On the night before my debut, in June of 1960, my mother went out into the night down the driveway to the street after dark. The florist, Walter Sharon, who helped decorate the tents wanted her to see how they looked lighted at night. The tents were pink, dramatically illuminated by glittering small lights. They were hung with birdcages filled with flowers and each had a fake bird or two, adding to the glamor. It was “other-worldly,” the way the…
This season is so necessary and so healthy. We should all be grateful for the idea of Thanksgiving. It is so healing and beneficial for the world. If you are breathing, you are probably thankful. Besides that this holiday does not require presents, greeting cards, long church services or even elaborate decorations. Just food. It is traditionally a feast day. The reason for the feasting is gratitude. What could be better? There is so much to be thankful for. When…
My hat is ancient. It may be 30 years old, but it is more like 40. It was a nice straw hat from the beginning. However, age has mellowed it, and it has a patina that can only come with many years of use. For a long time, I kept it in my car all summer. It was always near in those years when we regularly drove a ‘four-in-hand.’ It sat on the back shelf below the rear window of…
How important is your lipstick? When she was about 97, My mother had a fall while letting the dogs out. She called and called until the cook heard her. Absolutely terrified, the cook called my sister-in-lawand then 911. Mother was shaken, but she said, “Someone bring me my lipstick and a mirror. I am not letting strange men come into my house and take me away without making sure mylipstick is on.” They insisted on taking her to the…
Have you been terrorized by your TV? Do you listen to the numbers of people who have been diagnosed with covid? Do you pay attention to the number of dead? Do you know that these numbers are simply not true? All the information is available online. But you really have to search. Many doctors and scientists have been silenced or marginalized because tech companies do not want to allow dissent. Is this because the number of dollars for advertising comes…
This quote is by Henry Kissinger. “It is not a matter what is true that counts but a matter of what is perceived to be true.” This is interesting. It is also terrifying. Why are people just ignoring this?We are living in an age of pure propaganda, and I do not like it. The news is slanted toward the Democrats, but I believe they are also deceived. They are very short-sighted if they think this does not apply to them,…
This week has been both icy cold and unseasonably warm, and last night, it was raining (but warm). It seems to me that there are many ways to enjoy the changing season. Here are my top 5. Number 1. Go out into the fresh air. Breath. Saturday was the Opening Day of the Keswick Hunt, and I went to the meet to see them off. It is lovely to be involved in hunting, even as a spectator. Thanks to my…
The number of places that still ask for masks to be worn or, worse yet, vaccine passports is shrinking. But it is NOT happening fast enough for me. It causes my heart to race, my blood pressure to rise, and my mind to fill with what I would like to say to them. There are so many false reasons why these people are suffering from fear. They are anguished and suffering for nothing. Terrified by lies and propaganda that they…
Like so many things, it all happened by chance. We were staying for the weekend at Heathfield, our farm near The Plains, Va. We had not owned it very long and were not connected in any way to the horse world there. On a warm Labor Day weekend, the phone rang. It was a foxhunting friend wanting to speak to Charley. We met Mike because his wife was at Holton-Arms School with me. I always liked her. She was a…
Alcohol is a tricky subject. A young person I know is having a tough time because he has Mono and is not supposed to drink. The reason this is a problem is that he is at college. Drinking is pretty much part of going to college unless you are a Mormon. This situation made me think of how much the culture of drinking has changed. The generation who grew up just after prohibition ended drank a lot. They often had…
Procrastination is so prevalent in my life, it no longer bothers me. It is like having a bad knee or shoulder that you must be careful of injuring. You just live with it. You manage your life around it. And carry on with what is essential, perhaps, while leaving so many unfinished tasks in your wake that you lose track. But there is a cure. It was given to me as an aside when I asked a friend who was…
When will the craziness end? Recently I was told I could not attend a dinner party that I had paid for at a lecture club that I belong to. They still have a rule that you must show proof of vaccine in order to attend. I believe this is wrong, insulting, invasive, and fascist. All along, I have refused to show “my papers” at private events or clubs or anywhere actually. But I thought that craziness was over. It is…
When my first grandchild was born, my mother gave me a ring.It is a noteworthy event when a new generation appears in a family. Everyone in the family was extremely excited about this new development. And in our family, such milestones were often commemorated with a gift of jewelry. My mother and I were standing in her beautiful blue and white bedroom. I noticed our reflection in the mirror. We both looked young to be grandmother and great-grandmother. Mother, at…
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”~George Orwell A man I know had what he believed to be the beginning of a blood clot in his leg. He had been very sedentary and taken an automobile ride last 4 or 5 hours without moving his leg. When he woke up the following day, the leg was very sore, red, and swollen. The skin was hot and tight to the touch….
My dear friend, Mr. Dingus has died. You know how people say “Oh that is the end of an era!” when someone important dies? Well, his death is the end of an era for our whole family. We will all miss him terribly. He seemed to be a constant presence in our lives from the early 1970s until we left Heathfield. Mr. Dingus started his company Fauquier Enterprises, in 1974. My husband was an architect who loved to design and…
