People tried to make a scandal of her marriage--that she travels without her husband, isn't seen in public with him.

She said he doesn't like the traveling she has to do. As for not being seen out with him, they DO go out, but she dresses casually, without the wig and outrageous clothes or heavy makeup. She goes out as his wife, not as Dolly Parton the Celebrity. I've read it's difficult to recognize her and I don't think too many photos of him exist.

It reflects her inner beauty and goodness. She promotes reading by sending--free to the recipient an age-appropriate book every month on her mailing list. She had Dollywood Park built near her hometown because the unemployment rate was so low. After Dollywood opened, the rate dropped significantly. She is a national treasure.

It's more to get it past censors! A friend of mine introduced me to it. She uses it in speech as well. "She's such a ta nuc!"

I doubt i will ever have another pet (health and physical issues), but if I ever adopt, it will be an older cat from a shelter.

Thinking of older cats at a shelter reminds me of a t'nuc (read it backwards) I worked with. She and her husband had a gorgeous ivory colored cat. Sweet tempered and gentle.

After their daughter was born, all was fine until one night he came home and the wife was screeching to get the cat out. To a shelter. "HAVE IT KILLED!" Seems Mommy never taught kidlet how to NOT taunt and hurt the cat, so the cat would now suffer. The husband said he'll leave it at the shelter. No. She wanted it murdered. SHE fucked up and the cat suffered. I don't know if the shelter did put her down or put her in a cage. Husband may have lied to the wife. He had a good soul but had a harradin as a wife and may have been too scared to defy her.

She told me the story with a strong attitude of pride---Mama Bear protecting her cub. I couldn't verbalize what I felt, the disgust and hatred. Our friendship ended then.

But...if you want the boss to know something but don't want to be associated with it (or risk being the messenger that got killed), tell the boss's tush-kisser. I was told early on by friends in the departmen5t to be very careful what I said to Laurie or within her hearing.

"But... if you want Sue [2nd in command] to know something, tell it to Laurie. It will get to Dick [department head] before 5."

Laurie would relay it to Sue, who loved gossip of any kind, as a dung beetle loves dung. We knew by the next morning Big Dick (as he called himself) would have a plan in place that made him look like gold.. These were the 80s. No email, no cell phones, not even beepers. Just Laurie.