Pride and Prejudice

Okay, I will admit that I was prejudiced about the 2005 movie, Pride & Prejudice (which premiered in the US on November 11, 2005). I thought the movie was going to be mindless and vacuous, in which the movie’s romance would be driven by marketing executives. My prejudice was further fueled by my opinion that too many movies today, that are based on a book, have been poorly made and often don’t live up to the spirit of the book. [Not surprising, the book is often way better than the movie.] So, I resisted watching the movie.

Then one evening in the spring of 2007 (almost two years later) I happen to catch the movie on cable. And I am not ashamed to admit that I was so very wrong about the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie. I’m so in love with that movie right now, and I will admit that I’ve been watching the movie more often than I should (at least three times in a week, especially since I got the DVD as a birthday gift). The cinematography and the musical score is FANTASTIC. The director’s vision of the movie is very different from the book, but it’s so beautiful. Kiera Knightley makes a wonderful Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew McFadyen is so dreamy as Mr. Darcy. Even though this movie does not strictly follow the book (like the 1995 BBC mini-series, aka the “Colin Firth version”), the movie lives up to the spirit of Jane Austen’s book. I won’t go on and on about what I love about this movie, but I believe that it’s well made, and I personally believe that it’s better than the 1995 BBC version.

Anyhow, if you have not seen the movie, go rent it. Or else, you can just wait to watch it with me. The movie will make you swoon and believe in romance.

A (Cherry) Tree Grows in St. Paul

About a month ago, I purchased and planted a Mesabi cherry tree. The tree is now in my backyard and I’m so happy that it’s there (and I have not yet lamented about the price I paid for it).

I actually did a lot of research about cherry trees before I made my purchase. I had to consider the fact that I needed a cherry tree hardy to my zone (I’m in Zone 4), not only so that it can withstand Minnesota’s harsh winters, but it needed to be able to fruit in Minnesota’s short summers. I also needed a tree that was self pollinating, or else I would've had to purchase two cherry trees. For example, I was told that a Bing cherry tree needed a pollinator, in other words, another cherry tree in order for the Bing cherry tree to fruit (FYI-one can grow a Bing cherry tree in Minnesota, but it wouldn’t fruit adequately because of the weather here). I also needed a dwarf-sized cherry tree, due to my small back yard. Lastly, I wanted a tree that would provide cherries that I could pick and eat. Many sweet cherries (such as the Bing cherry) are grown on the West Coast, but sour cherries (cherries used in making pies) are mainly grown in the Midwest. Generally, sour cherries often have to be cooked first before it can be eaten. So, after much research, I purchased my Mesabi cherry tree (which was developed by the University of Minnesota), which produced semi-sweet and tart cherries that I could pick and eat.

To make the long story short, I’m really excited that I'm growing a cherry tree in my yard. I think it’s three to five years old and I’m hoping that it will fruit within the next two to three years (yes, it sounds like a long time, but time does fly by).