I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

storytelling for truth lovers

  • Post Cards from the Edge…of Time

    Post Cards from the Edge…of Time


    March 17, 1907

    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.

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

    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.

  • Juneteenth! Happy Freedom Day!

    Juneteenth! Happy Freedom Day!


    I’m sure many of you received this letter today from former Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. If you already read it, please take a minute to absorb it again, and if you haven’t read it – well, trust me, it’s a must read for Juneteenth. I am a native Texan, grew up not too far from Galveston, and am so very proud of my Black family members who will be celebrating with good food, family and friends today. My heart is with them – Happy Freedom Day to all!

    Sheila,

    It’s Juneteenth — marking 159 years since freedom finally reached enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas. And today, while we celebrate the end of slavery, we must do all we can to remember those who endured the unconscionable, this nation’s original sin. 

    You’ve heard me, and others, say this a lot, but we have to say it again: The march towards true, lived freedom is far from over. The struggle continues to this day, but the victories we’ve achieved are only because of the commitment of every new generation to engage in the fight for justice and equality. 

    And don’t get me wrong, we have come a long way since that day 159 years ago in Galveston, Texas. We have made our country a more welcoming, safe, and equitable place for Black Americans. But there is still a long road left to travel. 

    This Juneteenth, while we recognize the continued struggle, I’m still filled with hope for what’s ahead. Our power to make change has never been stronger. All voices in our democracy deserve to be heard, and I’m proud to be working alongside you in the fight to make that a reality. 

    Together, let’s use today to recommit to our shared effort to have this nation live up to its founding ideals.

    Thank you for being in this movement, and happy Freedom Day. 

    Eric H. Holder, Jr. 
    82nd Attorney General of the United States

    All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.

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

    Today is also the birthday of Francie Kleckley – wish her a Happy Birthday at http://www.franciekleckley.com and support her campaign with a donation! Hint: $65. would be significant to her, if you catch my drift.

  • 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.