There’s a big question–after building this lovely, expensive mansion, why did the Rossons sell it just two years later and move to California (after renting it out for the two winters they did live there)? We don’t know why. The standard line we’ve been told is that the Rossons left to “look into educational opportunities for their children.”  That’s bogus. Marilyn Sklar, Director of Education, has done meticulous research, including slides of the documents from the newspaper of the time. It turns out that Phoenix actually had a very good educational system for the time. The Rossons overspent in building their house, they were behind in back taxes, and Dr. Rosson was being sued for embezzlement of school funds. So, while we can’t say for sure why the Rossons left, the questions of debt and integrity can certainly be raised. (And don’t they make more sense?)

At the end of the presentation, a group of three older women at the back of the room got irate and said, “We should not say these things because they impugn the Rossons, and anyway, people don’t care. They just come to see the house.”

No, no. I didn’t get into the fray, but I was thinking–my philosophy of historical interpretation has always been that visitors don’t come to a mansion to see an old-fashioned apple corer. They come to catch a glimpse of history–to hear the story of the people who used the artifacts and how they lived in the house–and to imagine themselves living there in that time. What was it really like back then? How would I have fit in? Would I have enjoyed living there? That was the way I did historical intepretation at Colonial Williamsburg, and that’s how I do it at the Rosson House.

Tom Walsh, our Director, had to intervene with the comment that the people from the past lived in a lovely house, but that did not make them saints.

Personally, I find the facts and questions about life at the Rosson House far more interesting than seeing an apple corer. Don’t you?

I greatly enjoyed the second installment of the Sherlock Holmes franchise–mostly because of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. They’re both so expressive and elegant, they’re a joy to watch. Prof. Moriarity is a villain you love to hate.

I thought this second movie was even better than the first. I just thought it had more going for it in the way of plot and action.

There was a great article in last month’s Success magazine about Robert Downey, Jr. He has always been a great actor (witness Less Than Zero and Chaplin) and has also managed to turn his life around from drugs and partying. When asked how he would avoid a relapse, he said he would not let himself become bored. He would remain excited about his projects which have turned into major franchises (Ironman and Sherlock, next perhaps Perry Mason). He and his wife are expecting a baby in February. His major go-to word is “Honor” of the people and projects he has committed to. I wish him all success.

Why My Liberal Neighbors Aren’t Speaking To Me Anymore

Highly recommended!

It is dishonest when the ”mainstream” media (not commentators, but supposedly objective journalists at places like The New York Times and MSNBC)  abandon honest reporting, hiding and ignoring the facts of what Obama is doing, in order to help him get re-elected.

It is dishonest to attempt to silence any criticism of Obama’s policies by calling the critic “racist.”

It is dishonest to say that Obama’s trillion-dollar stimulus failed only because we didn’t spend enough. Or that we would have been worse off without it–pure conjecture about some alternative fantasy universe.

It is dishonest to blame the sad state of our economy on Bush when the Democrats had control of the presidency and both houses of Congress for three years–and only made things worse.

It is hypocritical for Hollyweirdos to denigrate American capitalism when they make millions of dollars in the capitalist system, turning out movies which are, for the most part, unwatchable crap.

It is dishonest to say that the wealthiest 1% don’t pay their fair share of taxes, when 47% of our citizens pay no income tax–none at all.

It is unfair to violate the Constitution by forcing Americans to buy a certain form of health insurance–because then the government can force us to buy anything.

It is unfair for a ”limousine liberal” like Pelosi to enrich herself by using knowledge she gains through her position in Congress to engage in insider trading.

It is unfair for incompetent teachers to hide behind union protection and use their positions to indoctrinate our children into liberal thinking.

It is unfair to knowingly let guns “walk” across our border, resulting in the deaths of Brian Terry and others–and then refuse to own up to the ill-conceived “Fast and Furious” operation.

It violates our country’s fiscal integrity and standing in the world to overspend and borrow from other nations, increasing a horrendous debt that our children and grandchildren will have to repay.

It violates our fiscal integrity to waste millions of dollars on boondoggle ”green” projects that are not yet ready for primetime.

It violates the integrity of our government when Obama, if thwarted, does a power-grab end-run around Congress by using Executive Orders, Czars, and “recess” appointments when Congress is not in recess.

It is fundamentally unfair for a government to steal money from some citizens and “redistribute” it to others.

It is fundamentally unfair for a government to sap its citizens’ initiative, work ethic, and strength by keeping them dependent on hand-outs.

It violates our safety and integrity to cut back on our military protection, while lying that Muslim terrorists are “not our enemies.”

It violates the country’s integrity to allow millions of people to illegally swarm across our open border and take advantage of our resources.

It violates the world’s integrity to sit idly by while Iran gets a nuclear weapon when its stated goal is to wipe other countries “off the map.”

And most egregious of all–the liberals’ self-righteous pose that “any means justify their ends” because they’re the only ones who care about their fellow man. That is the biggest lie of all. It is insulting and untrue. It is dishonorable.

  We began early by exploring the Western Town with its shops, theaters, and cowboys shooting it up on Main Street. A small museum had photos of Wyatt Earp, Colt 45′s, and an old-fashioned post office that reminded me of the one in Hooper as I was growing up. Lounged with margaritas beside a blazing fire burning in a cresset.

 Then, it was into the Steakhouse for my favorite restaurant meal–prime rib and glasses of Merlot. Live Western music added to the ambience, but, to tell the truth, we were talking so much, I hardly noticed it.

  Darkness had descended after dinner, so we walked the Western town again, this time all lit up by Christmas lights.

We vowed to celebrate New Year’s Eve every year at Rawhide. Here’s hoping we have many more of them.

By midnight, I was home, snug in bed, reading a Murder, She Wrote mystery. I listened to the fireworks outside my window heralding the new year and felt very content.

I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.

Am I the only one who will be just a tad relieved when it’s all over? I doubt it. From what I’ve read, millions of people get depressed because they’re not doing Christmas right. Everyone else seems to do it so much better! And, for a lot of people, Christmas brings back sad memories of disappointing holidays from the past. Maybe they’re alone, or their families are not the large, warm, Norman Rockwell ideals. They go to the same dining tables every year, and come away wondering why they don’t feel that elusive sense of “merriness” that they’re supposed to feel.

I think it helps to realize that we’re NOT alone. There are many who secretly feel just the same. We don’t have to feel guilty for not creating the “perfect Christmas.” We don’t have to feel shame if we’re less than joyous. We don’t even have to make up for it by volunteering at a soup kitchen to aid the needy.

We can just be patient, and get through the holidays as best we can. A little sense of humor helps, too.