Come September

We're in the middle of watching another Rock Hudson and Doris Day movie, but before we started this one, we watched Come September with Rock, Gina Lollobrigida, Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee (who married after the movie).

It was a light romantic romp of a comedy, good escape in gray weather and a grayer economy.

Rock plays an American millionaire who visits his Italian Riviera villa every year and when he does, spends his time with his Italian girlfriend. Only this year, he arrives early and finds his staff running the villa as a hotel complete with teenage American coeds on semester break.

He and his girlfriend can't get a moment alone, and are caught up in teenage love dramas and mischief. Rock's parental advice to the teenage girls regarding what a boy wants totally backfires on him when Gina gets wind of it, but that's all I'm saying. Check it out at your library and have some fun yourself.

Berkshire Hosiery

Berkshire has been making hosiery since 1906, back when nylon was unknown and stockings were silk. In 1977 the Mayer Hosiery Company, another long-time hosiery maker, purchased Berkshire to form Mayer Berkshire Company. The company has taken pride in keeping its manufacturing in North Carolina rather than farming out production overseas as all too many apparel manufacturers have done. This detail shows in the quality and long-term consistency of their products. Berkshire makes close to 100 styles of nylon and nylon/spandex hosiery and pantyhose, including fishnet, thigh high, ultra-sheer, back seam, control top, toe-less, opaque tights, and on and on. All are made in the USA and more than reasonably priced. Combine that with our low shipping rates - $3.85 for up to $50.00 purchased, then free on orders $50.oo or more - and you have real bargain.

Berkshire Hosiery

In the News

Occasionally, the front page news provides me with a good laugh tather than gloom and doom. Such was the case tonight when I saw MSN's headline: "FBI on the lookout for an elderly "geezer bandit" on the loose after robberies." The article describes the gent as appearing to be in his 70's. I know plenty of folks in their 70's and they don't look nearly as old as this guy. He looks old enough to be Butch Cassidy. That thought got me to researching Butch -- his sister and doctor appear to have claimed he did indeed return from Bolivia. Hmmm....

Other news: stock up on Eggo waffles while you can -- Kellogg's is predicting a shortage through the middle of 2010 and will be rationing stores.

Little Pink Dress Update

Marty here. Little Pink Dress, our vintage website, is slowly growing. Most categories, with the exception of Dry Goods and Accessories have items for sale. We figured that it would be late fall/early winter before it was "fully stocked" and that's still looking about right. The other day we had a customer ask about combining orders between the two sites. Brabarella's shopping cart is different from LPD's, so that's not possible if you're trying to do it yourself. However, if you let us know what you want, we can send you one invoice and combine things that way. You may notice that LPD's shipping rates are slightly higher than Brabarella's. That is due to the fact that we have flat-rate shipping and what we sell on LPD tends to be heavier-weight than what we sell on Brabarella.

Contempt and the Thrill of It All

Yep, our two movies this week were a couple of oldies, both from 1963, vastly different from each other -- Contempt was a French existential drama modeled slightly along the story of Ulysses on different levels (aren't many philosophers French? I know Marty has some in his heritage). It starred Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and as we were watching it I knew we'd seen it before. Marty had no recollection until the very end. Still, I'm glad to have watched it a second time because the second time I was all of a sudden able to follow the story line as it evolved.

On the other hand, The Thrill of It All, with Doris Day and James Garner, was rather irritating to me at times -- I tend to bristle at stereotyped roles a la Hollywood. It was a comedy though and it did deliver -- very funny in certain parts. James Garner is the doctor, Doris his wife and she ends up being a hit actress doing commercials for Happy Soap. James isn't so happy but the ending is, so watch it and just have fun (when you're not rolling your eyes at the absurdity).

Veteran's Day

To all the fallen soldiers, the ones who never came back, the ones who returned and the ones still there -- THANK YOU.

Today

Went to Giving Tree Gardens today with my girl Janice, after meeting her in Sandwich at Paul’s for tea. I love taking people there; it is a special place, and always lifts my spirits. That I was with a friend only made it better.

It is women owned and operated – a mother, daughter, and sweetest redhead manager. Judith was on the grounds doing fall cleanup, and stringing lights for the solstice season. The shop has the most exquisite jewelry and some random gifts mixed in. Judith’s daughter, Rachel, is doing awesome tee shirts screen-printed with original photographs and inspirational quotes. The business has evolved over the years, the first time I was in there I bought my nephew a mezuzzah for his bar mitzvah. I still owe his brother one, but by the time Luke was bar mitzvahed, Giving Tree was doing mostly jewelry. At one time, Judith also had a café on the lower level – I can only imagine the dreaminess of that space.