Vaya Con Dios
HEADS UP! It is my considered advice that you do NOT post your email address here. Please email it to me. You will get a ton of junk mail if you post your email in public. Email it to me at susan@brazosriver.com I have removed email addresses from any comments so far. Also, if you have ever commented at any time, please go on and send your email to share with the regulars.
They say that all good things must end. Juanita Jean’s, The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, will be closing around January 23rd.
This has been a hard decision. I will miss all of you but mostly I fret that the regulars will miss each other. If you will email me your username at Juanita’s, your first name, and your email address, I will compile the regular users into a list and email it out to everyone who sends theirs. My email is Susan@brazosriver.com If you don’t comment at least once a month or so, don’t even try to get on the list.
I’ve had fun here for 15 years and that’s about as long as any hobby lasts. Recovering from Don‘s death has been hard. I was 25 years old when I married him and 50 years later, I lost him. I witnessed his life and that was an amazing gift.
And then there’s politics.
The night of the last election, my baby son sent me a text message that said …
I know there’s a part of you that was hoping to end your days on earth knowing this weird authoritarian threat had been put to bed and now it must feel like that won’t happen. But remember that the struggle you lived and taught me was important has been nurtured and carried on by fellow travelers long before you were born and will continue long after you’re gone. And you know that you’ve personally done far more than most to caretake that flame. And that flame will inevitably melt the candle.
I know he was talking about you, too.
I will miss all of you, but the door shuts on January 23rd or thereabouts because it’s just gotten too expensive and time consuming to keep the doors open.
However, I do have something else I want to share with you.
If you feel disgusted about politics, you are not alone.
.
Somewhere in those numbers is my name. I turned off the teevee news the day after election and have not turned it back on. It has improved my life significantly. I will admit that I have been tempted this week to go look at the hair pulling and spitting going on between Steve Bannon and Elon Musk. I just find it funny that Trump predicted a civil war after the election and sure ‘nuff, he’s playing the role of Robert E Lee among his own troops.
I could be wrong. I have been wrong before and it didn’t kill me, so here goes. I think we need to be listening to young people. I think we shouldn’t even give a big bear’s butt about who is the new leader of the DNC because screw ‘em, they are not viable any longer. They spent 1.5 Billion dollars and lost. They lost to Trump twice. I guess they’re waiting for three’s the charm but, frankly, I don’t have that kind of time.
I’m making an effort to pay attention to young people about politics. For example, I listen to David Pakman https://davidpakman.com/ because he’s young, progressive, and while he takes his reporting very seriously, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I also subscribed to You Tube to hear what the young progressives are thinking.
I’m going to try some fancy stuff to keep this post on top so everyone can see it, but El Jefe, Half Empty, and Fenway Fran will keep posting underneath this one until we slide off in the sunset.
I love you all.
Thanks for all you’ve done. Happy trails….
1“This one’s for you, Chip” will continue.
Much gratitude for Susan and all who have made this possible.
2Speaking only for myself, the hole in the zeitgeist that’s gonna be left after this is gone is gonna be….a bottomless pit.
3But the hole that’s left will be a helluva reminder of what was here. And how amazingly lucky I was to have found it to begin with. Susan what you’ve done here was a gift to everyone lucky enough to have found it. And you can already see the gratitude of those that did. Nobody deserves a rest more than you because of it. Here’s to wishing you good times with the folks you love.
4Phil.
Thanks for all the good posts and related conversations! The Salon is shuttering but the memories remain. Best to you!
I’m reminded of a song by Lyle Lovett called “Closing Time.”
https://youtu.be/1C7vQNKKuBw
5Dear Susan: I have no connection to TX except that my father was once a CO out of San Antonio before I was born, but since happening on the Salon of Worthies here at the beauty shop, I have enjoyed the TX-themed pieces by everyone. I thought something was up when JJ sort-of disappeared– so sorry for your monumental loss. Life changes, all good things come to an end, and the other platitudes are no comfort for OUR loss of this column, but we have all benefitted from it, and will miss it dreadfully. I recommend Reality Chex and the Esquire Politics column of Charles Pierce for all of you seeking a new home. I love them both, but neither equals the humor and wryness of this one, so this is sad for us. Happy trails with the littles– life continues.
6Thank you for all the blessed relief you’ve given us for all these years. Love you, Steve
7This is sad news and I don’t think I can take any more. Thank you for your company all these years and best wishes.
8Susan,
It has been a pleasure to know you and Don these many years. The Texas twang in your writing will always be special. If this site comes down, I guess we will lose the archives too 🙁 That’s kinda sad.
You and the Beauty Salon aimed to be humorous, and you exceeded all others, but ya’ll always have a smart comment on politics and politicians in there. I loved it, especially when you delivered it in just few lines. In the end, Ted Cruz’ hypocrisy and foolishness perhaps just became too easy. Fun with Guns was another good series. Often you reported on local news/gossip that other outlets skipped.
Thank you for making me smile when I wanted to cry, and bringing us together. Happy trails!
James Cargas
9Susan, I will miss you as well. Will need to find another daily “go to” Best wishes from an infrequent commenter but faithful reader.
10‘Gonna miss this place.
Thanks for all you’ve done to keep us sane and informed.
11… or at least as close as we can approximate.
I rarely comment here or anywhere else for that matter but I have to thank you for all the sanity and humor you have provided over the years. I always saved the WMDBS and PM Carpenter’s posts to finish each day and yours will be sorely missed.
I’m an old California guy but my mother and her family were Texans so I’ve always appreciated the attitude and humor of Texas women. You fought the good fight with dignity and grace and deserve to rest. I have to believe the new ‘administration’ will make such a colossal mess of things that they will finally destroy their brand and hopefully young people will step up and take control of their futures.
Anyway, thank you so much and do take care of yourself.
12Dag-nabbit–I’m going to kick some can down the road.
Enjoy your retirement; you’ve been a stalwart in a long fight.
Lots of hugs,
13Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
14I will sure miss this beauty salon.
I returned home in Dallas from a 3-week stint babysitting my 2 grandbabies in Denver, only to find my days checking in at the salon are numbered. There is a hole in my heart. Susan, you and all these posters and commenters have kept me sane the last many years since I stumbled into this site. I will miss this place enormously. I did email my info, and I hope that, even though I don’t comment that often, you will add me to the list. Y’all are like friends to me and I really, REALLY don’t want to lose touch. And I totally agree that young people are are best hope for the future, especially if large numbers of them are like my two 30-something sons and their wives and their friends, and like your son and his family. We so desperately need a new, progressive, road out of the tar pit we’re in now.
15God bless, Kathryn