grace grits and gardening

This morning when my iPhone tweeted, I cracked open my dead asleep eyelids to read whatever natural disaster or political alert came across before daybreak.

courtesy of morgueFile

Really? 

Seems like there should be more newsworthy events to broadcast at dawn. 

Why such fascination with the royal family and royal baby?

Are females genetically wired to soak up all things princess-related while fighting for equal rights and pay? Do we support Kate because she seems normal in a cast of untouchable oddballs? Are we only interested to see if she gets her perfect pre-baby body back?

I wish a healthy delivery for every woman pushing a squalling baby into the world, royal or regular. But I don’t know Kate. I have no connection and no real interest. 

I was more fascinated by Lady Mary Crawley’s baby on Downton Abbey. 

I admit in 1981 when my mother phoned my dorm room at 2:00 a.m. to remind me of Charles and Diana’s wedding, I watched for hours on my tiny black and white television. It was as exciting as watching a police standoff.

Maybe during a week when real breaking news includes Detroit tumbling into bankruptcy and a woman plunging to her death from the Texas Giant at Six Flags, we crave baby news. 

We need to believe in happily ever after.

Even if the princess (who in this case is a mere duchess) is a complete stranger.