Category: Opinions & Reviews

I went out on Wednesday morning to gather the items I would need to get through yet another snowstorm. As I checked the vegetables, meats, and deli products it hit me.

First the jump in the prices of everything, including cabbage and potatoes, which have always been cheap staples. Their cost was sky high.

My dislike also extends to the new fad of “fake Meat”!

I am here to tell you that as much as I enjoy an occasional hot and sour soup with tofu (fake meat!) I don’t like fake meat. I like the real thing.

I love a good, tender, steak. I love Babyback Ribs, and I love chicken and turkey as well. I adore fish. Why should I have to eat fake meat if I think it tastes like crap?

These fake items are gaining places on our grocery shelves. Today I couldn’t get any bologna. The middle case of the meats was filled with fake meat. It got me thinking. I can’t be the only one that feels this way.

I learned that Elisabeth Hagen, Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is in charge of the food supply, All I can say is, it would do us all a lot of good if you did your job better.

Ah well, enough complaining for now. I keep looking to get back to the life we once had and I haven’t been able to do that yet.

In recent months I have done a lot of thinking about The Duke & Duchess of Sussex. After a year-plus filled with sacrifice, sickness, loss of jobs,  and deaths in many families. I must say that reading the news, or even watching the Oprah interview, made me realize that those two people have absolutely no idea what living in the real world is all about.

Now Meghan, who was spoilt by her father, went to the best private schools and basically, whatever she wanted, Daddy figured out how to make it happen.

She climbed the ladder of minor success, by charming men in high places, marrying, divorcing, and then going for the Gold. Prince Harry.

Looking back I recall their engagement interview and how excited she was to be bringing diversity to the Royal Family.

Lavish plans were made and executed for a wedding, that could have fed a third-world country for several years if the money was spared.

Then, much to Meghan’s dismay, she had to go to work. Shaking hands, smiling, accepting flowers, etc. But she balked at this, and so the Duchess began wearing black all the time. She also would make sure she was being snapped for a photo and she stuck out her tongue! And at a garden party to celebrate Prince Charles Birthday, she was overheard by many telling Prince Harry she was bored and wanted to leave.

No matter how hard the Royal Family tried to get her involved in things she would enjoy, Meghan was always complaining. Even beautiful Frogmore Cottage (Mansion!) wasn’t good enough for her.

Now at this point, we were all waiting for the baby to come along. But even that was fraught with subterfuge. I can understand a woman wanting privacy, I was not exactly looking like a fashion plate right after I gave birth to my children, but my goodness, I could hardly wait for the world to see the most beautiful baby in the world! Mine!

Now Meghan has an Internet page where every time she wears anything, they tell you where you can get it and how much a knock-off will cost. Every little accessory is included.

How come no pictures of the three of them, unfiltered and smiling at the camera?

Okay, so they left the UK and went to Canada until they wore out their welcome there (no free security), and then they bought their little home in Montecito California.

The 18,671-square-foot home boasts 16 bathrooms and nine bedrooms, not to mention a tea house, two-bedroom guest house, pool, tennis court—and a chicken coop, as seen during their tell-all interview with Oprah.

Then during their interview with Oprah, they actually had the nerve to complain that Prince Charles had cut them off!

For two people who said they were stepping back from being “Senior Royals” to live their own lives and earn their own money, it kinda cracks me up that they are so upset with Harry’s Dad for closing his wallet.

Now we have heard via Oprah all sorts of things, that since the interview have been shown to be false. And Meghan and Harry sit there in their $14.7 million dollar mansion crying poor.

You know, one thing worth pointing out is that when Princess Diana had mental health problems she was a very young and immature 20+-year-old girl. She’d been sheltered from a lot and still believed in fairy tales.

Although I’m sure that Meghan may have had a difficult time adjusting to the UK, I know she was a fully grown-up, woman of the world, who was not unaware of what life would be like with Prince Harry.

$$$$$$

In the last year, I have seen entire families wiped out by Covid. I have known many, who have lost their businesses and their jobs. These “little people” are the salt of the earth. None of them make crazy money and they certainly don’t cry about Daddy cutting them off. In fact, when I got married the first time, we were on our own. We rented small apartments, we grocery shopped on a budget and we lived simply.

Prince Harry said he always wanted to leave the Royal Family. Well good. So don’t expect Prince Charles or the British people to pay for your crazy rich, lavish lifestyle.

When I think of the last year I think it angers me even more that those two have behaved so badly. They have hurt so many people and just have not cared for anyone but themselves.

Meanwhile, the casualties left in their wake add up. With the exception of Meghan’s mother, they have cut everyone else out of their lives. Their children will grow up isolated from everyone. How sad is that?

So, while the rest of the world struggled to survive Covid-19, Meghan and Harry were laughing all the way to their Mansion in California.

The entire thing is very, very, sad!

These are my own thoughts, all media has been found in the public domain and as fair use and fair deal guidelines together with my opinions which are not necessarily true, I urge everyone to do their own research.

The other day I read that the US Postal Service could be in trouble. I have dealt with the Post Office for the last 21 years on an almost daily basis, and aside from a few flukes, my service has always been the best.

A could of years ago they introduced Informed Delivery. Each morning I get an email showing me what is in my mailbox uptown. I love this because during the biggest part of the lock-down here against Covid-19 I would look at what was in my mailbox and either decide to go and get the mail, or wait.

Well on Monday morning I saw that the reimbursement check from the Canine Vaccine Company was in my mailbox. So, I planned to go, get the check, and deposit it int he bank before getting my fresh veggies.

I asked if it had somehow gotten lost and after a look out back they said I should come tomorrow. I was so disappointed.

Most of the time I do not care about when the mail arrives. But today I did and it just ticked me off.

I still believe that the USPS is one of the better Posts in the World, but do I think we should rely on them for this election? No, no I do not.

The way things stand, there is no accurite way to do this. I think it would be better to either do absentee voting or just bite the bullit and go and vote. After all, I have watched protesters and rioters out on the streets with almost no masks and the world has not come to an end.

This is an important election. For goodness sake, get out there and vote. There are simply no excuses.

In the last few days, I have been reading excerpts in articles about the book Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have written about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They claim they never spoke to them about any of what is written, but certain events and accounts of them were obviously given to them by the dynamic duo.

Here are my personal feelings about the entire Sussex Affair. Please read the disclaimer below.

Meghan Markle grabbed on to being a “Senior Royal” the second that ring was on her hand. She obviously never understood that one must “EARN” the title.

This was another odd thing. Senior Royal? Who the heck coined that term?

The only Senior Royals are the Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William…

Even back in the day, pre-marriage, and children for the Queen’s children, it was always understood that the line of succession started there, behind the Queen.

Personally, I was leery of MM even before the wedding. I didn’t want to be, but something in my gut suggested that she was, perhaps, a very good actress. And Prince Harry had led a somewhat sheltered (spoilt, gets everything he wants and has never worked a day in his life!) life, it would not be hard to turn his head.

MM’s family members claim that she studied the Royal Family. Most especially Princess Diana. And looking back over the last few years I have watched her dress like Harry’s late mother time and time again.

The new book claims that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are horrible snobs with bratty children.

Well let’s see, William has never missed a beat. He is a good son, a good husband, and a good father. He recognized that the public would want to be part of his life.

He and Catherine have graciously shared their children with the world while maintaining their privacy.

William and Catherine are good leaders and excel at being Patrons of their charitable organizations. They are the bright light for England’s future.

In my opinion, MM has done nothing but demand things, have temper tantrums, and has been displeased with everything offered. It is never enough.

Imagine, you are given a Fairy Tale Wedding, to a Prince in a beautiful land (not your own). It is completely paid for, and the groom’s father, who will one day be King of the land, walks you down the aisle.

Your living expenses are covered, as are all of your clothing expenses. A driver takes you wherever you want to go, and a chef cooks for you and housekeepers clean for you. No more “Tidy Bowl” moments for you Ms. Markle!

In return is was expected that she follow the rules of decorum. Dress in proper clothing, wear stockings when at official gatherings, and conduct herself in a manner becoming a Duchess.

She did not. She was bitter, angry, fired people for not doing their jobs “good enough” in her measure. Others simply left to escape her wrath.

When her baby arrived, there was no announcement for some time. We didn’t see the baby for a while either. After the initial viewing, that was all we saw until Archie was presented to Desmond Tutu.

The people of England and the world were never included in Archie’s life. Except when his publicity hound mother wanted to make a statement.

The unhappy Sussex Family somehow made their way to Los Angeles California. This is where a “Little Fish” Prince and his wife and son can pretend to be something special.

Who would ever have thought that anyone could turn our hardened hearts about Camilla? She has worked tirelessly, quietly. She has made Prince Charles happy, and she has never missed a beat with her Patronages. She is a delightful Lady!

After the last two years, we’ve seen what a real selfish family and friend wrecker can do in short order. Harry no longer speaks to any of his family and friends. MM may think she is Royal, but no, MM was never Royal. You have to work hard to earn that.

Since we live in a fishbowl of sorts, please read the disclaimer below.

Disclaimer: All material on my blog is found in the public domain and is for entertainment/discussion only. It complies with the US fair use and UK fair dealings guidelines. It is up to the individual to make up their own mind and do their own research. Everything written in this blog is considered ‘allegedly’ in its correctness. I sometimes voice my opinion which might be wrong. I sometimes post information I don’t agree with for discussion purposes. I DO allow FAIR CRITIQUE of people in professional roles ie: the British Royal Family BUT will not allow any form of racism, body shaming, pack mentality, or similar abuse on this Blog. While I disallow & moderate inappropriate language in the Blogs’ comments section, I am not responsible for the comments and might not necessarily agree with the comments. I do encourage lively debate and opposing ideas, but reserve the right to delete conversations if they are obvious trolling or inappropriate.

For several days Jack and I have been grousing back and forth about the need for a new microwave. Our old one is 20+ years old and has all sorts of little quirks that make me nervous to live in a house with it.

One of the quirks was that the blasted thing would turn on an hour or two after being used. I kid you not. Yesterday we were sitting here watching the TV and all of a sudden the microwave turned on.

Well, that just sort of did it for me. I went on a measured rant about how this thing was going to cause a fire and we would all die!

I know, a little over the top. But honestly, this twenty-year-old machine that we bought for about $75.00 owed us nothing!

In the late afternoon, Jack was going to Lowes for some hardware to fix another household project, and I said, listen if you see a microwave that’ll work, why don’t you just buy it!

We took measurements and off Jack went. He called a while later and gave me a model number to lookup. The machine looked good. I said to go for it. However, he never said yes or no.

A while later the garage opened and I heard noises that indicated he was trying to carry something up the stairs. I opened the door and assisted him with the huge box!

Our new machine is installed and working great, with the exception of a rather curious coded way to run it. Apparently, in the modern world, we now live in using the words START and STOP are things of the past. They now use:

This is what you use for Stop

This is what you use for Go.

Now, I’d like to think I am fairly bright, and usually I pick these things up pretty easily, (I was able to set the clock easily!) but the operation of this microwave is pretty convoluted. Tomorrow I will type up a cheat sheet for the things that Jack and I use a microwave for. Like full power. You’d think that would be Power 100 right? As in 100% power. Wrong. It’s Power 10.

However, it weighs less than the other machine by about half, does not turn itself on without programming and It really is much stronger power-wise than the old one. (That was a 1000 watt microwave and this is 1200 watt.)

Our next thing to learn is actually how to set this to reheat. I’m sure the setting is there, but who knows what series of keys I will have to strike for that?

The machine is nice and pretty and actually fits the space better than the last one did. So, all in all, I am happy about it and in six months I will have it all figured out.

People have been telling me for some time that I should binge-watch Amazon’s “Jack Ryan“. Since I have enjoyed all the Hollywood movies to do with Tom Clancy’s hero Jack Ryan, I decided to take the plunge.

I asked Jack if he’d be interested and he said that he would. So starting on Saturday and ending the first season binge-fest on Sunday. We both thought that it was really well done. The script was awesome and interesting, the acting was superb and I would recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Tom Clancy’s books.

John Krasinski as John Ryan was really an excellent casting. He is bold, likable and thoughtful. It’s interesting to see how Jack evolved, met his wife and, well, became the unstoppable Jack Ryan!

If you haven’t watched, give it a try!

Before I start, there are **spoilers** from the last episode of Season 3 of Masterpiece Theater’s “Victoria“. So, if you are watching it on your DVR stop reading and come back later.

Okay. There was so much going on with the International Expedition, Victoria’s rotten sister, and of course the Long-Suffering Duchess Sophie, who was locked up by her vicious husband and threatened with an Insane Asylum because he discovered her having an affair with a lowly footman.

How would they wrap it all up for Season 3?

As for the rotten sister, looks like Feodora will be hitting the road, now that Albert finally saw through her, and in many ways I am glad. The actress is too good at her part and had me totally disliking her! Ha!

Duchess Sophie knew the Queen would come to her rescue. Their conversation where the Queen basically told Sophie she knew that Sophie’s husband did not appreciate her, made her rescue of Sophie expected. I loved it when the Queen put it to Sophie’s husband and demanded Sophie appear at the Expedition.

What we do not know, is will Sophie run off with her handsome footman, or will she stay in service to the Queen who rescued her, and be available to her own young son.

Albert and Victoria are getting along so much better than they did in Season 2, and I am thinking that they have rekindled their love. What does this mean? Well, probably more children. Had Albert lived, they more than likely would have had a dozen children!

I am enjoying the costumes, the scenery and the rather soap-opera-ish telling of Queen Victoria’s life.

The acting is marvelous, and the casting is quite good. In Season 1, I wasn’t sure that Albert was well cast, but he has grown on me.

Jenna Coleman is perhaps too beautiful to be playing Queen Victoria, but she is a wonderful actress and has made Victoria her own.

Tom Hughes as Albert does a good job. As I said above, he has grown on me.

So now Season 3 has ended. Hopefully, there will be a Season 4! But for now, you can watch Season 1-3 on Amazon Prime. If you are into Historical Shows, this is a good one to get into.

After finishing my book on Queen Victoria, I was left feeling very disappointed. The book, which I had hoped to be a detailed biography was merely the writer’s opinion of the Queen.

Queen Victoria: Icon Of An Era, by Michael W. Simmons, promised so much, and yet really was a disappointment!

The book begins in Victoria’s youth and ends as Albert dies. However, there was no history, merely the writer’s opinions.

So, after watching Young Victoria, with Emily Blount and Rupert Friend (Homeland’s Quinn),

I started watching the PBS version called Victoria.

As much as I appreciate cinematic productions, I wish I could find a good true biography of this rather interesting Queen, who had an amazing impact on life during her times.

Oh well. At least for now I am enjoying binge-watching PBS’s “Victoria” on this frosty cold winter weekend!