4th of July
We once again enjoyed our 4th of July celebration at my sister Jen’s house. Her daughter Maggie and her family almost always visit over the Independence Day holiday, and this year was no exception. It’s Jen’s tradition to serve Chik-Fil-A nuggets (hey! tradition is tradition). Along with the nuggets, she made bratwurst, potato salad, and baked beans, and all were delicious. They all went out after dark to watch the fireworks at the country club. Bill and I begged off — as usual — and returned to our hotel to get comfortable. We stumbled upon an ABC special from New York City, with a couple of performances from Nashville. The event culminated in a 25-minute choreographed fireworks show that was spectacular. Sure, it’s on television. But the music was wonderful and the fireworks were amazing. Happy birthday America.

First Ladies
Jen has turned me onto an amazing program on Showtime called First Ladies. The stories are based in fact, if somewhat fictionalized. The three first ladies featured in what I hope will be a series are Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. The actors portraying these women are amazing. I am particularly drawn to the story of Betty Ford, some of which I was unfamiliar. I didn’t realize she had been married previously. I think I knew, but had forgotten, that she had been a professional dancer. I remember very clearly when she announced that she had breast cancer, and encouraged women to get mammograms. Nowadays, mammograms are a normal part of a woman’s health care, but that wasn’t true back then. The fact that she made her breast cancer public was controversial, but resulted in a six-fold increase in the number of women who got tested. That, along with her public admission of addiction and her creation of the Betty Ford Clinic make her one of my favorite first ladies. Laura Bush is right up there with Mrs. Ford.

Drop Your Drawers
One of the items I somehow inherited from my parents was a dresser that had belonged to my dad when he was a boy. It’s still in good shape except for the top being warped from water spilling and being left to do damage at some point. It simply can’t make the cut when we move, but never fear; my brother Dave says he’ll gladly take it. How we get it to AZ is a mystery, but mysteries are made to be solved.

More Visits
And speaking of our move, we have plans to visit a few more apartments at Wind Crest next week. This time I think both Bec and Jen will be able to go along with us. Bec will be visiting for a couple of weeks starting July 15. It will be nice to get their input. Frankly, my head is swimming!

Ciao!