I’m getting to the blog a little late today. Sometimes it’s a treat to allow myself to read for an hour or two in the morning – which is what I did today. The book I’m reading isn’t even all that great – it’s what I’d call “mystery-lite”, but it’s interesting enough to provide a nice respite on this Sunday morning. A cup or two of coffee and a book to read spells perfection to me.
I’m going to be doing a lot of work outside today. As of today, I think we’re past the very cold nights that have been the norm. The temps are hitting the 70s today, with abundant sun, so it’s time to rake the leaf mulch out of the garden beds. Huzzah! Yesterday, I went to Lowe’s to buy a child’s rake because our regular leaf rakes are too wide to maneuver around delicate new growth. It’s something I should have done long ago. It’s a cute rake, by the way, bright yellow.
I read the most interesting article in the New York Times today. It’s about Mary Beard, who is a professor at the University of Cambridge, a prolific author and an authority on ancient Roman culture. She has become an outspoken critic of internet trolling. In her case, as she is seen on British television frequently, the trolling started out as mean barbs about her appearance, written through the vehicle of social media. She was nearing sixty with naturally gray hair and this, apparently, was all trolls needed to generate negative comments about her appearance.
“When you look at me on the telly, and say she should be on ‘The Undateables,’ you are looking at a 59 year old woman. This is what 59 year old women who have not had work done look like. Get it?” -quoted from the New York Times article. (The Undateables is a British reality show. Oy.)
Bravo. I love this woman. She also responds to this sort of thing with dry humor, which is always more effective than anger. There’s nothing wrong with getting work done or coloring one’s hair, of course, but for those of us who choose to look the way we are at this point in time, it’s unbelievably refreshing and affirming.
That brings to mind a lot of things, many of which I have written about in past posts, so I don’t really need to go into it again. All I know is I want to know more about Mary Beard and I applaud her wholeheartedly.
Have a lovely day – I hope the weather is spring-like in your neck of the woods.
Happy Sunday.
No garden here yet as we just moved in last summer. But plans are underway, landscaping companies are visiting with quotes and today we’re off to Costco to see if they have any raised garden bed kits in stock so we can at least begin the process of creating our first veggie patch. Beautiful warm temps, cloudless sky and a very hot week on the horizon. Hope you have fun in your garden today. Enjoy!
I hope you can get started on your veggie patch, Chy!
Upper 70’s today…can you believe ? We did work yesterday…for a short while. And will continue all week….a little each day. That works better for us. Enjoy your new rake…I’m sure you will wonder why on earth you didn’t buy one years ago! ;)
I’m doing a little each day, as well, Donnamae. Just makes sense, doesn’t it. I’m alternating between a paint project for the TSP and raking out my big garden bed. And that will be it for the day!
Hurray for good weather – sunshine is such a tonic. I hope I remember I said that when I can’t sleep because it doesn’t actually get dark here in the middle of the summer. I was out yesterday picking up the branches that fell victim to the wild winds of last week. When I was finished, I stopped in at the little bookshop on the next block. Fortunately I’ve known the owner for years, so she doesn’t look askance if I tear in on some “urgent” mission wearing my gardening pants. The bookshop’s main trade is in technical books, but there is a small fiction shelf. While I was there I noticed a copy of “The Girl On The Train”, so I grabbed it to read while I did a load of laundry after dinner. I’m afraid I didn’t think it was very good. Had I been on an airplane, I would have left it in the seat pocket for the next passenger.
I’ve never considered myself “undateable” because I have a white streak in my hair. It’s become almost a calling card of sorts. A television crew came by work a short time ago and asked to film some comments I had made earlier in support of a local union. I agreed (as I felt strongly about the issue) and then didn’t think about it again. I didn’t even realize they’d aired the segment until a woman stopped me in the grocery store as apparently I have recognizable hair. Not everyone in our town is a union supporter, but she gave me credit for speaking out. We used to watch Walt Disney as a family after Sunday dinner when I was growing up. How very sad that watching and laughing at people making derogatory remarks has become the replacement for some families.
The very name of that show is appalling, isn’t it? I’ve had gray hair for a long while though it isn’t totally gray. There’s a good deal of brown underneath and various streaks of gray throughout. I’m proud of it!
I liked The Girl on the Train, simply because it was plotted extremely deftly and I was intrigued that the author could take three such unlikeable women that I wanted to slap many times and yet have them change over time. Maybe not enough change, but I had the feeling the two who were still living would be different in the future.
It probably didn’t help that one of the main characters has the same name as my daughter!
I’ve always thought you must be terribly glamorous with your height and long hair and red lipstick. My daughter is always encouraging me to buy smart clothes/makeup and visit the hairdresser, but I try to impress upon her that those outward trappings (which I enjoy as much as anyone) don’t change who I am. And I’m just as okay with myself wearing my disreputable gardening pants and not covering up my freckles.
Me too! I don’t think of myself as glamorous, although I clean up well! But my clothes are basically jeans and t-shirts…I used to be very stylish, but it costs money to be stylish and besides, I hardly ever go out to any sort of big event.
You and your sister MEredith are stunning as you are. I am so perplexed why people have plastic surgery given the fact that they look awful afterwards. I have seen very few that aren’t blaringly obvious…or is that what they are going for?
I don’t know! I can always tell, and I find myself looking at the results of the surgery rather than listening to the person, if you know what I mean!
Here, Monday is supposed to be 85 degrees, That is summer weather in these parts. Hurray for Mary Beard!! We need a lot more like her, but I have noticed at more and more women are leaving off the makeup and not doing elaborate hairdos. Hurray for them too.
Hurrah, indeed! I must admit I really like seeing women be themselves at whatever age. Of course, I still like to wear makeup when I’m out and about, but other than that…I am what I am!
? Oh, what a beautiful morning!! As Donnamae said, in the upper 70’s here today. All of the windows are open, and the birds are singing, which does wonders for the soul.
On Sunday Morning today, Kathy Bates was a guest and she said when she had her show “Harry’s Law” on NBC a few years ago, they were surprised when they were cancelled as they knew they had a strong following. NBC told her that her audience was too old. Yeah.
We are so often dismissed without another thought because of age. I guess we have become “the establishment” (of which we riled against in the 60’s). Time flies by, and as we know, what goes around, comes around. Sooner than they can imagine, the youngsters of today will also be looked at as irrelevant as time continues to march on. It just happens SO quickly!!
Unbelievable. As Don and I have said, we become the invisible. But we still buy goods and have an income, so you’d think they’d want us as an audience.
It happens much too quickly, Chris!
We had a wonderful TV series show here in Australia cancelled in the middle of the second season because the powers that be decided the target audience was too old. My 21 year old daughter loved the show and we used to watch it together on Sunday night, we were so disappointed when it was cancelled.
Oh goodness, how short-sighted of the television network. They act as if we no longer spend money. They’re deluded.
Enjoy your Sunday afternoon in the sun, digging in and around your garden. The week ahead looks typically “Aprilly” weather-wise too, so it looks like a good time for gardening is finally here. You know, most of the year I’m completely satisfied being a renter. I have my houseplants of course, and a few very pretty hanging baskets at my front door and on my little covered porch during the Spring and Summer, so that’s good. But I’ve got to admit, these are the days, EVERY year, when I really regret not having some certifiable dirt of my very own. There’s something SO appealing about those first days in the garden after the long dreary Winter. It’s genuinely life-affirming. Driving down the street I’m actually envious of the homeowners I see out in their yards, wearing their “Wellies” and busy with raking, picking up twigs and branches, uncovering shrubs and flower beds, spreading fertilizer, etc. And – drum roll – getting to breathe in one of the greatest aromas in the whole world, freshly-cut grass. So happy ‘mucking about’ this week! ? ?
I felt the same way when I lived in an apartment – which must have covered at least 24 years. I understand. Our grass is already getting long, Janet! If we don’t cut at least portions of the front lawn soon, the lawnmower will stall. I guess we start doing that this week!
You will love that little rake. I have three of them now and would never be without one. So handy. I think I use the little rakes far more often than the large ones. Have a wonderful Sunday!
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
I used it today, Susan, and it was so much easier than trying to maneuver the big rake around the plants.
I have to go out and buy a little rake now! The pine needles are impossible to pick up all my hand but a blower will also blow away my mulch. My daughter got most of the veggie plants in the last couple of days. She has one more raised bed to plant. Hope you have fun and enjoy the sun, despite how strenuous garden work can be. Envision your lush garden of tomorrow!
I worked for a couple of hours, Wendy and it’s such fun to see the familiar plants coming out of the ground.
Must be gratifying and fun for you to see those shoots coming up after a hard winter. My backyard has less afternoon sun, so I go out to work in the afternoon…will be out there soon. My daughter finally got our veggies planted. This afternoon, we have to pick up pine needles, a necessary job but one I dislike intensely! More fun pruning and planting.
When we lived in our rental for the first four years we were out East, we had two pine trees right in front of the house. I well remember pine needles! I planted pachysandra under the pines and watered them all the time, and despite the pine needles they thrived. (I have a feeling whoever moved in there didn’t care about them as much as I did. That’s the trouble with rentals!
I spent yesterday evening at the beach til sundown. The crowds thinned out because of too much wind and, even on a hot day (which we had; today is hotter), the air gets a little chilly toward the end of the day with the breeze blowing off the water (which of course is why a lot of the people go to the beach in the first place on a hot day…to get cooler!).
We took a drive to the shore after braving the afternoon shopping crowds at the packed Target in a nearby town. Anyway, it was low tide and a beautiful shallow lagoon was formed which the kids were loving and the parents were loving (because it kept the kids out of the colder, rather violent Pacific surf). I noticed a larger amount than ‘normal’ of green succulent growing straight out of sandy, windswept beach. I would have liked to snip off some but, of course, it’s against the law. I just find it miraculous what grows where…in sometimes the strangest soils (or lack of soil), pine needles (!)…and sand!
We’d had to cut down a patch of poinsettias which were over 50 years old…had to pave paradise and put up a parking lot, but I don’t have to put them in a {tree} museum and charge a dollar and a half just to see ’em (Joni Mitchell) because under all the new concrete, one lone poinsettia root persisted and has popped out at the wall from under the foundation, somehow to give us one determined and prolific stalk of fiery red poinsettia flower…in April, not December…and I’m in no way going to cut it down if I can possibly help it because anything that determined deserves to live!
Purple jacaranda trees are blooming everywhere, seemingly overnight. Depending upon their age and how much water they got, although they’re drought-resistant, we’ll see that magnificent purple now til end of July if we’re lucky. Some of the more ancient, gnarly-trunked jacaranda grows with utterly no human intervention in impossible places. I worry about them but, every year, even in a drought year, they bloom. But we’ve lost so many other trees in my town due to the California drought. My heart broke last night when driving through down, back from the beach, taking a favorite route down a street which has an alley of oaks probably dating from 1905…and the city had very recently cut down at least four which just could not come back due to lack of rain. I don’t know why on earth the homeowners couldn’t have tried harder to water them, even with water restriction but people are so unaccustomed to doing that, maybe they just didn’t think of it. Somebody got a lot of cut oak wood to burn, that’s for sure. And now we’ve lost our drapey, beautiful, arching branches that touched each other from opposite sides of the street, creating the canopy/alley which had been used by more than one Hollywood film company for location shots. The trees were there for my generation and my parents’ generation, all of our whole lives, and now they’re gone forever. I know things change, but this is a tough one. I felt shock. I loved those trees. I don’t know what was worse…seeing them dying or seeing them gone.
I used to love seeing the jacarandas bloom when I lived in San Diego. They are so beautiful! I hate the thought of any tree being cut down, Vicki!
Beautiful days ahead! One of my favorite garden tools was my little “purple” child’s garden rake!
Well, it took me a while to catch on, but I’m so glad I got one, Lottie!
Yes, but, you know, most people don’t want to look at photos or moving pictures of a 60-ish woman with wrinkles, gray hair, age spots (and packing more pounds than she’d like [me!]). Dame Helen Mirren being an exception; she always looks fab in her Dolce & Gabbana designer clothes, and there’s that iconic photo of her in a 2-pc bathing suit in her 60s that’s also inspiring!
So many of us (I’m not immune) are too visual, wanting to feast the eye on what’s pretty or colorful or smooth & unlined and not blubbery; whatever. We’ve become too accustomed to seeing celebs (models, actresses, actors, etc.) on TV and in print who have been airbrushed, nipped/tucked…so that when we see the ones who opted out of that sort of thing, and maybe the last time we saw them in a movie was 20 years ago, the first reaction upon seeing a current-time photo is to exclaim that their looks have changed and not, most often, for the better. When we’re older, it’s hard to achieve the fresh look of youth but, of course, we’re not meant to, are we. We are organic; we age, we slow down; nothing is going to stop the advance of years upon us. It’s the natural way of things. As much as we might fight against it! I just saw a photo of a male actor who was a heart-throb in the 70s, when he was in his 20s, and I have to admit, I cringed. They stay young forever in films but, in real life (as opposed to reel life), time marches on.
We have such a thing about youth. And I’m not gonna lie, I miss being younger. But, I was looking at the photos dominating the news right now about the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California; it’s hot, really hot, we were 89 degrees before lunch today and we’re ‘way, ‘way north of Indio where I am, so I can’t even imagine how hot they are in the desert (it’s like Palm Springs there). So, yeah, the festival goers aren’t wearing too many clothes (Woodstock wannabes in designer duds!) and there are a lot of young and gorgeous models PAID to be there and work the festival and go to the various parties (from what I understand) but if you see an ‘older’ person there, they look out of place; it’s largely the young at this huge festival and it’s their photos who get online or in the gossipy mags, not the older attendees. I saw a photo of Cindy Crawford, famous model now aged 50…and she still looks wonderful/amazing…wearing Daisy Dukes at this festival and I couldn’t help but think, “Cindy, c’mon, super short-shorts, really? Quit trying to compete with your teenage daughter!” I would have felt more admiration to see her in a floaty, gauzy sundress. Although she’s allowed, of course, to wear what she wants to wear. But I’ve felt her latest social media postings of herself in a skimpy bikini smack of desperation.
I’m straying off topic, and that gets into the whole age-appropriate thing, but I continue to be intrigued/dismayed/perplexed/confused by the emphasis on ‘youth’ which I guess, if you’re in the news and entertainment industry, can spell disaster when you’re the one whose youth has faded. And I suppose it’s always been like this but do you think it’s only this way (to such a HUGE degree) in the U.S.? I have long since decided I won’t go under the knife as elective surgery; it’s too dangerous and, of course, not for my pocketbooks. I’ll try to go outside of my house not looking TOO sloppy, with gray hair nicely combed and maybe a slick of lipstick but, other than that, it is what it is. I can’t wear heels anymore; too many foot problems from all the years I in fact DID wear heels! I’ve had cancer, so I’m wary of chemicals and dyes, as in hair coloring. I miss the looks of my former self but I’ve had to get okay with the looks of my current self, and accept it; go with it.
Of course, I’d love to look like I did in my thirties, but that ain’t gonna happen. And if I tried to do that, I would just look ridiculous.
I’m not thrilled with the physical aging process, but I’m trying to go through it gracefully. I do like the luxury of being who I am and not feeling any more that I have to do what others do or be what others are. It’s so freeing.
It’s been a beautiful day here! Family time, a little reading and a nap! I hope you got to work in your garden!
hugs,
Linda
I did! And I’m going to work out there again today, Linda.
We drove to Portland, OR yesterday and home today…to have dinner and lunch today with the blog girls. 360 miles EACH way and it was wonderful. 82 degrees today in Portland and the biggest blue sky. The mountains were gorgeous with their snow caps against the sky. I am married to a saint of a man who drove me there and back and seemed to enjoy himself. Two other husbands were at dinner last night but he braved the lunch today as the only male.
About the trolls. It appalls me to read some comments people make online. The anonymity of the Internet gives people courage to say nasty things. Great job for Mary Beard for calling them on it!
I hope you had a good time gardening today.
Blessings,
Betsy
Your husband sounds like a keeper, Betsy!
Oh these fashion critics. They don’t get a thing.
I got so many compliments on my gray hair in Canada, men and women. It’ all about who you are, to be true to yourself, which is easier once you are over 50. :-)
I do, too. So, I guess I’m keeping it!
The “undatables”? You have got to,be kidding me, Claudia! Where do they come up with this stuff? And brava to Mary!
M husband makes fun of a commercial from years ago that said, “Over forty and still exploring?” He still says it from time to time whenI am doing something daring like trying a new hairdo.
Speaking of which, I am proudly sporting grey hair as of the last few years. Actually salt and pepper, and I have no intention of dying my hair. Do I care if others do? No, go for it!
To that end, I have a friend from college who told me that I have got to dye my hair blonde. Hello??? I have never been blonde, but he dyes his hair blonde and thinks he looks wonderful. He does not. He used to when he was brunette and probably would if he went natural. But do I tell him he needs to stop dying, go natural, and come up with hair that matches his skin tone? No. He can continue to look like a yellow Cheshire Cat as long as he desires, but get off my grey locks! ;-)
And what is it with trolls? When my mother in law was battling bone cancer and I posted a request for prayers, someone actually had the nerve to come on my blog, anonymously of course, and leave the weirdest message that was both insulting and complementary. My family and friends were livid and suggested I contact the FBI. My best friend’s husband is an attorney and wanted me to pursue with a vegenance, as he thought it was someone I knew who was stalking me, but I simply erased it quietly. And it never happened again. It made other bloggers who were up early and read it furious. They were shocked. It was that bad. I didn’t want to give the troll the pleasure of garnering attention for nasty behavior by commenting online. So I followed up on the same vein in which I wrote the previous post. Touché’ troll!
I have also watched trolls on a friend’s blog attack both her and another poster. We’ve talked about it, and she suspects it is due to her faith (she’s Jewish), which could be true, but I think it is another blogger who doesn’t receive the blog activity she does and is diametrically opposed to her in terms of taste. The. old green-eyed monster. And someone stalks another poster on that same blog who is am exuberant older lady, and they make fun of her. It is truly pathetic.
On a happier note, I’m glad you are able to get outside. I also love tiny rakes. We bought one, too, for those hard to reach spots, and they are great. Your yellow one sounds so cute. Isn’t it fun t have colorful tools? I just bought a new hand spade and a couple of other tools that have teal handle,s and they make me smile. I wish I had bought a hose in this color years ago, but it was a bit expensive. I’ve regretted it ever since.
Enjoy your time outside!
xo
Sheila
I’ve had a reader or two on this blog tell me I should dye my hair – with the nicest of intentions, but nevertheless…
When I wrote about going gray before, it stirred up some controversy. I’m not sure why, but it did!
Trolls are clearly sad individuals who need to get a life. I’ve had a couple of troll comments on the blog over the years and I wrestled, both times, with responding to them and letting them have it. I’ve become wiser about the whole thing and now I either leave it for others to see when they comment or I simply delete it. That may be the most effective thing to do.
I think you look beautiful. I would tell you not to dye your hair, but I think you should do whatever makes you happy. I have come to love grey hair, and as my silver has come in, it looks like highlights. Hence, I’m enjoying it.
I am happy for the years I’ve lived. People guess I’m younger, but I think it’s the “hip” glasses which I would like in spite of whether they are hip or not. Young people say they are. Makes me smile. I must get asked at least once a day where I got them. Even with the tortoise glasses, I certainly dress my age. My sister? My mother used to say my sister dressed even younger than her teenage daughters, but I say, good on her! :-)
I guess I’ve always been of the mind that real beauty is on the inside and that there is a difference in being an old person and growing older. Old people are cranky and quit wanting to learn and to live. They want time to stop and resent its passage. Aging gracefully is an art form, and a charming, kind, and witty older person is worth his or her weight in gold! Age is a mere number. Old is a state of mind. I pray I can be that witty, kind, and charming older lady who loves children, listens to teenagers with interest, and is patient with young marrieds who think they are the most intelligent, most talented, most important people on earth. I smile and know that they will be considered “vintage” soon enough, if they are blessed to live long enough.
Yes, I agree with the delete button. :-)
xo
Sheila
Don and I have always said we want to be interestingly eccentric older people…with wit and charm and pleasure in life.
Amen!!!