You know what… I just might do that!! It would make a wonderful movie as the “characters” are wonderful to begin with. A psychologist, an ex model, a cellist, a florist, a lawyer, a hippie (lives on Salt Spring Island), a minister,a stay at home mom, and the grand dame (eldest of the group - retired bookseller/nurse/museum gift shop curator/real estate agent…) my mother. Imagine the women we could choose to play the different parts!

My most memorable summer moment would have to be July 14th when family and friends got together and celebrated my mother’s life (she died in January). It was an evening she would have enjoyed immensely! Great food, live band and most importantly good conversations. Few tears, lots of laughter and fond, fond memories of a woman admired and respected by all and sundry. She belonged to something called the Knights of the Round Table, a discussion group (my how she loved “discussion”/debate) who said her courage and candour would be sorely missed. She belonged to a women’s group called the Seahorse, 9 women, of widely varying ages, who have been meeting once a year for 30 years (they initially met during a women’s rally in Calgary) over a dinner at one of their homes and each person would recount what their past year was. They have even recorded this which I’d love to see made into a movie (now THERE”S a vehicle for actress’ in their prime!! I love to ponder who would play whom, hmmmm). Family spoke, my nephew played a piece on the piano totally spontaneous… beautiful. It was wonderful and this opportunity to reminisce has been lovely… thanks for your ears!

If this is true and they are back to thinking Mexico we may want to rethink this post from Winery. Lily, what do you think? Have been doing Google search. Lots of news coverage. Not all gives the pertinent facts: 32 yrs old, stolen from her mother in the wild while young, made a circus performer, her space in the Dallas Zoo is very undersized, she has had long term emotional problems, including afraid of cars and noise, her mate dying etc. Dallas Councilwoman Angela Hunt is trying to bring the issue before the council. Most of the news stories are similiar. If want to differentiate and kind of kick it to a new level—-I think wOw women work to buy Jenny—is a good angle. And it’s PR for wOw too. So what do you all think about this: ACTION ITEMS: 1) Do a few of our great writers volunteer to draft a 250 word PR release? Need a bit of background from Linda’s research on how one goes about trying to buy elephant (I think the point is a new slant…doesn’t matter if really buy Jenny…or set up trust fund just keep pressure on City Council to move her to sanctuary) 2) Do others have input on what points should go into the release? Clever slant? Clever title? Can we conflate it with the Prez race somehow: i.e. we have an elephant and a jackass of an idea 3) Someone needs to volunteer to be the spokesperson contact on PR release/ Any volunteers? 4) Any volunteers to email the PR release to the news outlets listed above I think. We can divide the list to make it a quick job. 5) Timing? It’s Thurs. If have PR release written/Posted by Monday 9AM EST we can all email out to the media list before 11AM EST. By Winery Lifestyle on 08/21/2008 6:05 am

Whew!!! Done… did ‘em all. Thanks Linda for reposting this info. I looked up the Dallas City website and apparently the city’s slogan is “Live Large, Think Big” so I incorporated that into my text. “Think Jenny”!!!!

Thanks phyllis, LOVED your story!

oh Jozie mmmm mmmm mmmmmm Marvin Gaye, gave me goose bumps

Thanks rocky rocky, typical, typical… having looked at all the links everyone is posting (thanks to everyone for giving me a first class education/overview in American politics!) I’d say Biden will have no trouble turning this around in an elegant and grand way.

We are gearing up for the Winter Olympics in 2010 and it’s the same here… lock up your daughters… I’m not kidding

Edith Ann, most times when my mind wanders I come across some amazing things! Like the time I was walking my dogs and almost ran into a tree because I wasn’t paying attention but I found a nest on the ground and it was so miraculous! The weaving of twigs, moss, grass… I even found a shoelace in there! Joan has given you a wonderful word and so will I (it’s my all time most favorite word in the whole wide world) INDEFATIGABLE. Edith, you and Lily have what we adults call indefatigable spirit …. I’ll use it in a sentence so you can figure out what it means… “Due to Ms. Thomlins indefatigable spirit Jenny the elephant was finally given a new home in Tennessee”.

On the surface I agree that health care workers should not be forced to go against their ethical standards, however the paragraph… “But the Post reports that both supporters and critics say the rule is still broad enough to protect pharmacists, doctors, nurses and others not only from providing contraceptive devices, but it also explicitly allows them to withhold information about such services and refuse to refer patients elsewhere. The rule applies to more than 584,000 hospitals, clinics, health plans, doctors’ offices and other entities. “… is frightening. If one woman is denied services because of this proposed legislation then it is WRONG. Imagine your pharmacist telling you he’s not going to supply you your birth control pills because HE doesn’t abide them!

Thank you so much James for sharing this!! Isn’t it exciting that Joni’s vision of wOw is evolving as she anticipated. I had no idea there was that kind of money involved… with deep appreciation I thank you ladies of wOw.

Thanks Frank, coming from you a compliment indeed! I also love Alistair MacLeods’ Island and Last Salt Gift of Blood.

Thanks Joni, I was asleep at the …. I love seeing our wOw women in action.

Oh yes, definitely Our Bodies, Our Selves. I would also recommend anything from Alice Munro… I adore short stories. Her stories are so “true” and “real”. When I read Alice she always answers questions I didn’t even know I had.

So many wonderful recommendations, brings to mind the many I must revisit. My mother gave each of her granddaughters a copy of Doris Lessings’ Prisons We Choose to Live Inside. She wrapped and sealed them “to be read on your 18th birthday”. My daughters’ copy is safely tucked away for her 18th… this link (if interested) will give you a sense of the book. It’s a Massey Lecture, short and concise. http://www.dorislessing.org/prisons.html Golden Notebook, just about anything she’s written and I would also choose Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell.