I'm afraid this bit of history will be lost if I don't record it here. When Grandma Letty was born, lo these many, many years ago, her birth announcement was a Blue Eagle/NRA (National Recovery Administration, not in a million years National Rifle Association). This group was a Roosevelt Brain Trust which your very smart great-grandpa Robert Lemon was a part of; On Grandma Letty's birth announcement was the NRA motto which was, appropriately, "We Do Our Part." Pretty funny, if you ask me.
In fact, great-grandpa Lemon ran for Governor of Kansas when I was five years ago, lost, but put himself in line to realize his ambition, which was to be a federal judge. When Jack Kennedy campaiged in Kansas, it was great-grandpa and great-grandma who introduced him to the Democrat establishment. Naively, Kennedy told them my parents they would be Republicans if they lived in Massachusetts.He was clearly confused by upper-class Democrats. Many years later when I went to graduate school in that state, I met lots of upper-class Democrats; we all voted for a strange man called George McGovern and we were one of two states in the Union who did, but that's another story.
Anyhow, I was always very proud of my papa who died in 1990; he lived long enough to enjoy taking Carole and her pretty Theta sorority sisters to lunch in fancy places to show them off. They all loved him.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Well Doggone, We Did It
Russia was wonderful. The food was wonderful---it was a Swiss riverboat. The room was ok. The facilities elsewhere (dining halls, bars, libraries, etc) were fine. We had to climb lots and lots of stairs: A small drawback in light of the many plusses.
Grandma Letty got to the Hermitage, something she had wanted to do for years and years. Ditto the Amber Room at Catherine's Palace in Pushkin. For a look, go on YouTube and search Amber Room. Almost as good as the real thing.
My feet, now in their mid-seventies, gave out a few times but I missed only a little; John was even more energetic than I with his new heart valve (put in a year ago) and his new SAS shoes. He could go for hours. I have not been similarly brought up to date. Mores the pity.
We have tons of pictures. We used up a photo card holding 100 shots, and printed most of them. We had many really pleasant experiences with Russians and Swiss; most of the waiters and waitresses on the boat were from Siberia which seems to sport a first-class Language Institute.
I was glad to know it had something to recommend it other than Gulags.
Our bus guide spoke great English and was the best and most informative of a crew of 5. All in all, we lucked out..
John gave two lectures on the ship on Russian Opera, a subject he is writing a book about. They were well received. I was very proud.
We even met a few couples who had read our newspaper column and extolled it. Very gratifying.
Now we want to go to Egypt, despite still jet-lagging from a 17 hour crowded flilght. Are we crazy? Don'tanswer.
Grandma Letty got to the Hermitage, something she had wanted to do for years and years. Ditto the Amber Room at Catherine's Palace in Pushkin. For a look, go on YouTube and search Amber Room. Almost as good as the real thing.
My feet, now in their mid-seventies, gave out a few times but I missed only a little; John was even more energetic than I with his new heart valve (put in a year ago) and his new SAS shoes. He could go for hours. I have not been similarly brought up to date. Mores the pity.
We have tons of pictures. We used up a photo card holding 100 shots, and printed most of them. We had many really pleasant experiences with Russians and Swiss; most of the waiters and waitresses on the boat were from Siberia which seems to sport a first-class Language Institute.
I was glad to know it had something to recommend it other than Gulags.
Our bus guide spoke great English and was the best and most informative of a crew of 5. All in all, we lucked out..
John gave two lectures on the ship on Russian Opera, a subject he is writing a book about. They were well received. I was very proud.
We even met a few couples who had read our newspaper column and extolled it. Very gratifying.
Now we want to go to Egypt, despite still jet-lagging from a 17 hour crowded flilght. Are we crazy? Don'tanswer.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Riverboat Trip on the Volga is a month away
Dear Ones:
Your grandma and her (relatively new) husband fly to St. Petersburg next month, hop on a riverboat, and cruise down the Volga (by way of a few lakes) to Moscow. You know what? I won't believe it until I'm on that ship.
Because I have long been a predictor of things, I believe that the Russkies won't let us off the plane (or later, the boat) because of the Swine Flu. Look how the Chinese quarantined an American group, and the Russians could do it, too. I also think I could meet my maker, via a heart attack or an auto accident, before I ever leave California. That wouldn't be a really bad thing,but I would prefer to see the Amber Room in the Summer Palace first.
Since travel inducements are everywhere, we got a twofer on the trip. So we're dipping into our meagre capital. So what!
I am perusing catalogs for packable items and planning, planning, just like I thought I was going to be there. But I don't. It's too exciting. It will never happen.Your grandma just isn't going to be this lucky.
I know. I was similarly doubtful before I took myself to Malta. Ditto, Rome. The fact that I actually got to those places should strengthen my belief.
If I do, I'll take pictures. And eat borscht. And cabbage. And,God willing, caviar.
Your grandma and her (relatively new) husband fly to St. Petersburg next month, hop on a riverboat, and cruise down the Volga (by way of a few lakes) to Moscow. You know what? I won't believe it until I'm on that ship.
Because I have long been a predictor of things, I believe that the Russkies won't let us off the plane (or later, the boat) because of the Swine Flu. Look how the Chinese quarantined an American group, and the Russians could do it, too. I also think I could meet my maker, via a heart attack or an auto accident, before I ever leave California. That wouldn't be a really bad thing,but I would prefer to see the Amber Room in the Summer Palace first.
Since travel inducements are everywhere, we got a twofer on the trip. So we're dipping into our meagre capital. So what!
I am perusing catalogs for packable items and planning, planning, just like I thought I was going to be there. But I don't. It's too exciting. It will never happen.Your grandma just isn't going to be this lucky.
I know. I was similarly doubtful before I took myself to Malta. Ditto, Rome. The fact that I actually got to those places should strengthen my belief.
If I do, I'll take pictures. And eat borscht. And cabbage. And,God willing, caviar.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
My Heroine, Tina Brown, Advised:
For those dears who don't follow news (and these days, probably none of you do) Tina Brown is the creator/editor of a wildly successful on line paper called The Daily Beast. As of today, I expect all of you to google it. It's a reasonable and newsier Drudge Report, which your uncle Carl swears by.
Today I did what I've wanted to do for the year or two the beast has been in business. I wrote the editor, a snappy blond almost as pretty as I. Because she appears frequently on a MSNBC morning show (don't rush to conclusions; it's pretty moderate Republican) hosted by the last surviving republican moderate, Joe Scarborough, and because the GOP is up against it with attractive candidates, and because the party always seems to do best with show business types, and because Joe is a former member of the House of Representatives, he would be spiffy.
Because of his TVand radio stints, he is also better informed and seemingly intelligent that most of the Luddites in his party. I might even break a long-standing liberal tradition and vote for him.
Anyhow, the point of all this is I Fed the Beast, a department for, sure enough, feeding data to the Daily Beast.
Since I've been right for a few years about politics, and since your Grandfather was honorary secretary of the 1940 Democratic Convention (who supported Wallace instead of Truman and therebye robbed himself of a coveted Federal Judgeship.) and my birth announcement was a National Recovery Administration Blue Eagle with the legend, "We do our part" (papa was one of those, too) I do think my pick is good. Keep this in mind for four years hence.
Today I did what I've wanted to do for the year or two the beast has been in business. I wrote the editor, a snappy blond almost as pretty as I. Because she appears frequently on a MSNBC morning show (don't rush to conclusions; it's pretty moderate Republican) hosted by the last surviving republican moderate, Joe Scarborough, and because the GOP is up against it with attractive candidates, and because the party always seems to do best with show business types, and because Joe is a former member of the House of Representatives, he would be spiffy.
Because of his TVand radio stints, he is also better informed and seemingly intelligent that most of the Luddites in his party. I might even break a long-standing liberal tradition and vote for him.
Anyhow, the point of all this is I Fed the Beast, a department for, sure enough, feeding data to the Daily Beast.
Since I've been right for a few years about politics, and since your Grandfather was honorary secretary of the 1940 Democratic Convention (who supported Wallace instead of Truman and therebye robbed himself of a coveted Federal Judgeship.) and my birth announcement was a National Recovery Administration Blue Eagle with the legend, "We do our part" (papa was one of those, too) I do think my pick is good. Keep this in mind for four years hence.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dears:
As a wise man once wrote, "to everything there is a season." Well, I've got mine.
Let me explain: one of my dear friends was fixated on Princess Diana. The stupidest Diana story would prompt her to plunk down $5 for a stupid magazine. She travelled to London just to see the Princess in a parade. She was hooked. My conclusion was: she is really batty.
Enter the baby wooley mammoth. Bursting on the world stage, frozen stiff as a board, the dear little creature was simply found by a reindeer herder! (Who knew there was such a thing as a reindeer herder!).
Of course,the baby wound up on the cover of National Geographic which I rushed out to plunk down $5 to acquire.
Well, my hat is off to them. I honestly think they could write a boring story about the end of the world. They have the touch. This was the most boring study of a fascinating subject that I can conceive of. Where do they recruit writers for National Geo? At Boring U?
I'm gonna tell you, if I'm ever that boring I want you all to embalm me; I won't deserve to keep going.
But I'm still fascinated by the baby mammoth. Sooooo cute.
As a wise man once wrote, "to everything there is a season." Well, I've got mine.
Let me explain: one of my dear friends was fixated on Princess Diana. The stupidest Diana story would prompt her to plunk down $5 for a stupid magazine. She travelled to London just to see the Princess in a parade. She was hooked. My conclusion was: she is really batty.
Enter the baby wooley mammoth. Bursting on the world stage, frozen stiff as a board, the dear little creature was simply found by a reindeer herder! (Who knew there was such a thing as a reindeer herder!).
Of course,the baby wound up on the cover of National Geographic which I rushed out to plunk down $5 to acquire.
Well, my hat is off to them. I honestly think they could write a boring story about the end of the world. They have the touch. This was the most boring study of a fascinating subject that I can conceive of. Where do they recruit writers for National Geo? At Boring U?
I'm gonna tell you, if I'm ever that boring I want you all to embalm me; I won't deserve to keep going.
But I'm still fascinated by the baby mammoth. Sooooo cute.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Too busy writing to write....
Dear ones:
I am, at last, making a living (sort of) doing what I love to do. I'm bidding on projects on Guru.com and getting about one hit in 15. Since there seem to be 8,000 unemployed journalists, of whom one is I, then I consider myself lucky.
But sentimental old GL, when she finds a project that is really rewarding, bids low. For example, my next-to-last deal was with a sober alcoholic in Wisconsin who wanted an editor for his book.
Now, a book editor fee is usually in the thousands. To make sure she got it, guess what your softy of a grandma bid? $75.
Dears, I will never send all 24 of you to college at this rate, and I regret that deeply, but I will do something I believe in. Besides, two of you have already graduated from a 4-year college, with loans and scholarships.
The rest of you: Take heed. Obama is passing out college money. Remind him, when you apply, that your grandma was a supporter before Ohio. And that he reproduced my blog on his website. That should be worth something.
I am, at last, making a living (sort of) doing what I love to do. I'm bidding on projects on Guru.com and getting about one hit in 15. Since there seem to be 8,000 unemployed journalists, of whom one is I, then I consider myself lucky.
But sentimental old GL, when she finds a project that is really rewarding, bids low. For example, my next-to-last deal was with a sober alcoholic in Wisconsin who wanted an editor for his book.
Now, a book editor fee is usually in the thousands. To make sure she got it, guess what your softy of a grandma bid? $75.
Dears, I will never send all 24 of you to college at this rate, and I regret that deeply, but I will do something I believe in. Besides, two of you have already graduated from a 4-year college, with loans and scholarships.
The rest of you: Take heed. Obama is passing out college money. Remind him, when you apply, that your grandma was a supporter before Ohio. And that he reproduced my blog on his website. That should be worth something.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
He Thinks He's Wolf Blitzer
We're in a free motel room in Old Town San Diego and Barack is on the TV again. He monopolized the networks night before last, then appeared this morning to hype the outline (!) of his budget. At this rate, he'll be fulfilling my prognostication that he have his own network. Except he's gone one better: He has them all.
Why a free motel room you ask? My dear husband has amassed 32,100 Reward Points after a lifetime spent in Best Western motels. This room ate up 32,000. So much for 50 years of effort.
Does it really go by all in a wink? Lesson learned.
Anyhow, I digress. Only Wolf Blitzer used up this much air time. Now, John King does Sunday but Wolf owns TV weekdays. In eight years, he should run for President.
Why a free motel room you ask? My dear husband has amassed 32,100 Reward Points after a lifetime spent in Best Western motels. This room ate up 32,000. So much for 50 years of effort.
Does it really go by all in a wink? Lesson learned.
Anyhow, I digress. Only Wolf Blitzer used up this much air time. Now, John King does Sunday but Wolf owns TV weekdays. In eight years, he should run for President.
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