God, Mother, Country, Apple Pie, No, I mean Plum Tart

So this election is beginning to look like there will be scant discussion of issues and lots of God, mother and country talk. Are these issues? I don't think so.

I'm tempted to stand on the corner and scream, "you're a nation of sheep! and the wolf is coming to the fold! " But what good would it do? I may set my hair on fire.

In the meantime, there is food. No, not apple pie, but plum tart. Yes, the prune plums have arrived. They are hard to find. Also known as Italian prune plums, and where are the little Italian grandmother (nonas) of yesteryear?

Not shopping where I do. We cleaned the prune plums out of Stop & Shop. Most of them were hard as gourds, but a few days on the counter did ripening miracles, and this morning I made the crust by hand out of flour, sugar, butter, and an egg. The photo is the result.

We haven't tucked into it yet. The nuts are hazlenuts, because I was out of almonds. The top is also sprinkled liberally with sugar into which a soupcon of cinnamon and nutmeg have been sifted.

Mega yum! Now I have to work on my novel, always a pleasure. Did you watch Mad Men last night? The plot thickens. I like that. Good conflict. We like that, too. Some of the characters aren't very nice. In fact, are any of the characters nice? Some of the women are rather like Sarah Baracuda, don't you think? Isn't it weird they won't let her talk to the press? A VP candidate who isn't allowed to talk? A woman, yet? I dunno. It's like she has to be brainwashed and primed and pumped by the handlers. And people are going to vote for these two?

I forgot. People won't vote for them. Sheep will. Are you man or Merino? Baaaa?

Mad Men

I came to Mad Men last season and couldn't wait for it to begin again. The thing about the show is, I feel like an in-the-know insider. How could this be?

We once lived in a neighborhood with lots of those mad men, hard drinkers and smokers all, and I served on various committees with them and met them through committees their wives served on. That sort of thing. To a man they had a cool, ironic sense of humor that I loved.

The pretty blonde wife (Betty Draper) should be on a committee or two for versimiltude. Should I write the producer?

Today, watching last week's program before tonight because the Olympics is playing hell with my free time, viewing habits, sleep--god I'll be glad for the closing ceremonies--oops, long sentence. Today I realized who the real life model for Don is, and wild horses couldn't drag it from me.

From Those Wonderful Folks Who Brought You Pearl Harbor, a great book by Jerry della femina (hope this is spelled right) with big insights into the advertising agency culture, told some tales out of school and I knew who he was talking about, and it's the same person that Don is modeled after. Has to be. It is so fun to be in on something.

I love the furniture and lamps and paintings, even the clothes in the show. They've done it right, and I also like that Peggy Olsen is no raving beauty and I guess we're all wondering what's going to happen with the new young priest.

Of course, it's a soap opera, but then so is life. Love the drinking and smoking, even at the office drinking, ah those were the days, my friend.

Don is in his way a lot like Tony Soprano, don't you think? It's the same show built around different characters. We always write the same book over and over again.

These Sunday morning insights are creating a huge desire for a drink, which would actually be another cup of coffee. Ha. Ha. Fooled you.

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