Sunday Salon, Jan. 22nd

Photo credits: New Yorker Magazine; Women's March NYC, Jan. 21, 2017

Weather: grey and rainy.

Women's March: I may have been very sad about the inauguration of Donald Trump as our 45th President on Friday but I was delighted with the obvious unity displayed on Saturday with the Women's Marches all over the country and world. In Seattle over 150,000 people marched, the largest demonstration in the city ever. All of my friends who went said they had a wonderful time and felt like they were in the right place at the right time. Our capitol city, Olympia had over 10.000 marchers. My daughter Carly marched in New York City. She said there were so many people they really were stuck in place for the longest time and never got anywhere near the speakers and the program. A sorority sister posted photos from the march in Washington, DC. My sister marched in Eugene, Oregon. The video of it showed thousands of people marching as far as the eyes could see. Another friend marched in Portland which was also swamped with marchers. Action feels more hopeful than inaction. Let us hope that the momentum stays high so that Trump and his administration hear the concerns of all these women about healthcare, racism, equal rights, and so much more.

This is my sister, marching in Eugene. The sign she is holding is one which was popular during Vietnam War days and recreated for her by her son when he was young. "WAR TRUMP IS NOT HEALTHY FOR CHILDREN AND OTHER LIVING THINGS"

View from my daughter's perspective during NYC March yesterday. Her friend labeled it
 "WE WANT A LEADER, NOT A CREEPY TWEETER."

I Just Can't Stay Quiet: This group of women practiced this song on-line. They had never met in person before yesterday at the March. Have a listen.

Opinion by Matthew Dowd (ABC News): Trump and his administration needs to stop with the mudslinging. Both parties need to stop with the harmful short-term tactics. He suggests that they do these five things:

1. Use language that is inclusive and seeks unity rather than words that exclude others and divides.
2. Appeal to people's best instincts and not the worst. Take people out of their fears and lead them courageously to a place of peace and compassion.
3. Put country over party. Stop with the partisanship and the mode of following others like lemmings because they wear the same jersey.
4. Rebuild trust in our governmental institutions before you seek to create new programs or expand existing ones. Make us believe again in the ability for us to come together to solve problems.
5. Be the humble servant leaders America hungers for where we come together as citizens for a broader purpose -- serve the country, and then go home.

Quote from the day:

"President Trump, I did not vote for you. That said, I respect that you are our President-elect and I want to be able to support you. First, I ask that you support me, support my sister, support my mother, support my best friend and all of our girlfriends, support the men and women here today that are anxiously awaiting to see how your next moves may drastically affect their lives." -Scarlett Johansson

Books Read this week, only the second book I've finished this year:

• Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel---set in Molokai, Hawaii, Rani is a high school senior who has to learn to love herself after enduring the incestuous "love" from her father, and the abusive "love" from a boyfriend.

Currently reading:

• The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner...well-written and insightful yet this book is too long, too detailed (read: tedious). Will I actually finish it in time for book club on Wednesday? 71%.
• Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney....I am using this book to form the outline for the adult Sunday School class I am teaching on praying from scriptures. 40%
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman...I just started this book which has been getting a lot of love for potential YA book awards, which will be announced tomorrow. I don't think I'll get it done on time but I still want to read it.

Recipe of the week: Pork Loin Roast with Apples. Delicious. (I used dry mustard instead of brown mustard.) The sauce was both sweet and tangy.

Christmas, New Year's, MLK Day, Winter letter: Yesterday Don and I wrote our annual end-of-year letter which we usually call our Christmas letter. We delayed so long writing, we don't even know what to call it. When we tried to order the photo cards from COSTCO we had to order Valentine's Day cards (which seemed more appropriate than Halloween, Easter, or "Save the Date" cards. Ha!) Now we have to actually write notes and get them in the mail. At this rate don't expect to hear from us until some time in February or March. Sigh.

Prayers for: My Aunt Barbara, 92 years old, who is in the hospital with the flu. My mom, her sister, is sick so she can't go and visit her.

Goodbye, President Obama. You will be missed. (Photo credit: Peter Souza, Jamaica, 2015)