Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
It's a beautiful day here on the central coast of California, about 62 degrees, partly-cloudy - all the rain yesterday washed the sky blue again. GORGEOUS!
I've just pulled my homemade yeast rolls from the oven (my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner) and have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV; I only watch because of the giant balloons and Santa's arrival. We're going to my Mother-in-Law's today and to my family's on Saturday, sorta Thanksgiving and my Brother's birthday celebrated together. I can't wait!
Thinking about my Mom a lot today. She passed away in January and this time of the year was her favorite, probably why it's my favorite time of the year too. I'm going to say Mom's prayer at dinner this afternoon: "Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub, Yay, God!"
Anyway, I wish you all a very happy day and hope it's spent with people you love . . . or at least who you really like. Take care.
I've just pulled my homemade yeast rolls from the oven (my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner) and have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV; I only watch because of the giant balloons and Santa's arrival. We're going to my Mother-in-Law's today and to my family's on Saturday, sorta Thanksgiving and my Brother's birthday celebrated together. I can't wait!
Thinking about my Mom a lot today. She passed away in January and this time of the year was her favorite, probably why it's my favorite time of the year too. I'm going to say Mom's prayer at dinner this afternoon: "Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub, Yay, God!"
Anyway, I wish you all a very happy day and hope it's spent with people you love . . . or at least who you really like. Take care.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
My Baby Brother Turns 50
We are all going to his house for a big party on Saturday the 29th. And since he doesn't read my blog (even tho I gave him the address), I will post the poem I wrote for the occasion:
On My Baby Brother Turning 50
Distinguished friends and family gathered here today,
please listen to me briefly as I have some words to say.
On this notable occasion we are here to celebrate
the birthday of my brother, who is fifty on this date.
We know him as a man of honor, honest and foursquare.
He is well-traveled, well liked, even somewhat debonair.
He’s now a half century old but still he looks fine,
more wrinkles will come, it will just take some time.
Yes, my brother is turning 50 and his hair is turning grey
but some of us remember him before he got this way.
Always a handsome lad who had been known to flirt,
but once he was a little boy known to me as Johnny Burt.
He’s laughed a lot and cried a little too, and of the hard times,
I'm sure there were a few!
He’s fallen and stood right back up on his feet,
and many good people he’s had the pleasure to meet.
He’s worked very hard and played a lot too, but John,
there's not too many who can do what you do.
There are so many people around him here that care,
and hope at his one hundredth, they will be there.
Turning Fifty's not such a terrible thing,
but I can't wait to see what the next fifty brings!!!!
All my love, Cissy
On My Baby Brother Turning 50
Distinguished friends and family gathered here today,
please listen to me briefly as I have some words to say.
On this notable occasion we are here to celebrate
the birthday of my brother, who is fifty on this date.
We know him as a man of honor, honest and foursquare.
He is well-traveled, well liked, even somewhat debonair.
He’s now a half century old but still he looks fine,
more wrinkles will come, it will just take some time.
Yes, my brother is turning 50 and his hair is turning grey
but some of us remember him before he got this way.
Always a handsome lad who had been known to flirt,
but once he was a little boy known to me as Johnny Burt.
He’s laughed a lot and cried a little too, and of the hard times,
I'm sure there were a few!
He’s fallen and stood right back up on his feet,
and many good people he’s had the pleasure to meet.
He’s worked very hard and played a lot too, but John,
there's not too many who can do what you do.
There are so many people around him here that care,
and hope at his one hundredth, they will be there.
Turning Fifty's not such a terrible thing,
but I can't wait to see what the next fifty brings!!!!
All my love, Cissy
Monday, November 17, 2008
Worth repeating (from last year)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Actually, I am addicted to Fall: crisp air, that “autumn blue” sky, raking leaves, freshly picked apples, dried corn stalks, and pumpkin patches. (Note: I could be genetically predisposed as my birthday falls on the first day of Autumn most years.) My house begins to fill with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Around the end of July, I begin scouring my old magazines for Fall arts & crafts and decorating projects, comfort food ideas, and new baking recipes. I am a woman obsessed! I go down to the basement to begin sorting through my Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations, all carefully packed in plastic storage boxes (I’ll spare you my obsession with Christmas and how I put up 3 Christmas trees each year).
This past Sunday, in honor of my birthday, my husband took me out to breakfast, my favorite meal to have out and also to cook. As we drove south on Hwy 1, along the coast to Moss Landing, overlooking Monterey Bay, I spied my first pumpkin patch of the season. My husband of 30 years knows well my reaction to seeing the pumpkins for the first time and pulled over just in time (he’s really as bad as me) to take in the gorgeous sea of orange and white. Pumpkins of every size imaginable, as far as the eye can see, rolling down to the water’s edge.
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Actually, I am addicted to Fall: crisp air, that “autumn blue” sky, raking leaves, freshly picked apples, dried corn stalks, and pumpkin patches. (Note: I could be genetically predisposed as my birthday falls on the first day of Autumn most years.) My house begins to fill with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Around the end of July, I begin scouring my old magazines for Fall arts & crafts and decorating projects, comfort food ideas, and new baking recipes. I am a woman obsessed! I go down to the basement to begin sorting through my Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations, all carefully packed in plastic storage boxes (I’ll spare you my obsession with Christmas and how I put up 3 Christmas trees each year).
This past Sunday, in honor of my birthday, my husband took me out to breakfast, my favorite meal to have out and also to cook. As we drove south on Hwy 1, along the coast to Moss Landing, overlooking Monterey Bay, I spied my first pumpkin patch of the season. My husband of 30 years knows well my reaction to seeing the pumpkins for the first time and pulled over just in time (he’s really as bad as me) to take in the gorgeous sea of orange and white. Pumpkins of every size imaginable, as far as the eye can see, rolling down to the water’s edge.
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Obama Cabinet Picks (just thinking ahead)
I won't try and guess the biggies like Chief of Staff (I have read Rahm Emanuel has the job if he wants it), Attorney General (a woman would be nice) or Secretary of State (?)
BUT
how about these names:
Treasury Secretary: Michael Bloomberg (he's a party swinger, kinda like Lieberman)
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub who's actually done well here in CA)
Secretary of Education: Caroline Kennedy (a Kennedy in the White House again - Camelot!)
Secretary of Defense: Colin Powell (I know but he was a soldier and knows his stuff)
Press Secretary: Jon Stewart or Keith Olberman (Stephen Colbert is Canadian)
OK, I'll keep thinking . . .
Oh yeah, and I dreamed Michelle Obama asked me to come decorate the White House for Christmas - ME, not Martha Stewart - lol - it could happen!
BUT
how about these names:
Treasury Secretary: Michael Bloomberg (he's a party swinger, kinda like Lieberman)
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub who's actually done well here in CA)
Secretary of Education: Caroline Kennedy (a Kennedy in the White House again - Camelot!)
Secretary of Defense: Colin Powell (I know but he was a soldier and knows his stuff)
Press Secretary: Jon Stewart or Keith Olberman (Stephen Colbert is Canadian)
OK, I'll keep thinking . . .
Oh yeah, and I dreamed Michelle Obama asked me to come decorate the White House for Christmas - ME, not Martha Stewart - lol - it could happen!
Open Letter to Obama from Alice Walker
Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.
And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.
We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance.
A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on.
One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.
One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.
It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.
And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.
And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.
We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance.
A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on.
One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.
One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.
It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.
And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
AWESOME DAY FOR AMERICA!!!
Proud. Proud. Proud.
I am especially proud to be an American today.
The dark clouds over this nation are moving away;
Good bye to the old, make way for the new.
It's not going to be easy, let's roll up our sleeves
and get to work!
The page has been turned.
We've looked in the mirror and have finally become
the country we always knew we were.
(Party at my house January 24th, you're ALL invited!)
I am especially proud to be an American today.
The dark clouds over this nation are moving away;
Good bye to the old, make way for the new.
It's not going to be easy, let's roll up our sleeves
and get to work!
The page has been turned.
We've looked in the mirror and have finally become
the country we always knew we were.
(Party at my house January 24th, you're ALL invited!)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Dr. King had it Right
"I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.
This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream-- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed;
a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few;
a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream-- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed;
a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few;
a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, November 03, 2008
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