Love can heal what's broken in America

MAGA was repudiated this week in a stunning blue tsunami, and on a very personal level, I feel like I got my faith back.   

My Christianity is very important to me. Every day, I try to live in a way that would please Him. I remember that passage from the Book of Matthew: "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me."

So my heart sang when I listened to James Talarico, the new Senator from Texas. He delivered his acceptance speech from a podium emblazoned with LOVE THY NEIGHBOR.

"Not just my neighbor who looks like me. Not just my neighbor who prays like me. Not just my neighbor who votes like me. I am called to love all of my neighbors the way I love myself."

I've been appalled by the Islamophobia of this campaign season. Our President insisted on calling Abdul el-Sayad "Muhammed," and a "Jihadist lunatic." That's our President, ladies and gentlemen. Hearing that rhetoric from the leader of the free world makes many so-called Christians more comfortable with their bigotry. I've heard MAGA enthusiasts say, "Who or what is Ilhan Omar?" Do they really think that's how Christ wants them to speak? I guess they figure Donald Trump has given them some kind of hall pass allowing them to dismiss another's very humanity based on religion.

And oh yeah, it's unpatriotic. They ignore that the Constitution specifically prohibits the government from establishing a religion or interfering with the free exercise of religion. I don't believe our forefathers meant it was OK to be Lutheran instead of Methodist. It means we can all worship any way we wish, or not at all. 

Didn't we adjudicate this as a country in 1960? It sounds stupid now, but there were actually voters who were afraid that as our first Roman Catholic President, JFK would ignore the Constitution and instead be a puppet of the Pope. I just hope that in 60 years, another generation will hear this fear of Muslims as just as ignorant and silly.

I know that Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and JD Vance have all made fun of Talarico's masculinity. He's not their kind of man. Thank God!

I think it’s safe to say that we are tired of being pitted against each other. We are tired of being told to hate each other. It has been ten years of this kind of politics. Politics as blood sport. Politics as trolling and owning. Politics as professional wrestling. It tears families apart. It ends friendships, and it leaves us all feeling terrible all the time.

I know it leaves me feeling terrible. I hear those of the Christian right demonize and scapegoat gays and transsexuals. They claim that this is some convoluted way of protecting our children.

OK, then. How can they still support the mainstream GOP after both JD Vance and Donald Trump gave their full-throated support to the attack ad on Amy Acton? Instead of helping a victim of childhood sexual abuse heal, they applaud publicly retraumatizing her for political gain. If that's solid, red-blooded American masculinity, I'm with wimpy Talarico.

I know it's a cliche, but my best friends were gay. I miss them every day. I loved them. They behaved in a more Christian way on a day-to-day basis than those who wrap themselves in Christianity while denying my friends equal respect and equal rights. 

Oh, and while we're at it, if these holier-than-thou folks are so worried about the well-being of our children, why aren't they up in arms over the way Ghislaine Maxwell has been treated by the current administration? Convicted of sex trafficking and abusing underage girls, she was moved to a minimum security prison after meeting with the DOJ's Todd Blanche. No, MAGA doesn't care about protecting children. They're just indulging their own worst anti-gay impulses.

I could go on, of course. When MAGA clutches their pearls and gasps over "socialism" and "communism," I wonder where they were these past two years when our President slapped his name on a memorial, had banners of himself displayed on public buildings, enriched himself to the tune of billions, cast doubts on election integrity, interfered with the news networks and – most seriously from where I sit – unleashed undertrained, masked paramilitary troops on our streets. The authoritarian antics of Donald Trump as chief executive have done more damage to this country than the DSA candidates elected to Congress. (Who, by the way, haven't even been seated yet.)

Love requires that we stand between the bullies and the bullied. Love requires that we look evil in the eye and not blink. That kind of love has always been a threat to the powers that be. That kind of love is revolutionary. That kind of love is creative. Hate is predictable. Hate is boring. Hate can’t lower our energy bills. Hate can’t teach a child to read. Hate can’t build a future. But what hate can’t do, love can.

Those are the words of James Talarico. They inspire me to do better. To shake off the ugliness of the last two years. To go into the Christmas season with renewed hope. 

We can’t defeat the politics of division with more division. We can’t win that game. We have to change the game.

Read the Senator-elect's entire speech here. You will love it! 

Thursday Thirteen #487

13 great places to retire. I love where I live. My condo is a hovel but it's (mostly) mine. My neighborhood has restaurants and healthcare and shopping and a movie theater all within walking distance. A network of buses can take me from hither to yon and commuter rails literally run outside my front door. Yes, it's noisy, but it sure is convenient. I'm just a train fare away from Chicago, a world-class city! So I'm staying put.

I realize not everyone is as content as I am. I keep seeing articles about where retirees should want to go. I don't see that any of these towns offering what I don't already have, but sometimes I do imagine myself as a mysterious woman who gets off the train in a new town and starts over. I'll consider these locales as the setting for my fantasy.

These recommendations come from US News & World Report, AARP and Daily Passport. Considerations include affordable housing, transportation, access to health care and physical activity, and opportunity to social engagement.

Listed in alphabetical order. 

1. Altoona, PA 

2. Ann Arbor, MI

3. Athens, GA 

4. Boston, MA (I always felt very at home in Boston)  

5. Chapel Hill, NC

6. Charlottesville, VA

7. Denver, CO

8. Homossassa Springs, FL 

9. Midland, MI

10. Nassau County, New York 

11. Rio Rancho, NM 

12. San Francisco, CA

13. Washington, DC

I admit politics are more important to me than weather. I didn't work 45 years to spend my retirement supporting a state legislated by MAGA and election deniers. If you were moving to another town, what would you consider?

 

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

Dona Nobis Pacem

This year, Mimi inspires us to use our voices, to say it out loud and "Let It Be Known."

Since, like Mimi, I believe words have power, I'm saying it here: There are real, tangible benefits to peace. Living in peace enables us to be more productive. Energy otherwise wasted on self-protection and fear can be used for accomplishment and creativity.

Look at all that comes wrapped in peace!

 

 

Find other peace bloggers here. 

Sunday Stealing

Another Sunday, Another Meme

1. Do you have a business card? If yes, what's your job title? I still have at least one of every business card I was issued. They're all around here somewhere: Copywriter, Senior Copywriter, Associate Creative Director, Creative Director. Currently I am a Sales Associate (aka Shop Girl) and we don't get business cards.

2. What day of the week were you born? Friday. According to The Monkees, that means I "like the good life."

3. What vegetable do you refuse to eat? I find that corn and I are no longer compatible. Don't ask.

4. How many times have you stayed overnight in the hospital? Two and a half. Twice I was admitted and spent the night. The half? I hauled my ass to the ER late on a Saturday night and they sent me home after 8 hours of tests and lots of fluids. 

5. Do you have more piercings or tattoos? One hole in each ear. I'm very symmetrical.

6. Do you like to shop? Yes.

7. How much cash is in your wallet right now? About $30. I try to operate on cash basis over the weekend. It helps me stick to a budget.

8. Let's play MASH: Do you live in a mansion, apartment, shack, or house? Apartment, though according to my mortgage papers, it's a condo.

9. Where are you in the family birth order (oldest, middle child, youngest, or only child)? Middle.

10. When you were 5 years old, what did you call your parents? Mommy and Daddy.

 

"Yer OUT!"

After just over 3 months of sessions, my oldest friend has fired her therapist. This makes me sad. Bertha had been making progress, and I believe my friend is more fragile without her. Plus, I was relieved that she was depending less on me and more on a trained professional with knowledge of her situation.

I found out about this in a flurry of overwrought texts when I was in Grand Rapids visiting Violet. Because that's how my oldest friend rolls. It's like she has a sonar that can tell when I'm really happy and that's when she implodes.*

She was in a motel. She ran away from her housemates because Robert, her landlord and on-again/off-again lover, "has directed some awful, humiliating comments" her way. This is important because she is not in any physical peril. This is a romance gone wrong because he is still seeing other women and since they live under the same roof, she knows all about it. Anyway, first she went to a crisis center in tears and they assigned her a social worker and advised she not go home in her current state. Since she has no friends out there, and her daughter was on vacation with her dad (my friend's still-hated ex-husband), she checked into a motel.

She also sent me a screen shot of paperwork she gave them at the crisis clinic. My name appears. I am to call them if she seems suicidal and they will head over for a wellness check. Oh, for fuck's sake. I am 2000 miles away and in a different time zone. I don't often see these texts until hours later. I can't be her "back up!"

I asked her where Bertha was. After all, I have no good advice to ever give anyone about romance. But Bertha seemed to making real headway with my friend. Since working with Bertha, she reported that she had "booed her last hoo" over Robert, was looking to find alternate housing, and had begun exploring volunteer opportunities at the local library and Red Cross to get her out of the house, out of her own head, and interacting with others.  

She's not seeing Bertha anymore. She can't afford it. I repeated what I've been telling her – her mental and emotional health are important and I'll pay Bertha. OK, no, it's not really the money. She switched her story to say that Bertha is only a LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker, and my friend believes her problems are too sophisticated and complex for Bertha.

I am, of course, crying "shenanigans" here. I have known my friend since Kindergarten. When the going gets tough, she caves. Bertha obviously gave her advice she didn't like, or perhaps held her responsible for the decision to resume sleeping with Robert. Or perhaps pointed out – as my friend's daughter and I both have – that Robert's motive could very well be practical and financial rather than romantic. She pays him rent, he gets voucher money from the State of California for giving her a break on housing, and she is the only one of the housemates who is physically able to help out around the house. Yes, I believe that he slips it to her every now and again to keep her in love and in line. 

So no more Bertha. But she is back with Robert. Last night she sent me a picture of the curtain going up on a performance of Sweeney Todd. Yes, she and Robert are celebrating Halloween with a night out. So much for him being a cruel narcissist. That was last week. Now they realize they are "happier together than apart." However today (Saturday) she is off to stay with her daughter in Los Angeles for a few days because Robert spends his Saturdays and Tuesdays with his "real girlfriend" and that is too depressing for her. I see that this situation is untenable, even though my friend does not.

No more talk of volunteer work. No more talk of alternate housing. I asked her about her spiritual journey but she brushed it off, explaining that she no longer believes in God because He hasn't shown her the way to go. I started to tell her that faith doesn't work that way – that a bluebird won't appear outside your window if God wants you to stop sleeping with your landlord. But I gave up. She's not open to hearing it.

I am completely dispirited as I post this. I will be 69 in a matter of weeks. My friend turns 70 in December. We known one another since 1962. I can't tell you how many conversations we've had about, "WHY DOESN'T HE LOVE ME?" It took me until I was 30 to learn that when I say to myself or others, "Oh, he doesn't mean it," he really does. That I can't make a man love me through the force of my will or love. That lovers come and go but good friends are forever. That the most solid, lasting and fortifying relationship I will ever have is with God. 

Life has taught her none of these things. She is sick in body (depression, diabetes, heart disease, chronic UTIs) and soul. I can't help her. I am not equipped. And I am sick, too. Sick of the ennui.

*Yes, I know it's not about me. I realize it's only a coincidence, and my friend isn't thinking of me at all as her chaotic life goes off the rails. But I'm not going to lie: I resent her timing, no matter how unintentional, enormously.

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I've Written a Letter to Daddy (1962)

Unfamiliar with this week's featured song? Hear it here.

 

1) This song is from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, which was released on Halloween Day, 1962. Do you like scary movies? Scary, yes. Bloody? No.

 

2) The "Baby Jane" of the title is Baby Jane Hudson. Jane was a child star, singing and dancing in vaudeville. She was so popular that Baby Jane dolls sold well at her shows. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood toys. I loved Lassie like no other. She's still up in my closet somewhere.

 

3) Baby Jane's career hit the skids when she hit her teens and audiences no longer found her cute. Adolescence can be a tough time for many of us. Did you ever go through an awkward phase? Beginning in junior high through high school. I was always OK socially, always had lots of girlfriends, but I never felt pretty. I finally came into my own in my early 20s. Though in my heart, I'm still often that girl.

 

4) Meanwhile, Jane's older sister Blanche blossomed into a beauty and became a major movie actress. Her career was cut short when, at the height of her popularity, her back is broken in a car accident involving a drunken Jane. Most of the movie takes place in the mansion Blanche bought back when she was a star. Blanche is confined to a wheelchair and completely dependent on Jane, who is bitter, jealous, and well, bonkers. Very bad things happen. Can you think of another movie where scary things happen in a big old house? Psycho gave us a two-fer: a scary motel with a big, scary house behind it.

 

Oh, that Norman Bates was one scary dude.

5) As a (crazy) older woman, Jane convinces herself she can relaunch her career and recapture the love of the public. She dresses like she did as a little girl and makes up her face to look like those Baby Jane dolls that were sold long ago at her childhood performances. Then she rehearses this week's song. The result is so memorable that now, more than 60 years later, you can still find "Baby Jane" Halloween costumes online. Tell us about a Halloween costume you really enjoyed wearing. Decades ago I went as Harpo Marx. It was a pretty easy costume: a man's boxy overcoat, a curly blond wig, a hat, and a bike horn. I had such a good time using that horn instead of words! I wonder if anyone today would even know who Harpo was.

 

6) Which kind of spooky movie villain do you find scarier: supernatural monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, ghosts, etc.) or human monsters (Baby Jane, Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise, etc.)? I'm more afraid of human monsters. 

Questions inspired by Halloween ....

7) Orange and black are the traditional Halloween colors, with orange representing the autumn harvest and black symbolizing all things scary and mysterious. Are you wearing either color as you answer these questions? Nope.

8) Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland, though instead of pumpkins, they carved gourds. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, they used pumpkins because they were more readily available. Did you decorate your home with a jack-o-lantern, or anything else, for Halloween? Nope, though if you did, I'm grateful. We sold a lot of Halloween decorations at the card shop where I work.

9) Think back to your trick-or-treating days. Which candy were you happiest to find your bag? Mary Janes! They were very chewy peanut butter and molasses candies. My older sister hated them and so we would trade. Mary Janes are no longer readily available at the checkout counter, which is probably just as well since they would be killer on my dental work.

 

 

 

My contradictory nature

I don't like travel. I like airports. I like hotels and waking up somewhere new. I just don't like the actual travel thing – the literal moving from hither to yon. This washes over me when I think about how much I enjoyed my little trip to Grand Rapids to visit my niece and Baby Violet.

O'Hare recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was a lovely display, especially as the daylight shines through. I also saw another lovely display. As I was checking in, I noticed a young couple saying goodbye. That was quite a hug! Such sad faces. Were they breaking up? Was one of them moving away for a career opportunity in a shitty economy? Had they just fallen in love when one came to Chicago on vacation, and now vacation is over? 

I've become so appreciative of Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Yes, it's a small airport. But it's laid out very well and the employees have been uniformly helpful. As one who spent decades flying in and out of EYW, I promise you this is not always the case. I also like the visuals. There are installations inspired by Alexander Calder and the architecture itself is pretty cool. 

I was very happy and comfortable at one of the airport hotels. In fact, I insisted. Both my niece and her husband work full time. They have two cats and a most active toddler. They don't need me underfoot, and they certainly shouldn't have to bother with the guest room.

It gave me an opportunity to observe the hotel staff, which is like a little village within a town. The guy who drives the airport shuttle, the front desk staff, housekeeping, the breakfast host ... I had trouble with the heat and, at about 11:00 PM, I padded down to the front desk. A lone middle-aged woman was manning the post. Two girls were lounging around the lobby, a twenty-something with an iPad and a  grade schooler with a Barbie. The girls were the oldest and youngest of the hotel employee's six children, "keeping Mom company." What a little snapshot of domestic life I got in that moment.

Now, for the star of our show. Little Violet is a most extraordinary 16-month old. She looooves books and has a small bookshelf all her own. She will grab a book, bring it to you to read with her, and then just drop it on the floor when she's done. They simply cannot convey to her the importance of putting things back. I am the same way.

Like Violet's, only she stacks her books 2 or 3 deep.

 

They have two cats. The skinny black one gives her wide berth and she seems to respect that. But the big black and white one with the bum leg – he is like her brother. They are always together and she shares her toys and books with him. I am the same way.

Where Violet and I differ is in our eating habits. We dined in a restaurant together. She is fascinated by utensils and almost - but not quite – understands their use. Example: she was served mac and cheese. She then took her spoon and added some of her mother's Ranch dipping sauce to her pasta. Not my culinary choice, but it was artfully done. Then she proceeded to abandon the spoon and eat with her fingers. She enjoyed it thoroughly and needed a bath when we got home. She takes swimming lessons and was proud to show off her willingness to lie back in the water. 

In the backyard we were one again. She played for a moment on the slide because it seemed to make us happy, but she was all about her swing. The look on her face as she flew through the air! I am the same way.

  

Happy Birthday, Kwizgiver

May your day be full of sunshine, books and iced coffee.

Do you read my blog buddy, Kwizgiver? If you don't, you should. Find her here. And while you're there, you can wish her a happy birthday.

 

Thursday Thirteen #486

 I have a theory. I believe the names we get at birth help determine our fate.The popular girls of my school days had the popular names. They were always Linda and Nancy, never Phyllis or Eunice. 

Of course, this brands me as a late-boomer. Names go in and out of fashion. Here are the popular baby girl names of the 50s, when my classmates were born.

Courtesy of Good Housekeeping and the website Kate Knows.

1. Linda

2. Mary

3.  Lisa

4.  Elizabeth

5. Sharon

6. Sandra

7. Nancy

8. Julie

9. Cynthia

10. Barbara

11. Patricia

12. Kimberly

13. Kelly 

Think back on your school days. Who were the popular girls? Do you see their names on the above list?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

Get Ready!

On November 4, I'm joining in Mimi's Blogblast for Peace. Why don't you do the same? It would be lovely if we filled the blogosphere with peace signs and gentle good wishes for a better future.

Sunday Stealing

The Grown Up Meme 

1. Do you have a college degree? No. These are the musings of a community college drop out.

2. What was the amount of your last electric bill? There are two ways to answer this. 1) I know what I pay each month, which is $29. 2) But because I'm part of the budget billing program, where they project how much power I'll use and spread it out over the year, I can't tell you with any certainty how much my last bill was really for.

3. Do you have life insurance? Yes.

4. Do you check your cholesterol on (at least) an annual basis? No, but my primary care physician does. That reminds me: gotta reach out to her. I believe it's time for bloodwork and a mammogram, too

5. Have you ever attended a high school reunion? No. I hated it the first time. No fucking way am I going back.

6. Do you have a will or estate plan? Yes.

7. Do you remember when MTV played music videos? Yes. In the 80s, I had MTV on every morning when I was getting ready for work. 

8. Is there a bottle of wine in your refrigerator? No. Wine gives me a headache. Now Jose Cuervo, he is a friend of mine, and he's in the frig.

9. Have you been divorced? No.

10. When you were 16, did you play music on vinyl, cassette, or CDs? Vinyl.

 

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Smoke Rings (1933)

   

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

   

1) In this song, Donald Mills of the Mills Brothers encourages us to "puff, puff, puff" our cares away. When did you most recently smoke a cigarette? I have never smoked. Anything. The idea of exhaling smoke through my nose or mouth is just so stinky and unhygienic. 

 

2) In the 1930s, when this week's song was recorded, an estimated 40% of American adults smoked cigarettes. By the early 1960s, that number reached a high of 42%. According to the CDC, the percentage of adult smokers dropped to 11%. Do many of your friends and relatives smoke or vape? Not anymore. My oldest friend recently quit smoking. 

 

3) Donald was the youngest of the singing Mills Brothers, and he's the one who most often sang lead. That squares with popular birth order theory, which proposes that the youngest tends to enjoy being the center of attention, the middle child is the diplomat, and the oldest is the high-achiever. Think of your own family and the families of your friends. Do you think this theory holds true? I'm the middle child and I don't think I'm diplomatic. I'm the most independent of the siblings. 

 

4) The Mills Brothers were one of the first famous singing brother acts. The Williams Brothers – which featured future TV star Andy Williams – followed in their footsteps. Can you think of another group of singing brothers? Don and Phil.

 

 

5) In addition to recording hit records, The Mills Brothers were a staple on radio in the 1930s. They were among the first African American artists to host their own radio show and sang jingles for Standard Oil and Crisco. What commercial do you recall having seen, or heard, recently? I watch a lot of baseball. Throughout the playoffs, I have seen way more of Megan Fox and her Ro Sparks commercial than I care to. 

 

6) In 1933, when this week's song was popular, actor Robert Montgomery and his wife had a daughter they named Elizabeth. That little girl would become famous in the 1960s for her own TV show. Without looking it up, do you know what show Elizabeth Montgomery starred in? She was Samantha on Bewitched. BTW, if you're looking for a good, scary-but-not-bloody movie for Halloween, I recommend Robert Montgomery in Night Must Fall. He's legit chilling.

 

7) Johnny Cash was also born in 1933. Do you have a favorite Johnny Cash song? Ring of Fire.

 
8) In 1933, five French airlines merged to form Air France. Think of the last time you were at an airport. Were you taking a flight or meeting a flight? I landed at O'Hare after a quick trip to Grand Rapids for a playdate with my grandniece, Violet. 

 

9) Random question: Your best friend just received a certificate for completing a car maintenance course at your community college. Would you let them work on your vehicle? Well, I don't have a car so I don't know for sure. But my impulse is no. I don't think it's a good idea to hire friends. 

 

 

Thursday Thirteen #485

This one is for John. My late friend and I were like minded on much, but we disagreed mightily on disco. I find it mind-numbing and rather silly. He found it liberating. Before diabetes cost him a toe and his balance, he liked nothing better than to get on the dance floor and shake his groove thing. Disco was the soundtrack to his college years and early twenties and it was playing during his most carefree good times.

 

So it's with him in mind that I list 13 of the best-selling songs of the disco era. #13 was played at John's celebration of life, and I like to think that he was happy and whole again, cutting a heavenly rug.

1. Gloria Gaynor — “I Will Survive” (1978)
2. Chic — “Le Freak” (1978)
3. Bee Gees — “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
4. Rick James — “Super Freak” (1981)
5. Lipps Inc. — “Funkytown” (1979)
6. The Trammps — “Disco Inferno” (1976)
7. Village People — “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
8. Patrick Hernandez — “Born to Be Alive” (1979)
9. Bee Gees — “Night Fever” (1977)
10. Pointer Sisters — “I’m So Excited” (1982)
11. A Taste of Honey – "Boogie Oogie Oogie" (1978)
12. Peaches & Herb – "Shake Your Groove Thing" (1979)
13. Diana Ross – "Love Hangover" (1976) 

Except for #1 and #9, I don't like any of them. Which is not to say that I couldn't sing along with any of them on karaoke night. That's how pervasive disco was when Top 40 radio was still king.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? My Life by William Jefferson Clinton. I'm like, "Who is William Jefferson Clinton? He's Bill!" He's been part of my life now for more than half my life (35 years). He's charmed me, inspired me, and broken my heart. When he left office in 2000, I was happy to see him retire. The Lewinsky scandal exhausted and disappointed me personally. Bill and me, we needed a break.

 

But now in 2026, I'm ready to reassess. He was deeply flawed but charismatic and enormously talented. I'm a Kennedy Girl, I grew up on deeply flawed but charismatic and enormously talented. Bill Clinton had something JFK did not – the gift of time. I want to look at his life, at his eight years in office, now that I have some perspective. His accomplishments – peace in Ireland and Bosnia, FMLA, a balanced budget, international cooperation on the environment – somewhat mitigate the scandals. I believe he is a good man. I believe Donald Trump's scandals are far more dangerous and venal and doubt he is anything but an authoritarian. Maybe it's that contrast that makes me ready to view Bill Clinton not as the man in whom I personally invested so many of my dreams for the country, but as a President.

 

This is a reread for me. I got it as soon as it came out 20 years ago. I remember thinking at that time, "This sucker is long and Bill sure is blabby!" Let's see if I've matured in this regard, too. 

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Murder at the Movies by Alicia Malone. A 30-something Hollywood publicist named Audrey inherits a house and an old movie theater on an island just off the coast of Maine. So she pulls up stakes and heads off to make the theater a success as a revival house, showing the classic films she and her late grandmother both loved. Unfortunately, on the night of the grand reopening, someone dies. Was it an accident, or murder? (The title answers that for us.)

I'm like Audrey in that I can't stop quoting movie dialog and my friends roll their eyes, too. So I get all the classic film references and they delight me. I like the atmosphere Alicia Malone creates. Pine Island is a very specific place. The murder? I didn't guess the killer or ultimate motive, so that's a plus. But there were many times when I stopped and said, "Oh, come on!" The murder victim was so bad he wasn't a person, he was a cartoon. Some of the actions Audrey takes make no sense.

 

But I had a good time with it nevertheless. I know that this is book #1 in a series, and I'll be back this summer for #2. 

3. What will you read next? Bill and I are spending 900 pages together. I don't know that I'll ever be done!

 

  

 

Sunday Stealing

Getting to Know You 

1) Describe yourself in three words. Loyal. Introverted. Short.

2) What's your favorite dish at your favorite restaurant? The chicken parmesan sandwich.

3) Did you set goals for 2026? If yes, how are you proceeding toward them? My New Year's Resolution was to donate/rehome every month, and I was doing so well! Note that "was." Between fall being warmer than usual – which means I still haven't put my summer clothes away yet – and Postcards to Voters taking up so much of time, I skipped September and October isn't looking too promising either.

4) What's something you have learned the hard way? Just about everything. 

 

5) If you could skip one item on today's to-do list, what would it be? Laundry. But it must be done!

 

Cold and warm water, too!

 

 

Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash 

Final total: 238

Now is the time for all good wo/men to come to the aid of their country. In the lead up to Tuesday, November 3, I've done (drum roll, please) 238 postcards.

Through Postcards to Swing States, I wrote to 200 registered Ohio Democrats. If Sherrod Brown doesn't reign victorious, it's not on me.

The Coke bottle is there for proportion, and because I couldn't have done this without caffeine.

Through Postcards to Voters, I wrote 20 for James Talarico in TX, 10 for Roy Cooper in NC and 8 for David Jolly in FL

When people tell me that while they're appalled by Trump and today's GOP, "but there's nothing I can do," I point them to these two postcard organizations. Trump has only been able to flex his Authoritarian muscles because the other two branches of government haven't been holding him accountable. So down ballot races – judges and aldermen through state legislatures and governors up to Congress and Senator – are key. From ICE on the streets to The Kennedy Center takeover to waging war in Iraq without the Congressional approval to Epstein and grift, none of this is legal. All of it could be stopped/slowed if we elect qualified people who will do their jobs. 

My late blogging buddy, Book Mama, turned me on to this. I can never send enough thanks to her in Heaven. I refuse to be helpless! Book Mama gave me this way to participate, to make a difference. We are not helpless!