Sick to Death of Today's White House?

 

Me, too.

Sick to death and scared.

The drama is never ending.

I miss who I was "before."

I miss the country we were "before."

If you want to remember better days in terms of family, diplomacy, kindness, intelligence, books, music, laughter, culture, and respect, pick up The Look by Michelle Obama.

A beautiful book, but so much more.

Besides Mrs. Obama's sense of fashion, she shares the decisions she made regarding what to wear when and why.  

The Look by Michelle Obama - a personal portal to "before."

"1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including never-before-seen images, The Look is a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time.

In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husband’s U.S. Senate campaign through her time as the first Black First Lady and today as one of this country’s most influential figures, Michelle Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message.

Featuring the voices of Meredith Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her makeup artist Carl Ray, hairstylists Yene Damtew, Johnny Wright, and Njeri Radway, and many of the designers who have dressed Obama for notable events, The Look brings readers behind the scenes not only to reveal how her most memorable looks came together but also to tell a powerful story about how we present ourselves.

Obama’s intimate and candid stories illuminate how her approach to dressing has evolved throughout her life—from the colorful sheath dresses, cardigans, and brooches she wore during her time as First Lady to the bold suits, denim, and braids of her post-White House life and all the active looks and beautiful gowns in between.

In The Look, Michelle Obama explores the joy and the purpose of fashion and beauty and how—when wielded with grace and care—they can uplift and affirm the values one holds most dear. Confidence, she concludes, cannot be put on. But when you’re wearing something that’s intentional or beloved, clothing can make you feel like the best version of yourself."

Not your daddy's GOP

 

A lot of Republicans are, for some reason, blind to the fact that this GOP ain't what it used to be.

But a lot DO recognize it for what it is and rather than stick with the new Party of Trump, they're throwing their support behind Joe Biden.

You can find several articles highlighting these folks on-line.

Here's a comprehensive list at Wikipedia "of Republicans and conservatives who oppose or have declined to endorse the re-election of incumbent Donald Trump, the 2020 Republican Party nominee for President of the United States. Among them are former Republicans who left the party in 2016 or later due to their opposition to Trump, those who held office as a Republican, Republicans who endorsed a different candidate, and Republican presidential primary election candidates that announced opposition to Trump as the presumptive nominee."

I applaud them.

And here's an article about the more than 350 faith leaders endorsing Biden citing "need of moral leadership."

If you're interested in seeing all of Joe Biden's endorsements, check here.  I think this list is being updated regularly.

We can all get back to the party line of choice later, but for now, let's get America back on track.

Let's bring back the UNITED States of America.

And here's what Ted Wheeler, Mayor of Portland, had to say over the weekend.  Things EVERYONE - politicians and journalists especially - should have been saying all along.

“President Trump, for four years we’ve had to live with you and your racist attacks on black people. We learned early about your sexist attitudes towards women. We’ve had to endure you mocking a disabled man. We’ve had to listen to your anti-democratic attacks on journalists. We read your tweets slamming private citizens to the point of receiving death threats and we’ve listened to your attacks on immigrants. We’ve listened to you label Mexicans as rapists.

Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence? It’s you who have created the hate and the division. It’s you who have not found a way to say the names of black people killed by police officers even as people in law enforcement have. And it’s you who claimed that white supremacists are good people.

Your campaign of fear is as anti-democratic as anything you’ve done to create hate and vitriol in our beautiful country. You’ve tried to divide us more than any other figure in modern history and now you want me to stop the violence that you helped create. What America needs is for you to be stopped so that we could come back together as one America...”

“President Trump, you bring no peace, you bring no respect to our democracy.”

Trump, with his remarkable vocabulary and skills as an orator, replied to Mayor Wheeler's comments by calling him a "dummy."

Michelle Obama said it perfectly.

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!

The Latest Vogue Magazine

Today while I was in line at the grocery store, I spotted the latest Vogue. 

I don't know when I last bought a copy of Vogue Magazine. 

For one thing, it's expensive. 

For another thing, I live in Boone, NC. 

I no longer work. 

We do not attend any function whatsoever that requires me to be concerned about the latest Versace hemline. 

But. 

There was Michelle Obama on the cover. 

Looking, of course, radiant. 

Classy. 

Beautiful. 

And damn if a tear didn't sneak down my face. 

LordAMercy. 

Y'all? 

The tears. 

Are they ever going to quit popping out at the oddest times and taking me by surprise? 

So, I plopped down my $6.99 for this month's Vogue.

Reading the article about a woman who is a hero to so many, a role model to so many, was worth my $6.99.

It hurts my heart to think about the Obamas leaving. 

It breaks to think about what's following them into the White House.

Today - From Rock Stars to First Ladies. From Brilliance to Ignorance.

So.


Bob Dylan wins the 2016 Nobel prize for literature.


http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/13/world/nobel-prize-literature/index.html




This makes me happy.




But - it doesn't make everyone happy.




But instead of debating this issue, I'll just simply say this.




I don't care.




It still makes me happy.




My reasons aren't going to be any different than all the reasons you can find elsewhere.

Bob Dylan wins the Nobel prize for literature.


Rod Stewart knighted at Buckingham Palace.

And that's just this week.

Seems many of the rock stars of our youth are turning into a pretty fair group of well respected elders.

Who'da thunk it?



Sir Paul McCartney
Sir Mick Jagger
Sir Cliff Richard
Sir Tom Jones
Sir Elton John
Sir George Ivan Morrison (Van Morrison)


Yep. Who'da thunk it?



Certainly not parents, including mine, who would shout over the music playing on our little portable record players in our bedrooms - "Turn that down! That's not music!"


You know what they say.


One man's junk is another man's treasure.


The same can be said of music.



And - if you're really willing to stretch that, I suppose it could also be said about politics.



I, however, am just not that generous.



This year - the junk politics is way worse than "normal" junk politics.



It's nasty.


Pure and simply.



Irrevocably nasty.

Also in today's news was this video of one of the most admired women in the world giving a speech for which she will long be remembered:





I wish people would watch this.


I wish they could watch it without the "politics," but with an open heart.


With minds that might recall history, and eyes that might just give them a clue as to what we could possibly face with Donald Trump as the leader of this country.


It frightens me.


And what do some Republlicans have to say in response to the outrage many of us feel about Trump and all that's being said about him right now?



This -







How dare you ignorant people?!


How dare you?


First - this is just not going to happen.


Foolish people underestimated the women who came before us who made this happen.




Foolish people underestimate women today.



Do you think, even you women who dare turn your backs on what we've achieved,  -  do you think for one minute, that we're going to give up our rights that our mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers fought for?



You are delusional if you do.



I think there's a major sea change going on in this country right now.



I think November will bring changes.



Much needed changes.


And more changes will grow from this upcoming election.


And they're not going to be changes made under an ignorant bigoted bully named Donald.


We are much too smart for that.


We are much too good for that.


We are moving forward.


Donald Trump and his ilk will, with our help, fall off the radar of even minuscule importance.

A little more about President Obama's Inauguration

Yesterday's inauguration moved me greatly.

After some trepidation four years ago, I have become quite proud of our president.  A loyal supporter.  And I think his speech during the inauguration yesterday was brilliant.  I think it was honest and from the heart.  I believe Barack Obama to be a good man and a decent man.  A man of "true" family values.  A man who lives those values and doesn't preach them falsely.  I also think he wants what's best for this country and if not for a congress determined to make it look as though the president failed, would move us forward.

While I was watching I felt the stirrings of "oh my - gotta write about this!" begin and I realized how much I've missed writing pieces from my heart for Meanderings and Muses.  It's not that I haven't felt them - I just haven't had the time while writing "Whimsey." 

Whimsey is now out of my hands for a while.  I shipped it off to the Ebook formatting company "booknook.biz" which I've heard wonderful things about.  I'm waiting for an estimate now.  After the estimate, I don't know how long the turn-around time is for the Ebook formatted file to be sent back to me, but not too long, I don't think.  Then I'll take it to Kindle Direct Publishing.  So - in the very near future I'll get to see my book in print.  my book.  whew.  That is powerful.  Even more powerful, to me, is that my mother will get to see it. 

So. 

Back to "this" piece.

I couldn't get started.  I was stuck.  "Where do I start?"  How do I put all the feelings I have about this inauguration, this man - our president, into the words I'm feeling. 

Stumped.  I was stumped.

So I got in my car and went to The Gym (that's the name of it - that's why you always see it capitalized.  Don't you love that?).  Immediately, while driving, the words started falling into place.  While doing my work-out it just wrote itself.  And here it is, starting with the piece I posted yesterday.  It's not earth shattering.  It's a small, small thing in the big scheme of things.  But important in my scheme of things.  And I'll be doing some short pieces sharing my feelings here this week.

I find the irony of the inauguration falling on the day we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. chillingly appropriate.  I cannot even begin to imagine how the Obama family feels, or for that matter, every black family in these United States.  I like to think Dr. King has been looking down and smiling on the Obama family, proud to see this beautiful family together and happy.  And wishing them well.

As am I.  As am I.