Sabrina for a Snow Day

"Once upon a time on the north shore of Long Island, some thirty miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate. "

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"The estate was very large indeed and  had many servants.  There were gardeners to take care of the gardens, and a tree surgeon on retainer.  There was a  boatman to take care of the boats, to put them in the water in the spring and scrape their bottoms in the winter. There was specialists to take care of the grounds- the outdoor tennis court and the indoor tennis court, the outdoor swimming pool and the indoor swimming pool, and there was a man of no particular title who took care of a small pool in the garden for a goldfish named George."

" Also on the estate there was a chauffeur by the name of  Fairchild who had been  imported from England years ago together with a new Rolls Royce.  Fairchild was a fine chauffeur of considerable polish, like the eight cars in his care, and he had a daughter by the name of Sabrina."

"It was  the eve of the annual  Six Meter Yacht Races and has had been traditional on Long Island for the past 30 years the Larabees were giving a party.  It never rained on the night of the Larrabee party, the Larabees wouldn't have stood for it.  There were 4 Larrabees in all, Father, Mother and two sons.  Maud and Oliver Larrabee were married in nineteen hundred and six and among there many wedding presents was a Town House in New York and this estate for weekends.   The Town House has since been converted  into Saks Fifth Avenue.

 Linus Larrabee, the elder son, graduated from Yale where his classmates voted him the the man most likely to leave his Alma Mater 50 million dollars.  His brother, David, went through several of the best eastern colleges for short periods of time and  through several marriages for even shorter periods of time.  He is now a successful 6 goal polo player and is listed on Linus' tax return as a $600 deduction    Life was pleasant among the Larrabees, for this was as close to heaven as one could get on Long Island."

Thus begins Billy Wilder's enchanting fairy tale of the chauffeur's daughter named Sabrina, whose father warned her not to reach for the moon, and the Larrabees two sons-handsome playboy  David /William Holden, and crusty stiff old bachelor Linus/ Humphrey Bogart.  I won't give it all away... but that little girl, the one who grew up on the outside looking in, living above the garage with her nose pressed against the ballroom window all the while hopelessly and madly in love with the ne'er do well  David...

 ...and who  like a "nobody" watched as David twirled the society girls around the dance floor or met them with champagne in a rendez-vous at the indoor tennis court, all to the orchestra playing "Isn't it Romantic".

Sabrina  is sent off to cooking school in Paris by her Father in the hopes she will get over David.  Sabrina,however, arrives back on Long Island, chic and transformed, along with her poodle named- David.   The real David is instantly smitten, though he has no idea who she is...and...well Go Watch!

 "He's still David Larabbe and you're still the chauffeur's daughter, and you're still reaching for the moon.."  No Father, the moon's reaching for me" 

 

 Yes, Sabrina does get to go to the ball and wear that iconic Givenchy gown, but oh what happens at that ball....

"I have a lovely evening dress with yards of skirt and way off the shoulder, should I wear it?"

 

Of course I adore Audrey Hepburn in this film, but for me it is the remarkable Humphrey Bogart, a softer Bogie under the spell of a sublime Audrey. 

"...its as though a window had been thrown open and a lovely breeze swept through this stuffy old house" 

 

 

 

 Billy Wilder's fairytale stands the test of time-a charming classic where all the parts fit and the romance is nontraditional, unexpected and perfect.  Written by Billy Wilder and Ernest Lehman from the play by Samuel Taylor Sabrina will always be one of my favorite fairy tales-and remember Paris is always 

a good idea!

 

Snow Day!

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There is a part of me that will always be 9.  I carry that little girl around with me all the time but she has a tendency to really make an appearance whenever  I am in the vicinity of a stuffed animal, a cute puppy, a box of crayons, penny candy, Winnie-the Pooh and the report of an impending BIG snow storm.   There she was this week, all excited about the prospect of a Snow Day!  Memories come flooding back, an old white transistor radio that sat on the kitchen counter with the news of "no school all schools", the sound of biting wind and snow against the bedroom windows, the feel of wet mittens after an unsuccessful attempt at yet anther snowman, the burnt tongue from a cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and a family gathered to watch silly pictures with even sillier stories on the dining room shade from the slide projector.  It seems as if it snowed more when I was a kid...never more than the REAL Blizzard, of '78.

Our driveway February 1978

Looking back it seems as if we were home til June.  School was closed for weeks and there was no driving allowed.  We walked down the middle of Rte 9 where no car had been or would be for days to come to make our way to the grocery store.  Valentine's Day was postponed by decree from the Governor, who wore a different ski sweater everyday as he broadcast his updates of the status of things in Massachusetts.  Later in the week we would  walk to the movie theatre. Once schools finally opened we made our way through snow tunnels where the sidewalks once were to get home everyday, and hitched a ride on snow plows to get to the centre of town.  We were snowbound but I don't remember having cabin fever even with long Scrabble marathons and the main excitement being the activity of climbing over mountains of snow  to greet the neighbors

The View on our street February 1978

This weekend's Blizzard packed a punch, but nothing will compare to that February 35 years ago.  The Blizzard of '78, for those of us who were fortunate enough to be safe and warm and with power, was a great time-an adventure, when life simply stopped in its snowy tracks for a bit.  With this weekend's storm if you had power chances are, like me. you worked through the day and maybe if lucky got a little reading or knitting in.  So much has changed -these days radio stations don't even read the endless list of school closings, kids get text messages on their phones when school is closed!  I hope they put their iPads down long enough to get out and build a snowman.  I will always cherish my memories of being truly snowbound-Give me a ride on a snowplow to the supermarket anyday!

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Flowers in February

"Why, what's the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?"
- William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

On a dismal February morning as the icy cold rain pelted against the windows, I snuggled deeper under the covers as the forecasters called for a long stretch of gray.  In my library,however, it is May!

A Perfect Winter's Day!

Bo Obama in the snow


Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.--Winnie the Pooh

If you are paying any attention to the newscasters they will tell you that it has snowed pretty much everywhere this week! A Lot!!!

Though we were due for a big storm it never really turned into the one I planned for---Yes, I plan for storms--BIG Plans...I love a good snowstorm, one that keeps you in all day long as the winds howl and the snow flakes pile high. I think this is because I grew up with very wintry winters and my memories of February are filled with "No School, All Schools" announcements on the radio breaking the perfect quiet of a snow covered morning. If it were a really "good" storm we knew the night before that there would be no school the next day so we got to stay up late, play board games, watch TV or old family slides. Snow Days were special, they still are---the world is forced to slow down, go off schedule, step off the routine and just let Mother Nature call the shots.

So what to do with these rare and treasured days...I have plans! Be sure to "watch this space" for warm and fuzzy ideas on how to let the day unfold. A few hints---you will need a book to get lost in, piles of good magazines, stacks of wonderful movies, preferably in black and white. You need the kitchen to smell warm and inviting without a lot of fuss, you need a wonderful chair to lounge away the afternoon...and of course you need a bag of yarn!

But first, what to wear??....well, bunny slippers of course!

Bunnyslippers.com