What's not to like love?
She's brilliant, multi-talented: singing/acting/songwriting, and beautiful. She seems to brim with kindness and good humor.
All those wonderful songs she wrote and/or performed. Here He Comes Again (a superb sing-in-the-shower number). 9 to 5. Wildflowers. Islands in the Stream. (Done with Kenny - no relation - Rogers. One of my favorite tunes from back in the days when I took Jacki Sorensen aerobics with my sister Trish and our friend Michele. And if you're wondering just how much exercise you get with Islands, it was the cool down. Another great cooldown number was Elton John's Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Whatever happened to Jacki Sorensen? I loved aerobic dance classes!)
And then there's I Will Always Love You (which Dolly wrote and whose version I love, even though Whitney Houston's cover is probably better.)
Okay, I'm not that fond of her song Jolene.
But mostly, I just love Dolly.
I will also admit that part of my affection for her stems from having seen her up close one time.
It was 40-ish years ago in La Jolla, California. My husband and I were having lunch in the front courtyard of La Valencia, Hotel - a funky old shell-pink, grande dame (1920's built) hotel in downtown La Jolla.
It was a good day for celebrity spotting, something that my husband was unusually good at.
First, we saw Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Steve Garvey, who at the time was much in the news for his marital issues - issues that were at complete odds with his squeaky-clean image.
And then, there was Dolly, "looking better than a body has a right to."
Even I, who was nowhere near the celebrity spotter Jim was, couldn't miss her. What struck me to most wasn't how tiny she was, or how big her breasts were, how blonde her hair. It was how outrageously beautiful she was.
She's also been amazingly philanthropic over the years, funding everything from medical research to children's literacy - she's given away more than 100 million books to poor kids - to dog adoption.
And now, here she comes again, donating $1M to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support COVID-19 research.
Oh, Dolly, I will always love you.
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyway, everyone could use a little dose of Dolly in their day. Today, of course, it's I Will Always Love You.
All those wonderful songs she wrote and/or performed. Here He Comes Again (a superb sing-in-the-shower number). 9 to 5. Wildflowers. Islands in the Stream. (Done with Kenny - no relation - Rogers. One of my favorite tunes from back in the days when I took Jacki Sorensen aerobics with my sister Trish and our friend Michele. And if you're wondering just how much exercise you get with Islands, it was the cool down. Another great cooldown number was Elton John's Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Whatever happened to Jacki Sorensen? I loved aerobic dance classes!)
And then there's I Will Always Love You (which Dolly wrote and whose version I love, even though Whitney Houston's cover is probably better.)
Okay, I'm not that fond of her song Jolene.
But mostly, I just love Dolly.
I will also admit that part of my affection for her stems from having seen her up close one time.
It was 40-ish years ago in La Jolla, California. My husband and I were having lunch in the front courtyard of La Valencia, Hotel - a funky old shell-pink, grande dame (1920's built) hotel in downtown La Jolla.
It was a good day for celebrity spotting, something that my husband was unusually good at.
First, we saw Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Steve Garvey, who at the time was much in the news for his marital issues - issues that were at complete odds with his squeaky-clean image.
And then, there was Dolly, "looking better than a body has a right to."
Even I, who was nowhere near the celebrity spotter Jim was, couldn't miss her. What struck me to most wasn't how tiny she was, or how big her breasts were, how blonde her hair. It was how outrageously beautiful she was.
She's also been amazingly philanthropic over the years, funding everything from medical research to children's literacy - she's given away more than 100 million books to poor kids - to dog adoption.
And now, here she comes again, donating $1M to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to support COVID-19 research.
Parton made the gift in honor of her longtime friend, Naji Abumrad, MD, professor of Surgery, to support research teams who are working urgently to perfect treatments and cures for COVID-19.
In an appearance on NBC’s Today Show, Parton commented on the gift going to support research for a bridge treatment that will save lives until a vaccine is identified. “What better time right now, we need this," she said. "I felt like this was the time for me to open my heart and my hand, and try to help.”
VUMC’s researchers are testing an array of already existing drugs in urgent clinical trials aimed at reducing life-threatening symptoms associated with COVID-19. In addition, investigators are focusing on entirely new therapies that could effectively treat and prevent the infection. Both strategies are aimed at providing a bridge for those infected, given a safe and effective vaccine is projected to be 12-18 months away. (Source: Vanderbilt)There's so much fear and uncertainty out there. How long? How bad? And here comes Dolly Parton helping fund research that could keep hundreds of thousands of people alive while they come up with a vaccine.
Oh, Dolly, I will always love you.
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyway, everyone could use a little dose of Dolly in their day. Today, of course, it's I Will Always Love You.
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