The Three D's

While walking in the rain and reflecting on the past year it occurred to me that three women who have stopped commenting and posting here all have handles that begin with "d" - deborah, Darcy and DBQ. I hope the new year finds them well and happy and if any of you read this shout out, all I can say is "Hey!" Oh, and stop by and write something.

This is our first non-overcast sunrise of 2019. It's about danged ol' time.

Rossini, of course.

The Beast of Beauty

Troop (I'm sure jokingly) suggested that I write about how attractive women deal with unwanted attention. The request surprised me in a couple of ways. For one, I don't feel near any kind of authority on this. And if am considered to have bloomed at all, it was very late in life, so as far as I'm concerned - attention? I am grateful to be paid attention to. But this topic also caused me to ponder the differences more attention has made in my life. I have known what it is like to be offered something of value (be nice!) largely because someone found me attractive or because I got noticed (same thing, really). Attractive people easily have an advantage in job offers, for example. There are clear advantages to having above average looks. Looks have value, am I right?

If attractiveness can be considered as having a value, then where is the real burden of that value? We don't tax it - not that I would ever suggest that. I'm thinking at minimum, it would be a kind thing if most of the "burden" of unwanted attention were gracefully borne. I'm sure there are many who already do, if their beauty is more than skin deep.

Personally, people who have benefitted from a lifetime of attractiveness garner as much sympathy from me for unwanted attention as "dead broke" Hillary Clinton does for having to live on only a mere few million dollars. I don't begrudge the wealth, I honestly don't (although I'm sure I've been envious of it), but I find whining about it unseemly. And don't even get me started on the people who, having all that wealth, consider themselves better than others and believing such are often unkind and full of themselves.

Getting back to advantages, if you're attractive you get "picked" a lot. You know what I mean. Even for things someone else is way more qualified or suited for. Who hasn't wanted to be picked? We all do. So for the attractive crowd out there, may I suggest dancing with the not-so-attractive guy more often, ladies (and vice versa for you attractive men out there)? Not only because someone has screwed up enormous courage to ask, but because very often they have MUCH more to offer than a pretty face, just like you! And if you don't already, when it is wise and kind, consider gracefully bearing that unwanted attention. Odds are that extra attention has served you well.

KLEM FM

h/t: Darcy (who first linked this video in my microblogosphere).

Quotable Chickelit: "Chardonnay is a great way to get sauced!"

Come to the Detroit area and I will treat you to Chicken Chardonnay. You'll be back. pic.twitter.com/6DZUOu4kiD
— Tari (@uncommentari) March 29, 2014

Twitter Praise for our own Tari's Take on Phil's Victory

When news broke yesterday afternoon, that Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson had prevailed over the pressure GLADD had exerted over A&E. Tary tweeted ...

People did not buy the hate spin on Phil. Encouraged.
— Tari (@uncommentari) December 27, 2013

She got 52 re-tweets and 55 Favorites. How big is that?
Later she tweeted ...

Holy crap. Thank you all for the retweets.
— Tari (@uncommentari) December 27, 2013

And then finally...

You know what? People see the love shared by the Robertsons. They don't sense hate. Love wins.
— Tari (@uncommentari) December 27, 2013

Love sure does win and for that I'm glaad.

Missing at Thanksgiving

As I get older, Thanksgiving evokes more and more memories of time with my loved ones over the years, and all the things I miss so dearly.

I miss my mom's cooking. I can mostly duplicate her Thanksgiving meal but somehow it will never quite taste the same as hers - and maybe it's right that it never will. I don't believe I'll ever be able to duplicate her pie crust, although she did try to show me once when I asked. I even miss the annoying habit she had of cooking all day in her housecoat and then not bothering to change for dinner. All of that and much more will be the Thanksgiving memories of her that will last and stay with me.

Anyone who knows me well knows how I miss my dad. I don't want to cry and type so I'll leave it at that.

I have three much older siblings who, by the time I started having real memories of Thanksgiving, were already away at college and then eventually living somewhere out of state. So Thanksgiving for me meant They Were Coming Home. I'll never forget the anticipation of that. Waiting at the big picture window to see my big brothers and my sister coming down the long driveway to join us for a long weekend of time together. We still get together for holidays, but that feeling of missing them so much and having them come home to spend treasured hours together is something I haven't had in years and years and I know a lot of people can relate to it.

I am thinking today of the little sisters and brothers who have a sibling who will be missing from that table at Thanksgiving forever. The young, brave hearts who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country whose absence will always be felt. The parents who probably can't get through listening to this song:

May God bless their families.

Miss him? Yes.

I viewed this video this morning. It's linked on Twitter by @MornCommute. Actually, I thought I viewed it at Ace of Spades, but I can't seem to find it over there now. It touched me. Forgiveness is a fascinating topic for me, and it doesn't surprise me at all that George W. Bush is quick to forgive.
Yes, I miss him. Very much.