I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Category: Slice of Life

  • 4th. of July Peach Ice Cream, Peach Cobbler, Peachy Family and Friends

    4th. of July Peach Ice Cream, Peach Cobbler, Peachy Family and Friends


    Pretty celebrates the 4th of July in our pool with granddaughters Ella and Molly, their first cousin Caleb who shares a large blue noodle with special friend Mary Carter while Caleb’s daddy Seth throws a tennis ball to them. Summer pool regulars Saskia and her son Finn shown in the background keep a close eye on four-year-old Ella making the turn from the deep water toward the steps where the action is.

    The smile on Pretty a/k/a Nana’s face equals the joy on Ella’s face whether it is the 4th of July or any other day the two of them are able to find water for a swim. Number One Son Drew, the father of our granddaughters, laughed from his lounge chair in the sun where he is the happiest and said, I sure am glad the water craze skipped a generation.

    Daughter-in-law Caroline made my day with homemade peach ice cream that was the most delicious EVER; her twin sister Chloe made equally yummy fresh peach cobbler which luckily had leftovers that were “left over” in our refrigerator for tomorrow’s breakfast.

    Life is good for us on this 4th of July – my hope is that wherever you are this holiday weekend, you take a moment to reflect upon the sacrifices made by those who went before us to assert our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness whether it’s in a swimming pool or watching Wimbledon on ESPN+ from the comfort of a favorite recliner.

    Charly and Carl are exhausted from entertaining

    Please stay tuned.

  • Outstanding: A Netflix Comedy Revolution

    Outstanding: A Netflix Comedy Revolution


    “Closets are vertical coffins; all you do is suffocate to death,” says Robin Tyler who was the first of the 22 LGBTQ+ comedians featured in this hour and a half historic documentary I watched today, thanks to the recommendation of our friend Esther who is not only the woman that gives Pretty and me our monthly pedicures in her salon but also someone that administers viewing reviews as expertly as she does nail polish. When she and/or her wife Frankie like a show, we don’t need to see the previews.

    Marsha Warfield, Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes (l to r)

    This Netflix documentary is more than just entertainment; it’s a vital piece of LGBTQ+ history. By illuminating the inside forces of queer comedy across the years, it offers both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality. (Los Angeles Blade, June 22, 2024)

    From Coded Characters to Out and Proud (Los Angeles Blade, 06-22-24)

    The film traces the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation in comedy:

    1. Pre-Stonewall era: Coded characters like Paul Lynde, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Rip Taylor
    2. 1970s: Comedians like Lily Tomlin, Robin Tyler, and Pat Harrison pushing boundaries
    3. AIDS era: Activist comedians like Sandra Bernhard, Scott Thompson, and Margaret Cho using humor to combat backlash
    4. Modern day: A diverse generation including Eddie Izzard, Wanda Sykes, Hannah Gadsby, Bob the Drag Queen, and Joel Kim Booster

    I will personally add get ready to laugh – these people are LOL funny. Their journeys are powerful reminders of the world many of us recall, the milestones we’ve experienced with them, through the hilarity of their jokes. OMG. Wanda Sykes’s segment on coming out to her parents as “Black” was one of the funniest routines I’ve ever seen anywhere. Wait for it, laugh, savor, and celebrate with Pride whoever you are on whatever continent brings Netflix to you whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or the larger community of humankind.

    “Comedy is that sugar that coats the medicine,” British comedian and co-creator of Bob Hearts Abishola Gina Yashere tells us. “If you’re laughing, you’re not gonna want to punch someone in the face.”

    Keep laughing, and whatever you do, don’t miss Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution streaming now on Netflix.

  • Mama Mia, ABBA made me a Dancing Queen

    Mama Mia, ABBA made me a Dancing Queen


    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…

    *************************

    Overheard in her playhouse from two-year-old Molly this weekend: “Naynay, I’ll never leave you.”

  • Pride Time is Anytime and Fun Times!

    Pride Time is Anytime and Fun Times!


    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.

    *******************

    Slava Ukraini. For the children.

  • Landslide Victory by, how much did you say?

    Landslide Victory by, how much did you say?


    40 votes. Excuse me?

    Forty votes. Are you kidding me?

    When I finally closed my eyes last night at a quarter past 11 o’clock, my favorite candidate Francie Kleckley was behind by 16 votes in what was a nailbiter in her primary election returns. I can add it was the same 16 votes all the news outlets had been reporting for the past couple of hours. Good grief, Pretty said to me, what can be so hard about tallying votes in those remaining four precincts?

    More importantly, I answered, which four precincts are still outstanding?

    (I have cleaned up this exchange for “family” readers.)

    Five hours later I awoke for my nightly bathroom call and retrieved my cell phone to see this update from local CBS television news WLTX-19 online. I was so groggy at 3 a.m. I thought Francie had lost by 40 votes. After rubbing sleep from my eyes to look again, I realized she’d WON!

    I got so excited I whispered to Pretty she won, she won! Pretty slept on even when I raised my voice and repeated the good news. Pretty can sleep through tropical storms, dogs barking, small earthquake tremors. It’s a special gift.

    When Pretty was unresponsive, I texted Francie at 3:09 to congratulate her. Thankfully, she was also unresponsive.

    This morning’s results from the State newspaper online also offered insights into the Republican incumbent Billy Garrett’s primary.

    Watch out, Buffalo Billy – there’s a newcomer coming after you in November.

    Still think your voice doesn’t matter? Think again. Vote.

    Onward.