Change is coming

I'm sad for Biden, who has been a good president, and is clearly a lovely man. However, I'm psyched that he stepped down. It was the right thing for him to do for the good of this country.

I'm feeling new energy, and new hope. A woman of color? Yes! She's a feisty, fearless woman who, like all vice presidents, has been relegated to the shadows so as not to shine brighter than the president. She remained loyal to Biden to the end. Now it's her turn. I can't wait for the old Kamala to return to the spotlight.

Imagine the people who will be voting for the first time, and how epic this vote will be. I'm also looking forward to the most exciting convention we've had in decades. Suddenly I like politics again. And depending on who she chooses as a running mate, it could get young people excited about politics, too. All this because our current president is a politician who cares more about this country than he does about himself. Thank you, Joe - for so many things.

Weddings change over time

My maternal grandparents must have had a wedding in 1910, because there is a formal portrait, Grandma in wedding dress and Grandpa in a suit. They married in South Chicago. I wish I knew how they celebrated.

My paternal grandparents eloped on horseback in 1923, married by a preacher by the side of a road in Southeastern Kentucky. Certainly not the norm for that time and place. Her mother was angry! 

When my aunts and uncles married in Northern Indiana in the 1940's. WWII was raging. A marriage took place while service men were on leave. The ceremony might be conducted in the front room of a parent's house in the morning, with a wedding breakfast afterwards. 

When my hippie generation came along in the late 1960's/early 1970's, marriage wasn't cool, at least in our crowd. Tom and I went to a justice of the peace with two witnesses. If friends had a wedding, the afternoon reception was cake-related, like a formal tea. In those days before birth control pills or abortion, the bride was usually between 17 and 21, and maybe a little pregnant.  

Weddings for my younger siblings, non-hippie cousins, and eventually our daughter were bigger. These felt like family reunions. Brides were in their middle 20's. Old folks and babies left soon after the wedding dinner. Young children flailed about on the dance floor with cousins for an hour or two, while parents, aunts and uncles tried desperately to stay awake. Alcohol was served. The younger folks carried on, celebrating with abandon until the music ended and the staff started clearing tables.  

Now, weddings have changed again. In recent years, most weddings we're invited to have been adult-only events. The bride and groom are often in their late 20's (or early 30's). Consequently, they have discretionary income and a huge network of friends. The wedding industry has seriously upped the cost (and instances) of all related expenses, so I imagine that plays a role in limiting participants to adults. Their carefully planned weddings are amazing.

Times change, and weddings follow suit. I get it, and I find the evolution interesting. Still, I miss seeing children on the dance floor.  Maybe I'll start planning a family reunion? 

My maternal grandparents in 1910

Bored

Oh gee, it's been a month since my last post.  I wish I could say I've been too busy to write, but that wouldn't be true. 

It's been hot, muggy and rainy here; however, that's true so many other places. I shouldn't complain. We've been having heat advisories, and then heavy rains that make the yard too mushy to work in. We're kind of trapped inside the house where it is cool until mid-September. It was fun for a couple of weeks, but now it's boring. I need to force myself to do inside things. Writing my blog is a good start. Maybe tomorrow I'll start to make a quilt for my grandson. There are any number of things I could be doing, actually. What's wrong with me?

Here are some flowers in bloom around the house right now.  How can one be bored when there are so many photo opps?