Reasons to Love

The calendar says June, but two days of cold, ceaseless rain have made it feel like a damp, drizzly November in the soul of Roxie's World. We gather ourselves, Ishmael-like, in an effort to drive off the spleen. My typist fights off the remnants of whatever she picked up from Goose last week. I remain among the living and have settled back into my Buddha state. Yesterday, I was a little agitated, which upset the official worrier of Roxie's World, but today I and she are both breathing more easily.

Seeking shelter from the storm, we find it in the kernels of good news and warm wishes that arrive in the in-box or the daily news or reach us from the depths of cyberspace. For every plane that vanishes mysteriously from the night sky, for every titan of industry that falls to its knees in the midst of economic crisis, there is a little something that gives us hope, cause to smile, a reason to love. Call it the Law of Bad News, Good News. Things have a way of balancing out, or so we like to suppose. Feeling the need for a little pick-me-up, a happy something to keep you from knocking people's hats off on the street? Stay with us, kids. Good news comin' your way!

1. Good Grammar and Good Taste: Not that we lacked reasons to love Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but the English profs of Roxie's World were tickled to see this little tidbit in a Wa Po story on how Judge Sotomayor's ethnicity has shaped her sensibility and perspective. It would appear that her experience has made the jurist impatient with "long-winded lawyers and bad grammar":

[E]ach time I see a split infinitive, an inconsistent tense structure or the unnecessary use of the passive voice, I blister.

Amen, sister! Now that's a wise Latina woman for ya. Do you think Sotomayor will be able to edit the pomposity out of Scalia's opinions when she gets to the high court? Pretty to think so, isn't it?

2. Onward Christian Parody: We had kind of lost track of America's best Christian, Mrs. Betty Bowers, whose pants-wetting advice from Laura Bush on "raising Christian young ladies when you only have twenty minutes and two shot glasses" helped get us through the Shrub years. We ran across Betty on Facebook today, though, and we're pleased to report that she is as spiritually shrewd as ever. Here she is, helpfully weighing in on the roiling question of marriage, with a detailed biblical explanation of the Lord's surprisingly complex take on this simple issue:



3. Puppies! Lots and Lots of Puppies!: This comes to us by way of my cousin Foxy, warrior princess of the remote kingdom of Illinois, who lost a member of her pack not too long ago. Follow the link to meet Lucille, a foster dog who gave birth to seven puppies on May 31. If you tune in at the right time of day, you can even watch Lucille and the little guys live on the PuppyCam! Go on -- What else are you gonna watch, with Big Love on hiatus and no more Damages to test your brain's capacity to absorb plot twists? Puppies are simple. They sleep. They suckle. They tumble. Life is good when you're a puppy.

4. Dog Be With You: And with you also. This comes by way of my most far-away reader, sweet Fiona of Down Under, who visits me when most of you are sleeping and dreams of me when you are hard at work. Fiona sent us this wonderful cartoon from the Australian artist Michael Leunig. (Apologies for the lopped off right side of the image, but it was the best we could find.) Thanks for thinking of us, Fi, and for reminding us that dog's love is eternal and unconditional. Amen again and happy Friday, sweet undeserving humans.