Seasons- Winter

Rain, rain, all the time

Soaking my clothes completely

At least let it snow

Breath made visible

Runny nose, sensitive skin

Bare hands freeze quickly

Quiet snow enfolds

Beauty in ev’ry season

Year’s end coming soon

Seasons- Fall

Falling leaves pile up

Swirling colors blow past us

Cold is coming soon

Summer is over

Children resume their studies

Learning improves all

Branches are now bare

Beautiful trees surround me

Winter is coming

Seasons- Summer

Freedom to wander

Evergreens provide cool shade

Beauty everywhere

Good friends and good food

Spending time while we’re still young

Lasting memories

Jump in cool water

Respite from sweltering heat

Sun burn hurts a lot

Seasons- Spring

Rain falls down to Earth

Cleansing, pure, new life springs forth

Soft drops drip on leaves

Gray skies spoil my mood

Wind howls through the trees

Wishing for summer

Sunshine brings new day

Golden flowers line the path

Rebirth, life anew

Memories From Childhood, Part VI

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

I remember watching this at a friends house (before I'd seen anything else by Terry Gilliam) and really enjoying it. It hada lot of famous actors for being a relatively unnoticed film, such as John Neville , Robin Williams, Uma Thurman, Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, & Johnathan Pryce. It was a very nice mix of fantasy, history (a very small part), and comedy. Fun for children and adults (at least the ones that can catch the innuendos, etc.). Definitely a recommended film!

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001)

This is one of my favorite Zelda games, other than Ocarina of Time and Link's Awakening. Paired with Oracle of Ages...not sure if they had been planning this for a while, or if they were following GameFreak's model with the Pokemon games. I think they pulled it off, since my brother and best friends got different versions and played together. Spent many an hour playing this, and enjoyed every minute of it. Still not as good as Link's Awakening, but most handheld versions aren't- especially with the direction they're going now with games like Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks. 

Transformers: Beast Wars (1996-1999)

Didn't watch this show very much, but it sticks in my memory as one of the few iterations of Transformers I actually like (other than Michael Bay's first Transformers movie). I'm pretty sure the reason why I liked it was because they transformed into animals instead of lame things like trucks and such. Remember that the voice acting wasn't that great...then again, most animated kid's shows don't have very good voice acting (with some exceptions... like Scooby Doo & Spongebob).

The Redwall series- Brian Jacques

I really love this book series. One of the best fantasy children's series out there. Period. It's too bad that Brian Jacques passed away earlier this year. Most of my favorite authors are dead now (J.R.R.Tolkien, Michael Crichton, Brian Jacques, Robert Jordan, & C.S. Lewis)... the only ones left are Terry Goodkind, R.A. Salvatore, & Anne McCaffrey! At this point, I've read all but 4 of them (Eulalia!, Doomwyte, The Sable Queen, & The Rogue Crew), and there hasn't been one yet that I haven't liked. There are definitely ones I prefer over others, but all of them are good. I really like Lord Brocktree, Rakkety Tam, Salamandastron, High Rhulain, and The Pearls of Lutra (Badgers and Otters are my favorites). My all-time favorite would have to be Lord Brocktree though. You have to let your kids read these books! Just be prepared for them to be hungry after reading them-  Jacques goes all-out when describing meals and feasts! :)