Monday, January 30, 2017

The other day I parked behind a car from the Peach State. 
The license plate frame informed me that the vehicle hailed from Effingham, Georgia.

Now, there’s a town with attitude.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Ready for her closeup: Calico April
On a raw, rainy winter afternoon, can there be anything more comforting than a cat purring softly in your lap?
In case you're wondering, the answer 
to that question is:
No
Thanks, April.

Friday, January 20, 2017

On this day, I offer my space to another writer, one whose eloquence I’ve admired greatly over the past eight years. I’ve been moved not just by the power of his words, but by the ideas and ideals behind them. 
Toward the end of his last press conference on Wednesday, President Barack Hussein Obama left the press corps — and the nation — with some sobering, yet encouraging words. They are worth repeating: 
“I believe in this country. I believe in the American people. I believe that people are more good than bad. I believe tragic things happen. I think there's evil in the world, but I think at the end of the day, if we work hard, and if we're true to those things in us that feel true and feel right, that the world gets a little better each time. That's what this presidency’s tried to be about.”
Amen to that.

Friday, January 6, 2017

A cup of tea and happiness.

Here's to cultivating joy in 2017.
For starters, I'll think of our daughter whenever I use this mug, a gift she gave me a few years ago.
Simple pleasures. I hold them close, especially these days.
When a new year begins, we can’t help but look back at the old. This time around, some might prefer to look away.
I understand that feeling, but I also know we can’t afford it.
Like it or not, our country is about to get a new president.
If we don’t like it (and at least 65 million of us do not), our best strategy is to pay close attention, and to speak out.
One friend summed it up in a word:

“Vigilance.”

I am an optimist at heart. I would like to give this new president a chance, but he is not making that easy. In negativity, he reaps what he sows.

Another friend, who has worked his way through the sorrow and discouragement of the election, said he is starting to feel invigorated by the challenge of the next four years. He quoted another Republican president, who once (in)famously said:

“Bring it on.”

As for me, I’ll quote President Obama, who recently offered these encouraging words:
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

To that end, I’m going to get up and join thousands of other women on Jan. 21, the day after Inauguration Day, for the Women’s March on Philadelphia, a “sister march” to the main event set for that day in Washington. (That marching family has grown to include more than 150 cities worldwide, from California to Tokyo.)

Why march? To stand up for human rights, the Bill of Rights, equality and respect for all. And to stand against any who attempt to stifle or legislate away any of those rights.
I know just what I’m going to wear that day: my new favorite T-shirt, from ThinkProgress.org. It's emblazoned with a single word:

Resist.

I will wear it proudly.
Links to the marches (and the T-shirt) below:


Enough said.