Stick Horse Cowgirls

At the risk of sounding even older than I am, let me say that there are things I miss about “the good old days” of my youth.  Yes, life had its trials back then, too, and—especially having just finished reading “The Help,”—I realize that being white and growing up in the 50’s and 60’s was a whole different experience than my black friends had.  But, still, there are by-gone things that I miss.  For example… Each year we had a Halloween carnival at our school.  And, no, we did not call it a “fall festival;” it was a Halloween carnival.  As I recall, it was a fund-raiser. It started out with dinner of some kind in the “cafetorium,” which doubled as a lunchroom and auditorium for plays and programs.  It had a stage at one end of the large room with the kitchen and serving window at the other end.   In between stood long folding tables with chairs to accommodate the school kids at lunch each day and, on this occasion, the community din...

Look at this cover of Vanity Fair magazine.  Has there ever been a more beautiful human?  I was strolling through the store and spied it.  I was young when Liz and Richard Burton were heating up, but I know they were legendary, and the cover piqued my interest.   I bought it. Sure enough, I turned right to the Taylor-Burton Romance article and began reading about the steam that was generated on the set of Cleopatra , and all the ups and downs of these “lovers.”  The article characterized the “affair” between these two already-marrieds as “ scandalous for the times.”   I guess the implication is that it would be no scandal today… I never made it to the end of the article,  however.  It became clear that Liz and Dick were in love alright, but only with themselves.  These shallow people soon became boring, extremely one-dimensional.  And they don’t come off as particularly smart.  I turned to see if there was anything of re...

I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but some things just are what they are. Truth is truth, and if it’s part of the story, then so be it. My people are country folk.  My grandmother, Gertrude, (I’ve written about her before here ) had two sisters, Anis (yes, that’s right, “Anis,” and she’s another story…) and Dona (pronounced with a long “o,”) but always called “Donnie.”  Gertie was the eldest girl; Donnie was the youngest.  And you could tell. Gertie was a “take charge” type of girl, being big sister and without a mother by age 12.  Donnie, on the other hand was, as we used to say, “nervous” and “high-strung.” Gertie was upright and moral—to a “t.”  Donnie, on the other hand, took up with Fred, a previously-married man with children—remember, we’re talking the early 1920-s, here.  Donnie and Fred eloped, eschewing the traditional church wedding, probably because they knew that folks were looking askance at them.  Not the least of all, Gertie....

Decades ago when I was a young, idealistic lawyer, I would handle just about any case that walked through the door with money.  Really, I had no choice as I was assigned by senior management of the firm.  As my practice built I did what most lawyers do and honed it down to the areas I enjoy most and for which I believe I am best suited. I lopped off bankruptcies, and most business transactions went by the wayside.  Both of these are too boring for me.  I must require a larger-than average dosage of human drama, because I sure get a lot of it in family law.  One area that was drama-filled but also got cut from my list was criminal law.  I just had trouble relating to the clients.  I recall being given the task of determining if we could help someone who claimed he was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder because he had an unfair trial. I was sent to our state prison to interview him.  Facts of the Case : The victim had refused to pa...

Well, we're in the last days of the countdown to our trip. I have decided not to call it "vacation," but rather "suspension of reality," for that is what we hope for. V and I both need a dose of fantasy for a while, and we intend on self-indulgence to the max. We are taking the laptop and cameras and hope to be posting often from our trip (we'll see...). We are excited about the dimension that our blogging offers us. It gives us a great opportunity to share our adventure--and adventures are always best shared. I think we are both having some angst about leaving--does anyone go away for a trip without worrying that she has not covered all the bases or that something dreadful will happen while she is away? My worry is the former: Have I written all the letters that need sending; made all the phone calls that need making; drafted all the pleadings that have to go out? My desk is a nightmare right now; something like this picture. V worries about her aili...

Just to let you know, Mother-in-Law is doing so well. She is using her cane and walks with a limp, but she’s a survivor and is going to be just fine. My biggest worry for her now is confinement. I have to work each day—sometimes long hours, even when I plan otherwise. This leaves her in the house for days at a time. And now I have this cruise with V planned (since last summer) and will be away for ten days. My son will be on premises during this period, but he works, too. One hurdle I want to see her get over before I go is driving. Last Saturday she drove the 12 miles of our country road into town. When we reached the busy thoroughfare, however, she pulled over and asked that I take the wheel. Following that we’ve had a cold spell so deep that she hasn’t wanted to venture out, and I don’t blame her. Weather is balmier now, however, and I hope she will log some miles this weekend. I’d love to leave knowing that she has the freedom to get in her car and leave if she wants to....