After reading Charles McGrath’s article in the June 17, New York Times we squealed– Aging But Dangerous certainly sums her up.  We  didn’t want our followers to miss this insightful article and we couldn’t have said it better.

At 85, a Brahmin in Blue Jeans Writes of Sex, Masks and Veggies
By CHARLES McGRATH
Published: June 17, 2009

Gloria Vanderbilt’s new novel, “Obsession: An Erotic Tale,” which comes out next week, may be the steamiest book ever written by an octogenarian. And it’s one of very few volumes to arrive on the sex-book shelf accompanied by a blurb from Joyce Carol Oates, who calls it, “a remarkable tapestry of human passion — an interior world of highly charged erotic mysteries that teasingly suggest, but ever elude, decoding.”

In other words, it’s not always clear what’s going on.

Several years ago we did a survey asking women that we knew, what we thought was a serious question, “when was the last time you felt hot?’’.  (Hot as in sexy, not flashes.)  Replies ranged between not recently, to never.   NEVER?  We were amazed.

Then we read an article about a writer who felt she didn’t have, ’sexy making instincts’, she didn’t say it exactly that way, we are taking the liberties of summarizing.  A photo of her revealed much of the problem.  She looked like someone had knitted her, she was over the top home spun.   One of her colleagues suggested that she should put some effort into appearing like she hadn’t just stepped off a package of cookies,(like something the Keebler elves might have conjured up).  The next photo was amazing; hair down, skirt appropriately short (just at the knee) and fitted, heeled shoes—she was definitely looking “hot”, and by her own admittance felt similarly.  It was a choice she had historically made, to dummy down her full potential because she was more comfortable that way.

Although the memories that surround our fathers may not all be stellar, we are greatful for the role they played in our very existance. 

“He opened the jar of pickles when no one else could.  He was the only one in the house who wasn’t afraid to go into the basement by himself.  He cut himself shaving, but no one kissed it or got excited about it.  It was understood when it rained, he got the car and brought it around to the door.  When anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription filled.  He took lots of pictures…but he was never in them.”
Erma Bombeck (1987)