Where I Stayed For Doxy's Wedding

The view of the lake from the deck

Kind parishioners from Dear Friend's church offered hospitality to several of the out-of-town guests at Doxy and Dear Friend's wedding. My hosts, whom I shall henceforth call LL, for Lovely Lady, and KG, for Kind Gentleman, were a wonderful couple who have traveled the world. KG has been three times on mission trips to Africa to work with the people of the area to build water wells in villages where there was no source of clean drinking water.

KG and LL were the kindest and most gracious folks that you could image. I had a beautiful bedroom with a bath for my private use. Their house was lovely, with a minimalist look about it, spare, but quite inviting and attractive. It's the look that I'd like to have, but after 26 years, I'd need to get rid of a load of stuff - aka as clutter.



LL and KG dancing at Dear Friend's birthday party. Fran and Doxy are in the background to the left of center.

Saturday was a free day, so LL and I chilled together, ate a wonderful salad on the lower deck, which is down the stairs, right alongside the lake. The picture at the top is the upper deck off the living room and kitchen. Afterwards we walked to town, looked around in the stores, bought some cards, and then strolled back home. During this time, LL and I talked and got to know each other and had an altogether lovely day.

I must tell you the story of LL's dress in the picture. She made the dress years ago, and she had not worn it in 33 years or so, for a very long time. She thought she might wear it to the birthday party. She tried on the dress, and it fit perfectly and looked smashing on her. The colors are gorgeous. The chances are nil that I would fit in a dress 33 years old, probably not even a moo-moo of the day. I can't remember ever wearing moo-moos, anyway.

I talked to Doxy on the phone yesterday, and I told her that my entire time in North Carolina was magical. Seeing old friends again, meeting old virtual friends in person for the first the time, spending time with my friends, my kind hosts and their gracious hospitality, the birthday party, the beautiful wedding, all of it was magical.

UPDATE: The picture below, taken by Fran, is lagniappe added to the post, just because I like the picture. All three of us look good. I hope that the other ladies(?) agree.



Me, Fran, and Doxy having lunch at The Soda Shop after they picked me up at the airport.

"We Prostituted Christianity...."

From David@Montreal:

A thought-provoking extract from Richard Rohr:

"We prostituted Christianity when we told people they had to 'save their souls'. That attitude often affirmed the ego 'spiritually,' which is very dangerous and deceptive. We called it the journey into holiness, but it was often disguised and denied self-interest.

Saving one's soul and falling in love with God are two very different journeys. Because we told our people to save their souls, they got into spiritual consumerism, gathering sacraments, holy works, ascetical practices- all affirming the false self. Now we've got these big Christian egos walking around, who are very self-protective, satisfied and conservative in the wrong way. Conversion is not on their agenda. Every preacher or teacher knows what I'm talking about.

An unhealthy conservatism is incapable of exodus,of risk, of passion, and, therefore, perhaps of the living God."

From Letting Go: A Spirituality of Subtraction

Many thanks to David for sending me this. I can only say, "Amen!"

R. I. P. Miguel Hidalgo

From Nola.com:

Miguel Hidalgo, a goat that was a popular resident of the Audubon Zoo's petting zoo, died Friday.

Spokeswoman Sarah Burnette said the goat, known simply as Miguel to thousands of zoo visitors, apparently died of old age. He was 15.

A registered Nigerian dwarf goat, the animal was born in September 1993 at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, and arrived at Audubon in January 1994.

Nigerian dwarf goats live an average of 12 to 15 years.

Burnette said Miguel was a favorite of zookeepers and visitors alike.

Well known for his long beard or "goatee," he was "always quick to nibble on shirt tails, radio antennas, keys or school bags," she said.

Even though he was a Texas transplant, he was a good goat and a proud papa, too. He has a daughter named June!

H/T to Oyster.

From The Pawty I Wasn't At

Thanks to WhiteyCat for the pictures from the bloggers gathering in New Jersey last Friday evening. Aren't the folks there lovely looking? And they seem to be having a great time. And I'm not there.


Padre Mickey and the Lovely Mona, who was snapped while snapping. That's Paul (A.) and Allie in the background.



Padre Mickey makes a move.....to help Catherine with her camera



The famous Miss Egyptian Hippo of Love with lesser stars Eileen and Elizabeth



Muthah holds forth and Tobias pays attention



TELP and El Padre smiling sweetly for the camera

Ghosts Of Cancers Past

My friends, the news about my niece discovering the lump in her breast rocked me, conjuring up the family ghosts of cancers past to haunt me. First there was my mother's breast cancer and subsequent mastectomy. She lived 20 more years. Then there was my own breast cancer 24 years ago, with a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes, followed by radiation. Then there was the diagnosis of lymphoma for my middle sister, Gayle, whom I have written of. She was cured of the lymphoma through surgery and chemotherapy.

Moving right along to the death of my youngest sister of untreated breast cancer. She was out of our lives for years at a time, by her own choice, and was out of touch for three years near the end of her life. We found out that she was dying only a day or two before she died, and we did not make it to her in time to see her alive. Why was her cancer not treated? I can only assume that her life was so miserable that she wanted to die. One year after my youngest sister's death, my only other sibling, Gayle, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Within four months, she was dead.

Mixed in between the accounts above were the aunts and cousins who were diagnosed with cancers of various kinds, breast cancer, another lymphoma, melanoma, uterine cancer, colon cancer, always hitting the women in the family, sometimes killing them, sometimes not.

And now my niece. She's still grieving for her mother, Gayle. My heart breaks for her. I pray that her news on Thursday will be good news, but, for the moment, I'm worried and distracted and haunted, and I may not be myself for the next few days. Sometimes blogging is therapeutic for me, and I may continue more or less as usual. I may even joke around and laugh. Then again, I may not.

And that's the way it is.

Prayers Please For My Niece

My niece's doctor found a lump in her breast. She's scheduled to have it removed today at 2 pm. Cancers of all types, including breast cancer, run rampant in my family. Please pray.

UPDATE: The surgery started late but is now over. The surgeon removed the lump for biopsy. My niece will have the results on Thursday. Thanks for the prayers. Please continue to pray.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Stays For Now

From the Washington Post:

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting an Obama administration request to maintain the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" directive.

The court said it will not hear an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed under the military's policy.

The federal appeals court in Boston earlier threw out a lawsuit filed by Pietrangelo and 11 other veterans. He was the only member of that group who asked the high court to rule that the policy is unconstitutional.

I'm a far cry from a legal expert, but I don't see the change in "don't ask, don't tell" coming from court intervention. The president and the Congress must do the job. To me, the saddest part of this article is found in the words below.

During last year's campaign, President Barack Obama indicated he supported the eventual repeal of the policy, but he has made no specific move to do so since taking office in January. Meanwhile, the White House has said it won't stop gays and lesbians from being dismissed from the military.

Perhaps as we hear more outrageous stories of members of the military, who have served long and honorably, being unfairly dismissed for no other reason than being gay or lesbian, the president and the Congress will wake from their slumbers on this issue. The populace is way ahead of them.

US News reports:

One other item worth noting from the new Gallup poll on Americans' views regarding gays: A huge majority of Americans—69 percent—now support gays being able to serve in the U.S. military.

A Sizzling Scene - "To Have And Have Not"

Oh my! Some might say that it's too early in the morning for this video, but I wouldn't say that.

Did I ever tell you that I shook hands with Lauren Bacall? Several years ago, Grandpère and I were entering the theater in New York to see Paul Newman play the Stage Manager in "Our Town", the first stage play that he had done in 38 years and the last stage play that he ever acted in. There was Bacall standing in a line of people which looked to me like a receiving line. At the time, it didn't occur to me that she was unlikely to be in a receiving line, as she was not in the play. As GP looked on, somewhat embarrassed, I walked over to her and said, "Miss Bacall, may I shake your hand?" She seemed startled, but she shook my hand. I mean, what the hell! She was standing there. I suppose that it was not cool for me to do that, but now I have a story to tell.

Maybe I should have asked her to autograph my "Playbill" instead.

New Stock Market Terms

CEO – Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO - Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET– A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET– a 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex.

VALUE INVESTING– The art of buying low and selling lower.

P/E RATIO– The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER – What my financial planner has made me.

STANDARD & POOR– Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST– Idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT– When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

MARKET CORRECTION– The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW– The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO – What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS– What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo at $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR– Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT – an archaic word no longer in use.


# # # # #

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.

But---- if you had purchased $1000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle.

It's called the 401-Keg.

Doug sent the joke because he wanted to spread a bit of good cheer this Monday morning.

The Old Gray Mare

Oh, the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be.
The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.

Many long years ago, many long years ago.

The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.

The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree,
Kicked on the whiffletree, kicked on the whiffletree
The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree
Many long years ago.

Many long years ago, many long years ago,

The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree
Many long years ago.

What made me think of this old song we sang as kids? Maybe because I'm an old gray mare now. I looked up the song online so I wouldn't have to type it all out, and, much to my surprise, the second verse is different from what we sang when I was a child. Here's our version:

Oh, the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be.
The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.

Many long years ago, many long years ago.

The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.

The old gray mare went (raspberry sound) down the avenue,
(raspberry sound) down the avenue, (raspberry sound) down the avenue.

The old gray mare went (raspberry sound) down the avenue,
Many long years ago.

Did anyone else sing the vulgar version, or was it just naughty New Orleans kids?