Rothermel Star

Accused of racial discrimination, Paula Deen responded under oath that she had used the N-word on occasion, decades in the past. Apparently inquiring minds found that shocking. Personally, I would have been shocked if she claimed she’d never used that particular word. It’s not a word I heard very often in my childhood, but I grew up in the 60’s in Utah and California. Deen was raised in the 50’s in Georgia. Her admission set off a media firestorm resulting in severed ties with Caesar’s Entertainment, Food Network, Smithfield Foods and even Wal-Mart. It’s amazing what one little word can do. It’s even more amazing when you consider it’s a word people of color frequently use to describe each other. If Paula Deen was a black woman, no one would have batted an eyelash. But because she’s white, she stands to lose her career and her reputation. Isn’t THAT racial discrimination?

West Wind

Here’s another chocolate/peanut butter no-bake cookie recipe to try. Have plenty of cold milk on hand before you make this one:

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup melted butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar (I was out, so I ran granulated sugar through the blender)

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

11 ounces chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour peanut butter mixture into a parchment-lined 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave at 50% power for about a minute. The chocolate won’t LOOK like it’s melting until you stir it. Once it’s melted pour the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture. Spread chocolate with a spatula. Refrigerate bars for one hour.  Once it’s completely cool, cut into bars. Makes 24 small servings or 12 really large helpings!

Queen of the Night

“The home is the first and most effective place for children to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self-control; the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home” - David O. McKay, 1968. Nearly two decades ago Lisa Heffernan left her job as a trader on Wall Street to become a stay-at-home mom to her three sons; a decision she now regrets. She resents the sacrifice of her career, and she’s sorry her boys grew up thinking their mother “did nothing.” Her story mystifies me. Didn't she leave the workforce to nurture and teach her children, and to create a comfortable, loving home for them? That’s a long way from doing nothing. How do you suppose her sons feel, knowing their mother wishes she'd let the nanny raise them?

Tinted Chains

I graduated first in my high school class, but only because they lined us up in order of height. The fellow at the other end of the line went on to play in the NFL for thirteen seasons and is a familiar face on ESPN. But I digress. I wasn’t asked to speak at my own graduation, and no one is ever likely to ask me to speak at theirs. But if they did I’d say, “The most important decisions you’re ever likely to make involve your family. Think hard about who you choose to marry. When you’ve made your choice, put your whole heart and soul into that relationship. If you have a great marriage and a miserable career, you’ll be happy. If you have a successful career and a miserable marriage, you’ll always be miserable.” It’s short and sweet, which puts it ahead of most of the commencement speeches I’ve heard.

Broken Band

When my daughter sees a jet passing overhead she says, “Look! Somebody’s going to Disneyland!” To her, it’s that simple. Planes can take you to the happiest place on earth. Why would anyone use one for anything else? But not everyone sees things the way she does. More than a dozen years ago someone looked at passing aircraft and instead of seeing a mode of transportation imagined a flying bomb; one that could take out America’s financial, legislative and military centers. Because of monstrous minds like that, we have to take security measures that can feel like an invasion of our privacy. I’m no more comfortable with the thought of the NSA having a record of my phone activity than I am with the TSA patting me down before a flight. But I understand that dealing with monsters is never an easy thing. And I’d rather live with my discomfort than take my chances with the monsters.