LAKEPORT, Calif. – Righteous Vibrations with Brown Bear and Lucas Swafford will perform at Kelsey Creek Coffee on Friday, Dec. 16.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.

Singer/songwriters Brown Bear and Swafford will play some amazing tunes that captivate.

There also will be dancing, moving, grooving, positive, reggae music with Righteous Vibrations, one of Lake County's best bands.

Kelsey Creek Coffee is located at 930 Main St., Lakeport.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

When we’re on all fours in a garden, planting or weeding, we’re as close to our ancient ancestors as we’re going to get. Here, while he works in the dirt, Richard Levine feels the sacred looking over his shoulder.

Believe This

All morning, doing the hard, root-wrestling

work of turning a yard from the wild

to a gardener’s will, I heard a bird singing

from a hidden, though not distant, perch;

a song of swift, syncopated syllables sounding

like, Can you believe this, believe this, believe?

Can you believe this, believe this, believe?

And all morning, I did believe. All morning,

between break-even bouts with the unwanted,

I wanted to see that bird, and looked up so

I might later recognize it in a guide, and know

and call its name, but even more, I wanted

to join its church. For all morning, and many

a time in my life, I have wondered who, beyond

this plot I work, has called the order of being,

that givers of food are deemed lesser

than are the receivers. All morning,

muscling my will against that of the wild,

to claim a place in the bounty of earth,

seed, root, sun and rain, I offered my labor

as a kind of grace, and gave thanks even

for the aching in my body, which reached

beyond this work and this gift of struggle.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright © 2010 by Richard Levine, from his most recent book of poetry, That Country’s Soul, Finishing Line Press, 2010, by permission of Richard Levine and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2011 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

The Muppets, the lovable felt creatures created by the inventive Jim Henson, have been out of the public eye for some time now, but not forgotten by legions of fans.

Along comes “The Muppets” movie to revive the careers of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, along with Fozzie Bear, Animal, Beaker, Swedish Chef, Gonzo and other favorites.

The interesting thing about this new Muppet adventure is its keen awareness of the unfortunate irrelevance of the primary characters in a world now tuned into Facebook and other forms of social media.

As far as I know, the fabulous Miss Piggy does not have a Twitter account. A throwback to simpler times, Kermit the Frog is probably blissfully unaware of the advantages of modern technology.

The old-fashioned appeal of the Jim Henson gang not only shines through in a simple story of putting together a reunion of the Muppets, it is the whole raison d’etre for a glorious revival.

Another interesting thing about this film is that it is co-written by starring actor Jason Segel, who’s known best for his comedic roles in raunchy comedies like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Knocked Up.”

For his part, Segel is entirely respectful of the Muppet world, having created for himself the role of Gary, an innocent from Smalltown, USA whose brother Walter, short and made of felt, looks oddly much like a Muppet.

Gary has been engaged forever to pretty schoolteacher Mary (Amy Adams). When they decide to go on a trip to Los Angeles, Walter tags along because he so desperately wants to see the historic Muppets Studio.

Once in the big city, the tourist trio finds to their dismay that the Muppets Studio has fallen into serious disrepair, no longer the home for the talented performers.

Worse still is the discovery that an evil oil baron, aptly named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper in hilarious villain mode) is itching to buy the studio property in order to drill for the crude below it.

But the studio will be spared the wrecking ball if the Muppets raise $10 million to stop the foreclosure and thwart the plans of the conniving oilman.

Spurred on by Walter’s enthusiasm, Gary and Mary figure they must reunite the Muppets, no easy task considering they have all gone their separate ways.

Like Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” Kermit lives a lonely life in a huge mansion that is going to seed. The once jolly green frog is filled with misery, anguish and a touch of self-loathing.

Nevertheless, Gary, Mary and Walter persuade Kermit to help round up the old gang, and so a journey begins to places like a dumpy casino in Reno and the halls of fashion in Paris, France.

Some Muppets are doing well in business, others less so. Fozzie Bear is teamed up with a second-rate mock band called “The Moopets,” while Miss Piggy is a fashion diva at Vogue.

The storyline for “The Muppets” is quite simple. The trio of Muppet-lovers want to bring the disbanded group back together to stage an old-time TV show telethon to raise the millions need to save the studio.

The pure joy of this enterprise is how Kermit and his new friends go about getting the gang reunited. In typical Muppet fashion, the jokes and gags are funny and the musical numbers are endearing.

“The Muppets” smartly allows time for the characters to build their identity with an audience of targeted youngsters who may know little or nothing of their past.

In many respects, this film is geared to the adults who grew up with the Muppets thirty or so years ago. And yet, it brings along the kids for the delightful ride.

If all goes right, a whole new generation will come to appreciate the Muppets and their talent for wholesome fun. Indeed, “The Muppets,” agreeably funny and charming, looks to be the most perfect family film for this holiday season.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

This column has previously touted the DVD release of the “Mission: Impossible” TV series, which remains so much better than the films.

Long after the series had its original run, “Mission: Impossible” returned in 1988 with updated and revamped episodes and an almost all-new cast.

The exception to the rule was the return of IMF leader Jim Phelps (Peter Graves). Phelps was called out of retirement after his protégé was killed by an assassin.

Much like the original series, Phelps assembles a team of secret agents with various talents, often imitating those of the original cast.

In a curious bit of casting, Phil Morris, the son of Greg Morris, plays the role of Grant Collier, who happens to be the son of Barney Collier. Lest you forget, Greg Morris played the role of Barney. It’s a nice touch.

“Mission: Impossible The ’88 TV Season” may not boast any extras or special features, but that all seems so unnecessary when 19 thrilling episodes beckon.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

This delightful film is perfect for holiday cheer on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport, with a $5 suggested donation.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the film starting at 6 p.m.

This famous movie brings Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire to the screen as a popular nightclub song-and-dance team.

After his heart is broken by his girlfriend, Crosby retires from the tensions of big city showbiz. He purchases a rustic New England farm and converts it to an inn, which he opens to the public (floor show and all) only on holidays.

The film is filled with memorable songs; including the Oscar-winning “White Christmas” as well as Fred Astaire's best moment in his Fourth of July firecracker dance.

This special Lake County showing is part of a new Classic Movie Series recently debuted at the theater that runs on the second Tuesday of every month through June of 2012.

Check the theater's Web site, www.soperreesetheatre.com, or call 707-263-0577 to see what other classics are coming up.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is a restored, historic, performing arts venue established in 1949 and seating 300 patrons.

Run by an all-volunteer organization, the theatre operates under the guidance of the nonprofit Lake County Arts Council.

The Soper-Reese brings dance, music, plays and poetry to all members of the Lake County community and to visiting tourists.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

My mother and her sisters were experts at using faint praise, and “Bless her heart” was a very useful tool for them. Richard Newman, of St. Louis, does a great job here of showing us how far that praise can be stretched.

Bless Their Hearts

At Steak ‘n Shake I learned that if you add

“Bless their hearts” after their names, you can say

whatever you want about them and it’s OK.

My son, bless his heart, is an idiot,

she said. He rents storage space for his kids’

toys—they’re only one and three years old!

I said, my father, bless his heart, has turned

into a sentimental old fool. He gets

weepy when he hears my daughter’s greeting

on our voice mail. Before our Steakburgers came

someone else blessed her office mate’s heart,

then, as an afterthought, the jealous hearts

of the entire anthropology department.

We bestowed blessings on many a heart

that day. I even blessed my ex-wife’s heart.

Our waiter, bless his heart, would not be getting

much tip, for which, no doubt, he’d bless our hearts.

In a week it would be Thanksgiving,

and we would each sit with our respective

families, counting our blessings and blessing

the hearts of family members as only family

does best. Oh, bless us all, yes, bless us, please

bless us and bless our crummy little hearts.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2009 by Richard Newman from his most recent book of poetry, Domestic Fugues, Steel Toe Books, 2009. Reprinted by permission of Richard Newman. Introduction copyright ©2011 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.