Welcome, Winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           I always think of Bugs Bunny, when I think of Winter!  In one of his cartoons, he pops out of his hole, rips off a page from his tree calendar--the date is December 20th, which changes to the 21st, and then he says, in that inimitable Bugs Bunny/Mel Blanc voice, "December 21st...First Day Of wWinter!," and instantly a clod of snow hits the ground, and that is it for the Season!!!!!!!!!!!

                           I was not able to find that shot, loves, but the shot of Bugs popping up here is similar, and a bit more festive, coinciding more with the Holiday Season!!!!!!!

                            So, here we are, on the First Day Of Winter.  which, ironically, is a far cry from this!!!!!!  We have been getting some real Winter weather, leading up to it, now we are sort of segueing into Spring!  Guess it may not be a White Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

                              But a Happy Winter to all! Tomorrow is the Solstice, the Shortest Day Of The Year, so start mulling that cider right now, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                And snuggle in, snowbound and cozy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time For The Penultimate, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                We are really coming down that Holiday homestretch now, girls, so it is time to get out the truly heavy ammunition!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So, here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  When it comes to being "penultimate" there are two scenes in the 1944 "Meet Me In St. Louis" that qualify!  One is "The Trolley Song," which become one of Garland's signature tunes, and the other is the Christmas Sequence, with she and Margaret O'Brien.  It begins with them at the window, then Judy sings, as no one else has or will since, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," and then Margaret dashes, sobbing out of the house, and out into the yard, where she smashes all the snowmen.  Which is what earned her that Juvenile Academy Award!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     I understand director Vincente Minnelli really had to get Margaret worked up, in order to do that scene.  I am telling you, dolls, had I been cast as Tootie, he would not have had to do a thing!  All he would have had to say is "Action!," and off I would go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      You really did not think I would let the Holidays get away, without including this gem of gems in my Musical Advent Calendar?????????  I would not be doing my duty to all you girls, if I did!  And I know some out there would be shocked, if I excluded it!

                                        So, I haven't.  Now, I don't know if Margaret's snowmen smashing scene is here, but here is Judy Garland at her vocal peak, and Margaret, even in the song, at her dramatic best!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Have Yourselves A Merry, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Farewell To Another Season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               In all the rush to get things done, darlings, I wanted to record that today is officially the last day of Autumn.  It has been a dramatic Fall, from "The Glass Menagerie," to turning 59, seeing Tovah in "Pippin," Jessie Mueller in "Beautiful, not to mention turning 59, and all my lovely times with Monsieur, so Autumn has been quite festive.

                                Tomorrow starts Winter, with its mixture of the momentous and mundane.  But it is always followed by Spring, the Season of Hope, so it is not that far away, even right now!

                                 Proserpina is about halfway through her six month sentence in Hell, so Time is moving quickly!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  My Hope for all is a happy, restful,  and cozy Winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Bye bye, Autumn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         

Have You Heard Anything More Preposterous, Darlings??????????????????????

                             As Pokey Prothero said, in Mary McCarthy's great novel, "The Group," "Who'd a thunk it?"  This is almost like "The Children's Hour" in reverse, but this school scandal does not involve a malevolent child, but a homophobic nut!!!!!!

                            That would be Gregory Kenney, pictured above.  In 2012 he was fired from Manhattan's Trinity School, and now he is filing a reverse discrimination suit.  He claims he was let go, because the school's athletic director, Pat Krieger, is a lesbian, and did not like him, because he was straight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That because he had a wife, family, and espoused traditional values, he was canned!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Excuse me????????????  This is a first, darlings!  I have never heard anything more preposterous.  I hope the 'SVU" writers are clacking away at their computers, because this would make one holy hoot of an episode.  How about a guest appearance by Jake Gyllenhaal as the Kenney stand in?????????  I know he would act up a storm!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           The first question I have is, how is Kenney so sure Krieger is a lesbian???  Has she talked about that aspect of her life openly to him????  Does she drive a U-Haul truck to school, each day??????  Is there any proof that she has read "Fifty Shades Of Grey?????"

                              The other part of this story is that Kenney allegedly sublet the apartment that was provided for him, by the school.  Hmmm...on a private school instructor's salary in Manhattan, where do you go that you can afford independent living????  He was also accused of leaving the boys he was responsible for alone and unsupervised, for vast stretches at a time!

                                Kenney says Krieger favored single women without children, and that he was excluded from school social functions because of his male heterosexual status.

                                  Bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Kenney acts like he is the only heterosexual amidst the entire school faculty and staff!  Come on; he isn't!  Second, if he was a responsible coach, why would he be fired?  And firing him for being straight is preposterous, because, saying, for argument's sake, that it is true, where in hell is Krieger going to find a gay male coach????  Most of us, darlings, don't go into sports, and those who play non-professionally do so in gay-centric leagues, where they feel more comfortable!

                                   There is a genetic component, I believe, that links male heterosexuality and sports.  It is not testosterone, darlings, because, face it, honeys, gay men, especially the horny young ones, have plenty of that!

                                     Kenney's trumped up assertions are bogus.  I say, get your scrawny ass the hell outa New York and go  to the Midwest, South,. or Florida, where you will find some Right Wing enclave that will warmly welcome all your crackpot notions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Get off your case, Kenney!  I can just see the look on Aphrodite Jones' face, if she were to do a show on this!  And I am with her!

                                          I am glad the school seems to be supporting Krieger!  This is one Sister George, who will not be killed!

                                           The times, they have a' changed!!!!  Or, don't you know that, Kenney?????????

                         

Something That Hardly Gets Heard, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

           
                                 We are swiftly coming down the home stretch, girls, what with the two of us due to leave for my sister's this coming Monday.  Which means I will be out of communication for several days, not because of lack of a computer, but the picture device on her machine does not allow me to post visuals--or I don't know how to--and you don't think I would deprive my girls, now, do you?  So, how do I get it all in--"It Came Upon The Midnight Clear," Good King Wenceslas," "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks," and other surprises?????


                                  Today, I am going with something that I am sure few of you have heard, lovely though it be.  It is the "Wexford Carol," which originates from County Wexford, in Ireland, and dates back to the 12th Century!

                                   Back in my Sixties childhood, when anyone who sang recorded a solo Christmas album, we had, in the house, "Christmas With Julie Andrews."  It had a green background, the titles in white, and a photo of Julie, at her Sixties "Sound Of Music" loveliest!!!!!!

                                    She did many classics and standards of the Season, but the most haunting was her rendition of the "Wexford Carol," which I had never heard of, and probably never would, if not for Julie!!!!!

                                     So, why should my girls be deprived?????  Here is Julie, in her prime, rendering a song that barely gets any mention or air play.  Too bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Yule Tide Greetings, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Yummies, Dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   When visions of sugarplums dance in my girls heads, I know, that, for many, one of those sugarplum visions is Jake Gyllenhaal.  Well, guess what?  Today, happens to be Jake's birthday!!!!!!!
He is 33, and never has that age looked so good!!!!!!!!!!  And Jake is still single, girls, so those of you out there who might be yearning for him, still have a chance!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I think Jake needs to sample new fare--I mean, the gay kind. Let's face it, a little more Jack Twist would get him over that disgusting Reese Witherspoon, who has not been heard from, since that abysmal incident with the police officer. What goes around, comes around, Reese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         I know you girls would like Jake to come around. If he knocks on your door, invite him in, and offer him an egg nog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Before you know it, you might be snuggled, all in your bed, with Sugarplum Jake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           But, for now, let's all wish him a Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let Us Pause And Reflect, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Today would--no, make that should--have been Tyler Clementi's twenty-second birthday.  He would have been a legal adult, eager to face the world.  And those of us in that world still miss what he would have brought to it.

                                    Among  the material I read about him, the case, etc.his mother remarked that this Holiday time was his favorite of the year.  So, let us honor Tyler by making this time the best it can be for ourselves, loved ones, and those in need.

                                      Let us think of the Clementis, for whom this must be a very difficult day.

                                      Most of all, let us prayer such things stop happening, so future Tylers can thrive and prosper!

                                        Amen, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!