Friday, February 22, 2013

Your Friday Letter From Ms. Moon



You see that picture? There is absolutely no reason in the world I am posting it except that IT MAKES ME HAPPY!
Fuck it.
It's Friday.
I got that picture off of Facebook because I am a friend of the Rolling Stones. How ridiculous is that? Facebook is ridiculous. I'm ridiculous for wasting one second on it. I get the fact that a lot of people share some powerfully good stuff there. I'm not one of them.

I wrote out a lot of invitations for a shower for Jessie by hand last night. I loved it. I still have beautiful handwriting. A few days ago I wrote Owen a letter to be sent by actual mail. In it I told him that I was writing him a letter because I wanted him to know that I love him and I think about him when we are not together. Isn't that the essence of a letter? I also told him that I like to think about things we will do together. I told him that someday soon I hope we can go see the mermaids together and I drew a wretched picture of a mermaid on the page. With fish and a turtle. He will know what they are. He won't judge my wretched picture. I think we need to write more letters by hand. I think we need to send more invitations by mail. Facebook invitations are handy but they lack a certain seriousness of purpose, not to mention any grace whatsoever. That's what I think.

I unfriended someone on Facebook a few days ago. I felt like a real grown-up. This is a person I've known for forever and used to know in real life quite well. We were close. Then she moved away and started a family and somehow turned into a Republican Right Wing sort of person. She would say that she did this because she now knows what life is really all about. She once told me (on Facebook) that life is not all about peace and love and rock and roll and that I if I had ever had a real job, I'd know that.   Maybe she's right.
Anyway, I found her posts to be offensive so I unfriended her. She seems to be inordinately concerned with people ripping off the health care system. She did work at a big hospital in the ER for a long time so maybe she's right about that too. Frankly, I don't care if people rip off the health care system. I'd rather my country spend money on health care for people who may not really "deserve" it (and what in hell does that mean?) than for my country to spend money on drones. Did you read Elizabeth's post yesterday about this very subject? If you haven't, go HERE and read it. I don't think that Elizabeth believes that life is all about peace and love and rock and roll but I do think that Elizabeth would rather live in a world that WAS all about peace and love and maybe, yes, some rock and roll, than in a world where paranoid individuals are seemingly obsessed with the right to bear arms and the belief that our country's problems stem from undeserved people getting free health care.

Whatever. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for shit. Or, to be more exact, what I perceive as shit.

Last night I wrote another letter. This one, however, was written in my mind. It was to Larry McMurtry. I wanted to tell him the story of when I had the flu and how miserable I was and how much of a miracle it was when I finally took a pain pill and settled down in my bed with one of his books. It was like a Mother's Touch. It was like rebirth. It was like heaven. I should actually write out that letter and send it to him. I sent him a letter once before. He never wrote me back. Haha! I don't care. I have no point here. It was just another letter-story.

Well. It is Friday. Mr. Moon tilled up most of the garden yesterday and so it is time for me to get in there and plant something. This spring is so confusing that I don't know whether to plant lettuce or tomatoes. Broccoli or cucumbers. It's warm today. It's supposed to rain this weekend. It would be good to get things in the ground. Baby is still sitting on those eggs. The rest of the chickens made lace of my cabbages and collards. I asked for that by letting them in the garden. In my mind they were going to eat bugs that feed on the greens but instead, they went straight for the greens.
I don't care.

Tonight I plan to have a martini and cook scallops. Tomorrow night I plan on going to The American Legion Hall in Tallahassee for the sixtieth birthday of my ex-husband. There are going to be people there I haven't seen in decades, some of them from the high school we attended. I'm sort of excited about this. My kids will be there too, except for Jessie who is stuck in Asheville, North Carolina which is too bad because she could maybe play a little mandolin with some of these people I've known for forever and ever and ever. I know she'd dance. I'm planning on dancing. There's going to be peace and love and rock and roll. There's going to be a celebration of the fact that some of us are still alive. Hoo-boy!

See what I'm saying here? No? Me either.

Happy Friday, y'all. Drop me a line.

Love...Ms. Moon






21 comments:

  1. Hello again me luv. Nice pic of your pals, The Stones. They sure would have a good time if they came to visit you. :) I am wondering about all that writing and your hand. Be good to yourself Mary and yes, there could be shopping involved. Love you so. Lizzie xo xo

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  2. I write my grandpa letters sometimes. It's been a while though. He doesn't have a computer. We both have horrible handwriting though, so sometimes the communication part of the letter writing can be a little difficult. xo

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  3. I write letters I never mail to famous people thanking then for art that's touched my life. Maybe we should do that more often and mail them?
    I'm glad you posted that picture, really glad you're going to a wonderful celebration with music and dancing and supremely glad any of us are still alive...
    hoo boy is right!
    I can't believe you got a garden tilled while I was blowing so much snow off the driveway. I think you Floridians are on to something :)
    Happy Friday, Ms. Moon.

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  4. You should totally write to Larry McM. He will appreciate it, whether he writes back or not. Writers love this sort of thing.

    And Owen will be able to keep that letter for the rest of his life.

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  5. You should absolutely write and mail letters to famous people who have enriched your life thanking them for their gift to you. Why the hell not?

    I have been so lucky.....I have written letters to some of my idols and they have answered me. Two are now my real friends....is that a miracle or what?

    I also approve of unfriending people who no longer deserve your friendship.Carry on, MerMer.

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  6. I hope Owen's mommy and daddy help him preserve your hand-written letters. When Owen is 40, MerMer's letters will be invaluable to him.

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  7. Well, thank you kindly for the shout-out! I'm happy that my rant about drones and sequestration made it into your blog -- what an honor. And I love, too, that you write letters in your mind and for real to famous people. I think that's fantastic.

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  8. Unfriend away. I am a terrible facebook person as I hardly ever remember I have a facebook page.

    I refuse to feel bad about this.

    But you go and eliminate those who are not of your, er, political persuasion. We have enough troubles in this world without selfish idiots who wanna takte care of their wee acre and everyone else is On THEIR OWN.

    Love from the NW midwife who gives away her money to homeless people to use however they want. Sheesh.

    X Beth

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  9. Lizzie Love- No, the writing I do with my right hand. On the paper, anyway. This is my left that plagues me. I have rested it today. Believe me. I have rested everything today. Believe me.
    Let's shop!
    I will bring a flask.

    Rachel- Write your granddaddy a letter. He will be so happy. Even if he can't really read it.

    Mel- I have sent different artists letters. Why not? I sent Bruce Springsteen one once, asking him to please play in Tallahassee. He did. I like to think it was because of me. Haha!

    Jo- Oh, I don't care if Owen "reads" the letter and throws it away. The thing at his age is to get mail. I should send him at least one letter a week.

    Lo- I read a book by Diane Keaton and in it she said that she was friends with Larry McMurtry. I sort of hated her. Not really.
    Sort of.

    Nancy- Well, I just want him to have something with his name on it from the mailman. I also want him to always know I love him.

    Elizabeth- I adore you. And your writing.

    Beth Coyote- Me too! If I give someone money they can do whatever they want with it. Why else would you give it to them? Bah on those who place restrictions on gifts.

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  10. I give money to the homeless and I get yelled at that they are just
    gonna buy booze with it. All I can think is ... Oh,like I wasn't ....
    Happy Weekend.

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  11. I have unfriended in real life those who are right wingnuts because they spew so much hatred. By unfriend, I mean that I am polite but don't converse or spend time with them. I am glad to participate in a civilized discussion but not in one that is filled with animosity towards those in need or towards the President.

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  12. I think I still have every letter you've written me since I moved out (and several from before that).

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  13. Kelly M- Seriously. I get to drink in the comfort of my own home but it's wrong for someone who lives on the street to drink? I do not think so.

    Syd- Exactly. I hate that I-got-mine-now-fuck-you attitude. I hate it.

    Mr. Downtown- Oh baby. Really? Are there lots of them?

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  14. Not so many as you would think. I could always make space for another.

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  15. Mr. Downtown- Well, damn. Okay. Keep watch over your mail. I love you.

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  16. Ms. Moon. You help keep me sane because I know there are other people out there who think like I do. Thank you.

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  17. Happy Birthday Jerry! Wow, that sounds like a fun party.

    I loved this post. (Well, I get something out of all of them) This one was threaded with witty goodness. And chickens and peace and love and rock and roll... all things I needed to be reminded of.
    xo

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  18. I unfriended a bunch of people on Facebook when I got laid off, mainly people I knew solely through my profession who I didn't want drag around with me for the rest of my life. But then I was unfriended by a couple of other people, and I was weirdly offended. So I don't know about the whole unfriending thing.

    I have a Facebook friend from high school who posts a bunch of crazy Tea Party BS and I just look at it and laugh. I have a couple of Jesus-freak friends too. It takes all kinds, I guess.

    I do agree, though, that being offended by providing people health care while spending $12 million (I think that was the figure?) on a SINGLE drone plane exhibits a twisted sense of priorities.

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  19. My Facebook story. Well. Facebook is how I found out my mother died. Seriously. My family didn't bother to call, I just started getting condolences from high school friends that still live there. It was never the same after that, so I unfriended everyone and then deactivated and deleted my account, which is a process in itself. Breaking up with Facebook was good but OH MAN, you get out of the loop quickly because people use it for everything now. It's sad.

    I'd love to see a sample of your handwriting. I bet it's lovely! Thanks to the computer, mine has really taken a hit. I used to have great handwriting, fat curvy letters...it was good! Now, it's inconsistent.

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  20. Blue Gal- We're out here, us different-thinkers. We are.

    Ms. Fleur- Glad I could be of service.

    Steve- I think it's best for me to just not be reminded that people I once loved have become people I wouldn't een be able to have a conversation with.

    heartinhand- That is way too harsh. That's like a not-very-funny short story. Jesus.

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  21. You are such a wise woman, generous and deeply zen. People who vex the spirit? Bless em and let them go. Life's too short.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.