioneers in their own right. Let's celebrate them this month. Be sure to share one of these inspirational poems with a woman in your life. Don't forget to thank her for the difference she is making in the lives of others.

Maya Angelou is one of the most influential women of our time. Her writing pulls on the hearts of many readers. In addition to her proliferous writing career, Maya Angelou has been a civil rights activist. This poem shows how even though someone is not beautiful on the outside compared to society's standards, there is an inner beauty that makes a woman even more beautiful.

Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou 

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/phenomenal-woman-by-maya-angelou

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Château de Gudanes in Verdun

Crumbling labour of love: Couple who bought a decrepit French Château for $500k after seeing just FOUR of its 94 rooms reveal the major lessons they've learned while renovating a 300-year-old monument
When Karina and Craig Waters bought the sprawling Château de Gudanes in Verdun, in the south of France in 2013, they had seen just four of its 91 rooms - and had no idea of the scale of the project they had taken on. Almost five years later the couple, from Perth in Western Australia, have published a book about their labour of love journey restoring the vast 18th century property in the Occitanie region, which they paid an estimated AUD$500,000 (£281,600) for. Mrs Waters opened up to FEMAIL about the lessons she and her partner have learned while turning the crumbling château into a working hotel. The Château de Gudanes is an 18th-century neoclassical château in the commune of Château-Verdun, in the southern French department of Ariège. It is built on the site of an older castle destroyed in 1580. The château has been a designated monument historique since 1994, but fell into ruin in the late 20th century.

Several years ago, we visited this beautiful castle.  You can find more information on their FACEBOOK at The Château de Gudanes  https://www.facebook.com/chateaudegudanes

Mississippi Mud Cake

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Christin Mahrlig

Mississippi Mud Cake is one of my favorite southern sheet cakes. It’s a rich and moist chocolate cake covered with gooey marshmallows, crunchy pecans, and a fudge icing. Dessert doesn’t get any better than this.

https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/mississippi-mud-cake/ Everyone loves a good chocolate cake and this one is a real classic.

How to Make Mississippi Mud Cake:  Recipe below

This recipe is wonderfully easy to make. You’ll begin by mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then mix in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract.  Next, you’ll beat in 1 cup of boiling water. The purpose of the boiling water is to help hydrate the cocoa powder and prevent the cake from being dry. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes. Scatter the marshmallows on top and return to the oven for 2 minutes to partially melt the marshmallows.

Whip up the icing and drizzle it on the cake and finish with the pecans. Note: Leave the nuts off if you don’t like them.

My favorite part of this cake? The fudgy icing. The icing is what gives the cake its name since it somewhat resembles the cracked mud along the edge of the Mississippi River.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teapsoon salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teapsoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

ICING

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/3 cup sweet cocoa powder 
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch pan with baking spray.
• Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, whole milk, and sour cream. Use a hand-held mixer to mix until combined.
• Add boiling water and beat on high for 1 minute.
  

  Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top feels firm when you gently press down on top.
• Sprinkle marshmallows on top. Return to oven for 2 minutes. Let cake cool.
• To make icing, combine butter, cocoa powder, and milk in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Whisk in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Whisk in vanilla extract.
• Slowly pour icing over cooled cake. Sprinkle with pecans.
• Cut into squares and serve.