Nostalgia
‘Abraham,’ A Song for Lincoln’s Birthday
She has dignity, and this was Abraham Lincoln’s great gesture to his fellow Americans of every color – the idea that human beings were born with innate dignity and nobody could take it away from them, even if they took away their freedom. People can only give up their dignity willingly, which is what Bing and Marjorie are doing in this scene.
60 Minutes — It Ain't The Same Without That Old Codger
I think with him speaking with such assurance and authority, TV listeners automatically believed everything that came out of his mouth – that mouth that seldom, if ever, was framed in a smile and so there wasn't any need to question his every word. With all the exaggerators and liars out there, it was so refreshing to believe somebody, anybody, about anything!
A Tranquil Sight
One would be hard pressed to find many reminders from the era immediately following WWII. Hardly anything appears the same, including the once familiar surroundings where I grew up. Sometimes it is hard to realize that some things will never again be as we remember them.
Silver Screen, Golden Years
The Third of February
Buddy Holly captivated the rhythm of my soul and drew me into the new world of rock and roll. Elvis was for girls, Buddy was for guys and this boy. And I still have his albums I bought way back then for about $1.49 each.
Musings of an Undefeated Matriarch
Obviously I Was Born in the Wrong Century
The first time my ex-husband visited, he said it was like stepping into his grandmother’s house. I was thrilled. That was the highest compliment he had ever given me. I had achieved what I was after. I had turned my home into a replica of one from the early 1900s.
Cleaning out the Junk Drawer Can Be Scary
I leafed through a stack of coupons that were so old, they included 25 cents off on a typewriter ribbon and 50 cents off on Purina cat chow. The last time I owned a cat, I was wearing a mini-skirt and go-go boots.
A Contemplative Garden
Many of us are repulsed by vulgarities in movies and television shows. However, we recall the shock of old folks when Rhett famously said to Scarlett, “I don’t give a damn,” while we impudently were spewing “fudge,” “flippin’,” and “darn” in our young cursing vocabularies. “Crap” was a biggie!
Silver Screen, Golden Years
Rear Window – An Ordinary Neighborhood, a Complicated Set
For a guy who spends the entire film in his jammies in a wheelchair, James Stewart has one of the most interesting roles of his career, in part due to his reactions displaying his changing attitudes towards his neighbors.
High-school Gym Class Was Torture
I never understood why it was so important to our gym teacher for us to learn how to do headstands anyway. I mean, if humans were meant to stand on their heads, they would have been born with wide, flat skulls (and in my case, a less heavy bottom)