~Living a life of sophisticated domestication deep in the heart of Texas~

Monday, February 28, 2011

....something, something, something...at the Brown Derby anymore...

Oh, hi.

Yesterday morning SGTex and I were spending a typical Sunday morning, just laying around. For some reason, a favorite actress of mine came to mind, as did one of her funny stories about The Brown Derby.....and I cannot, for the life of me, find the story/joke, anywhere, other than the fact that Clarke Gable proposed to her in a Brown Derby phone booth, a few nice Brown Derby drink recipes, and stuff about their Cobb salads.

As usual, my search for all of that led me to other interesting facts and stories about Carole Lombard (and Mr. Gable), along with some of her most fascinating and insightful quotations.

As you know by now, I'm nuts about quotes and am very apt to drop one here and there, whenever I think it might be appropriate or useful or interesting. Sometimes they're well-received, sometimes they're not. But this is about Carole, and she really did have a way of telling a good story and her thoughts and ideas seem quite wise and practical.

Some of what she had to say pertained to a woman living and working in what was called "a man's world." I'm not so sure it's a "man's world" anymore, but I suspect I'd have been more comfortable in some ways back in those days, when the lines were less blurred. I wonder if we lived more like the way they lived then, we'd have less conflict and wear and tear on relationships.... She talked about a woman's intuition vs a man's sense of logic, the former being just as necessary and valuable as the latter...hmm. I agree. It seems that she realized that a woman is way more interesting when she's busy doing something useful and has something to contribute to those around her, is more fulfilled and has a sense of purpose. Yeah, Carole, I believe that. She suggested that women not be afraid of work, that they be industrious and have something to do besides being a woman who just sits around and gossips and causes trouble. She used the term "catty" for that type of woman. (But that's insulting to cats!! heh)

There are many, many other things that she had to say about her life and times, and as you can imagine, I'm going to enjoy reading and thinking about what she thought. Hopefully I'll pick up some good tips and learn something to apply in my own life, in my own love.

I guess what I admire about her is that she was a lovely woman who was smart, funny (and she threw a helluva party), she worked really hard (some years starring in as many of 5 or 6 films- and they were good ones). She obviously was a thinker. She followed some of the rules, bent some of the rules, broke some of the rules, and managed to do it all while still maintaining her "ladyness."

Ego integrity--that's what my man, SGTex would call it.

Shawn
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Monday, February 21, 2011

The button basket....


For some reason today my mother's button basket found its way into a conversation I was having with SGTex. I hadn't thought about it in a long time, but all of a sudden I was wishing I still had it, as it actually came from my great grandmother. Nothing fancy, just a brown, woven basket with a lid that just barely fit, filled to the brim with beautiful buttons and what-nots, each representing memories of days and dresses and shirts gone by.

It occurs to me that our minds are a bit like that button basket. Hopefully most of what is stored there is useful and pleasant, old memories right alongside new, bright ideas that are tucked away and easily found when needed, able to be applied for renewal or repair of whatever situation arises with the sun or the moon in our lives. It's best that it not be filled with what is useless, broken or unpleasant, but when those items find their way to the surface, they can easily be dealt with and discarded as necessary, leaving room for only what's nice and worth keeping... ;+)
Shawn
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photo courtesy of: cottage quilting online, The Button Basket.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

It all comes down to....


...the cherry.
I've been meaning to tell you what happened.....
The other night someone mentioned one of Sonic's latest beverages, the vanilla cherry diet Coke. Well, we like Sonic's drinks and felt we just had to imbibe. Delicious. And sure enough, there was a maraschino cherry on the crushed ice at the bottom of the cup, just laying there waiting for me to reach in, pull it out and make it disappear :+).
So, later on that night we were having popcorn and watching television. I reached into the big blue bowl that we share, and much to my surprise, just laying there on the popcorn waiting to disappear was...a big, red maraschino cherry.
Hey, SGTex had saved it--- for me!!! Now, that's love, isn't it?!!
I don't know about you, but I bet you must be thinking what I'm thinking-- his doing something like that for me was just beyond sweet. There's something very special about a man who's willing to give it up for a woman, and that Man is mine, and that woman is me!!

Shawn
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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Love story....


As a very small, pre-school age child, I hadn't heard much talk about "love" in my home, but knew there was such a thing. I learned that behaving myself and doing what I was told, minding my mother and being cheerful got good results, i.e., "love." Not doing those things got bad results, and that made the "love" go away.
Or so I thought.
At least it felt that way to me, especially about my mother, as she was the person with whom I spent the most time and who seemed to have the power to add or subtract happiness in my day-to-day world. Oh yeah, and as time went on and I added a few years, I heard these words: "We love you, and we want other people to love you, too." Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, that was behavior-based love. In other words, if I was behaving myself as a child, my parents would love me. If I misbehaved as a child, my parents wouldn't love me, nor would anyone else. Actually, I should insert somewhere in the above paragraph that my father didn't say any such thing, nor did he give me any indication that the filial love which I could expect was based on anything other than the fact that I was, for all intents and purposes, his daughter. And I should also mention that much of this was a misconception on my part, as I was too young to understand that much of the negative stuff I observed and experienced was caused by some incredible stress that was happening in the lives of my parents, who did, in fact love me, and proved it over and over in ways which I've come to appreciate, now that I've learned what it's like to be a "grownup," :+). Anyway, at the time, I was given to understand that if I wanted "love," I'd better mind my P's and Q's....
Or so I thought.
We fell into the habit of going to church, and I heard about God's "love." That was a United Presbyterian church in Oregon, and this God I had been told about was depicted as somebody in a brown robe with a hood, looming out of the clouds and smiling in a funny sort of way at Earth. I know, because it's what I colored that morning on my Sunday School paper. I wasn't very impressed, and didn't much want to go back there. I'd find something else to do on Sundays, thanks anyway.
As mentioned above, there was this family crisis and we moved to Washington and started going to a different sort of church. I was taught different sorts of things than before, and the concept of God became a little clearer. Oh, okay, so I was going to be all right, after all, and I didn't have to worry. What I was now being told seemed reasonable, and the people who came into my life could be trusted. I had no worries, and things were going to work out just fine in my little life.
Or so I thought.
Well, some things happened, good and bad. The teen years were upon me and again, I was sitting in church listening to a visiting delegate from our religious organization (sigh). There was this guy in a black suit standing up front of the church full of really nice people, and he had come all this way, from Collingswood, New Jersey, and he was talking about what was going on in the world. I wasn't paying close attention, until he said sneeringly, in a big, deep voice, "Love!!!! Love??? Where have we heard THAT before??" He was talking about the peace movement and what was happening all over America at the time, as though it were a terrible thing. Wait a minute! How could anything about "love" not be good?? What?? He said the word "love," as though it were distasteful, used the word in such a way as to make us question and be suspicious about what we were seeing in the news and hearing at the dinner table.... Yes, he was, as though "love" was to be avoided. Very confusing. Right then and there I decided I wouldn't be influenced any longer by people like that, those leaders who wore the suits and did all the talking in that church, those who attempted to direct and tell me what to think and how to live. I could ignore them. That wouldn't be too difficult.
Or so I thought.
Anyway, the years and the miles have flown by, and I'm still in the process of extrication. I haven't changed my core belief about love and what it means, and what it doesn't mean. I'm nearly, but not completely free of all that. I still find it irritating when people attempt to impose their attitudes and beliefs on others, in the name of "love." Frankly, I've found more unpleasant and distasteful behavior, read more asinine comments and seen the judgment-passing by those who claim to "love" God and do his good works, than I've ever experienced by those who aren't going around touting their principles for living as godliness and lovingkindness. I have no more time for those who claim to love and be loved by God, yet are looking down their noses at those who feel differently and believe differently.
And so, that's my rant on this Valentine's weekend. My goal for the next while is to work on effectiveness and sincerity, effect an enhancement, so to speak.
It's about making my love.... more loving.....
Happy Valentine's Day!!

Shawn
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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Valentine's Day compte à rebours ....


Isn't this flower amazing?!
It reminds me of the lovely bouquet SGTex brought home the other day.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner here at our house, how about where you are? Sure hope you have something special planned with the one you love!
Beaucoup d'amour....
xoxoxo
Shawn
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