It could be that today I carry the full impact of these books because they were required reading at the time I was coming of age, learning to view the world outside my tidy little microcosm. 

 J. D. Salinger’s 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye was/… Read full post »

To all the wonderful people who lent their support to me while I awaited the results of my breast biopsy:  I can't tell you how comforting it was to know I had so many of you pulling for me.  Those who prayed have yet another example of the power of prayer. … Read full post »

Your devoted fans in the Republican Party say you have a plan.  They say you don’t give us humans more hardship than we can handle.  They say you know exactly what you are doing and there is no such thing as global warming.  And… Read full post »

I was writing a comment on a blog post earlier and was about to state that Rick Santorum hails from a blue-collar background.  When I was listening attentively, for once, to his prattle, a rare occasion to be sure, I thought I heard him say that.

Something told… Read full post »

  Read full post »

Today I realized there must be a point in life when a person changes from  looking forward to reminiscing and longing for what used to be. When I made that transition, I cannot say for sure.

I remember as a child being anxious to reach the ages considered benchmarks… Read full post »

It is my fervent belief that all the people who strive to control human sexual behavior in the name of God are demeaning the very God they claim to worship.

It is extremely difficult to follow the logic of the typical conservative’s conclusions about reproductive liberty.  If I am… Read full post »

I’m not very funny.  No, no.  It’s okay.  I realize I have my moments of hilarious repartee.  Those are mostly based on my penchant for sarcasm, which sometimes bursts forth, evading my oral governor.  But in the main, I am a serious thinker who uses a tell-it-… Read full post »

{For credit, click on image}

Pain is no stranger to this writer.  I wake up in the morning and just lie there taking inventory.  Which will it be:  my head, my lower back, the shin splint, the permanently broken foot?  As I have joked before, sometimes the on… Read full post »

Like when an ex of 27 years sends you a video with the lyrics of Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You."

Or when a new admirer starts your day with a "Happy Valentine's Day" text.

Sorry, Shirley MacLaine! Read full post »

My date of birth says one thing,

My spirit, something else.

The mirror shows the trophies of a life well lived, but lived.

The outside world barely sees my countenance.

Fear has replaced a heightened sense of adventure.

Fear prevents my… Read full post »

 She was a fastidious housekeeper. All her fancy lace and embroidery hankies were starched, ironed and kept in a clear Plexiglas box. Climbing her stairs to reach the bathroom was always paid off with a whiff of White Shoulders, her signature scent.

My mother’s mother—we call… Read full post »

I’ve never been a fan.  Not of the ever-morphing, suddenly British-accented bad girl of the last century.  Nor have I ever before watched a Super Bowl in its entirety, unless my hometown team was representing.  I watched past years for the commercials and the half-time… Read full post »

 Within 72 hours of announcing the Susan G. Komen organization was pulling their funding from Planned Parenthood, they were pinned to the mat, screaming “uncle.”  The power of the social media, with all its detractors, once again said “over our dead bodies” to the… Read full post »

Yesterday's post will provide background

The black skirt and cardigan over a teal green ruffled blouse proved to be just right.  They say the legs are last to go; the black heels and hose were a conscious attempt to prove the rule.

There are some days when the temperamental… Read full post »

I am trying so hard to be cool.  I have had my hair up in hot rollers all day.  Of course, they are far from hot now.  The air is rather humid and it is the only way to hold the frightful frizzies at bay.  The hair is always… Read full post »

I went to see Red Tails yesterday, without having read any reviews of the movie.  I went because I saw George Lucas on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart explain how difficult it had been for him to get the picture made, saying “Hollywood… Read full post »

Someone asked me yesterday where my post about the President’s State of the Union address was.  Of course I watched every second of it.  I had decided not to write about it at all.  Sometimes, it is best to leave the Debbie Downer essays to others who have far… Read full post »

It’s not that I’m looking for sympathy; not the “woe is me” kind, anyway.  I’m not interested in getting involved in pity parties.  I abhor pity.  Understanding and non-judgment would feel just about right.  That’s what people like me,… Read full post »

A friend of mine asked me yesterday why on earth I would watch the Republican Presidential debates.  He wondered if I felt my blood pressure was too low and needed elevating.

I agree it is a rather masochistic thing to subject myself to, especially since they seem to… Read full post »

“ I love it when a plan comes together.” 

That was the catchphrase of Col. John “Hannibal” Smith as played by actor George Peppard in the popular 1980s TV series, The A-Team. 

Today it would be easy to imagine the same quip coming out of the mouth of… Read full post »

 The ironies of human life are almost unbearable sometimes.  Like on today, the national observance of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Living as I do in the city Dr. King made famous, my local Atlanta news station covers the annual MLK services at Ebenezer… Read full post »

 This is a sad story.  It is not a new story, or a terribly original one, but it is sad.

At roughly the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, the American marketing machine began its annual assault on blubber.  Never willing to miss a chance to capitalize… Read full post »