Avonlea Blues

Sigh. I fear that modern clothing has forever been spoiled for me.  My wardrobe seems dull and unattractive, and what is in the stores appears even worse, to my spoiled eyes.  I recently watched the "Anne of Green Gables" movies, and clothing will never appear the same again.
Do you realize that what we pass as "clothes" today, would look like indecent rags back then?  Oh, I love my jeans, I admit, and I would doubtless roast to death in what they used to wear all summer...but everything was so elegant and beautiful, and just plain smart!  Well, not everything - but the possibilities were there.  Nowadays, if you try to look like a lady, you tend to be horribly out of place!  And trying to find modest clothes that don't make you look 60?  Next to impossible!
 I suppose it's been the same in every age - that struggle between modesty and fashion.  It seems especially difficult today, when it isn't a bit of ankle that is showing - it is something else altogether.  I wonder if we are wrong now to show our ankles- I know it would have been wrong then, because it wasn't done.  Some say we become accustomed to styles, that what was immodest at one point, isn't at another.  Actually, this argument makes sense, because that is how it started with Adam and Eve.  It was their thoughts that made their lack of clothing immodest, and so it is today.  Unfortunately, modesty and purity are not valued today as they once were.  How far must we go to prevent impure thoughts in ourselves and others?  Do we need to go back to floor length skirts, long sleeves, and high collars?  Maybe eventually. For the record, the best sunblock is clothing.  My policy for modest clothing is fairly simple - short sleeves, necklines that don't go lower than a couple of inches below the collar bone, skirt or pants at least to the knee, and nothing too tight.  Some, I know, will disagree with me, but these are my policies.
I admit, my size probably has something to do with it my clothes shopping problems.  As Dianna Barry would say, I shall probably always be something of a dumpling - a fact that only really bothers me when I'm trying to find something decent to buy.  It also doesn't help that I HATE shopping when I actually have to find something.  If I'm just browsing for the fun of it, I'll find lots of things I love, and generally at magnificent prices.  But the moment I actually have a deadline and a list -- POOF!  The clothes and low prices disappear into the wind.  I suppose if I convinced myself that I don't NEED anything new, that it would just be nice, I might find something - but I still have to fight with today's fashions.
 
Maybe it's because I don't have my own style, or rather that I'm not sure of it right now.  It's always that struggle between the cowgirl and the lady.  Bluejeans and pearls, that's me.  Wishing for a touch of sophistication...but maybe not quite blending into it.

Taxes

Taxes.  That inevitable force in life, right next to death.  Funny, we seem to avoid both, don't we?  If you ask me, too much of either isn't very healthy.  Taxes have come up two of my classes the past couple of weeks.  First was in my Business Plan Developement Class.  If you have a business, you really can't legally avoid taxes.  If anyone knows a way around that without running into the risk of liability, let me know.  The other class that has prompted ponderings is my U.S. History class.  We are studying the events leading up to the American Revolution.  I shan't get into details, but apperently taxes had something to do with it.  It was something about the British raising taxes to pay for things that America neither wanted nor needed, and America not having a say in things like the rest of England. I guess I'd be pretty irritated too, if my government was taking my hard earned cash and using it to pay for things that I didn't think it should be paying for.  Especially if I was loosing out in other ways.  What would really bug me would be if I knew that the majority voted one way and the government still insisted on doing things another way.
Now, I do know that taxes are in many ways a necissary evil.  After all, taxes pay for things like roads and these community college classes I'm taking.  But it seems like that money goes for many things that I really don't see the benefit of, too.  Such as bike trails that people drive their SUVs to to get exercise.  I could probably go on all night.  But when it comes down to it, grandpa says it best.  This is a video clip from one of my favorite movies, You Can't Take it With You.