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Saturday, June 23, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
What! I Can’t Wear Jeans!
A few weeks ago while at our weekly writers’ club meeting we were politely informed if we wanted to continue to use the conference room in the office complex we needed to change our dress code. The executives felt it was inappropriate to use their conference room in jeans or shorts. It was a hot day in Florida and I, myself, was wearing faded denim shorts and a summer blouse.
Not sure why but this infuriated me. Here I was 67 years old and some young executive trying to impress his executive was telling me how to dress for a meeting that gets together after hours. We meet five-thirty to seven-thirty in the evening to be precise.
This brought back memories of the ‘50s. It was the Poodle Shirts and Saddle Shoes time in my life. Girls always had to wear dresses or skirts even if it was below 30 degrees outside. We rebelled. Well we tried. We wore big bows in our hair and carried a doll to show that we were being treated as babies. On many days we wore black blouses and black skirts in mourning. It was the Elvis Presley time and American Bandstand time of my life. Although it didn’t work then, over time women were okay to wear pants and soon the trend went on to jeans.
Another wonderful memory for me is when I was in my forties. I was wearing slacks by this time but had never own a pair of jeans. My good friends invited me to my first concert. Linda Ronstadt was the county singer, and somewhat popular at the time. I decided to buy my first pair of jeans. Lee Jeans was the brand. I was hooked. The concert was great and so were the Lee Jeans. Soon the only time I wore slacks was to work or church. All other times it was and still is jeans. The only time I am out of jeans is during the summer months and even then my shorts are usually made of denim.
Here I was a week later from the announcement and trying to decide what to wear. I ended up with pinkest coral khakis and a t-shirt that says, “I’m Retired and This is as Dressed Up as I Get.” Still a little rebellious but no one complained and I hope the executives got a laugh out of it.
Not sure why but this infuriated me. Here I was 67 years old and some young executive trying to impress his executive was telling me how to dress for a meeting that gets together after hours. We meet five-thirty to seven-thirty in the evening to be precise.
This brought back memories of the ‘50s. It was the Poodle Shirts and Saddle Shoes time in my life. Girls always had to wear dresses or skirts even if it was below 30 degrees outside. We rebelled. Well we tried. We wore big bows in our hair and carried a doll to show that we were being treated as babies. On many days we wore black blouses and black skirts in mourning. It was the Elvis Presley time and American Bandstand time of my life. Although it didn’t work then, over time women were okay to wear pants and soon the trend went on to jeans.
Another wonderful memory for me is when I was in my forties. I was wearing slacks by this time but had never own a pair of jeans. My good friends invited me to my first concert. Linda Ronstadt was the county singer, and somewhat popular at the time. I decided to buy my first pair of jeans. Lee Jeans was the brand. I was hooked. The concert was great and so were the Lee Jeans. Soon the only time I wore slacks was to work or church. All other times it was and still is jeans. The only time I am out of jeans is during the summer months and even then my shorts are usually made of denim.
Here I was a week later from the announcement and trying to decide what to wear. I ended up with pinkest coral khakis and a t-shirt that says, “I’m Retired and This is as Dressed Up as I Get.” Still a little rebellious but no one complained and I hope the executives got a laugh out of it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
My blog is not directed to any group or cause
One of my friends is ______, you fill in the blanks. Well she’s _________, he’s _______, again fill in the blanks. How often have we’ve heard these phrases trying to pretend that we are not prejudice? How often do we make excuses for our actions?
Recently a comment was made to me that if I use Rainbow as the keyword in my blog that I would receive inquiries from the Gay community. I was hurt, offended that the use of such a beautiful name and gift created by God would only bring on one community and not the populations in general. My first reaction was “who cares.” Then I found myself expanding the keyword to be more descriptive; actually someone suggested it. Why?
When I look at people, I look at who they are. I don’t want to take their beliefs or culture away from them. I really enjoy learning from them. If I see a young Muslim women working at Wal-mart, I’m impress and curious at the same time. Like a little kid I want to ask questions and wonder what their home life is like. The same goes with Hispanic, African Americans, Germans, and Italians and yes; even Gays. If you are a truck driver or a banker, an actress or waitress, you are all the same. God’s creation.
So I am asking that you look at my blog as what it is, a look at life. My blog is not directed to any group or cause but I reserve the right to share my beliefs and values.
No matter who we are, we all have families, struggles and desires. It is my desire that someday when I am still alive we will all respect each other. Okay so this could be another blog on another day.
Recently a comment was made to me that if I use Rainbow as the keyword in my blog that I would receive inquiries from the Gay community. I was hurt, offended that the use of such a beautiful name and gift created by God would only bring on one community and not the populations in general. My first reaction was “who cares.” Then I found myself expanding the keyword to be more descriptive; actually someone suggested it. Why?
When I look at people, I look at who they are. I don’t want to take their beliefs or culture away from them. I really enjoy learning from them. If I see a young Muslim women working at Wal-mart, I’m impress and curious at the same time. Like a little kid I want to ask questions and wonder what their home life is like. The same goes with Hispanic, African Americans, Germans, and Italians and yes; even Gays. If you are a truck driver or a banker, an actress or waitress, you are all the same. God’s creation.
So I am asking that you look at my blog as what it is, a look at life. My blog is not directed to any group or cause but I reserve the right to share my beliefs and values.
No matter who we are, we all have families, struggles and desires. It is my desire that someday when I am still alive we will all respect each other. Okay so this could be another blog on another day.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
An Evening Rainbow - present tense then past tense
An Evening Rainbow (present tense)
I’m sitting on my screened in porch enjoying one of those rainy summer days in Florida. I’m reading when I look up and there is a rainbow forming an arch across the sky. I’m mesmerized by the colors, the colors of lilac, blue, green, yellow and orange. At present, I see a second rainbow trying to curve above the first but it can only go about one third up. It’s sad and yet beautiful to see the endeavor.
I know there is no pot of gold at either end of the rainbow for the rainbow is very illusive. The closer you get the further it moves away until it disappears. Always promising but never giving.
As I gaze up at the sky I think of the Bible and God’s promise to Noah, a promise never to destroy the earth by water again. The rainbow is a gift from God. A gift I watch as the lilac and orange colors are beginning to fade away. Watch how water and sun created this wonderful illusion. Watch, as I realize that nothing can compare to God’s magic.
The colors are now blending into the heavens – fading ever so slowly. At this point all that is left is a hint of yellow and a hint of green – the rainbow has almost disappeared. I continue to be amazed as I watch the white puffy clouds push their way to the front.
The rainbow is gone now; all I have left is the memory of the rain and the rainbow. The sun is now bright waiting for the water droplets to form again, a bond of the sun setting in the west and the rain falling in the east. Waiting for another day, another time – another evening of magic.
Rainbow on a Raining Afternoon (past tense)
It was one of those rainy summer days in Florida. I was sitting on my screened in deck reading when I looked up and there was a rainbow completely arched against the sky. I was mesmerized by the colors; the colors of lilac, blue, green, yellow and orange. A second rainbow tried to curve above but only got about one third up. I found it sad but encouraging that at least it tried.
I knew there was no pot-of-gold at either end of the rainbow for the rainbow was very illusive. The closer you got the further it moved away until it was all gone. Always promising but never giving.
As I gazed up at the sky I thought of the Bible and God’s promise to Noah. I saw the rainbow as a cleansing spirit. God uses water to cleanse us and the sun provides warmth, to sense his presences. It’s a gift from God. A gift to watch as the lilac and orange colors began to fade away. Watch how water and sun creates this wonderful illusion. Watch, as I realized, that nothing could compare to God’s magic.
The colors soon were thinning out and blending into the heavens – fading ever so slowly. Twenty minutes or so had gone by and all that was left was a hint of yellow and a hint of green – the rainbow had almost disappeared. The white puffy clouds were pushing their way to the front.
Time had past and the memory of the rain faded with the rainbow. The sun shone brightly waiting for the water crystals to form again, a bond of the sun setting in the west and the rain forming in the east. Waiting for another day, another time – another evening rainbow.
I’m sitting on my screened in porch enjoying one of those rainy summer days in Florida. I’m reading when I look up and there is a rainbow forming an arch across the sky. I’m mesmerized by the colors, the colors of lilac, blue, green, yellow and orange. At present, I see a second rainbow trying to curve above the first but it can only go about one third up. It’s sad and yet beautiful to see the endeavor.
I know there is no pot of gold at either end of the rainbow for the rainbow is very illusive. The closer you get the further it moves away until it disappears. Always promising but never giving.
As I gaze up at the sky I think of the Bible and God’s promise to Noah, a promise never to destroy the earth by water again. The rainbow is a gift from God. A gift I watch as the lilac and orange colors are beginning to fade away. Watch how water and sun created this wonderful illusion. Watch, as I realize that nothing can compare to God’s magic.
The colors are now blending into the heavens – fading ever so slowly. At this point all that is left is a hint of yellow and a hint of green – the rainbow has almost disappeared. I continue to be amazed as I watch the white puffy clouds push their way to the front.
The rainbow is gone now; all I have left is the memory of the rain and the rainbow. The sun is now bright waiting for the water droplets to form again, a bond of the sun setting in the west and the rain falling in the east. Waiting for another day, another time – another evening of magic.
Rainbow on a Raining Afternoon (past tense)
It was one of those rainy summer days in Florida. I was sitting on my screened in deck reading when I looked up and there was a rainbow completely arched against the sky. I was mesmerized by the colors; the colors of lilac, blue, green, yellow and orange. A second rainbow tried to curve above but only got about one third up. I found it sad but encouraging that at least it tried.
I knew there was no pot-of-gold at either end of the rainbow for the rainbow was very illusive. The closer you got the further it moved away until it was all gone. Always promising but never giving.
As I gazed up at the sky I thought of the Bible and God’s promise to Noah. I saw the rainbow as a cleansing spirit. God uses water to cleanse us and the sun provides warmth, to sense his presences. It’s a gift from God. A gift to watch as the lilac and orange colors began to fade away. Watch how water and sun creates this wonderful illusion. Watch, as I realized, that nothing could compare to God’s magic.
The colors soon were thinning out and blending into the heavens – fading ever so slowly. Twenty minutes or so had gone by and all that was left was a hint of yellow and a hint of green – the rainbow had almost disappeared. The white puffy clouds were pushing their way to the front.
Time had past and the memory of the rain faded with the rainbow. The sun shone brightly waiting for the water crystals to form again, a bond of the sun setting in the west and the rain forming in the east. Waiting for another day, another time – another evening rainbow.
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