L is for Lingerie

Yes, lingerie. For a long time I thought it was pronounced ling-ger-EE, having never heard the term spoken and only having read the signs in department stores as a child. I graduated from diapers to "Lady Pants" and undershirts (the cotton camisole style), which then devolved into plain old bras and underwear.

Wikipedia defines lingerie as:
a term for fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments. The term in the French language applies to all undergarments for either gender. In English it is applied specifically to those undergarments designed to be visually appealing or erotic. Lingerie usually incorporating one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon (nylon tricot), polyester, satin, lace, and silk which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.

So why have I chosen Lingerie as the L word for this progressive post?

Well, NCIS was on the television keeping me company tonight as I settled into my hotel room in Orlando. And immediately following NCIS was the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I couldn't turn it off or walk away any more than I could walk away from morbid fascination with an accident scene, or a fire . . .

The costumer/drama geek in me was fascinated with the creations and the energy and music of the show. The feminist and humanist in me was somewhat disturbed. But I couldn't tear myself away.

Am I rushing off to cybershop for "angel undies?"

No.

I am still more about comfort and function than fashion.

So much energy and expense on so little fabric - fascinating!

K is for Kind

Too kind, that is. At least when it comes to my husband.

I trust you've heard of "Minnesota Nice?" It's a term with mixed connotations.

In its purest sense Minnesota Nice is an inherent disposition for genuine hospitality and kindness extended to strangers and neighbors alike. It's a call to observe the Golden Rule and to hold your tongue, remembering that if you don't have anything nice to say it's best to say nothing at all. (Which causes some to be very quiet :)

Unfortunately Minnesota Nice can also be defined as a passive aggressive habit of untruth, manipulation, and back-stabbing conversation. People are nice to your face, but the pleasantries end there.

My husband embodies the term in the former rather than the latter description. As a born and bread Minnesotan of Scandinavian descent, raised in a rural Baptist farm family by hardworking and intelligent folk, Dale, the younger brother of two, doesn't have a mean bone in his body; one of his more endearing traits.

But his kindness has also been a struggle at times. He's not good at disciplining his children. They learned early on to engage in avoidance of chores, confident that their dad would rather do it himself than hound them about doing the dishes or cleaning out the kitty litter.

His kindness has also caused him to be very conflict avoidance. It's easier to give in than to take a stand. He often keeps his opinion to himself. The advantage is that when he chooses to engage or offer an unfavorable opinion, you know he means it, because it takes great efffort for this kind man to give voice to criticism.

And when I make him answer the damn phone to tell the NRA or the DFL or the People for Polygamy who show up on the Caller ID to take us off their list, it's great fun to watch him squirm and listen to their entire spiel before he finally says,

"Thank you. Please take us off your list. Yes, I'm sure. Thank you."

He is too kind. Clearly I am not!

J is for Jeep

I love my Jeep.

It's an old beater, already showing rust, with a little 2.5 litre four-banger under the hood. Fortunately I can manage the lack of power by manipulating the power ratio with the 5-speed manual transmission. Crawling through the snowplow ridge at the top of the driveway in four-wheel-drive yesterday was a moment of personal satisfaction. This winter Arthur and Dale will no longer be able to strand me here without plowing after snowstorms. Last year they would depart in the morning leaving me behind with a low-slung Ford Focus SVT in a Ford F150 and a Toyota Rav4. I rarely made it past the curve in the drive way with little hope for cresting the snowplow wake.

This winter it will be different. I have high clearance AND four-wheel drive!

We left the lid off the Jeep until almost Halloween. Now the hard top is on with the wind whistling through the Yakima towers and cross bars. But it's warm and cozy inside if noisy.

One of my boys saw a bumper sticker that I would like to have.

"Silly boys, Jeeps are for girls!"

I is for IDK

Just in case you need an assist in text/FaceBook shortcuts, IDK = "I don't know."

That's how I'm feeling tonight. I don't know how to feel about the bittersweet decision I've made.

Read all about it at www.dressmeupcostumes.net.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

I DON'T KNOW who will win election! Do you?