Starts Off Pretty Light. Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse Of Young Girls, Pedophilia

Well, I'd just about convinced myself that there was no need whatsoever to go out in the oven we call outdoors here to pick beans. Surely, surely, they were done or just about done and not worth picking. The vines are turning brown and I was ready to hand the whole bean project over to fate and stink bugs and Georgia Thumpers but no, I had to go out there today with my basket and by golly, I bet I got at least two pounds of the things. 
I came in the house drenched in sweat and showed Mr. Moon what I'd picked and he, too, was astounded. 
"These are the best beans in the world!" I announced. 
We agreed this is true. So I can take beans up to North Carolina. They can go in the chicken and dumplings and other things. We know I have to make chicken and dumplings at some point. 

I also picked some tomatoes and cucumbers. 

I am shocked that we're still getting any cucumbers at all. Obviously, they are too weary to grow big. The vines look as dry and tattered as can be but they still have a little spirit. None of our tomatoes grew very large this year but we have gotten enough to keep us happy and that's not something we can say every year. Tonight I am making a Caprese salad with them. I looked up the recipe on the NYT's cooking app although of course I know how to make Caprese salad but I wanted to read their take on it. Same as I thought. Tomatoes, olive oil, mozzarella, basil, salt and pepper. Now I like to add a little balsamic and in reading the comments on the recipe I discovered that I am not the only profaner of the Caprese. I've said it many times but I really do love reading the comments because people get so uppity and high and mighty about how things should be made and how they shouldn't be made and it would appear that if you add some balsamic vinegar to your Caprese salad, all of the Italian nonas in the world will die immediately without even having time to remove their aprons.
One obvious defiler of the Caprese even suggested very thin slices of onion! Oh god. You'd think a priest would be needed to exorcise the demons from an apostate who dared utter such heresies. 

Oh well. I'm just a big ol' rule breaker. Always have been, always will be. It's just that the rules I break now are not nearly as apt to get me into deep trouble or jail.

I got both my dresses hemmed. The blue dress was done very, very well and I am proud of it. The white dress? Not so much but whatever. I may not even take it. Over the years I have amassed a nice little collection of sleeveless linen and cotton dresses that do not touch the body except where they must. I am so grateful that I am not a man, constricted by societal norms (here at least) to wear pants or shorts at all times. The air flow while wearing pants is non-existent while the air flow while wearing a dress is free and unencumbered. I had a good friend who refused to wear underpants under dresses for health reasons which I always admired but I can't quite bring myself to go that far. I have several work-arounds to avoid wearing bras. It is no secret that I hate them with heat of a thousand suns. Men- imagine having to wear a tight, restricting garment on your manly jewels. One with WIRE IN IT TO KEEP THOSE PUPPIES WHERE THEY BELONG! Sounds ridiculous and horrible, doesn't it? 
Yeah. Like that. Who says breasts are supposed to stick out in the right places and on the correct levels? I know that some women have very large breasts they feel they need to restrain and that's fine. I would never, ever tell a woman who wants to wear a bra that she shouldn't. 

It is a matter of personal choice. 
I hope I don't get arrested for saying that. 

I have not been writing about, uh, the horrors, shall we say? But I would like to say one thing today. I cannot believe that what is enraging the Magas to the point where they are calling out their dear leader is the Epstein files. Who knew that lying trying to cover up pedophilia was the line that had to be crossed for them to finally pay attention to the true nature of their, gag, hero? I mean, they knew he was a rapist and a predator and really liked the fact that he could go into contestants' dressing rooms before beauty pageants and that he seemed to be inappropriately interested in his daughters' sexual attributes before they had hit puberty but it's the Epstein files that he won't release that are pissing them off?

But I so wish that none of those girls had ever been violated by those horrible, rich, old white guys, ever, ever, ever. They will never entirely recover. We know that. The sins of those who were involved in Epstein's evil, thinking that their positions and wealth would protect them forever are not forgivable. 

I stand by that. 

Ms. Moon