For a picture recently I've been looking at this great photograph of Tammy Duckworth -- newly elected representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district -- for reference. I love the picture for many reasons, but chief among them may be the stars and stripes on her right prosthetic leg.
There is a child-like glee I get from politicians who artlessly and sort of un-self consciously festoon themselves in National Colors. I don't like it in their speeches but I love it in their non-essentials. Not their pins, but their bright ties or maybe folders with flag-stars on them. This leg is a perfect example.
Not long ago I would regularly clean the house of one of our local representatives. I always appreciated the quilt on the bed, which was a double wedding ring block pattern featuring rustic navy blues and maroons, with fabrics featuring at times, yes, little stars or gentle stripes. There's old-fashioned earnestness in things like that quilt, which is worn and splitting at some of the seams. It wasn't for show -- that bedspread probably wasn't seen by anyone aside from the representative, the representative's spouse, and incidentals like me. That makes me love it all the more.
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