Female in Motion

The Hubster and I watched a really cool Netflix film yesterday. "Becoming Jane" is a 2007 BBC film, starring Anne Hathaway and James McEvoy. It chronicles the real-life story of famed romantic novelist Jane Austen, author of "Pride and Prejudice" among others. Now I know where she got all her story ideas! Jane's father was a country vicar in a small parish of rural England. Jane had three siblings: two brothers and a sister, Cassandra. They lived a modest existence with no servants, tending their own garden and livestock. One brother was deaf, another a soldier and her sister (and best friend) was engaged to a missionary. Jane's parents were counting on her to marry well and care for the family. Soon after learning that her parents had agreed for her to marry a local noblewoman's geeky nephew, Jane met the love of her life, a dashing albeit poor Irish lawyer, Tom LeFroy. Tom had money problems of his own. He lived in London with his cranky uncle, a judge...

Yesterday, The Hubster and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. Twenty-seven happy years together! Or, maybe 26 3/4 years of happy, mixed in with three months of weirdness (provided by me!). I guess being married that long is a big deal in today's society, but we just like each other's company. Simple as that. Have I mentioned lately that my daughters are the most wonderful women in the world? Rachel called a week ago and told us that she had arranged for us to stay in the fanciest hotel in Wichita on Friday night. Then Sarah called and said she had our evening's entertainment planned, too. Wow! I could get used to this kind of spoiling! The Hotel at Old Town was breathtaking: historic, rich furnishings, a great view and a full kitchen to boot. The girls had already placed a beautiful rose bouquet and chocolate truffles in our room. We strolled through Old Town for a while, then saw a movie at The Warren Theater. Afterwards, we feasted on steak and prime rib at Whiskey Cre...

I went to a play on Sunday afternoon. It was a musical, "Disney's Beauty & The Beast." I went alone. Usually, I take a friend or family member. Except The Hubster. He never goes. He's...The Musical Hater!!! I don't know how long he's detested musicals, but I've been married to him for 26.97 years, so it's been a while. Maybe I'll call his mom and ask if he had some sort of musical-related trauma as a child. The Hubster says that musicals are great plays that are ruined by "all that singing." I have found one epic musical film that has been revered down through the ages, and he loves it. "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." Yep, he's a Renaissance man! By the way, Beauty & The Beast was awesome! It was a fundraiser by Marquee Performing Arts Center, the movie theater renovation project in Winfield. There was a huge cast and crew, including lots of folks I went to Southwestern College with, and lots of young people from ...

I keep a photo of my father on the desk beside my computer monitor. He's at a swap meet, dressed in jean shorts, old car shirt, suspenders and the ever-present chapeau. And he's smiling. My dad was a professional man, an intellectual man, who loved his wife and kids and worked really hard for everything he had. He loved his life. Dad's life really started over again when he retired from Boeing after 30-some years and started his spark plug business. He loved being an engineer, but it was stressful. Dad and Mom toured Alaska for several weeks immediately after his retirement. The first time I saw him after their return, he was different. Yeah, he had grown a beard and was wearing jeans, but his demeanor was completely changed. He was relaxed! Our family spent the next few years hanging out together on holidays and vacations. Dad chased grand kids around, teaching them to fish, reading the funnies together and hand-cranking homemade ice cream. He and Mom traveled all over the...