SNIFFLEOUS

I am suffering from an acute case of sniffleous. Although I have improved since last Friday when I went to work despite feeling 40 feet below sea level.  I slept through most of the weekend which helped, but I'm going through handkerchiefs at an alarming rate. My nose is red, it hurts, and I'm crabby. 

Hankies by Grandma Sarah

About handkerchiefs. This is something you not only don't see every day, it's getting really hard to find pure cotton or linen ones unless you want to pay a fortune. As I kid, I remember going to the 5 and 10¢ store to pick up a ten pack. You could get ladies' linen hankies with scalloped edges all ready for crocheting for 50¢ a piece...and those were the good ones. I still have the ones my grandmother edged for me, and even a couple that I did myself, although not nearly as nicely. Steve always had big white ones that I always ironed ...and still do. There are so many that I've been surreptitiously replacing my father-in-law's poly-blends with Steve's much nicer ones...and he's yet to comment so I suppose he hasn't noticed. And I've got the rest for my miserably sore nose. What I don't have is a certain person handing me a fresh one in the middle of the night. Sigh. 

Anyway, I was talking about handkerchiefs. These tidy squares were once part of our everyday existence. Our kindergarten report card listed "Knows proper use of handkerchief"  right below "Works and plays well with others." No where did it mention "Knows proper use of sleeve." These days, I dare you to hand a kid a handkerchief and expect him/her to know what to do with it. Yes, I know there are people who think keeping a piece of cloth into which you blow your nose is gross, but it's no grosser than a wadded up pile of used Kleenex sitting on a desk. Besides, a handkerchief can be bleached clean. It's soft on your nose. It can be folded... and refolded. it smells good. And quiet frankly, it's thicker than a tissue and muffles the sound better. The last for years and years, they never go out of style, and when one gets ratty, it's the best dust cloth ever. Bonus: it's ecologically friendly! Get with the program, people; get out there and get handkerchiefs!

I warned you I was crabby.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, the 2016 election cycle has kicked off with a raft of stupid the likes of which I'm afraid we're gonna see a whole lot more of in the months to come. Some of this week's highlights:

Our party stands for the recognition of the equality of women and the capacity of women. That’s not a war on them; it’s war for them. And if the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control, because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it. Let us take that discussion all across America, because women are far more than the Democrats have played them to be. 

Mike Huckabee at the RNC National Winter Meeting 

When liberals claim social conservatives don’t have any policy ideas for marriage promotion, then, they’re somewhat self-deceived. A sustained conservative shift on abortion policy and marriage law probably would, over the long term, increase the rate at which couples take vows and stay together, and improve the life prospects of their children. 

So one hypothetical middle ground on marriage promotion might involve wage subsidies and modest limits on unilateral divorce, or a jobs program and a second-trimester abortion ban. 

 Ross Douthat, conservative columnist, 

NY Times - January 25, 2014

"One of the things I like to do on Twitter is I'll tweet something inflammatory, kind of borderline crazy-sounding just for fun. And I enjoy watching people go nuts," Kinkannon said. "One of the best things about it is if you say something that's borderline offensive or if it is offensive, the people that attack you and say just the awfulest [sic] things about you, they do the very thing that they accuse you of."  

Todd Kinkannon

former executive director-South Carolina GOP

Today, I feel like the canary in the coal mine; I'm just sounding the first warning. It's gonna be ugly. From both sides. Forget truth. This is a sound bit buzz war. Draw your own conclusions, folks.

Gird up your loins and steel yourselves; the next two years are going to be miserable. Kinda like having a long running, never ending case of sniffleous.   

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Got parents? No need to wait for a birthday to give 'em a call....or  hug.

Happy 93rd birthday to the Keeper of the Commas.