It is hard to believe that this is my second year of being “motherless”. Because I had a mother for 77 years it is rather strange NOT to have one. Most people lose their mothers at an earlier age. Most people mourn their mother’s passing. But many were so old, tattered, gray, and wrinkled by the end that there was little left. They may have been ill for years or incapacitated. Not mine, though. She was vital until she was…
5 Reasons to Ditch the Mask. Number ONE reason is this: The mask has lost it’s original purpose. It is a mark of fear and a signal that the wearer will conform even when the thing conformed to is uncomfortable and unnecessary. It has become a method of separating one group from another. Social distancing has been enhanced by distancing from those who will and those who won’t wear one. This is what “the mask has really become. It’s gone…
Are you terrified of the Virus COVID-19? Please let me relieve your mind. Do you believe we are in the throws of a Pandemic? There are many authorities who do not believe that. Are you afraid you will catch the virus and end up in a hospital? Do you know what the chances of that are 1% – 5%? That is all. Most people do not get very sick with this virus. Yet the general feeling among people who only…
My name is Magnus and I am a medium-sized black and tan, long-haired dachshund. I am 6 years old. I live with my Mom and two other dachshunds who joined the family later after I arrived. Sisi is a pretty, miniature, smooth hair red-gold bitch, also 6. I love her. Her slender muscular frame is lovely to watch. She has the look of a “greyhound”. She leaps and jumps and covers a lot of ground quickly. She is affectionate and…
Easter morning was shot through with sunlight and still a bit chill from the night cooling. But the promise of a warm day was in the air along with the scent of flowering trees and shrubbery. What a Day!!!! Lucky for me, because 24 people were expected for lunch at 1:00 pm. All of my five children and their mates, plus my ex-husband and his wife Julie and ten of our grandchildren (plus 3 young men who were dates for…
This country was founded on the rights of the INDIVIDUAL. First and foremost we have the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Each of us, not some group, but each individual person in this country has that right. We are so driven by Identity Politics these days. It is everywhere. Who are you? Who am I? I am a Scottish American, white, heterosexual, sis-gender female, older than dirt, and politically Libertarian, Spiritual rather than conventionally religious. Do…
Living with three dogs is a constant adventure. Lots of love, licks and occasional problems.
He won the Orange County point to point twice, and he barely knew how to ride. He spoke with a slow drawl as if he really was a cowboy. But he was just a city boy from Washington DC. The West called to him though. He spent years living in New Mexico and Colorado. Everything about the west appealed to him. He loved the openness of the land and the people. The Indians (Do I have to say Native Americans?)…
The past happened. It was real. Women were chattel. Children had no rights. There were no Child Protective Services. (Was that a good thing or a bad thing?) There were few safety nets for those who fell on hard times. Life could be brutal. People had slaves, traded human beings like horses or cattle. It sounds awful to us today. Yet 250 ago, slavery was still practiced everywhere. It was not only in the New World but universal. And so…
She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1918, the year of the Spanish Flu. Her mother died of the disease when my mother was 8 months old. And as a baby, she also had the Flu, but she survived it, which may have given her extra immunity. This may explain the extraordinary health that she enjoyed during her long life. February 22nd was her birthday. This year she would have been 103. She died only about 14 months ago,…
I appreciate feedback so much! Whether favorable or otherwise. Recently a young friend sent me this reply after I invited her to subscribe to my blog: Dear Bonnie, I received your invitation to your blog. Thank you for sharing, it’s so important to feel connected these days! I respect your desire to share your voice and experience with the world. It’s brave in a way, but also deeply problematic. I checked it out and have to say I disagree with…
First, they tell you it is coming. The news shows, the weather app on my phone, and people where ever you go talk about a coming storm. Sometimes I think people do not have enough to do with their time. Focusing on a coming storm, especially a blizzard, seems to energize them. People love an impending disaster, especially if it is a little to the north of them. But there is the “possibility” that it might arrive right here. That…
You are not a victim! You are not powerless. Despite the media, the classroom, and many best-selling books plying the public with tales of victimhood, it is not the truth. We all have the ability to rise above our circumstances, no matter how horrid. It has been proven over and over in the past. During the last century, the words of hope from people who were in hopeless situations were abundant. They populate the writings of people who survived concentration…
Gratitude is the antidote for all the unpleasant emotions.
2020 has been an incredible year for me. It started with me living in my mothers’ house after her death in November because we needed to get things organized and arranged as the estate settles.When my mother died at 101, my calendar was full. To distract myself from watching her decline, I involved myself in many different organizations. Once Mother was gone, there was no reason to stay there. But I did not realize that at first because my forward…
