My Youngest Son Visits Nashville

I don't care how old a child gets, as an adult when they come to visit it's so exciting.  You want to make their visit memorable - so that means no fighting.  ha ha.  You plan things, where you'll go, who you'll see, what you'll eat, but all of a sudden that week's visit has come to an end.  You drive your child to the airport or watch his car drive away and you're sad.  As your child gets older, so do the parents.  My youngest son who will be visiting with me April 7 through the 14th is turning 42 in May, but in my mind he is still in a crib, waiting to be picked up from an afternoon nap.  The time has flown by.  I just turned 78.  When he leaves he will take a part of me with him, even though he may never know it.  I'm looking forward to seeing Lauren James Scheff. 

My May December Romance

Love has no boundries.  It doesn't know a 25 year old from a 50 year old.  Love is "what it is," and while it's going on it's absolutely insanely wonderful.  Statistics prove that a high percentage of married couples get divorced and there are more married couples in the 25 to 49 group than there are in the "you get this and I get that" category.  I was 41 when I was introduced to an 18 year old confused bi-sexual who babysat me going through a divorce.  I was a personal manager at the time and he had just graduated from high school with no work experience.  At 21 years of age he was a licensed theatrical agent with a well respected talent agency in L.A.  He didn't know what it was like to work for money, since his father was a wealthy lawyer in Beverly Hills and his mother owned jointly a major pharmaceutical chain in the U.S.  When they met me and knew my age they cut off his bank account, but he didn't care and for Xmas (he was a Jew) he brought home a Xmas tree the night before Xmas (it was free) and decorated it with strings of popcorn.  Was he a rebound love?  He treated me like I was a Queen.  I never questioned his love for me.  He died in 1990, in three months from a malignant brain tumor. 

I talk more about him in my book "You Can't Marry Them All" coming out in 2015.  I'm behind in it.

Online Dating

I wonder how many people join online dating sites.  I don't have to wonder any longer because if you log in to any of them, you will see a whole bunch of people all hoping to find the person of their dreams.  This is what I've come up with.  Men and women in their 70's and 80's don't want to be alone.  Most of those people have lost their spouse through illness or age-related problems.  And, many of them have been married for a lot of years so losing their spouse and friend of 40 or 50 years is a tremendous loss.  Those who are divorced are usually a little younger - in their 50s and 60s so they're game for the "hunt."  Actually I have been a member of an online dating service but because I am searching for an email friend I don't get very many responses however, every few years I'll join for a month and believe it or not I have not only found good email friends I have met two that I still correspond with at Xmas.  They're married now and I get Xmas cards from their families.  I like corresponding via email or letters with pictures.  It's difficult to simply find an email buddy.

Losing Joan Rivers

I first met Joan Rivers doing a standup act in a small hideaway on Fifth Avenue in San Diego, California.  She was hilarious.  Talking about negative things and comparing them to celebrities.  It was so enjoyable to sit and listen to her talk about various people that we knew, possibly not personally but we knew of them because they were in show business.  I'm trying to remember the name of the club where she was working.  I may have it wrong in San Diego.  It might have been in Los Angeles.  It's been so long ago I'm not sure I'm accurate, but it was a small club.  Intimate, with dimmed lights and bright lights on the stage.  She was in heels and a black, simple dress. 

I followed her from that moment throughout her career and loved the red carpet gossip and the Fashion Police.  I hope there will be re-runs because I need to see her, hear her and watch her.  There is no other Joan Rivers.

I had just gotten to know Melissa in the past few years from her joining her mother on the red carpet and other shows they shot together.  I am praying daily for Melissa and Cooper's struggle through this time.

I lost my own mother in 1992 and it's still fresh.  There are so many times something great happens and the first person I think to call is my mother, but she's not there.  It takes time to adjust to this loss.  It never goes away, but it does get easier as time goes on and you tolerate the loss.

I'll be watching you Melissa and praying for you.

Linda Lee Roberts
September 9, 2014

Preparing for my own death

When you're living a good life - a job, having a home, a spouse, children, grand kids, pets - who thinks of departing from this earth.  As you grow into adulthood, and starting out, death is something that happens to old people.  I've been doing a lot of research on the elderly.  I am part of that era.  I am turning 78 in March, 2015.

I donated my body to Vanderbilt University and one of my sons told me I would be a frozen popcicle until the next semester starts.  When I contacted the school to see if I was still on the list, the intake worker said yes, but asked who my alternate was.  I didn't have an alternate.  I asked her to clarify what she meant and this is what I was told. 

There is no guarantee the university will take my body when I pass on, for reasons such as, infected with an aggressive disease, too old, very unhealthy and many more criteria.  So, they suggested I have an alternate to call. 

I got out my phone directory and called three cremation places.  I don't want to be put in the ground and I don't want my ashes in an urn in someone's house.  Just burn my ass up and toss those ashes, wherever you want.  So far, I have contacted three crematories and will see them in the next two weeks. I want this all paid for by the time I need it.  I don't want my family burdened with the costs or preparation.

So I now have Plan B.  I have my Will in my safe deposit box with all my final wishes too. 

I'm set. 

My first face to face meeting with husband #8

I met John in 2002, online.  We communicated via email and online for about six or eight months, then I met him, face to face for the first time in Los Angeles.  I felt like I was meeting a dear friend I hadn't seen in a long time.  We had become such good friends via the internet, I didn't feel any fear.  I was living in Palmdale at the time and he was in San Diego, but we both drove to L.A. to see the play "Lion King," at the Pantages theatre in Hollywood.  He told me where he was staying and I asked him to get two Queen size beds so I could stay over and not drive back up the mountain at 2 in the morning.  We agreed we would split the hotel room.  I had colored my hair earlier in the day and failed to read the instructions on the box.  I had been coloring my hair for years, so I was not a novice at it and didn't feel I had to read them, however....these instructions - this box had a completely different solution inside.  It was for dark hair that needed to be lightened.  I had light auburn hair.  There wasn't a dark strand on me.  When I took the color off, I had orange hair - literally.  I didn't have time to process another color.  I had an hour and a half drive to Hollywood.  Oh well.  I just went with orange hair.

I called John on the way down and asked what room he was in.  228 over the pool area.  As I drove down the mountain I was thinking of what I could do with my hair.  I needed a scarf or something, but didn't want to stop on the way and I didn't have any hats to wear at my place so I was driving with orange hair to meet my good friend John and see a play. 

Ad I drove in to the parking lot, I saw room 228 and parked in the two car stall in front of it.  As I reached in the back seat for my overnight bag I saw a sweater folded up next to it.  I took the sweater and put it around my head.  As dumb as that looked I locked the car then went over to 228 and knocked on the door.  When John answered he asked me what was with the sweater.  I started to cry as I took it off, but he assured me it was no big deal.  Since we didn't know anyone in L.A., and certainly not at the theatre, who cares what color my hair is.  "You look good in orange," he said, as he put his arm around me and walked me in to the room.  As I looked around there was one King Size bed, not two.  "What happened to the two beds?" I asked.  He said he didn't know it was like that when he checked in but he would go downstairs and have them move us.  Being the good friends we had become I told him to forget it and let's just enjoy the play.

To be continued

Nobody has forgotten Demi Moore

Yahoo posted an unflattering comment about Demi Moore today, August 18 and I would like to share my feelings on the notice.  Demi has never made a movie that wasn't worth watching.  She has screen chemistry and her voice is only hers.  She is a convincing actress and plays dramatic parts with ease.

It is difficult to replace Bruce Willis and I was sorry to see them divorce.  Ashton Kutcher, however, can't walk in the shoes of Willis and she came down many many levels when she married Kutcher.  Unfortunately she loved him and there's something about a young person that's invigorating.  I should know, five of my eight husbands were young.  They aren't jaded yet.  They still could wake up at two o'clock in the morning and want to go hiking.  Actually, they're up for anything and you don't have to ask them to take a pill or look at a sexy magazine to get a hard on. 

I knew Demi's life with Kutcher was doomed.  As time goes on, the young lovers need someone their own age.  Even though they get older, so do the women.  It doesn't usually work.

I would like to see Demi in a new movie with a lot of bite to it.  She is a great actress and can play many roles.  She's great in the serious ones.  Yahoo said she was washed up and nobody wanted to hire her.  I doubt that.  I hope not.