Who Does This Remind You Of?

Titled Strawberries - but looks like
Superman to me. 

This big painting (approximately 2 feet by 3 feet) hangs in our living room.  It was done by a favorite painter of Dave's, Amy Cordova.  Dave loves contemporary art.

Amy Cordova lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and much of her work depicts Native Americans.  Her art is full of brilliant, vibrant colors.  She also illustrates children's books.

Another of her paintings hangs over our bed.  It depicts a Native American lying in a cornfield and it's called "Corn Dreamer." I love it.  It makes me think.

Christopher Reeve - My Favorite
Superman

When I first saw the "big" painting in Dave's house in Edina, Minnesota, it was at the end of a long hallway.  It immediately reminded me of a famous character  - and still does.  It's titled "Strawberries" but I think it looks like Superman.

Dave doesn't see it but here they are together.  I'll bet you see it.

Corn Dreamer

Moving to Breadstick Nation

Chicken Parmigiana Breadstick
Sandwich $7.99

As you well know, I like the Olive Garden.  We eat there maybe four times a year.  We both have the exact same thing.  Soup, salad and breadsticks.  At 140 calories each, I usually enjoy one and one half breadsticks.  (Math lesson:  If you eat seven breadsticks, as many people do,  you are pushing 1,000 calories - for just the breadsticks.)

Meatball Breadstick Sandwich $6.99

Like we Americans love to do, Olive Garden has taken a good thing and gone crazy with it.

On Thursdays an Olive Garden Food Truck was in downtown Orlando to help promote their new breadstick sandwiches.  Lots of folks drove a long way to get a free sample.  Including standing in line to get the Meatball
Breadstick Sandwich, eating it, and then standing in line to get the Chicken Parm Breadstick Sandwich.

The sandwiches are cheap, and come with fries, soup or salad and - you guessed it - unlimited breadsticks.


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Sibling Rivalry

 Lindsey Graham announced his bid for the presidency a few days ago.  As a life long bachelor he said that his sister could serve as first lady.

Really?  If I were Senator Graham I would give that some more thought.

He was correct in saying that other women have stood in for the first lady in years past, but they were rarely sisters.  That's a very special kind of relationship.  Has he never heard of sibling rivalry?

Here are some little known things about "First Ladies."

• Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel, was a bigamist.  She married Jackson before she was divorced from her first husband. 
• Grover Cleveland's sister served as House hostess until President Cleveland married his wife, Frances who was 21 years old at the time.  (I wonder how sis felt about that replacement.)
• William Howard Taft's wife, Nellie drove a car, supported women's rights and smoked cigarettes. 
•  Jacqueline Kennedy had her own press secretary and won an Emmy; Betty Ford was a professional dancer, Nancy Reagan was, like her husband, an actor and Barbara Bush was both first lady and first mom.  (And might be again.)

But being a sister is a different thing.  I can imagine one of my sons being president.  I can imagine one of my daughters being president.  I cannot, under any circumstances, imagine one of my daughters functioning as her brothers' "First Lady."

Jeb Bush, when he announced his bid for the presidency this week said that the best thing that happened to him that day was that his mom, Barbara Bush, finally admitted she loved him best!

Sibling rivalry is a real thing.

Food for thought, Lindsey Graham.


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Looking Ahead

When an old person dies it's like a library has burned down.  - Dr. Art Cross


When I discovered that two OLD PEOPLE were going to speak at Forum this morning I was a tiny bit sceptical.

By old, I mean they're in their 90s.  Each has had what we might call an unusual life.  But, on the other hand, if we live to be 90 plus, we will all have some unusual stories to tell.

The first speaker was Pat Patton.  I wrote a blog posting about him on 4/6/15 titled "The Man Who Invented Radar."

 I liked that he began this morning by saying that his generation was defined by the great depression and World War II.

The other speaker was Dottie Norton.  I was impressed when she told us her parents were highly educated.  That certainly wasn't the norm in the late 1800s.  Pat explained that his parents went to the 8th grade.  That was the highest level of education offered in rural Alabama at that time.

Pat and Dottie were insightful, honest and incredibly funny.

Dottie spent 28 years teaching in Europe.  She told about an experience in France when she was traveling in the countryside with friends in a black Mercedes.  Along the way the car was shot at.  Naturally they stopped to tell the gendarmes.  It was explained to them that somebody was trying to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.  And he was riding in a black Mercedes.  So Dottie suggested that she saved Charles de Gaulle's life!

But prior to going to Europe, Dottie went to Mexico.  There she experienced an earthquake.  They were all gathered in the lobby of a hotel which was swaying back and forth in the middle of the quake.  One man in the hotel spent the night praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe.  The next morning he announced they were saved by the Virgin.

But Dottie said to us this morning "the virgin who saved them was me!"

Pat and Dottie also gave us some tips for living a long life.  Pat said to marry well.  Dottie said to live a clean life.  Both good advice!


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Happy Birthday Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush turns 90 tomorrow.  I have always admired her.  She has a well deserved reputation for saying what she thinks.  She's always been a "take no prisoners" kind of gal.

The current Time Magazine has a short Q & A with Mrs Bush.  The first question and answer go like this:

Your husband jumped out of an airplane for his 90th.  What's your plan?

Not jumping out of an airplane.  I'm not an idiot. 

To me, she wasn't speaking disparagingly about her husband, she was just speaking her own truth.

I've noticed that Mrs. Bush has lost weight in the last few years.  Remember when Phil Hartman would portray her on Saturday Night Live?  I think she had a sense of humor about it.  By the way, I like the way she looked then and I like the way she looks now.

I remember well, in 1990, when Barbara Bush gave the Wellesley commencement speech.  There were protests prior to, and booing during, the speech - not because of her politics - but because she didn't have a career.  Following is a portion of that speech:

For over fifty years, it was said that the winner of Wellesley's annual hoop race would be the first to get married.  Now they say, the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O.  Both of those stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where the mermaids stand.  So I want to offer a new legend:  the winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream - not society's dreams --- her own personal dream.

And who knows?  Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President's spouse--and I wish him well. 

Happy 90th Birthday, Barbara Bush!


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Cicero and the Forum

You are aware that I love the class I attend every Sunday called "Forum."  No, it's not like the Roman Forum, but these two concepts sort of merged this past Sunday when our presenter, Gary, asked us to discuss Cicero's "Six Mistakes of Man."  As it turned out, we had to postpone the discussion for another time.

Cicero, Roman Orator, Philosopher,
Politician, Writer, Lawyer
Born 106 BC, Died 43 BC            

Wouldn't you love to be in a group of smart, kind, open folks who want to hear your opinion on serious issues?  And then share their own?  I have this every Sunday. 

We'll discuss these "mistakes" at a later date.  Maybe you'd like to join us.  In the meantime, here they are.  What do you think?

Cicero's Six Mistakes of Man. 

1.  The Illusion that personal gain is made up of crushing others. 

We like to kid around about how this is a job description for lawyers.  But Cicero was a lawyer and Dave and I attended a funeral for a lawyer yesterday and heard many stories of love, kindness and generosity.  It is possible to be a successful lawyer or stock broker or real estate developer without the goal of crushing others?

2.  The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected. 

Easier said than done. 

3.  Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it. 

On Sunday we went straight from Forum to the worship service which started with a short video about Roger Bannister running the four minute mile.  Prior to that time, experts had said that it was impossible for a human being to do this.  Since Bannister did it, hundreds of people have done it, including kids and older folks.  I used to think I could do it.  But this made me think about "Mistake #2" and how do we really know that things cannot be changed or corrected?

4.  Refusing to set aside personal preferences. 

5.  Neglecting development and refinement of the mind, and not acquiring the habit of reading and study.

I'm totally with Cicero on this one. 

6.  Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

I know people who think of this as their mission - but this is definitely not what Forum is about. 

I can't wait to discuss this stuff.

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