Of Smoke and Eggs and Abbey Upside Downton

Above is mom's eldest at around 8 years old with his prizewinning Easter painting. Mom taught art to all her boys. The words below are all from her...

I hope the Cardinals choose a pope somewhere between the liberalism of Vatican II and the far right of Opus Dei. Hopefully a little more to the left.

I hope that next time the American voters choose a Congress a little more to the middle, and smart enough to compromise.

I am basically a middle of the road liberal but I also have some very conservative views. In today’s world I can’t sit down with my conservative friends who might have a few liberal views, and discuss it calmly.  So we just avoid it and talk about men and our health problems.

Men say they like skin but I have never showed skin except for a few strapless formal gowns in college.  If you are attracting the wrong men you might consider covering up a bit. Down, boy.

Another way to attract men is to wear a hat. I have worn hats all my life and even now, I never leave home without one. And I never go anywhere where a man doesn’t come up to me and tell me how much he likes it. It seems to get their attention.

If any man holds a door open for me I give a slight curtsy and say “Thank you, sir” and smile. A little old fashion courtesy makes for a pleasant little exchange. Nothing more than that. It simply makes the world a nicer place.

Easter used to mean buying a new outfit to show off in church, dying Easter eggs, roast leg of lamb for dinner, Easter egg hunts and making Easter baskets filled with green cellophane grass, chocolate bunnies and dyed eggs. It seemed a bigger deal then.

In my day our neighborhood gang played all day, skating, biking, doing acrobatics, lying on the grass looking at clouds, playing baseball, yelling and fighting, and staying out until long after dark, playing games and arguing about the rules. Today kids have play dates because it is not safe to be out alone. The worst part is there is no sign that things will change for the better. Children are not even safe at school. The only solution that people have come up with is play dates, cops and teachers toting guns. We seem brainy enough to come up with all kinds of new technical stuff but we can’t solve our social ills. We need more Liberal Arts majors and fewer electronics engineers. At least I think so.

Yesterday the paper said that Alzheimer’s had the highest death rate of any disease in the country.  Hope some of those billionaires are putting some money toward that. I agree that children’s ailments should come first but it would be nice if older people could leave with a clear head.

I didn’t date in high school. I was too in awe of boys. I never smiled or said hello. I just turned red and stared at my feet. They didn’t completely ignore me. They called me “Stuck up”.

I am convinced regarding Downton Abby that, eventually, Bates will show his dark side and end up back in prison. It is his kind face that makes me distrust him.

The only way to tell if someone is bad or good is by experience and it may be too late then. I once had dinner with a British actor who always played bad, mean, low class characters. In person he was gentlemanly and soft spoken with a very upper class British accent. Then we have Ted Bundy.

An important decorating tip: every room needs something black, something Chinese and something whimsical.

I hang Indian brass bells on my door knobs. They tinkle with the slightest movement. It is one way to say hello.

I need a pen that writes upside down so I can do the crosswords in bed. (Looks like I might be getting mom an astronaut pen this Christmas – Paul)

-Jean Clarice Walsh