Blergh

Cherry Ames, OK, YOU may not blame Pa one bit if he had avoided military service during the US Civil War but, during the years immediately following, a great many folks WOULD have had that been the case. Hence, if that was the case, not only could that have been a contributing factor re his 'itchy feet' (IOW, not wanting to chance the neighbors getting to know him well enough to start questioning his wartime activities) but also Mrs. Wilder herself may not not have wanted to chance her readers in the 1930's who had grandparents old enough to remember (and even serve) to have done any questioning which would have taken away from the Pa Could Do No Wrong deal. That may also explain why her narrative started with the family leaving their extended family in the Big Woods rather than around the time of her birth or the start of her parents' marriage. Oh, and I concede it's possible Ma may have had miscarriages before Mary's birth but considering how doggedly that family DID record births (even Laura's own son whom she never named) , it's somewhat doubtful that they wouldn't have jotted down a sad event like a stillbirth or a baby taken too soon in their family Bible.

I feel sorry for her inasmuch as, for all her shrewdness and journalistic skills, she seems to have buried her head in sand re the fact that she's entirely Miss Winfrey's yes-woman (and NOT bestie). I mean, even the recent fete that Miss Winfrey threw for her was JUST to celebrate that fact. I wonder if she's afraid that if she ever actually stood up to Miss Winfrey or even asked to her to tone things down, that Miss Winfrey would just dump her like others who stood up for themselves against her ego.

Here's one: If you're phoning me asking for help with something, don't talk over me while I'm trying to explain the solution then do a blah-blah session with other folks in your neck of the woods. Hey YOU phoned me, at least give me the courtesy of hearing me out before gabbing with your pals!

Sorry, about that Legal Eagle. Calvada, True that re Mrs. Rodrigues. Something else that struck me (as I DID follow the account) was that on Christmas Day, Rose Marie herself posted a picture of her and her own late mother Stella Gluszcak saying that not only did was she celebrating Christmas itself but the fact that it was Ms. Gluszcak's own birthday AND that ' trust me when I tell you , you never get too old to miss your mother.' Yep, and I'm TRULY going to dread that!

Thanks for posting that from Mrs. Rodrigues, BW Manilowe. I know that her mother Mrs. Guy's death had to be a shock as my own father's was years back despite his declining health for sometime before that (and also don't envy her having to decide what to do with all stuff left behind) ! Nice of her to share how Rose Marie's bonding with new generations via sharing her jokes, memories and even recipes gave her a new lease on life to be able have a triumph at the end. Also, very helpful for her to use that platform to update fans to when her mother's documentary detailing her legacy would be shown in various cities (and I hope it gets shown in my own city before too long). Yes, it's safe to say that her having met everyone from Evelyn Nesbit to D.L. Hughley easily out Kevin Bacons Mr. Bacon himself! Also, generous of Mrs Rodrigues to actually be willing to let everyone call her by her childhood nickname !

One interesting fact that the Prairie Fire unearthed is that there's no documentation of what Pa was doing nor where he was from the time he married Ma in 1860 to Mary's birth in 1865. As the book pointed out that this was one of many families living hand-to-mouth who left only the barebones documentation or even surviving letters but still it's a bit curious. Not only is it possible that Pa may have deliberated avoided service during the US Civil War despite being young and able-bodied but also considering that he and Ma DID have five children from Mary to Grace, he may not have even been in the same place as Ma for a good part of their early marriage. I mean, in that place and time, babies were considered a matter of course within the first year of marriage unless there were known impediments or distance involved.

I'll grant that she likely would have needed help from those more technically savvy in putting together pictures, websites,etc. but the actual WORDS in those Tweets definitely meshed with her speaking style, POV that had been recorded over the last few years so I definitely believe it lived up to the name of Rose Marie 4 Real so I don't think it's worth that much. Regardless, she left a wonderful legacy that new generations can draw strength from!

I agree! The last few years she had become wheelchair bound and tethered to oxygen so he hadn't been doing so well healthwise. However; her mind stayed VERY active to the end - gaining new generations of fans via social media regaling with tales of show business these last ninety years. I mean, she made her last Tweet just FOUR HOURS before her death was announced. What's more she lived to see not only the completion but also the popularity of a very thorough documentary "Wait for Your Laugh" in which she helped narrate and give her POV re decades of unparalleled footage she herself had saved all these years so it's great she got to go out on a high note. I feel sorry for her daughter Georgiana Guy Fernandes as well as the director Jason Wise who truly seemed to become one of her family in making that documentary. At least, this will live beyond her and she is now reunited with her own mother as well her husband who she'd mourned for the past 53 years! RIP, Mrs. Guy!

Ann B. Davis sure proved more professional re keeping character than Mr. Williams or the late Miss Henderson proved to be in that trampoline scene- not only did she not call any of the other characters by the performers' names but she jumped on the trampoline in full 'Alice' uniform keeping her shoes and even her apron on! LOL Oh, yeah, that Christmas episode was the perfect place for Cindy's naivete saving the day!

Agree with everyone else re Urkel. I always wished just ONCE, Laura or even Carl would have told off the Studio Audience for booing them and cheering Urkel- asking them if they would truly want in their own lives a pest stalking them and their families who constantly destroyed their property ! I hated that the show lost ALL confidence in any of the other characters being able to even momentarily be the focus of an episode.

It didn't snow here but ,since I have to work in a few hours, it's just as well!

Well, I got through the family milestone without getting into any arguments with The Ranter despite their best efforts (including attempting to blame me for the possibility of their being late for the airport ). What a relief!

OK, it may be an UO but here goes: I have no interest in seeing "The Last Jedi". Hence; putting tie ins to ads for that movie doesn't motivate me in the slightest to buy anything I wouldn't have otherwise bought. Then again, even tie ins to movies I'd like to see don't spur me to buy stuff I wouldn't have otherwise bought.

Well, I always wish when Mary virtually called Ma a Jezebel for being civil to "The Handyman", and Ma started calling her on her stuff, Mary ', blubbered 'Please love me again!' that Ma said 'Oh, Mary. You're my daughter and as long as there's a breath in me, I'll ALWAYS love you!' Then hugged her very tightly. THEN a moment later shouted 'But right now, I don't LIKE you!' then let Mary start her blubbering again and let her stew in her own.

I've heard of that happening, too. I also would like to add that Miss Schumer's direct ancestor not only had his brothers refuse to leave the Mohawk tribe but their sister opted to become a nun in Quebec! It's hard to decide which fate the Massachusetts colonial ancestor would have been more horrified for the neighbors to have found out- the brothers who became 'savages' or the sister who became a 'Papist nun' -to say nothing of likely never predicting that his distant descendant ( Miss Schumer's own mother) would have married a Jewish person. Oh, before I forget I found the account of Questlove's ancestor having been among the last confirmed folks from Africa brought here to be enslaved rather fascinating (and, I have to wonder how they were able to adjust not just to slavery itself but suddenly having to be in a totally alien environment with no one to speak their language- at least his direct ancestors had each other and would eventually have their own community).

Not that it mattered in her vocal performance but oddly enough the obits ONLY showed pictures of Heather North's iconic character instead of her actual image despite the fact that she herself was quite fetching in her time (and had some resemblance to Daphne). In any case, RIP, Miss North! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636011/

Perhaps it might work better if one said 'I couldn't care less whether or not you have a pleasant holiday season because I'm completely indifferent to you now. '

Even though I've not watched any Star Wars movie since ROTS, just the TITLE of "Last Jedi" seems as though it's a guarantee of a bummer that's befallen every depiction in virtually every authorized media every since ROTJ ended . Hence, I'm passing this one up,too, without regret.

Good news is that we've had a landmark event happen in the family and the honoree had a wonderful time with extended family helping to honor said landmark! Hooray! Annoying news is that I'm having to listen to one family member's endless rants about stuff during this time as I've had to do for decades when said family member visits. By experience, I've learned that just not responding during said rants to others and, occasionally saying , ' I see what you're saying' should rant get directed in one's direction (and finding things to do away from them while they are in the vicinity) are the ONLY ways to get through this since they refuse to accept even the slightest dissension from their own so-valuable POV. Others may be charmed by said family member and that's their rights to do so. However; I just try to get through this without giving them any opportunities to start any arguments with me and am always relieved when they leave. Only a few more days.

While I can't say the recent allegations re Larry King come as a surprise to me, what DOES come as a surprise is that he's had a career for decades and been lauded by politicians and celebs despite being IMO an inane blockhead!

Wait, someone REALLY thinks it's a good idea to have a total stranger met online to help co-parent their child? Yikes! Poor kid! And I thought just using online folks to date on one's own was dicey enough (and I can't stand any of those ads)!

While I can't say it's anywhere close to my 'fave' commercial, I REALLY like the one for Bleu Cologne at Macy's with the girl going up to the perfume counter requesting that scent for her mother despite the clerk cautioning her that it's for men. After buying it, she and her mother make a phone call to the girl's father who is on some longterm polar expedition and the mother sprays the cologne afterwards to remind herself of her distant husband's scent. I like it because it's one of the very few scent commercials that a. actually tells a realistic story b. has performers playing folks that behave like human beings instead of posers trying to be 'deep' but only winding up being boot deep!

Even though it would have been a wonderful gesture had Mr. Cassidy updated his will to include his daughter before his death, they did have a touching final time together at his deathbed and I hope she realizes that nothing can take that away from her and not let anyone taunt her over the lack of inheritance.

D'oh! I forgot about the Robin Williams one! I don't know how I could have forgotten that one. D'OH again to me! I guess I should have said almost always played by women.

Let me add one more thing. Miss Burnett having to fight off tears as she launched into her Closing Theme at the end was quite poignant indeed- ALMOST enough to get me to overlook all that fawning, genuflecting and these flash-in-pan celebs trying to link themselves to her legacy. I also liked hearing it in its entirety (and thought Harry Connick, Jr. did an excellent job of performing it with her). Oh, and it was great seeing her very real fangirl reaction to Jimmy Stewart playing the piano on her last show (I believe that she'd always considered him as an idealized version of her own flawed father). Yes, where were the commercial parodies? Did the companies retroactively say 'no way' to having them shown all over again?