Dear Luke, I miss you so much and am doing all the chores while you are away. Please come home soon. I love you always, your wife Bessie P.S. It’s okay by me if you vote.
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This is an actual postcard from the early 1900s that I originally published in March, 2017, following an election year in 2016. I am reviewing the 991 posts I’ve made since I began this blog in 2011 and saw this was a favorite among my readers. It’s also one of my favorites – plus it is an election year for us in the USA.
Dancing Queen? Just kidding. Anyone who has seen me on a dance floor from the time my mother tried to teach me how to rock n roll with Dick Clark and American Bandstand after school in the living room of our home in Richards, Texas to dancing with Pretty and our granddaughters in their kitchen to Roe, Roe, Roe, your Vote – anyone who has seen me try to dance will say gosh, Sheila can still carry a tune plus she’s got rhythm but Lordy, that old woman can’t dance.
I may not be a Dancing Queen, but ABBA will always be my favorite musical group, my go-to songs when I think I can dance.
Last week I watched the movie Mama Mia with Meryl Streep and a bunch of other people I know and like because it’s on my list of all time favorite movies and because I had a round of the epizooti. It was so good I watched it twice and then moved on to The Devil Wears Prada. I only watched it once, though, you’ll be pleased to know.
Since I was in a prone position with no urges to dance, I listened to the words of a beautiful, slower tempo song from Mama Mia that Meryl sang in a poignant scene with her daughter. Beyond the obvious feelings I have now with my granddaughters, I can also connect the words to my relationship with Pretty. Life is often slipping through our fingers all the time.
“Slipping Through My Fingers”
Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile I watch her go with a surge of that well known sadness And I have to sit down for a while The feeling that I’m losing her forever And without really entering her world I’m glad whenever I can share her laughter That funny little girl
Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute The feeling in it Slipping through my fingers all the time Do I really see what’s in her mind Each time I think I’m close to knowing She keeps on growing Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table Barely awake I let precious time go by Then when she’s gone, there’s that odd melancholy feeling And a sense of guilt I can’t deny What happened to the wonderful adventures The places I had planned for us to go Well, some of that we did, but most we didn’t And why, I just don’t know
Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute The feeling in it Slipping through my fingers all the time Do I really see what’s in her mind Each time I think I’m close to knowing She keeps on growing Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers…
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Overheard in her playhouse from two-year-old Molly this weekend: “Naynay, I’ll never leave you.”
This coaster has been on my office desk for as long as I can remember – the office has been in five different homes over the past twenty-three years, but the coaster lingers on. Clearly worse for the wear, and not nearly as clever as Marla Wood’s images, but I remember how “Big” Dear Abbey was back in the day and still get a chuckle whenever I take time to digest the sentiment.
Totally unrelated to Pride
– except the pride Pretty and I have for our granddaughters four-year-old Ella and two-year-old Molly. We were at their house this past week, and the girls love to pretend to be Princesses in their dresses so their dog Sadie stands guard while Ella directs the play. The role of the Prince is often assigned to yours truly; Ella continues to believe I was born for the part. Bless her heart.
This card was sent to us at Christmas years ago by our friends Cindy and Sandy who immigrated to Tennessee and became Lady Volunteer basketball fans during the Summit era. Pretty had saved it somewhere in the deep recesses of her treasures and recently retrieved it. I had to laugh again.
another Christmas card from our past – this is pure Pride
Happy Father’s Day to all proud dads everywhere!! Hope your weekend is festive and filled with pride in your children, their children, and all children to come.
Thanks to Pretty for establishing our annual Memorial Day weekend tradition and to our favorite daughter-in-law Caroline for collaborating with Pretty on invites, venues, food, fun, festivities every year when we pack our bags for a vacation in the upstate of South Carolina in the Blue Ridge Province of the Southern Appalachian mountain range. Guaranteed good times, but never forget there is a Chief Worrier in the group, and that would be me.
This year we had two major worries: the oven from hell in the kitchen of our Airbnb that refused to turn off Saturday afternoon when I placed Pretty’s vegetarian lasagna on the top rack of its preheated 350 degrees to cook for 25 minutes. To my horror the oven door refused to open at the end of 25 minutes or for the next twelve hours, the oven continued to bake throughout that time, and my Chief Worrier self kicked into high gear by suggesting we call 911 for the Fire Department at nine o’clock Saturday night – wherever the Fire Department might be for Hogback Mountain. Thank goodness for our calm son Drew who staged an intervention, urged me not to panic, talked me off the ledge on Saturday night, assured me the door handle was cooling, until the oven door finally opened Sunday morning. Repeat: Sunday morning.
Sofia (left) and Molly waiting for breakfast while Ella and I raid refrigerator
three-year-old Sofia brought her big sis Lily plus her parents Bryan and Nicole for the weekend
(they were all a great addition to the mix)
Sofia, Ella and Molly play on the beach at the nearby lake
how do you say salamander?and what are they anyway?
an unresolved mystery until Papa Williams (Pretty’s father) called to say
without salamanders, but her favorite new saying was
Go Away!
Go away, Neena and Naynay – but when we got up to leave, Molly would get up, too,
and say, I go with you!
The window seat in the living area of the Airbnb was a favorite spot for the girls.
she thinks she’s the only one who can have a Unicorn
that Unicorn belongs to me and only me, says four-year-old Ella
oh, man – make her give me back my Unicorn – I’ll trade for sunglasses
ok, let’s trade
just kidding – I’ll keep the sunglasses and the Unicorn
Remember I said two worries? The second one came when we were leaving Monday morning in the midst of a very strong storm on the mountain. Winds actually blowing ferociously, rain pouring on us as we carried our girls and belongings to the cars. I knew my Chief Worrier needed to be summoned when normally calm Drew shouted, Be quick – we have to get out of here – there’s a tree down on the road! Our little caravan of three vehicles left the house in a hurry on the small gravel road we had to use to come down the mountain. Not far from the house a power line was down across the road which meant we had to turn around and take a different direction. Whew. My nerves were a wreck by the time we reached Landrum where we met Papa Williams for lunch.
Guaranteed good times, you bet! High drama an unexpected twist in 2024! I wouldn’t trade sunglasses or anything else for the time with family and friends this year. I’m grateful to the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for us to live in a free country where we can celebrate their memories in special ways on Memorial Day.
God bless the United States of America, and God bless our troops.
The first presidential debate between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump in the 2016 election took place on September 26, 2016. I tuned in, of course, and posted this piece the following day.
The 400-Pound Hacker in the Room
Donald Trump on our national security in the debate tonight:
“Hackers could be anybody sitting on their beds weighing 400 pounds.”
Whaaaaaaat? What did you say? What does that even mean?
Donald Trump on foreign affairs:
“I haven’t given lots of thought to NATO…I just know we have to knock the hell out of ISIS.”
Really? Not much thought to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? You might want to add that to your debate prep topics for next time.
Donald Trump on the war in Iraq:
“I was against the war in Iraq…all you have to do is call Sean Hannity and ask him. He knows I was against the war in Iraq.”
Somebody please call Sean Hannity… and restore a little sanity.
Donald Trump on deal-making in the Obama administration:
“You almost can’t name a good deal they’ve made.”
I can name that deal in three notes…or was that tune…deal, tune…whatever.
Donald Trump on what it takes to be President:
“To be President of the United States, you have to have the stamina.”
It also helps to have an understanding of the job description.
Hillary Clinton on preparation:
“Yes, I prepared for this debate. I’ve also prepared to be President.”
And with that I say to all good night and good luck.
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Never underestimate the importance of the presidential debates. Somewhere today a 400-pound hacker sits on his bed laughing uproariously.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
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