A Family Conversation, an ongoing conversation between blogging cousins, Ron Brown and Lady G, is celebrating the time of year when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds becomes paper thin.
A Family Conversation, an ongoing conversation between blogging cousins, Ron Brown and Lady G, is celebrating the time of year when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds becomes paper thin.
A Family Conversation, an ongoing conversation between blogging cousins, Ron Brown and Lady G, is celebrating the time of year when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds becomes paper thin.
A Family Conversation, an ongoing conversation between blogging cousins, Ron Brown and Lady G, is celebrating the time of year when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds becomes paper thin.
“A Family Conversation” is a storytelling audio series that features weekly discussions between blogging cousins LadyG and Ron Brown on current events along with favorite posts from each other’s blog.
In today’s conversation, we use my post “Pandemic: The Winds of Change” as a conversation starter on who’s making money during this time (and prior) as well as who is NOT…and hasn’t been for a LONG time.
Listen in as we discuss:
The importance of NOT “panicking”….. the stock market
How a pandemic is fruitful for a select few
Crazy logic when it comes to holding Trump accountable
The fact that most of us are “fans” on the sidelines
Reaganomics and how it stunted our growth
Benefits for American workers vs. workers in other countries
In the audio, I meant to say that you must be laid off and actively seeking a job… not fired
Our refusal to be guinea pigs for a fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine
The Scientific Method/Listening to Scientists
Normal + Coronavirus = ?
Tune back in next Wednesday for Part 3
References from the audio
In this video, an American expat shares her experiences moving from the U.S. to Europe (including key differences):Life in Sweden/ Germany
“A Family Conversation” is a storytelling audio series that features weekly discussions between blogging cousins LadyG and Ron Brown on current events along with favorite posts from each other’s blog.
No matter what happened that’s only once it’s shame on you You come up in here and do it again then it’s shame on me Sometimes we be gettin’ in trouble we didn’t wan’ learn or Sometimes we be gettin’ in trouble we ain’t gon’ see…
-Mystikal
“Bouncin’ Back (Bumpin’ Me Against The Wall)”
This week, the cousins discuss:
“What Time Is It?” written by Ron’s Father, Fletcher Brown, around 1974.
Sadly, it touches on themes that are still very relevant today.
“A Family Conversation” is a storytelling audio series that features weekly discussions between blogging cousins LadyG and Ron Brown on current events along with favorite posts from each other’s blog.
“A Family Conversation” is published on Wednesdays.
Excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech:
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
If you are interested, you may read the full speech transcript here.
Now…
Observe as I switch my focus from the words of a King to a topic that appears to be totally different.
I’ll begin “the switch” by asking…
Isn’t it funny how the lyrics of a song can mean one thing in one context, and another thing in a different context?
That very fact inspired Ron to post two throwback jams from one of the most prolific songwriting duos of all time, Valarie Simpson and her late husband Nickolas Ashford.
Listen in as we flow with the lyrics into conversations on :
Dealing with the ever-present albatross of discrimination.
Interacting with people who either intentionally or unintentionally invalidate our experiences of prejudice.
Maintaining a hopeful optimism that one day America will live up to its greatest potential by adhering to its own assertion that “all men are created equal.”
A Divine prescription for the cure that we need; hint, it’s been there all along.
“Girl you better come get Ron! He out here all hugged up with a bitch with a honey blonde bob!”
Yes baby, word on the street was that our dear Ron was stepping out on his wife with a bitch with a honey blonde bob!
YAAAASSSS!
Say what????
Yeah chile!
Sit down and listen while I pour this tea 😉
____
It was a dark and stormy night in Southwest Georgia (No seriously, it really was!) and I decided to visit one of my most favorite men in the whole wide world.
So, I jumped in the car and drove to Cuthbert, Georgia.
To say that the drive was gloomy would be an understatement; the weather was bad and the occasion was somber.
You see, I was going to visit my cousin Ron the night before our Grandfather’s funeral.
Indeed, this was not the happiest of reunions.
Anyway, Ron told me that he had planned to grab a beer at the club.
Which club you ask?
Come on now, Cuthbert ain’t exactly the ATL so you know it ain’t but one ‘club’ in that joint.
At any rate, after driving for about 45 minutes, I had arrived at my destination.
I immediately got out and walked into the club—right up to Ron.
Clearly, he’s a good looking brother so you know he wasn’t hard to find 😉
Sorry for the digression!
So, as one would guess, we gave each other a long hug then walked away from the crowd to have a private conversation.
Mind you, Ron did not introduce me to anybody.
You guys understand right? It just wasn’t the time or place for such pleasantries.
Anyway, after our talk, Ron walked me to my car and gave me another long hug.
Remember, we were trying to comfort each other because we both knew that the next day would be very long and painful.
Needless to say, right after our embrace, we said our goodbyes, and I drove away.
BAYBEE, the next day Ron’s then wife, who had not been present at the club that night, called me and said, “Girl you know somebody called me and woke me up out my sleep to tell me I needed to get down to the club ’cause Ron was all hugged up with a bitch with a honey blonde bob!”
I hollered!
She went on to say, “Gwin, something told me to roll over and go back to sleep.”
I said, “You know that was meright?”
She said, “Ron told me, and I’m so glad I didn’t come down there actin’ a fool for NOTHING!”
🙂 🙂 🙂
To this day, Ron and I joke about me being the bitch with the honey blonde bob.
Let me correct that, Ron doesn’t cuss—but I do!
LOL!!!
Y’all, I decided to share this story because I think that it provides a great example of the lyrics from that soul classic, “Heard it Through The Grapevine:”
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
And so…
My advice to busybodies: Stop being so quick to run back and tell shit!
Pass it on!
Remember you can catch up with Ron on his wonderful blog, The Time Tunnel. You can also catch him here every Friday 🙂
Best believe you’ll LOVE reading, my cousin,”The Black Mark Twain!”
Lady G is downright ecstatic because Queen Bee over at I Sing The Body Electric hit me with a happy tag! If you are not familiar with Ms. Queen Bee, you might want to step over to her blog. I think you’ll enjoy this little badass jewel from the UK.
Thanks for the tag my Queenie Bee!
In order to fulfill my ‘Happy tag’ requirements, I am going to list five things that make me happy. After that, I will share five songs and bloggers that make me happy. Don’t worry bloggers, you don’t have to do anything 😉
And so…
Here goes:
Five things that make me happy:
Sitcoms from the 1960’s and 70’s:
When I was a little tyke, I absolutely loved ‘Geraldine Jones’ from ‘The Flip Wilson Show.’ It’s pretty safe to say that my spicy side comes, in part, from watching Ms. Geraldine. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the show, the character, ‘Geraldine,’ is really Flip Wilson dressed in drag. Who knew?
Anyway, Geraldine was flirty, feisty and she pulled no punches. From time to time, she would refer to her boyfriend, ‘Killer.’
Although ‘Killer’ was never seen, he maintained a very ‘real’ presence on the show. In fact, there was a scene where a character asked, “Who is Killer?” To which Geraldine responded, “The question is not ‘Who is Killer?’ The question is ‘Whereis Killer?’
And with that, Geraldine shut it down! Clearly, Killer didn’t play!
Watch Ms. Jones in action (the video is old and of poor quality but you WILL get the ‘picture.’)
Ouch!!!! You, sir, have been checked!
Some of my other favorite sitcoms include Sanford and Son, Bewitched and The Odd Couple, I also like The New Odd Couple-with Ron Glass and Demond Wilson-albeit from the ’80’s.
I could go on naming more sitcoms but we ain’t got that kind of time 😉
Quite a few of the pictures on this blog were taken with my iPhone. It should come as no surprise that I am rarely pictured in family photos because I am always the photographer.
Instruments of time, space, weather, travel
I recently admitted to another blogger, M.J. Moye, that I am a bonafide geek. I also told him that one day I would come out of the closet as such.
That said, YAASSSS!!! Today is the day! Here I am, I am out! Lady G is a geek! I am that kid that made an aneroid barometer for an elementary school project. Oh stop! It was easy, all I needed was a glass bottle, a balloon and….hell you can go google the rest!
By the way, at some point, my equally geeky cousin Ron and I are going to Greenwich, England. If you possess any amount of geekiness you will understand why.
Yeah Ron, you have been outted!
I might do a post about all of this– but not today 😉
Food and Cocktails
Give me some good food, some good drink and some good company and your girl is set!
Five songs that make me Happy (They are in no particular order)
Ok, so let me get this straight, as a huge lover of music of all types, these are five songs that make me happy but there are 10 zillion more that make me just as happy as the five listed below–I’m just sayin.
‘Beginnings’ by Chicago
‘I Wanna be Where You Are’ by Michael Jackson –Smile T. Wayne 🙂
‘Hot Fun in the Summertime’ by Sly and the Family Stone
‘I Need your Lovin” by Teena Marie
‘Spirits in the Material World’ by The Police
Friends, I cannot sufficiently explain how much music means to me in this post. Now, if you want more details, start by reading this or that.
Five Bloggers that Make me Happy
There are quite a few bloggers that make me happy but these bloggers are always on my ‘happy’ go to list:
A Joyful Process Blog- T. Wayne: Where I go to get my groove on!
The GeoGee Experience- G.: Where I go to get my fun on!
STBB/The Time Tunnel- Ronbrownx: Where I go to get my nostalgia on!
Chevvy’s Studio- Chevvy: Where I go to get my creative writing on!
Heroically Bad Writer -Woebegone but Hopeful: Where I go to get my UK humor and wit on!
I opted not to do links or ping backs because I don’t want these guys to feel obligated to do anything. If you like me, you’ll love them! Go look ’em up!
Alas! My time is up!
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
