This week's sibling assignment was given by Raymond Pert. "If you could act in the movies like anyone, who would it be and why?" You will find his here and Silver Valley Girl's here. There are many actresses that I admire for their work, but beginning with Gidget and The Flying Nun I wanted to act like Sally Field. Who wouldn't want to be a surfer girl in California? Once I was hooked on watching her spunky personality I couldn't resist her part on The Flying Nun.
The part that grabbed me and never let me forget her acting was when she played Sybil in the T.V. film in 1976. Portraying all the multiple personalities of Sybil was a work of genius. I knew if an actress could go from a California beach girl to The Girl With Something Extra to Sybil she was something special. I have continued to watch the career of Sally Field ever since. In an interview in March she said, " I've had a odd career. I always wanted to be a great actor. I wanted to be Katharine Hapburn-ish- there was a bit of nobility about her. Instead I've always felt like the mutt standing on the sidelines, panting and saying, 'Me too! How about me?' That's just part of my personality."
I have never thought of her as a mutt standing on the sidelines. I have seen her as a versatile actress willing to take on a variety of roles as not to be typecast. She has also been willing to play parts in movies and on television plus try her hand at directing and producing. Whether she was playing a character standing up for her rights, saving her farm, or falling in love with James Gardner she made acting look like a natural part of life. She played the girl the next door, the woman you wanted as a friend, or perhaps your mom.
I admire Sally Field as a person also. She has worked hard, raised three sons and tried to live a "normal" life that includes gardening, knitting, and time with family. Her mother lives with her now so Sally can help care for her.During her career she has spent time on the movie and television sets doing needlework and knitting while waiting for her scene. Fellow cast members have received needlework pillows and new babies of cast members have had blankets knitted for them.
Along with being a gifted actress she is also a caring, genuine person. She said in that same interview that "my acting and my family are what matter most." I admire that part of her even more.... plus at sixty-one she looks so healthy and happy!
The Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is 
Ten years ago our neighbors had a mamma cat that would just show up at their house to give birth to kittens. We decided we were ready to have cats, thus Cosmo and Camille came home with us. They are no longer with us, but they turned me into a cat lover and I saw what a cat whisperer JEJ really was.
In the spring of 2001 I got a call from my sister saying that The Princess had found two kittens in a box behind the grocery store. They couldn't keep the cats and she wondered if there was any way we could take them. Welcome home Iris and Poppy. Poppy vanished as cats often do a few years ago, but Iris is the Queen Bee of the household now.
In the fall of 2005 we were down to three cats and we saw an ad in the paper about abandoned cats that needed a home. We went to rescue Isabelle and Lucas. A few months later we were all saddened when Lucas died of feline leukemia. Isabelle still misses him, but Kit has helped fill that void.
That following spring our dear friend SH died. She had two kittens that were about five months old. They had been inside a enclosed porch and had really just had each other. Her grieving husband didn't know what to do with the cats. He was afraid to let them go outside because of wild animals and he already had an inside cat. We knew what SH would want. She had loved those kittens to pieces. We brought a part of our dear friend home the spring of 2006 when Lily and Sweet William became part of our cat family.
Did we ever realize another kitten would need to be rescued? Are we just the kitten magnet house or what? Kit showed up in a tree last fall and needed a home. He was not in good health, but had a personality even in sickness that won our hearts. Now we have quite a cat family. Four of the cats are mostly outdoor cats and three others come and go inside and out. They have all been fixed so we don't repopulate the neighborhood. They have all been a blessing and I have began training as a cat whisperer myself.
What I learned that day is that JEJ had always wanted an Australian Cattle Dog. The rest is history. We visited the farm and fell in love with Shelby. She is now three years old.
We lost Emily in December of 2004. I didn't really think I was ready for another puppy, but when I was reading ads in January 2005 one caught my eye: springer spaniel puppies for sale. After much discussion I made the call to Garfield, Washington and that week-end we took a trip through blowing snow to find our dear Annie. From the first trip home with Shelby they have been loyal friends. Shortly after that Bluey also died so we enjoy the companionship of two dogs.
Bluey taught Annie and Shelby "the ropes" before she left us. What a mentor she was!
