The Presidential Peanut Gallery

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

 I couldn’t help getting teary when I saw the art President Biden chose for the Oval Office.

A President can hang artwork from the White House’s own collection, or borrow from museums for his term in office.

President Obama had Lincoln, while President Trump chose Andrew Jackson.

I found that interesting since, one freed the slaves, while the other killed all the Indians, but back to Joe who replaced Andy with Ben Franklin.

YES!!!  A major hero of mine.

He has all my heroes around him, including Abe, FDR, and busts of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy.

He even has Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton purposely paired, to show, two men with opposing views can still agree to disagree. 

He also brought back, Childe Hassem’s 1917 painting…

Avenue in the Rain, that JFK favored along with Presidents Obama and Clinton.

I have a poster of it framed in my living room that never fails to trigger a smile and on occasion, a salute.

I’m just happy my new President feels the same way that I do about those who, armed with great patriotism, came before him.

God Bless America, finally.

SB  🙂

 

 

 

Posted in art, Beauty, Books, Culture, Faith, grace, Gratitude, History, humanity, inspiration, Politics, readng, words, writing | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

Best Story of the Week…January 22nd

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

I stop at the corner of 88th and Third, pull my mask down to quickly blow my nose.

A middle-aged woman in a snowsuit, is wielding a red wagon right towards me with a cat in it, wearing a ski sweater as if they’re headed to Aspen.

She abruptly halts, hollering, “PUT YOUR MASK ON…NOW!”

Shocked into silence, looking at the cat looking at me as if to say…”OY, now you know what I go through.”

I regain my wits before taking flight, wishing I could have taken kitty with me, shaking my head in wonder, but…

then remember where I am….the Circus Capital of the World, recalling the good old days when you could blow your nose, without getting a ticket.

Only in New York folks…only in New York.  

SB

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Pardon Me

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

The idea of presidential pardons have always intrigued me, as if God loaned you his mantle….forgive forgive forgive, those who’ve trespassed against you, along with their country, in your name.

I know this will sound strange but, Mr. Trump pardoning his own Hole in the Wall Gang, seems kinda’ just to me, since they were bandits on his behalf after all, even if they were already wanted in 12 states…in theory at least. 

Imagine Butch, pardoning, Flat-Nose Curry.

He pardoned 117 people in all from the time he took office in 2017, some that would actually break your heart.

Abraham Lincoln was a big pardoner through his whole presidency, 64 in all, mostly soldiers. He even pardoned one named Patrick Murphy on the day he was assassinated.

His Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, would argue, you need to make examples of these deserters, and Abe would say…oh, they’re not deserters, just boys that are a little homesick.

My heart gave a big thump as I penned that.

We too pardon in our personal lives, like the other day when a little girl ran over my foot with her miniature stroller.

As I hopped around, she started to cry. I said, “It’s okay, you didn’t mean it.”

“But I hut you,” she said, tears nestling on her tiny cheeks.

“It’s alright, you didn’t mean to hut me.”

Then, taking my leave, ran into a woman coming out of the subway, knocking her bag on the ground. As I bent to pick it up, handing it to her, said…

“Pardon me….I’m so sorry.”

And after very little fuss, she did.  🙂

SB     

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Is J. Crew Single?

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

I only ask since, he emails 3 times a day to let me know about his package, so to speak, that’s on its way, though a little late as though my socks stopped off for a beer.

To find a man that thoughtful of course, might push me over the edge since, I’m more used to, I’ll pick ya up in half an hour and you better be ready, since I’m not waitin’.

You’d be lucky if he came to a full stop, you jumping in the front like a Navy SEAL, in pumps.

This is where a dog comes in since, they’re much better mannered.

Would Skip the Schnauzer, or Jack the German Shepherd, ever leave their mistresses to go check out TVs at Best Buy, while they sat in the car so he wouldn’t get a ticket?

Or expect her to move it at 8 a.m. while he snores and burps, the aroma of Budweiser whirling through the air?

The last guy I was with often lost his car not remembering where he parked it after hearing…LAST CALL!!!

Yeah, if only J. Crew really was single and on the market since, instead of droopy tulips and a six pack, he’d bring those socks, and maybe even a blazer.

Oh, a girl can dream, can’t she?

  

SB

A little nonsense works wonders. 🙂

 

 

Posted in alcohol, animals, Beauty, Culture, Fashion, Home, humanity, humor, internet, men, money, New York City, words, writing | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Writers Who Never Knew

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

 

(1849-1887) 

Emma Lazarus’s poem, The New Colossus, written in 1883 to raise money for the building of the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, died when she was 38 of Hodgkins Lymphoma, never knowing her beautiful words would be immortalized on Liberty’s base.

(1896-1940)

F. Scott Fitzgerald, dying of a heart attack at the age of 44, never knew his book, The Great Gatsby, would be considered one of the greatest novels of all time.

(1871-1900)

Stephen Crane, who gave us The Red Badge of Courage about the American Civil War, died in at 29 of tuberculous.

( 1775-1817)

Jane Austen dying at 41, possibly also of tuberculous, died unaware of her long lasting legacy thought of as the most brilliant female novelist to have ever graced a page.

(1937-1969)

John Kennedy Toole, just 31, took his life before his manuscript, The Confederacy of Dunces (Bill Hicks’s favorite book), went into print in 1981, earning the Pulitzer Prize that year for Fiction.

(1928-1988)

Michael Sharra winning the Pulitzer in 1975 for his historical novel, The Killer Angels, about The Battle of Gettysburg, never knew his manuscript, For Love of the Game, found in his desk drawer after dying of a heart attack at 59, would become such a best seller.

(1795-1821)

Poet John Keats left us at 25, another gentle great felled by tuberculous.

  

Poet, Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), and novelist, Emily Bronte (1818-1848), both died at 30, Bronte of tuberculous, Plath by her own hand linked in literature forever, unaware of their everlasting influence.

(1956-2018)

I’ll end with Anthony Bourdain, alas, calling it quits at 61, but unlike his predecessors, did know how great we thought he was.

A writer who knew.

SB

 

 

Posted in alcohol, Books, creative writing, Culture, Health, History, humanity, inspiration, New York City, words, writing | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Best Story of the Week…January 14th

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

I’m on my way home through the Park, midday, when I see a handsome man maybe in his 40s, walking a beautiful dog.

A mutt you’d call her, since she’s clearly a mix, legs of a Greyhound with the face of a yellow Lab, a tail wagging like a pendulum.

As I approach, he stops to kneel, giving her the biggest hug. But what really moves me is when she puts her two front paws onto his shoulders to what looks as if, she’s hugging him back.

When the guy sees me watching, I put my hand over my heart and smile.

Over the dog’s shoulder, he mouths the words, I love her.

It made my day. 🙂   

SB

Posted in animals, Beauty, Culture, friendship, grace, humanity, inspiration, Love, nature, New York City, words, writing | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Did You Know?

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

When you come out of Union Station in Washington D.C., the first thing you see is the U.S. Capitol, beaming, across the sky.

At Christmas, it’s even lit up. 

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln insisted, the work on its unfinished dome should continue, for the sake of the Union as well as the country’s morale.

Statuary Hall, where the first House of Representatives met in 1815, is hallowed ground, the voice of Henry Clay, the southern Senator from Kentucky serving 16 years as well as an intermittent Speaker of the House, still thunders from the ether, while Clio, the muse of history stands guard.  (1857)

Daniel Webster, his northern rival from Massachusetts, too can be heard, that despite their opposing parties kept the Union together, while a young Abraham Lincoln sat quietly, bearing witness.

(2021)

It’s also where John Quincy Adams, son of John, 6th President of the United States and the only one to return to the House, nobly serving for 17 years.

When asked, “Mr Adams sir, what party do you belong to?” he said…

“I belong to no party, I represent the people,” earning the name…Old Man Eloquent.

A plaque rests on the spot where Mr. Adams fell in 1848, carried to a Senate state room where he died two days later, while Henry Clay held his hand.   On January 6th, 2021, that sacred space was disrespected by those who knew nothing of what it truly means to be an American, a Patriot, a Lover of “Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!” to quote Mr. Webster.

But despite a very sad day that, to echo President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a date that will live in infamy, we still, had a new President at the end of it.

The United States Constitution, sired by the Founders, written by James Madison in 1787 after 234 years, though ruthlessly bloodied, still held.

God bless America! 

God bless us all!

The first time I had the privilege of gracing Statuary Hall, I wept.

SB

Recommended reading:  The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For  David McCullough (2017). 

Recommended Watching: The Congress  Ken Burns (1989).

Posted in Books, History, humanity, inspiration, Politics, violence, war, words, writing | Tagged , , , | 68 Comments

Best Story of the Week…January 7th, 2021

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

6:30  a.m.

I’m once again in my friend’s store, helping myself to a cup of coffee. I decide, while I’m there, to make one for Diego, the deli kid, busy making sandwiches. While I’m at it, I include a piece of packaged coffee cake.

When Tony sees this, he goes off the rails. “Do you know what that cake costs me, even wholesale, and you’re givin’ it away?”

I look at Diego who fortunately, had his earbuds in, and didn’t hear. Despite Tony being the size of a bull, not to mention full of it, I put my big girl panties on and say, “That kid works for the change you carry around in your pocket, so please spare me the lecture on the price of Entenmanns that, knowing you, expired a month ago.”

Yes, I said that.

He took this in, looking at Diego, still oblivious, then went back to hacking cheese.

Next Day

I’m back at the coffee bar making a cup, this time, for one.

Tony sidles up.

“What about Diego?”

Assuming he’s being snarky, ignore him. When he doesn’t budge, waiting for an answer, I look at him determined to not take the bait.

He then says, “No, I thought it over. They all deserve a cuppa coffee.”

As I turn back to fix one, he says, “And don’t forget the cake.”

  The Norman Rae, of Baked Goods.

Posted in Culture, dessert, food, humanity, humor, New York City, words, writing | Tagged , , , | 61 Comments

Feed My Sheep

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

I’m always reading, or at the very least perusing a book, jotting down words or phrases that woo from the page.

For instance, I’m rereading the entire Poldark series, this time in order, and Winston Grahams’s language has me swooning, the latest being…you will come brave again, meaning, you will heal and be yourself once more.

I just love that. 

Dusky, is another term he likes describing a Cornish femme fatale.

Cut to…the Bible, another book sitting on my shelf between Rebecca and a tome on Teddy I too, like to pick up and thumb through.

Peter caught my eye this morning I’ll share in Susannahese.

God keeps asking him, do you love me Peter? If so, feed my sheep. Peter, seems distracted, probably texting some dusky girl he likes, because God keeps asking, Peter do you love me?

Peter finally says, yeah, sure God, of course I love you…

God says, then feed my sheep. 

I interrupt this as, give to someone else. Do a brother a good turn.

FEED MY SHEEP!

So it’s New Year’s Day as I card myself into my bank’s foyer to grace the ATM, seeing a young man of color standing in the corner, bent over scrubbing his sneakers with a toothbrush.

No, I didn’t make this up.

Now the New Yorker in me says, maybe you shouldn’t be withdrawing money at this time since, there’s no security guard, but the Joan of Bark side called out, “Hey, you okay over there?”

A face that would break your heart, looked up from his brushing and said, “Yeah, I’m okay,” paused before asking what I couldn’t hear but assumed was, could I spare a few bucks.

FEED MY SHEEP, was echoing in my head like a Stones song, having 2 choices, one to say no since, the ATM doesn’t give singles or fives, or to just part with a ten.

FEED MY SHEEP!!!

Okay, okay.

So I hand it over but, before leaving say like an elder since, he couldn’t have been more than 18, making you wonder, what in hell happened here, he’s out on the street…

“Promise me, you’ll use it to eat.”

12 Step would say, I had no right saying that, but God begged to differ since, man can’t live by crack alone.

That beautiful face lit up like a sunrise and said, “Ah promise Miss.” (oh, he called me Miss)

“And maybe you should get a new toothbrush,” said I, suddenly seeing sheep in CVS in the Oral Hygiene aisle, bahing.

Harumph!

SB

 

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The Cat’s Meow.

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Susannah Bianchi

A perfect way to begin the new year, armed with insanity and rodent repellent.

It appears I have a deranged neighbor two floors above me who claims she has a recurring rat. As you can well imagine, this doesn’t sit too well with me, being in such close proximity. Yeah, there is an apartment between is, but I’ve been to the rat rodeo before, and they can boogaloo down a pipe like nobody’s business.

That said.

After leaving me notes like…what are WE gonna do, and she JUST saw him again, me being me, spun into action.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Is Patrick home?” As in Pat the Cat, my noble neighbor, next door.

His father, who I seem to have awakened at 3 in the afternoon, says without pause, “Just a minute, I’ll see.”

Now you would think he might wonder why I’m asking, but merely, opens the door wider to let the furry fella out.

Next thing I know, I’m plying him with the tuna I was planning on having for lunch before politely asking, did he mind doing a little random reconnaissance work.

Being the rogue he is, when I took him into the kitchen to sniff around, then the bathroom, then back to the kitchen where I even single-handedly moved the fridge so he could have a peek behind it, the Columbo of felines pawed around. After rolling out an embarrassed blueberry, he looked at me as if to say, all good back there.

One of the many things I love about Patrick is how he looks at you as if he were smiling, and frankly, considering my ongoing buffet, why shouldn’t he be.

We then, out of the goodness of my heart who really just wanted to club her with my granddad’s rolling pin, take Pat upstairs.

KNOCK KNOCK

Nutsy opens the door in a rose peignoir, the kind Lana Turner wore, with a martini glass in her hand.

“YES?” she says, as if she forgot her ratty notes that I’m saving for evidence when they come lock her up.

Patrick, jumps from my arms, running into her place as if he knows exactly where Mickey is hiding, however, after he patrols every nook and cranny from this, who the fuck decorated this house in this revolting shade of brown, meows a definite…all clear.

I pick him up, say to her, “Now that should be enough proof that you don’t have a rat,” then leave.

Now of course I sound as certifiable as she is, but be that as it may, as they say in 12 Step, you take the action, letting go of the result.

After a little milk break, I take Patrick back home.

KNOCK KNOCK.

His father, still sleepy says, “Oh, Patty, you’re back, did you have a nice time?”

Did Patrick just wink?

I’m just glad he didn’t say, rats.

The life of a thin girl.

SB

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