Christmas decorating is fun. But it is also frustrating; lights work, and then they don’t. Find the ones you like and then realize you need another length of that type. In order to find them, you may have to go to Walmart, Target, and Lowes; You can also order online. I have done all of those. I could write a whole post about the sort of help I got in those stores. Some salespeople were above and beyond and so…
Christmas shopping gets me out to the stores. Typically, except for the food markets, some Amish markets, or “Southern States,” I just do not shop. I have enough clothes to last me the rest of my life. But at Christmas, I think of my daughters and daughters-in-law, my nine granddaughters, and a granddaughter-in-law. It is fun, but I am lost out there. Thank goodness! My family is pretty conservatively dressed, much of the time. Clothes do not look the same…
Guest Blog (a must read) by Susan Page Coffee. She has said this better than I ever could. I publish it with her permission, Bonnie B Matheson. I’m Embarrassed, too. by Susan Page Coffee Are you proud to be an American? Several Georgetown University coeds answered in an informal campus interview that no, they were not proud, and that they even found…
I really do NOT like to travel. It used to be fun, but that is no longer true for me. The elegance, the service, and the striking differences between countries all seem to have fallen out of favor. Being treated with care and respect as a valued guest only happens in very special places. At other times, we are treated like cattle. Pushed into holding cells, ticketed, frisked, and examined by Xray, our irises checked against impersonation; the whole experience…
Well, it is over now. But it was a massive success. There were 25 of us celebrating in my lovely house near Charlottesville, VA. I thought there were only 22 people to seat. However, when writing the place cards, I discovered that I had miscounted. There were 24 relatives who accepted. Ok. I put two extra places at each end of the larger dinner table. When the day arrived, the first guest at the door was Elias, my oldest grandchild….
October 26, 2023 Joe Biden has blown up the world By Patricia McCarthy “It does not take a majority to prevail but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” —Samuel Adams On day one of the Biden administration, he canceled the Keystone Pipeline, putting thousands of skilled workers out of work. Over the ensuing months, he canceled oil leases, stopped fracking, and drained our strategic oil reserve. All this was surely intentional; he means to…
The Story of How We Began to Drive Horses, Spend a Lot of Money, and Make Great Memories. Charley and I got the idea of learning to drive for pleasure after our children stayed with their grandparents in Newport, RI. It happened that “A Weekend of Coaching” was brought back to the resort in the summer of 1968. The children stayed with my parents, who owned a Newport Cottage on Bellevue Avenue. How perfect. When we saw the photos, we…
My parents lied to my sister, brother, and me. Their very own children, they lied to us about so many things. Do you lie to your children? It is such fun. I am guilty, too. Of course, it is so heartwarming to make Christmas a magical time for your kids. I did it. My husband read The Night Before Christmas to the children before we hung the stockings. We left cookies and milk for Santa when we hung the stockings….
So much has happened in the last few days…Why do “they” want to push us toward war? Our government is shoving us all into the jaws of war. Is it so they can keep their power? Now that we have started making political arrests, “the powers that be” need to stay in power forever. They know that if they are unseated, they themselves may be indicted. The rules of the game are changing. It is inconceivable to me, and yet,…
Most women did not work when I was growing up. Today, this seems too strange to be true, especially to young women. Having to work was not a good thing, not a desirable state. Only about 30% of women worked outside of the home in 1950. Women were happier at home. They took time to make their homes a haven, to garden, to arrange flowers, and to cook good meals. ( They were always healthy because the markets were not…
Important article by Jennifer Margulis Maine Mom, RN, Paid Ultimate Price Trusting Her Doctors Jennifer Margulis Sep 9, 2023 A toxicology report shows that a new mom in Maine was right. Her baby, Sawyer, died when he was just eight weeks and six days old, just 34 hours after being vaccinated. On October 20, 2022, Melissa, who herself is a registered nurse, took her baby to the pediatrician. Baby Sawyer had a rash around his torso that just wouldn’t go…
“Curiosity is the purest form of insubordination.—Vladimir Nabokov Here is a collection of quotes from well-known people who describe what is happening accurately and succinctly. I could elaborate, but it seems redundant. I hope you will read each of these quotes and then pause a moment to reflect on their truth. Try to clear your mind of the fear and colorful propaganda that is beamed at you from the TV screen. “It is difficult to get a man to understand…
It is unbelievable how easily one adjusts to living in City conditions. When I moved to Washington, DC, to care for my mother, I got used to it quickly. Yet when I moved out to the country near a much smaller city, Charlottesville, I began to change. I don’t crave the city vibe. I do not care for the traffic or the tension of looking for parking and then paying for it. Locking everything up and looking over your shoulder…
Every day, I receive many, many solicitations for money from Republicans. They all say it is my duty to help them, or they catastrophize events that are happening. They are tiresome. I rarely write back. But today I wrote to Jim Johnson, who is a good guy. (Maybe) “Why don’t Republicans fight for me? Start with election integrity!” “Then stand behind President Trump and denounce Biden. And get those Jan. 6th prisoners out of jail! Why don’t you all admit…
Two of my granddaughters announced their engagements this summer. So exciting!!! Daisy is going to marry Steve Luck. Would you believe me if I tell you that Grace is going to marry Gil Luck? But these two men with the same last name are NOT related. Both men proposed to each granddaughter within a couple of weeks of each other. Stories about how men proposed to women flood the Internet. Would you like to know what happened between me and…
