Random Friday Thoughts — September 30, 2022

September is basically over and Christmas is right around the corner!

Oops, I meant Thanksgiving and Halloween! 🙂

Thank you very much for taking the time to check out my random thoughts.

FALL IS COMING!

I just love this time of the year and, clearly, being morbid and twisted!

THRIFTY IS MORE LIKE SHIFTY!

If you’re traveling soon and are renting a car, spend a few dollars more and avoid Thrifty Car Rental (part of The Hertz Corporation)!

I used them when I went to Atlantic City last month. I drove the car from the Philadelphia airport to my hotel in Atlantic City, parked it, and then drove it back to the airport.

They checked the car upon my return and all was good. Once the bill posted to my credit card and it matched my invoice, I threw away my three toll receipts from the Atlantic City Expressway.

Thrifty offered me their “PlateGlass All-Inclusive Tolling” option ($16.49/per day) to drive through the E-ZPass lanes, but I refused because I brought cash for tolls.

Two weeks after I returned home, I got a bill from Thrifty telling me I “declined” the service… but, I “activated the transponder device affixed to the car windshield and traveled through the toll facility”.

Because of that activation, they were going to charge me $49.47! (It showed up on my credit card this week!)

I never touched the device and the three toll agents that I talked to asked if I wanted to use E-ZPass and I said no and paid cash. The fourth toll was coin only (no agent) and the final toll near the airport to return the car was a cash only option.

I disputed the claim by email and two business days later, they replied they would drop the charge to $16.30 ($1.30 for the toll plus a $15 administrative fee).

I told them I’d rather pay $16.30 than the $49.47, adding “And, that $1.30 you paid was a toll with NO attendant and yes, I did stop and pay the toll with coins!”

I concluded with “I’m totally disgusted with my first (AND ONLY) experience with your rental company.  I’ll never use you again and I’m definitely going to make sure others know about it!!! … TOTAL SCAM!”

Two days later, I got this response, “The Toll Authorities reported the rental vehicle going through 1 toll without payment. I have reviewed the toll and see that there is a cash payable option at this location.  As a courtesy, I am adjusting the account in full in the amount of $49.47. Please allow up to 5 business days for the adjustment to post back to your account.”

So, the $49.47 charge posted Thursday (9/29) and I called and they said the “refund” of $49.47 was being processed. I just checked this morning (9/30) and it is pending!

Bottom line: I’ll never use Thrifty again and I’ll save every receipt longer! For my upcoming December car rental, I went with Alamo!

“THE PALACE PAPERS”

It’s now been more than three weeks since Queen Elizabeth II died.

This summer, I read the incredible new book, “The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil” from journalist and author Tina Brown.

It’s a look at the Royal family over the past 25 years since Princess Diana’s 1997 death.

From a monarchy standpoint, this is the follow-up to awesome 2007 book, “The Diana Chronicles”.

Since I know Brown’s reporting pedigree is legit, I believe what she reports and writes.

The book covers how Her Majesty botched the handling of Diana’s death with the Queen basically vowing that no one else in the future (Camilla, Catherine, or Meghan) would have the uncontrolled media spotlight that surrounded the Princess of Wales in the 1980s and the 1990s.

Since the book came out this past spring, it covers everything up to the Queen’s “Platinum Jubilee”, the celebration for her seventy years of service to the people.

One final note about the book: Her wittiness (and saltiness) came through in the first few pages when she attended a 2006 memorial service for the Queen’s cousin, Lord Lichfield, in Westminster.

Brown describes Princess Anne as “dowdy and gruff”, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla’s (now Queen Consort of the U.K.) outfit as a “box-shaped hat capped off a dour air stewardess suit”, her ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, as a “walking pink gin”, a fashionable English cocktail in the mid-1800s!

But, what made me LOL was the overall description of the group of royals and their family, “This was a crowd that could well afford the best Harley Street dentist, but you could root for truffles in the forest of bad teeth!”

Come on, Tina, how do you really feel? 🙂

“THE DIANA CHRONICLES”

Can you believe that Princess Diana died 25 years ago last month?

If you’re still intrigued by the Royal family, I definitely recommend Tina Brown’s “The Diana Chronicles”, which was released in the summer of 2007.

Here’s what I had to say about the book in August 2019: “Brown’s book is very comprehensive and easy to read.  It’s much more journalistic, thorough and fair (i.e. honest).  However, she could be catty!  Meow!

Although the front and back cover featured the same collage of photos of Princess Diana’s life, I really wish the book featured photos inside!

One thing that Brown talked about that intrigued me was Diana and Charles’s divorce settlement: a lump sum of £17 million (roughly $20.5 million) and £400,000 annually for Diana’s office (nearly one-half million dollars).”

GRADE:  A

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS RIGHT NOW!

I’ve been a fan of Charlie Puth for years now and he’s so adorable. Now I can say that I’m on the BTS bandwagon, sort of!

Charlie’s latest hit, “Left And Right” features Jungkook of the South Korean band. BTS. 

The song is a #1 hit in India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and a Top 5 hit in Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Here in the U.S., it’s up to #10 on the Top 40 radio airplay charts.

HITS AND MISSES!

HITS: “The Crown” season five arrives November 9th.

HITS: Part one of the fourth season of “YOU” debuts February 10, 2023 with part two arriving one month later on March 10th!

MISSES: Sadly, Peacock cancelled the latest “Queer As Folk” reboot after the first season! We’ll never know what happened after that shocking kiss in the rain at the end!!!

“BIG SKY”

I’m excited for the third season of ABC’s “Big Sky” because Reba McEntire joined the cast.

It’ll be great having her back on television after the incredibly funny six seasons of “Reba” (WB & The CW, 2001- 2007) and the disappointing season of ABC’s “Malibu Country” (2012-2013).

And, I love the fact that she’ll playing a bad person!

I’m also hoping that we’ll be seeing more of Jesse James Keitel that I fell in love with on the Peacock’s” Queer As Folk”. I’m still waiting to see if she’ll on the third season!

I binge watched the first two seasons recently because of Reba’s arrival and Jesse James, so here are my thoughts:

Season 1: I absolutely love the two female leads on the series, Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) and Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury).

The first season covers the disappearance of two white teenagers traveling through Montana. We find out that there are many more missing women, but because of their race and profession (sex trade), their disappearance didn’t get the same commitment from law enforcement. Shocker!

One thing I love about the series is that when it’s time for a character to die, they’re dead! This is something that is not dragged out forever on like most series. That was evident when a big name was killed off at the end of the first episode of the series.

Something that I found rather jolting was that after the first nine episodes, there is a three-month time jump and a new storyline is introduced for the final seven episodes to play alongside the first half of the season’s main plot.

GRADE: B

Season 2: While the bloodshed continued, I found the second season very disjointed.

The search for the baddie in season one continued. Some of the characters introduced for this season’s drug trade storyline were so annoying (two of the teenagers) and some were great (the other two teenagers).

And, that whole new Legarski storyline was too much and too silly. I’m a fan of John Carroll Lynch (“American Horror Story”), but not of Rick Legarski’s twin brother, Wolf!

GRADE: C+

After watching the first two seasons, I won’t get too attached to Reba’s Sunny Barnes because one thing about “Big Sky” is that it’s not afraid to unexpectedly kill characters off!

Although the third season is already airing, I’m going to avoid spoilers and wait until the mid-season finale airs and then binge watch the first half of season three.

I’m disappointed to learn that my hottie Omar Metwally will not be a regular in the third season because of a scheduling conflict! 😦

FINAL “HALLOWEEN ENDS” TRAILER

Is it October 14th? That’s rhetorical, I know it isn’t! 🙂

The final trailer for “Halloween Ends” dropped this week! I can’t wait.

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — September 23, 2022

Happy Fall and thank you for taking time to check out what’s on my mind this week!

Notice football is not on the list. Enjoy it for me! 🙂

Have a fantastic weekend and feel free to share what’s on your mind, too!

NO MORE SPONTANEITY

I’m not a spontaneous person. I’m very methodical, like a serial killer without the body count! 🙂

Okay, that analogy was a little twisted! 🙂

Since I have a lot of time off to use up at work, I decided instead of going to Las Vegas this year, on a whim, I’d give Atlantic City, New Jersey, a chance.

Well, Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”) sums up the short getaway for me.

I know some of you are from New Jersey and I know some of you love visiting Atlantic City.

It just wasn’t for me. I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to get away when I want because some don’t.

With that in mind, I felt guilty that in less than 24 hours there, I was ready to be back home in Central Illinois!

How did I feel after that first full day — I summed it up to my sister that I’m ready to wrap up my traveling, get my pug, and fall in love!

The Boardwalk was cool, but it didn’t take long to experience it, unlike the Strip in Vegas. My buffet at Hard Rock was tasty, especially the first plate and my dessert plate.

The Ocean Casino Resort was stunning — absolutely gorgeous.

The slots were very, very stingy and ordering drinks through the slot machine was weird, but efficient for the casino!

If you love visiting Atlantic City, have fun there for me and ignore my dislike of it. However, I loved this photo I took my first night there.

So, here’s to only well thought out and methodical getaways in the future — just like all of my past trips!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BFF!

Here’s to another year around the sun to my best friend and sister, Tammy!

I’m so glad you’re healthier this year!

“ELVIS”

I absolutely love Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 classic, “Moulin Rouge!” with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor (and Kylie Minogue as the “Green Fairy”)!

I can’t believe there are people that have never seen this movie or, God forbid, don’t like it!

I recently had free HBO Max for a few days, so I watched his latest box office smash, “Elvis”. The movie has already brought in $285.7 million against a $85 million budget.

My first concern was the 2 hour, 39 minute running time. There’s NO way I would’ve gone to see the movie in a theater even if I was a die-hard Elvis fan.

Austin Butler was incredible and so convincing as the rock and roll legend. When Oscar nominations come out next year, he’ll definitely be on the Best Actor list!

As for Tom Hanks as con artist/manager Colonel Tom Parker, well, that voice grated on me the entire movie. I absolutely love Hanks, but what convinced him to come up with that voice for Parker. I’ve seen Parker and he didn’t sound this cornpone! Was that Hanks way of making him more of a villain?

I won’t spoil it for those that haven’t seen the movie yet, but the part that creeped me out the most was when it showed the last performance Elvis gave before his death. Let’s say that I was mesmerized and freaked out.

Final note: I was so hoping that he’d eat a peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich. If he did in the movie, then I must have missed it. 🙂

GRADE: B

MOST VISITED HOUSES IN THE U.S.

While I remember Elvis’ music as a child (“Blue Christmas” is my favorite song followed by “Suspicious Minds” and “Kentucky Rain”), I still recall that day, as a 12-year-old, in 1977, when he died.

I even got to visit the outside of Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, shortly after his death. I want to visit again and see the inside.

I’m always saving little tidbits from magazines when I find them interesting. In the August/September 2019 issue of “The Advocate”, Graceland was listed as the second most photographed home in the United States!

At #3, the Miami Beach South Beach home of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was gunned down on the front steps in 1997 by spree killer and psycho Andrew Cunanan.

The home is now luxury boutique hotel.

And, the most photographed home in the U.S. is the White House!

And, as a bonus, here it is in all of its glorious color in 2015 to celebrate marriage for all!

“ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”

Season two of this Hulu hit was very enjoyable as Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) try to clear themselves of killing <you know if you watched it>.

At the end of the first season, Mabel was seen hovering over the lifeless body.

High points: The incredible writing and acting, the funny jabs from Mabel to the old men, the Bunny episode, and the day at Coney Island. I really wish that the relationship with Mabel and Theo (sexy James Caverly) was explored more.

Low points: Amy Schumer and the relationship between Mabel and Alice.

“Murders” was renewed for a third season and I saw an article that said that Steve Martin is considering retiring when the series ends.

And, earlier this month, Nathan Lane won an Emmy in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category.

While I’m talking about season two of “Murders”, here’s the trailer for the first season if you’ve never seen it. Why? Because I don’t want you to know who is murdered at the end of the first season. I don’t believe in spoilers!

GRADE: B+

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS RIGHT NOW!

I still absolutely love Elton John and Dua Lipa’s 2021 hit “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)”.

It’s a mash-up of Elton’s “Rocket Man” (1972), “Kiss The Bride” (1983), and “Sacrifice” (1989) and it’s hit #1 in, at least, 15 countries, and on more than 20 charts!

His latest mash-up and Top Ten hit is with the legendary Britney Spears!

“Hold Me Closer”, so far, has peaked #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 this summer becoming Britney’s 14th Top Ten hit and Elton’s 29th on that chart!

If you haven’t heard it, you clearly don’t listen to the radio. It’s now at #14 on Top 40 radio playlist, up five from last week!

It combines elements from Elton’s “Tiny Dancer” (1971), “The One” (1992), and his #1, 1976, smash with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.

“Hold Me Closer” is already a #1 hit in Australia, Croatia, Hungary, and Israel, and it has reached #1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

ELTON JOHN & DUA LIPA BONUS!

“I WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT”

Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein’s 2022 memoir was a great read.

I loved how he brought “Torch Song Trilogy”, “La Cage aux Folles”, “Hairspray”, and “Kinky Boots” to life on the “Great White Way” and to theaters across the world.

While he was very honest about his drinking problem, his clashes with some inside the gay movement over his honesty and use of certain words, and how his being gay affected his parents, I wished he had talked more about his life.

His professional life was extensively covered.

What shocked me was that “Torch Song Trilogy”, the movie, was not a box office hit, even though it made money. I guess I never stopped to think about it in my 20s because once it was on my radar, I considered it a classic and it is!

If you’ve never seen the 1988 movie, do so!

Anne Bancroft was amazing as Arnold’s Ma in “Trilogy”, but on Broadway, Estelle Getty (Gettleman) of “The Golden Girls” played her in the early-1980s.

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Random (Fall) Thoughts — September 16, 2022

Fall officially begins next week, but many people consider Labor Day the “unofficial” end of summer.

It should come as no surprise to you if you regularly check out my thoughts that I’m ready for fall and what comes after it — the holiday season and winter!

Today, my random thoughts are dedicated to fall (and more).

DECORATED VERY EARLY THIS YEAR

All of my pumpkins and scary decorations are out and have been since July! (There’s a reason for the madness and I’ll share it later this year.)

These two metal decorations are my favorites and are hanging on the wine rack! I love the vintage look!

While I love wine and booze (boos), I don’t want to miss out on my candy corn, too, especially “Harvest Mix”!

“BROS”

I’m ready to see a movie in a theater again!

The last time I saw one on the big screen was in early 2020, pre-pandemic lockdown.

I plan on enjoying my large popcorn and large Coke Zero (and free refills) with “Bros”.

It’s “the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an almost entirely LGBTQ principal cast”! It’s hard to believe it’s 2022 and this is the first!

Hotties Billy Eichner (who co-wrote the movie, along with director Nicholas Stoller) and Luke Macfarlane (“Brothers & Sisters” and “Single All The Way”) are the leads.

The movie is co-produced by comedy giant Judd Apatow, which adds great visibility to the LGBTQ movie. And, what’s really cool is that Apatow retweeted my tweet about the movie!

When I saw the first trailer, I thought, “cute”. When I saw the second trailer, I was totally sold!

“Bros” hits theaters September 30th!

MY AFTER-BIRTHDAY BIG TRIP

In the past, I’ve celebrated my birthdays in Athens, Greece (2021), Morocco (2018), Paris, France (2014), and in Las Vegas (2012) with Madonna and Elton John (the night before) on stage, of course.

This year, I’ll be going to bed early on my birthday to get up at 2:30 a.m. for work the next day!

However, I have a big trip planned to a secret location before my passport expires!

WISHING I WAS IN CANADA THIS FALL

While I’ve never been to Toronto or Montreal (I’ve been to Ottawa), I’d still like to visit. However, the reason I wish I was there this fall is for a Frosty!

Yes, a Wendy’s Frosty. I last had one — chocolate-vanilla swirl — almost seven years ago.

This fall, in Canada, and for a limited time only, Wendy’s is replacing the vanilla Frosty with “Caramel Apple”!

It’s described as a “classic vanilla base, infused with apple syrup. On top is a healthy drizzle of caramel syrup.”

Yes, please! Bring these to the U.S. next fall!

“HALLOWEEN ENDS”

I’m definitely excited for my birthday to get here. It’s not because I’ll be traveling or turning 39 (again and again), but because Michael Myers returns to theaters (and Peacock) the next day, October 14th, with his latest (and hopefully greatest) killing frenzy.

This is the 13th movie in the “Halloween” franchise that started in 1978. It’s the third and final movie in the latest installment from Blumhouse Productions.

This latest trilogy is 50-50 with me. I loved “Halloween” (2018) and was less than thrilled with “Halloween Kills” (2021). Here’s the short of my reviews.

“HALLOWEEN” (2018)

“It was very entertaining and I loved the winks back to all of the other movies in the franchise that this one pretended didn’t exist.

I loved that the movie was very violent (Michael Myers as a practicing dentist!).  It could be because he’s psychotic and has been locked up and drugged for 40 years!

While the movie was great, it didn’t scare me since nothing can compare to the 1978 original!”

GRADE:  B

& “HALLOWEEN KILLS” (2021)

In my review last year…

“After a year delay because of the pandemic, I was excited to see “Halloween Kills”. After seeing it, I’m glad I watched it for free on Peacock instead of paying to see it in the theater.

The next to the last kill in the movie was phenomenal and the moment of death is classic. Also, the final kill was surprising and shocking!

Now what I didn’t like about it!

For starters, the lack of a storyline for Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode! After seeing this movie, I get it that they’re saving her for the “finale” (yeah, right) of the franchise.

The whole mob scene at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital went on way too long.

While I enjoyed the movie as a whole, I’ll never watch it again!

Final thoughts: The trailer is better than the movie, you see many of the kills, you saved money by not going to see it, and you didn’t waste almost two hours!”

GRADE: C

Here’s the trailer if you haven’t seen “Halloween” (2018).

“THE CROWN”

I absolutely love Netflix’s “The Crown” about Queen Elizabeth II’s monarchy since 1952.

The fifth season, which is expected in November, will cover the early-to-mid 1990s, and should focus on the crumbling marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, his relationship with Camilla, and Diana’s relationship with Dodi Fayed.

Season six will likely focus on the death of Princess Diana in 1997 and the aftermath of that tragedy.

It’ll be interesting how much of the past 25 years will be covered in the final season — the marriages of Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry, the death of Prince Philip, and now the recent death of Her Majesty!

I need the team behind “The Crown” series to consider this for the final scene of the series: “We have breaking news this evening… we can now confirm that Her Majesty, the Queen has died. Repeating, Queen Elizabeth II has passed away. We go live outside Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.” (FADE TO BLACK AND CREDITS!)

“SPOILER ALERT: THE HERO DIES”

I can’t believe that I didn’t know Michael Ausiello’s beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking 2017 memoir, “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies”, is being made into a movie!!!

Jim Parsons and Sally Field are the top-billed stars and it’ll introduce me to sexy English actor Ben Aldridge.

I finally got around to reading the book in November 2020 and here’s what I shared:

“I’ve been wanting to read it since it came out, but real life and my own drama (D-I-V-O-R-C-E) got in the way.

By page eight, I was ready to date and fall in love in again. By page 26, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and I was happy no one was close enough to me as I was reading and walking by Lake Decatur to see me crying!

The book is amazing. While it’s a heartbreaking story of finding love, fighting for love, and then losing that love in a painful, year-long death sentence, it’s a beautiful love story!

Many will never experience the love that Michael and Kit did.

Ausiello knew just when to drop a funny line, a pop culture reference, or a naughty memory to bring a smile to my face alongside the tears.

One of the “other four-letter words” could be my favorite word (think “F”). Another is one I absolutely love, but I can’t use it without offending someone! (I won’t even give you a hint on that one, but if you’re busy this weekend and on Monday, I’ll see you next Tuesday!)

Also, after reading this beautiful book, “olive juice” takes on a whole new meaning and I hope to get to use it one day! 

While the movie opens in limited release earlier, a wide release is set for December 16, 2022.

AND, WHILE TECHNICALLY NOT FALL…

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY”

And, on December 21, 2022, the big screen biopic about Whitney Houston hits theaters.

Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney and the always sensational Stanley Tucci plays Clive Davis, the legendary music maker that discovered Houston.

And, my week was made Thursday when the official trailer finally dropped!

While thrilling and beautiful, it didn’t give much away about her personal life with Bobby Brown or Robyn Crawford, except maybe when Whitney exclaims, “My dream, sing what I want to sing, be how I want to be”.

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)”

So, go away summer, I’m ready for fall and the holidays!

HAPPY FALL!

Here is a photo I took at Scovill Zoo last fall, in Decatur, Illinois.

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

Goodbye To The Last of My “Moms” 😢

As most of you know, my mother, Dessie, passed away more than thirty years ago.

My sister, Tammy, and I have spent more of our life without her than the time we had with her. But, all of our wonderful memories will be with us to the end.

Since her death in November 1990, I’ve been blessed with two other wonderful women that I’ve called “Mom”.

First, there was D’nell, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the other was Betty, from Andover, Ohio.

I’ve now lost both of them — D’nell in 2009, and sadly, after years of mental decline, Miss Betty joined my mother and my “mom” D’nell earlier this week!

BETTY

Relationships are interesting. Most of us have had several of them in our lifetime (and some of us are still single).

I’ve had three long-term relationships and the best gift I got from any of them was from my second one (1995-2004).

It wasn’t anything Christopher bought me. It was getting to know his mother, Betty, and for her to become my friend and my “Mom”.

After we started dating in the spring of 1995, I met Betty for the first time when she visited us that summer in Chicago.

Yes, that’s me in a cowboy hat (I met Christopher at Charlie’s, a gay country bar)!

And, it was so much fun to spend that Christmas with my new family in Ashtabula County, Ohio, with a lot of snow.

After my first two years in Chicago, I started my television career that took me to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and Lubbock, Texas, before we decided to move to Ohio, so Christopher could be near his mother.

I eventually got a job at the ABC affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio, and Betty was less than an hour away.

It was also during those years there (1997-2002), that we drove a few hours to a llama farm and picked up a silly little golden retriever I named ABBA!

Over the years, after her husband, Elmer, died, Betty spent more time with us in Youngstown and then Chicago, once we moved back there in 2002.

We started taking trips together to Palm Springs, California, and enjoying concerts like Reba and Brooks & Dunn. And, as a perk of my career, she got to meet a country music newcomer, Brad Paisley.

After Christopher and I ended our nine-year relationship, we remained friends. When I took a job in Salisbury, Maryland, to get back into television after a two-year break, I took Miss ABBA and Miss Betty! 🙂

Betty visited me in Maryland, I visited her in Ohio, and then when I moved to the Quad Cities, in Illinois, Moline would be a regular stop in her travels.

And, even when I started my last failed, eight-year relationship, Miss Betty still came to Moline to spend time with us and visit her granddaughter, ABBA.

By that time, Christopher had adopted an adorable shar-pei, Panda, so she had two grand-dogs.

And, she went along on our first Caribbean cruise during the Christmas 2012 season.

In the fall of 2016, I was in Cleveland, and Betty’s mental health had started to decline. A couple of her friends drove her the 90 minutes from Andover, so she could spend a few nights with me.

That was the last time we were together.

It was heartbreaking over the past few years to talk “at” her on the phone as she tried to process who she was even talking to.

And, since I have so many beautiful memories, I’m going to end my tribute to her on a happy note.

She made the best chocolate chip cookies! I honestly can’t remember anything else she cooked that stood out. However, here’s a funny story that her family never knew!

*FUNNY STORY #1*

For Easter, Betty would make some family egg tradition! After the eggs cooked, she’d put them in a pillowcase and squeeze out the moisture. It was bizarre and, to me, gross.

Well, one Easter, something metallic exploded into big pieces near the egg mixture and she had me to pick the metal out and she still served it!

We told no one and, luckily, no one was injured or sickened!

Betty, I guess it’s not a secret anymore! 🙂

*FUNNY STORY #2*

And, one more funny Betty story and picture — she was notorious for gnawing the last bit of meat off a carcass (okay, a bone)!

So, one Thanksgiving, I convinced her to pose for this photo! LOL

Miss Betty, you made it through the tough times and I know you had a wonderful life. I’m honored to have been a part of it!

D’NELL

Back in summer of 1990, I moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and stayed there four months before moving back to Kentucky that fall — two weeks before my mother died.

My friend, Paul, got me a bartending job at “Partners”.  It was the highlight of my summer in Milwaukee other than getting to see New Kids on the Block for the third time there (and yes, that is a New Kids shirt I’m wearing).  I’m proud to have been a “boy band” fan!

On one slow Sunday night, a couple came in and ordered drinks.  Jerry was a good-looking man and his lady friend, who was older than him, was D’nell.  While Jerry flirted with me, it was my bond with D’nell that stood the test of time.

We talked that night and we got to know each other better before I moved back to Kentucky.  I learned that D’nell was divorced and that she had two sons about my age.  One was gay and one had a wife and children.  Tony, her oldest son, had AIDS and he eventually died from it in Florida.

Over the next few years, I would make the eight-hour drive back to Milwaukee for a weekend getaway with D’nell a couple of times each year before she moved to Sedona, Arizona, for a change of scenery.

Whether it was because she had a gay son, who was living with AIDS, and now another gay “son” (she called me “son” and, to me, she was “Mom”), D’nell was very active in the gay community and supported AIDS benefits in the early days of the epidemic.  She always said that she was “straight, but not narrow”.

For a little pip squeak of a woman, she was a blast to hang out and party with.  We both loved our champagne! 

And, when it came to costumes, she did it right.  Hello, Cleopatra!

In the late-1990s, D’nell moved to Sedona to experience the mystical Red Rocks, which are spiritual to many.  D’nell sensed that, too. 

When I visited her after the move, it was beautiful, but I didn’t feel the mystical, spirituality of the Red Rocks!

She led a very fulfilling life there working for the city government and as a member of the Red Rockin’ Grannies, a dance troupe of older women. 

Here she is in one of her holiday “granny” outfits. So adorable!

D’nell was an amazing woman and I have three fun stories I just have to share.

*FUNNY STORY #1*

I was living in Chicago in 1995 and she took the train down from Milwaukee to surprise me for my Christmas party. 

A friend commented to another friend that I “had an amazing ass”.  D’nell, who was standing next to them, said, “I know, he’s my son.”  While my friend was mortified, it was the highlight of the night!

*FUNNY STORY #2*

Another funny story that we always laughed about is when she and our friend, Robert, went on a foreign excursion. 

D’nell wanted to show off her knowledge of the menu.  She placed her order and when the entrée came, it was basically a dressed up large head of steamed cauliflower. 

She ate it in stride and didn’t admit that she thought she was ordering something else.  The following Christmas I sent her a framed print of cauliflower!

*FUNNY STORY #3*

Also, back in the late 1980s and early-1990s, I collected cows and D’nell bought me a piece of art work of cow abductions for Christmas.

The following year, I sent it back to her and in each year after that, whichever one had it would send it to the other as a “gag” gift.  As fate would have it, I ended up with it.

She developed cancer and fought a courageous battle, but she lost the fight on February 3, 2009. Ironically enough, Miss ABBA, my golden retriever, would die on February 3rd, too, in 2012.

One year, while in Austria, D’nell bought me this very fragile (and very sharp) Christmas ornament and every time I walk by the tree now, I think of my friend, my “mom”.

DESSIE

Almost 32 years ago, on November 7, 1990, my world and my sister’s world came crashing down! Our mother, Dessie, died of a heart attack at a very young 47-years-old!

Rose Kennedy, who lived to 104 and outlived her husband and four of her nine children, shared these powerful words:

“It has been said that time heals all wounds. The wounds remain. Time — the mind, protecting its sanity — covers them with some scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.”

By 1966, she had two children (and a stepdaughter) and was in an unhappy (and seemingly loveless) marriage with an alcoholic womanizer.

She probably felt she had limited options because people stayed married.  Her paycheck from her minimum wage job provided me and my sister no frills, just the necessities — food and clothing. 

But, she never complained about what she didn’t have or what she would never have in life, including medication that may have kept her alive longer.

While no one would ever want to cross her (she had a temper), she was such a fun loving person.

This photo was from a Sunday afternoon after she came home from church! 

In 1990, on her last Mother’s Day, we took a little road trip two-and-a-half hours away to Nashville, Tennessee, to have champagne brunch at my favorite restaurant, the 101st Airborne.

We enjoyed everything from caviar to prime rib to desserts. 

The funny thing is that my mother didn’t drink and champagne is my favorite.  I would drink my glass and then start sipping my mother’s. 

Every time the server came around, my mother’s glass would be empty and she’d fill it up and top mine off.  I didn’t keep count of how many times this happened. 

All I know is that she probably thought my dear mother was a lush!

When my mother died, Tammy’s first son was just a toddler and her second son had just been born a couple of weeks earlier.  They never got to know what a great woman their grandmother was and would have been to them.

I just wish Tammy’s two grown sons treated her better and acted like they knew how much she’s done for them and is still doing for them!

The bottom line is that no one is guaranteed time to take anything for granted!

As I reflect back on my life with my mother, I was so fortunate to be loved! She wasn’t just my mother — she was my biggest supporter, my rock, and my friend.

Now, my sister, Tammy, is that person for me!

Mom, I’ve been comforted through many dark times over the past 30-plus years just knowing you’re still with me — in my heart and in my memories! 

So, this Christmas, when I celebrate with my best friend, Tammy, I’ll think fondly of my mother Dessie, my “Mom” D’Nell, and my “Mom” Betty hanging out together!

Oh, Miss Betty, give Miss ABBA and Mr. Panda sloppy wet kisses for me and extra treats!

Anthony