Farrah made me cry

This is how I remember her

Yeah, I grew up in the 70's. I remember one summer when I was in college, watching this new show called Charlie's Angels. I was captivated by Farrah Fawcett--the long-limbed, athletic, tanned figure, the dazzling mega-watt smile, but most of all THE HAIR...the gorgeous, thick, out-of-control mane of blonde highlights.

Like most young women my age, if I couldn't BE Farrah, I was going to try to look as much like her as I could. So I sported the blonde highlights and the classic Farrah flip-back (me and ten million other college girls!). That's about as close as I ever came to looking like her, but boy, did I envy her beauty.

Well, finding myself alone and in control of the remote last night (a rare occasion!), I decided to check out the new TV-land reality series, Chasing Farrah.

First of all, and I'll try not to be unkind here, but I no longer envy Farrah her looks. The poor thing is a prime example of plastic surgery run amok. Her once-lovely face is almost unrecognizable--and I have to say, why? Surely the normal aging process would have been kinder to Farrah than the cosmetic surgery. (Yes, she still does have a terrific figure, I'll give her that.)

But that's not really why I'm blogging about Farrah. The show last night focused on her parents, Jim and Pauline. They allowed the cameras into their Houston home, and they were the most charming thing about the show last night.

First of all, Jim reminded me of so many Texas men that I've known all my life (including even a little bit of my dad), that it made me a little sad and nostalgic right off the bat. Farrah's relationship with him is very sweet. Although she's in her late 50's, she is still Daddy's little girl, which was just the case with me and my own father, who passed away last summer.

Farrah's mother, Pauline, was lovely. It was obvious that little or no plastic surgery had been done on her--although she was quite old, there was none of that pinched and cookie-cutter look to her face. Yet she was a very attractive lady. I could also relate to Farrah's relationship with her mom. I adore my own mother, and it was obvious Farrah was crazy about hers.

At one point, Farrah got emotional when she was talking to the camera about her love for her parents and her concern about the fact that they were growing old, and she might have to face life without them someday.

At the end of the show, a taped phone message could be heard. It was Farrah's dad, obviously calling from his wife's hospital room, telling Farrah she needed to get there as soon as she could.

The show closed with an "in loving memory" note, and the birth and death dates of Pauline Alice Fawcett.

Yeah...I cried.


Poor Ann Coulter!

To make the cover of Time magazine, but to look a little like you would in a fun-house mirror, has to be a bitter pill to swallow! More here.

A wonderful Sunday...

Yesterday, the entire Swanson clan got together to celebrate my father-in-law's 80th birthday. He is still in good health and going strong, which bodes well for my husband. In fact, my husband's grandfather lived to be 103!

Anyway, all of us brought stuff to eat, but my sisters-in-law, Pat and Gail, made the entree: Fiesta Chicken. Check out the recipe below.

It was a great, enjoyable family get-together.