Mary Flaig's Blog

Enjoyed an afternoon of leisure when O. and I went to visit the Bartholomew Gallery...I found a striking pair of silver and turquoise earrings and talked to M., one of the owners, about bringing in a new group of paintings for the upcoming season. It's such a lovely, lightfilled space with all types of unique artwork, jewelry and striking glass and ceramic pieces. Then, on to Chatham Bars Inn Tavern for lunch. Just enough diners to make it interesting...After a leisurely time of catching up we went to visit R. at Stage Harbor Marina, which is beautifully situated, with magnificent water views from every vista. Interestingly, O. and R. grew up in the same neighborhood in Philadelphia...after reconnecting here, on the Cape, with O. and her husband J., I feel so lucky that we have all become good friends. It was a great mid-winter outing...

Reading about Rick Santorum's ideas about women's rights and abortion is so alarming...he was almost obsessive when a Senator, in his tendency to talk about abortion related subjects on the senate floor. Now, he's center stage with his utterly misguided ideas about the subject. He told Piers Morgan, in an interview, that he's against abortion even in the case of rape...women should "make the best out of a bad situation". How offensive this is to the women who must face such a decision...the physical and emotional agony of being assaulted could never be understood by his cold, sinister approach to this issue. The subject should be out of the elections...it's a medical decision. He says abortion will cost insurance companies so much more...therefore, prenatal testing should be limited...what reality does he live in? Allegedly "owned" by media mogul Rupert Murdock, as he runs for president, his extreme Catholic views appear to be motivated by the "secret" Opus Dei group of ultra conservative Catholics.

"A Life of Grace"

Always together, surrounded by love, in this world and the next...

I won't be reading two recently published books...one is, "Once Upon a Secret", by Mimi Alford...she details her year and half affair with President Kennedy, as a 19 year old intern in the White House. Apparently star struck at the time and feeling special to be chosen, she became one of Kennedy's sexual playmates. I find the fact that she has written this lurid account, so many years later, difficult to understand. She describes how he passed her around for sexual encounters with his buddies, she always addressed him as "Mr. President" and that they never kissed on the mouth. It certainly doesn't put their "romance" in an attractive light, but, now at 69, perhaps her excuse would be that she needs to supplement her retirement years.

I'll also avoid Taylor Armstrong's story of her life as a battered, abused wife..."Hiding From Reality-My Story of Love, Loss and Finding The Courage Within". Diane Dimond, writes a very insightful article, for "The Daily Beast" which points out inconsistencies in her accounts of her marriage during various talk shows interviews regarding her book, especially about an injury to her eye. This was supposed to have happened in a fight with her husband, Russell, shortly before his suicide. Taylor is a cast member, as was her husband, of the "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", a reality show that showcased their abusive marriage and attempts to transform it, in the recently aired second season. I found it offensive that the Bravo network would allow it to run after Russell's death...Taylor's bipolar behavior during filming and now, the "dark" exploitation of her marriage, is hitting a new low in my opinion.