Tag: Civil Rights

Seven Things I Love (8-31-2020)

I meant to post this last night but I wanted to proof-read it and it got too late. You see, yesterday I had to straighten up my house because I have my cleaning person coming back after being away for almost eight months. I’m so excited!

It’s kind of a long story but when I moved four years ago into my “Golden Girls Dream House” I knew that this was going to be the last house I lived in until I died (or went into a home). I figured I needed to make it exactly what I wanted it to be and that meant it had to be big enough for my family and friends to visit and to have parties. That also meant that I had a fairly large house for one person and cleaning it by myself wasn’t an option.

Enter my amazing cleaning people. Course when the pandemic hit they could no longer come so I’ve been doing everything myself. I asked them, back in June, to restart cleaning but unfortunately they are short a person. I’ve been waiting until they could get me in. Last week we worked it out that they could come less frequently and only clean the kitchen and the bathroom. Originally I was told Friday but then yesterday I got a text and was asked if it was okay if they could come this morning instead. Heck yes! Knowing their situation I have to be flexible.

I remember when I was a kid my Mom would always spend nearly a day straightening up before our cleaning person came over. I used to think she was nuts. But now that I have a cleaning person myself I totally get it. You don’t want them wasting their time straightening up, you want them to be able to focus on the cleaning part. Sadly, after months of isolation there was a bit more straightening to do than usual.

And so my friends, that is why my “Seven Things I Love” post is a day late.

  1. This Meme Comparing Generations – Eerily accurate. I fall on the cusp of GenX and Boomer. Though I most definitely identify as GenX, lately my Boomer side has been starting to show. Maybe I need more gin. Nah, fewer attacks on democracy would be better.

2. The Dole Fr*it B*wls Commercials – I’m not sure if these ads will become as popular as the Geiko ones but some of them are pretty clever. I really love this one in particular – with the two Moms showing what real-life families are like and then asking, was it your idea to have kids or mine? The expressions on their faces is what really makes it so wonderful, it captures so much – love for one another, resignation, and exasperation. (Side note, this commercial aired over and over again a week ago Sunday on the Hallmark Channel during a Jane Doe Mysteries marathon. Hallmark seems to be on board with the LBGTQ thing. They aren’t stupid.)

3. This biopic about Harriet, Tubman of course – this biographical film is amazing. What I liked most – though it spends a good amount of time showing the atrocities inflicted upon the people kept as slaves, it spends an equal amount of time showing Harriet’s success with emancipating others after she herself has escaped slavery. It’s tremendous. So many films like this would spend the entire thing on just her journey to freedom and then would go to a black screen with a message that would say something like,

Harriet Tubman made 13 total trips to Maryland, saving 70 people on her missions. She continued to be known as the “Moses of her people.” She served as a scout, spy, guerrilla soldier, and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. She died at the age of 93 surrounded by her family and friends and was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery.

But we wouldn’t get to experience the joy of seeing the rescues – that is the gift of this movie. I know that a lot of our heroes suffered and even shed blood for causes that meant so much to the world today but we need to see more films that show both the good and the bad.

(I will say this though, with what has been going on this past week, these past several months, when you do watch this movie, you will find yourself horrified that things haven’t come so much further in 170 years.)

4. This Cartoonist, Jackie Ormes – who was the first female African American cartoonist popular in the 30s, 40s, and 50s

She is being honored in the September 1st Google Doodle and it’s really wonderful. Take a look.

5. This article (which is excerpted from a book) on How to Identify Pebbles on Britain’s Beaches – what drew me to this initially was the drawings (by one of my favorite artists, Eleanor Crow) but the idea that someone would actually try to identify the various types of pebbles was fascinating to me. I would have thought that pebbles were as unique as snowflakes, but apparently not. The original book, The Pebbles on the Beach, was written by Clarence Ellis in 1954. Studying rocks and beaches is something that people, particularly Brits, have done for a very long time. There is a new film coming out called Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, about British Palaeontologist Mary Anning and her romantic relationship with Charlotte Murchison. It looks like a must-see film. Mary Anning definitely knew that there were different types of pebbles on the English beaches.

6. This Last tweet from Chadwick Boseman’s twitter account, posted by his family, announcing his passing. It has become the most-liked tweet in Twitter history. So a propos for a regal man and the King of Wakanda.

7. This Evian Commercial: Baby Reflection – just so damned cute. (I’ve always had a thing for commercials, so you know. I think some of them are like mini-films/works of art and some are so damned funny so don’t be surprised if I include them.)


Have a HAPPY and HEALTHY week!

Seven Things That I Love (8-3-2020)

Well, I’m officially changing the regular Monday ‘5 Things that I Love” to ‘7 Things that I Love” since I’ve consistently had more than five things for the past few months. I’ve been hesitating do this because I didn’t want to commit to having more items each week, but it seems clear I’m having no problem finding more than enough so here goes. Let’s try seven for a while!

1. Morgan Freeman reading John Lewis’ Last Words – John Lewis and Morgan Freeman were friends for many years and there really is no better person to read this editorial that Lewis wrote just days before his passing.

2. Ambience/ASMR Videos – I’ve become a little obsessed with these videos. I realized that I wasn’t getting much done during the day between watching mysteries on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel and watching the news. But I like to have sound and movement in the house so now I put these on YouTube, which I can pull up on my wonderful smartTV (technology is da bomb) and let them run for hours. There are hundreds and hundreds of these videos and I have made a folder so I could keep track of the ones I really like. Here are my favorites…

Have to have a least one library!

3. This Community Coronavirus Art Project – a few months ago I found a beautifully painted stone near my mailbox. I wasn’t sure who had left it but after a few weeks I discovered that several people in the neighborhood had received similar stones and that local kids had been painting them as a craft project during isolation. I eventually brought my stone inside and now have it as a paperweight. A few days ago I drove past the epicenter of the Art Project and took a few photos because it has grown quite a bit. People still can pick up rocks to paint and some have started leaving them around a

And be sure to note the ‘Please No Peeing’ sign…

4. Trey KennedyMoms Pre-Pandemic vs Post-Pandemic. Though technically it’s not ‘post-pandemic’ yet, it’s mid-pandemic but it still definitely works. It should probably have been Pre-Pandemic Isolation vs Post-Pandemic Isolation. I have a personal affinity for Trey Kennedy because my niece and nephew got him to do a personal birthday video for me for my birthday and it was da BOMB!

5. This Birthday Celebration – a friend of mine and a few of her friends rented this Air B&B, which is a “boat house” here in town. Formally known at the Edmund B. Gustdorf Milwaukee Boathouse & Lighthouse, it can be rented for a really reasonable rate and I hope when it is safe for me to venture out that I can rent it with her and go have a shindig there myself! Anyhoo, my friend made all these lovely paper fish for the birthday party and it made me happy so I needed to share it.

6. The U.S. and World Population Clock – I don’t think it’s any sort of secret that I’m a big nerd but if there as any doubt this will cinch it. I find this site mesmerizing. Just watch that world population number spin and try to grasp what the reality of those numbers.

7. Last but not least, Perry Mason – I’ve been a huge fan of Mr. Mason for years. Haven’t read many of the books but I’ve seen most of the movies and a decent number of the half-hour original television show. I always thought Raymond Burr was intriguing and I loved his relationship with Della, it wasn’t romantic but they clearly had a strong bond.

I was thrilled when I found out that they were doing kind of a reboot, it’s more of a prequel, to the series. And I will say, I have not been disappointed. Although the series on HBO is nothing like the Perry Mason shows most fans know and love, this origin story is completely believable and really just makes me love him and Della (who is a lesbian in the reboot) and Paul Drake (who is black in the reboot) all the more. Oh, and John Lithgow is fabulous.

I’ve also just started watching the entire original series which began in 1957 and lasted for nine seasons. It’s amazing how much they were able to pack into these episodes!

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason and Barbara Hale as Della Street

Five Things I Love (6-15-2020)

  1. 1. Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho started a series of videos to create a safe space for discussion about race and racism. For white people who want to educate themselves (and that should be all of us), this is an excellent resource.
  1. 2. Hildegard von Blingin’ – I don’t know much about this Hildegard but she is taking modern songs and giving them a medieval twist. She’s done four covers so far – ‘Creep’ by Radiohead, ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People and ‘What is Love’ by Haddaway.

3. This article about 13 Virtual Train Trips you can enjoy right now. PINCH ME!!!

Swiss Red Train Bernina Express pass on Brusio Viaduct. It is a spectacular helicoidal stone bridge that fits the surrounding landscape
and is located on the Bernina railway not far from Brusio railway station in Canton Grisons, Italy.

4. Karolina Zebrowska – I’ve included a video from this incredibly talented, clever, and funny Polish director, historian, and film maker before but she is so eclectic I thought I’d share a new one that I’ve run across…

In this video, Zebrowska has used her love of vintage clothing and created a 1940s (and one 1960s) look for several of ‘The Office’ cast members. She’s SPOT ON! If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love it.

5. This Cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason – I can’t even describe what his music does to my heart.

5. These Hand Soaps – you know, when you have to wash your hands a few dozen times a day, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a hand soap that not only make the experience more pleasant (smell so nice) but aren’t so harsh on your hands. Here are three of my favorites:

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap – I love the Peppermint scent, $3.99
A la Maison de Provence Liquid Soap – I’m currently usinhe Provence lemon but I am going to try either the Lavender Aloe or Rose Lilac next. They are super foamy, all natural ingredients, and have oil added which makes my hands feel soft afterward, price varies (depends upon where you buy it)
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash – this is pricey but the bottle is big and will last a while. Think about how often you wash you hands and how important it is to protect your skin (it is, after all, the largest organ on your body!), $39.00

6. [BONUS] The Art of JP Cummings this digital artist creates fictional, vintage inspired buildings and rooms that are so inviting you will wish you could walk into them.

Drapnell Reference Library – Tinder Colony by JP Cummings
Indica Mansion – North Bransle – 3rd Floor Reading Room by JP Cummings

I’m so happy to be celebrating PRIDE MONTH but after today’s historic Supreme Court decision there’s really something big for LGBTQ people and their allies to cheer about! Love=Love. WHOO HOO!!!