Cactus Flower

Several years ago – when it made sense to subscribe to the TV Guide – I read two articles in the same magazine about two celebrities. One was described as a fresh and contemporary young man. The other was an august and venerable woman; a grand dame. The thing that makes this stand out in my memory is that the two stars were practically the same age. They were judged differently because of their genders. Think of famous actors in their fifties: George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Jim Carey, Hugh Grant, Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, Woody Harrelson, Colin Firth, or Hugh Jackman. Most of us see them as vibrant; at the height of their careers. It doesn’t bother us to see them cast in movies alongside starlets young enough to be their daughters. Would we feel differently if their love interests were played by Shirley MacLaine or Maggie Smith? Why?

Key Lime Pie

I frequently leave home without my keys. Not when I’m driving, of course, but when I walk or bicycle. I often leave without any ID. I just don’t think about it until I’m too far to want to turn back. What if I had an accident? How long would it take first responders to find my family? If I’m walking or biking, I usually leave my money behind. It protects me from impulse purchases like the lovely Sarah Bernhardt pastries at the bakery a mile away. I should probably stick a tube of Chapstick and a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse. I’m better at remembering these during cold season than summer. Safety pins, a hanky, gum, mints,  and adhesive bandages would all be good ideas, too. The one thing I never leave without is my phone. If someone could invent a phone that replaced all that other stuff, he’d be rich.

Album Frame

When I was in high school I used to watch M*A*S*H. It was a war comedy, but didn’t make fun of the war like Hogan’s Heroes or McHale’s Navy. With flag-draped coffins on the evening news, it’s hard to laugh about war. I thought Cheers was well written, and I especially liked Rhea Perlman and John Ratzenberger. I never missed an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. When it came out in VHS, I bought the whole series. Then I replaced them with DVDs. I enjoyed Frasier and Monk when they aired in the States. While we lived in England their reruns were ubiquitous. I used to listen to CSI as I cooked dinner. (If I’d WATCHED it, I’d have lost my appetite.) I haven’t seen an episode since William Peterson left. The only current series’ I like are Sherlock, Who Do You Think You Are? and Downton Abbey. I’d watch them, if I could only find them.

Sherman's March

Their father, a Russian-born Jewish immigrant, was shocked to learn that kids in the US had disposable income for records. He dared his two sons to write a song that America’s youth would give up their lunch money to buy. Robert and Richard Sherman rose to the challenge, and co-wrote dozens of delightful tunes. Our collective childhood wouldn’t have been the same without the songs from Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh,  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, The Jungle Book, Charlotte’s Web, The Sword in the Stone, The Parent Trap, Summer Magic, The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band, and The Happiest Millionaire. And who could forget The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room?  I’ve heard jokes about using the soundtrack for “It’s a Small World” as a torture for terrorists. But this song, which the brothers wrote for the 1964 World’s Fair, is translated into more languages and performed more often even than “Happy Birthday.”

Four-Patch Pinwheel

The running joke is Brigham Young sent a group of settlers to tame the wilderness in the southern extremes of Utah Territory. When they got to the south end of the Salt Lake valley, they decided to set up camp until the wind stopped blowing. They’ve been here ever since. The truth is a little different. One of the first white settlers in this area was Ebenezer Brown, a cattleman who sold beef to ‘49ers heading for California gold. Like the children’s song, The Farmer in the Dell, he brought his wife along. She brought her kids and her brother, and he brought his wife and her kids. Before long there were 20 families in the area. They decided to call themselves the town of South Willow Creek. But the postal service said they needed a unique name (Utah has more willows and creeks than folks with imagination), so they used their first mayor’s last name: Draper.  

Bittersweet Sampler

I have skin allergies, so makeup is a dicey affair. I’ve learned the hard way that “Hypoallergenic” doesn’t mean I won’t react to it. And “Allergy Tested” doesn’t mean anything at all. When I go to the effort of putting on makeup I don’t see much improvement. Most days all I wear on my face is a moisturizer. Like everything else in my makeup bag, it’s from Clinique. When I do bother with anything more I use a base called “Almost Makeup” and translucent powder. The blush, called “Sunkissed,” doubles as a low-key eye shadow. I use lip gloss rather than lipstick; raspberry if I’m wearing a purple or pink outfit, and copper if I’m wearing brown or green. Mascara has caused more trouble than all the other items in the bag combined. I always choose one that’s water-soluble so it’s easy to remove. And I replace it every two or three months, before it becomes a Petri dish.