Osmosis

A friend whom I've known for only a year or so said this to me:

"How do you know so much about the Bible? Is it because your husband was a minister?"

Yes,

- Like Diana Krall does jazz because she's married to that other Elvis.

- Like Christo drapes that silk cloth all over the world because he's married to Jeanne-Claude.

- Like Joan Didion writes pretty well because she's the widow of John Gregory Dunn.

- Like Hillary knows the law because Bill's a lawyer.

I wonder if I could finagle a flirtation with Stephen Hawking?

I Was Gypped

When I was having my babies in the 60s and 70s breast feeding was highly discouraged. Despite having a gift basket of formula waiting for me after my delivery, I did breast feed my first child for several weeks but just couldn't get the hang of it. And my doctor told me that only poor people breast fed. I learned too late that I should have stuck it out.

Later on, I'm proud to say that I was part of a world wide women's group that brought a multinational company to it's knees for pushing baby formula in third world countries.

Another international militant breast feeding group, the Laleche League, has made a huge difference.

While there are still women who, for good reasons, can't breast feed, there are also women who don't want their professional or social lives (or their breasts) to suffer.

I mourn not breast feeding. Both of my daughters, both professionals, breast fed their babies until my Real Husband was afraid that they would accompany their children to kindergarten.

I held each one of my babies in my arms while I bottle fed them. Still, it's not the same. I mourn not breast feeding my babies.

I know they would have had fewer health issues as children.

But on the other hand, they might have been even smarter. And I don't think any of us want that.

Friday Night at the Movies

My Boyfriend and I saw "The Boune Ultimatum" last night. Yes, that's right. We saw it on opening night. At night. Not a matinee.

Unlike "The Departed," there was much about the movie I liked. In many ways it's a beautiful movie. It was filmed all over the world. Magnificent downtowns. The editing is terrific. Lots of interesting detail.

But needs more action and less dialogue. Of course I'm kidding! Matt Damon is cute as the dickens but he has very little to say.

Many fans of this third movie in the trilogy are wondering if Jason Bourne is killed in the end. I will answer that question without spoiling the movie for you.

Yes, he's killed many times.

In the last five minutes (just after he's killed in the police car chase where about 500 cars are crashed) he's killed when:

- he crashes through a plate glass window
- he jumps over a railing and falls ten stories
- he plunges deep into the river

Enjoy the movie.

Woo Woo

When my Boyfriend visited me last winter we took a class together. This class was taught by my extraordinarily gifted friend, who is about as Woo Woo as you can get, and her boyfriend who is a singer/song writer. He's Woo Woo as well.

We loved the six week class. Mostly because it was SO creative and incorporated both writing (for me) and art (for him.)

One night 16 of us stood around 2 long tables covered with paper. Paint jars lined down the middle. She led us in a complicated way of group painting while he sang. Fun, Fun, Fun

Then she gave the 1 minute warning at which time we would be done and have to compare our group painting to the other one.

My Boyfriend grabbed a jar of paint and said, "Let's make it a Pollack." He and another person began dribbling away while the song continued.

We had, by far, the better mass painting that night. It was quite Woo Woo too.

We're Different

Right now my #1 son is on a hunting trip in Bolivia. His teenaged son is with him.

I'm not a hunter. I'm an anti-gun person. I've never held a gun. Until I saw a revolver in my daughter's evidence box when she was a prosecutor, I'd never seen a gun.

My #1 son loves the outdoors. Me, not so much.

One of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make was when he was 16 and wanted to take a three day trip through the everglades in a canoe. With only one friend accompanying him.

I did not want him to go. I didn't understand the attraction. But I had to tell myself that we were - and probably always would be - different.

He went. He was in my prayers every hour of those three days. My greatest fear wasn't alligators, or bears or snakes. Although these fears were justified. My greatest fear was people. There are some strange people in the Everglades.

They had a wonderful adventure. They pulled up and docked at fish camps for the night. While I was wide awake worrying and praying, they were safe and sound.

My #1 son has hunted all over the world. It's his passion. We're different - but I guess that's OK.

Ray Stevens

I've been to a fair only once since I was a child. I'm a big city girl.

About 20 years ago Ray Stevens was performing at a small, local fair in West Palm Beach. I've always liked Ray Stevens. If you don't know who he is, I'm sorry. I can't describe him except to say that he's a country/novelty singer - a folksy guy. Do you remember "The Streak?"

We went to the fair to see Ray Stevens.

Ray performed in a small TENT. No A/C. But he was good and sang all of his hits. When he finished we walked around the outside of the tent to try to say hello and maybe even interview him. He's such a friendly, folksy guy.

A burley man stopped us at the tent flap. When I told him what I wanted he laughed,

"Lady, his limo was sitting here with the motor running for the entire performance. He's back in his hotel room having a martini by now."

Attitude Adjustment

In 1979 the deposed Shah of Iran was in the US for cancer treatment. Some bad guys in the middle east took a bunch of American hostages. They wanted the Shah back in exchange for the hostages.

The hostages were an obsession for Jimmy Carter - and for the nation. A few of them were released but 52 hostages were held for 444 days, until January of 1981 - the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.

In January of 1981 I was escorting a small study group in the middle east. My Real Husband had a larger group. The itinerary was a little different because my trip was shorter. We met up from time to time.

But on this day I was in Jerusalem with my group. We were staying in a Jewish hotel that had once been a cloister for nuns. It was an ancient building. There was no heat and it was bitter cold. We Floridians wore all of our clothes every day. Sorry to say that some in my group were a little surly due to exhaustion, the cold and the frustration of the hotel having a kosher kitchen.

We were having lunch in the dining room. Maybe a third of the people in the room were Americans. All at once a man ducked in and said "The hostages have been released!"

There was spontaneous screaming and hugging. Then a person started singing "God Bless America." Soon the other Americans were singing - and then every person in the dining room was singing. We must have sung it over and over for at least five minutes. Most everybody was crying.

My group's attitude changed instantly. That day we got our priorities straight.