Rose's Cantina

Sometimes, I am in awe of the women in my family. I think about the sacrifices made by my grandmothers and aunts, and the strength and grace of my cousins who often stare down adversity.  I come from a family of widows. My grandmother Ina Crown mourned her first husband who died during WWI. My mother Vera buried her own soldier husband, my father Russ, after he died as a result of PTSD at only 34. As a little girl, I watched the women close to me struggle, and cry when they thought I wasn't looking. I was always looking, and learning.  I still am.  Against all odds, they soldiered on. They were Steel Maples, standing tall against every storm.  In my own generation, I have marveled at the sacrifices made by my cousins to raise whole families on their own, and to deal with many mental and physical health challenges, and I am humbled watching Ashley's family endure the loss of their lovely girl whose only fault was picking the wrong guy. We've all been there. The Simpso...

There was a story in today's paper about a talk Barbara Walters gave to a Jewish fundraising dinner in town last night. I thought: good for Barbara. She's 82-years-old and still going strong. She continues to work on a regular basis on two television programs: The View and 20/20 . And she continues to be a gadabout in New York, seen at all the swish parties on the arms of some very powerful men. Oh yes, and she is a grandmother. That's not usually heard in her introductions. Last night, she told the gathering about a conversation she once had with the late, great Katherine Hepburn. Asked about her life's accomplishments, Hepburn said this. "I made enough money to support myself and I wasn't afraid of being alone." Oh, Lord, I thought. How sad. Barbara has certainly followed Hepburn's lead. She has been much married -- and badly, as she admits -- but Barbara has always been an independent soul, supporting her parents and her sister ov...