Hallway altar of important things. Pictures, the Virgin of Guadalupe, black coral (brought home from Cozumel before it was illegal AND I found it on the beach), seashells, tortoise shells, feathers, gathered beach glass, etc.
I am so happy to have such a nice assortment of camellias. More to come.
The buds are abundant.
We did get our rain. A good, heavy one and it lasted for a few hours. I doubt it really did anything to alleviate any of the drought problems but at least a lot of plants and trees got a good soaking. And the oak leaves, which have been waiting for new leaves to come and push them off their branches, probably got a good head start on that. At one moment this morning before the rain started, I saw branches being twisted and turned as if some angry being was wringing them the way I'd wring my mop in the bucket. We also got some rumbles of distant thunder and oh, how I love that sound. The sound of rain either coming, going, or here now.
The Sunday Morning Big Breakfast was a good one today. For whatever reason, my biscuits rose higher and lighter than usual. Mr. Moon proclaimed them to be better than Hardee's biscuits but I know he was lying. Hardees makes some damn good biscuits.
I talk about fast food as if I regularly eat it. Or, if not fast good, then greasy spoon food (like Waffle House) but the truth is, if I've eaten at a Hardee's in a decade, I'd be surprised. Waffle House? Maybe four times a year. But I can remember how good the biscuits are at Hardee's. I forget a lot of things these days but I do not seem to forget foods I've eaten.
Another good thing we had for breakfast was some of the sausage Glen made from the wild pig Vergil brought home. It was fit. It also had almost no fat on it. The guys trimmed a lot of the fat off when they processed that meat and although it isn't as spare as venison, I'll just say that you need to get a little oil in that skillet before you put the patties in. Venison is so bereft of fat that I add a little olive oil to the ground meat if I'm making a meatloaf from it.
I wonder if the fact that people did not seem to have the problems with obesity back in the olden days that we do now, was at least partly because the meat was so much leaner. Not only were the hunter/gatherers eating less meat, most likely, the meat they were eating was not given hormones to speed and increase growth rate.
And this is one of the many reasons that eating wild game is preferable to eating factory farmed meat if you do, indeed, eat meat.
So many things we should be paying attention to. So many more things we should be concerned about rather than just whether our eggs come from happy hens or not. Although I hope they would be.
But beyond making breakfast, I did not do much today.
The crossword puzzle. More work on the jigsaw puzzle. I swear to you- one of these years I'm going to finish that bitch. I read a longish interview in the New York Times Magazine and it was disturbing enough to make me want to do only mindless things that sapped and sopped my emotions.
I'm not even going to link it. It was about Gisele Pelicot and if you have no idea who she is or what happened to her, it's probably for the best.
I will just say that women are forced to go through things that no loving god would tolerate.
It's strange. The other night while I was in that between world of sleep and awareness, an epiphany struck me about the patriarchy and how it has controlled women throughout history and I thought to myself, "I should get up and write this down," and the other part of me insisted that no, I would remember it.
Of course I don't.
What I do remember is that it was so logical and so true that I knew I was astounded I'd never thought about things quite this way. Was my brain playing silly tricks on me or did I suddenly grasp a concept that, if not original, was at least original to my mind?
I suppose I'll never know.
It's been quiet here for the rest of the day and I'm heating up soup I made last week for our supper. I've got a loaf of bread just about ready to go into the oven. We have determined that there's something wrong with the ignitor system in the Thermonster's oven. As in it takes quite awhile to ignite itself and when it does, there is a rather disturbingly loud WOOSH as flames shoot forth from the bottom of the oven. It just lasts for a second though so I've been ignoring it until today when it was a little more serious and I demonstrated it to my husband who said, "NO. That is not safe."
Sigh.
Well, what with the slow leak in the hot water valve of the washing machine, that makes two appliances which need attention. Glen can deal with the washing machine but he does not mess with things like gas and electronic ignitions. Except for generators.
Never fear! We bought the extended warranty! Which has not yet expired!
Since these things always happen in threes, I am curious to see what appliance will next start fucking up.
Best news of the day: I thought I had my annual doctor's appointment in March but no! It is in May! The comet may have hit the earth by then, rendering that of no importance at all.
Worst news of the day: I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. Just a cleaning but... oh Lord.
I'll probably survive.
Love...Ms. Moon


Condolences about the dental appointment - it must be awful to be a dentist and have everyone approach with fear and loathing. At least you have camellias to go home to.
ReplyDeleteCeci
I really hope that people who become dentists are, on the whole, happy with their job.
DeleteThose camellias are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome.
DeleteOh dear, I remember that Whoosh when we were burning propane. I thought the house was going to blow up. One of the mysteries of country life: septic/well/ propane that I do not miss at all. I wish I could be there to inhale those camellias. I'm sure it's heavenly.
ReplyDeleteCamellias rarely have a scent. BUT, there are some that do. I personally have never detected a fragrance which does not mean there isn't one but generally, most do not.
DeleteThe camellias are amazing. I definitely understand that relief st finding out an appointment is further away! For many years I've thought well that's okay I'll be safely dead by then. Likewise when agreeing to give speeches!
ReplyDeleteWe are sisters! Yes! I'll be dead by then! The older we get, the more the possibility grows. And like I always say- I won't care. I'll be dead! This comforts me sometimes.
DeleteI have a hard time believing you dread giving speeches but I trust you to know the truth of the matter.
I used to be fearless
DeletePosted too soon. Fearless and perfectly fine at the event, however big the crowd. It was just the anticipation that did me in. But I kept on not being dead and having to show up.
DeleteAnd that is courage- doing what you fear, even in the face of it.
DeleteThat oven is definitely not safe. The leanest meat in our country is Kangaroo and I used to buy the minced (ground) meat and mix it half and half with minced beef, because the kangaroo was much cheaper to buy and thus I could get many more burgers to feed the hungry hordes (teenagers). These days Kangaroo is more expensive and the teenagers are adults with their own families so I don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteYour camellias are all beautiful
My word! I never even thought about the fact that some people may eat kangaroo meat. But why not?
DeleteCan you grow camellias in Australia? I just looked it up and yes, they can!
Gisele Pelicot's story makes me want to wreak a terrible vengeance on her behalf, so it's a good thing that will occur only in my imagination.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine a vengeance strong enough to be worthy of wreaking on those men. And her husband most of all.
DeleteGiselle said that she was not angry- I have watched just about everything there is on you tube re:the trial and the man and men and her daughter. I can not even wrap my head around the damage that she must have endured in her body yet and had no idea...Such a brave soul she is.
ReplyDeleteAs for game- people would never eat the deer around here that are so plentiful- deer eat gardens and lawns that have been sprayed . They are not robust or well. Lawn ornaments.
How can she not be angry? This is the part of the story I find almost impossible to believe. JUST the fact that the pictures were found of her daughter that her husband had taken which of course did prove he molested her but, as Gisele said, he looked at her with the eyes of a pedophile- THAT would be enough to cause me white hot anger and never able to forgive. I also cannot understand how she rationalized what was affecting her body so. I'm not saying I don't believe her, I just cannot imagine.
DeleteDeer as lawn ornaments. Did you know that the Aztec and perhaps Mayans, kept deer as beloved pets?
Thanks for the link to the thermomonster. It’s a beauty. Incredicle it’s still under warranty. That sounds dangerous! You’ve reminded me I’m overdue for the dentist!
ReplyDeleteIt's not still under regular warranty. We bought the extended warranty which we usually never do but I guess in this case, we realized that repairs were not going to be cheap.
DeleteGisèle Pelicot is writing (or has already written) a book about what happened to her. After that she says she no longer wants to be associated with being a victim and has moved to the Isle de Ré with her new partner. I wish her every happiness in the world and may those that perpetrated those horrors on her (especially her ex-husband) many many more years of exactly what they deserve!
ReplyDeleteI do not believe it's possible for her perpetrators to get what they deserve. Especially her husband.
DeleteI can understand her not wanting to be seen as a victim but I am not sure how anyone in her shoes could accomplish that.
I did know she wrote a book and she is doing a lot of interviews and publicity for it.
A good interview on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday with Gisele Pelicot...who I'd never heard of, but of course now will never forget. So glad at least the 53 men and her husband who drugged her before they raped her all got sentences. But his maximum was 20 years! That's not right! He'll probably die before then...but why not call it life! OK, settle down. Love the flowers. Your outside shot of the bush full of buds looks just like Florida from the past.
ReplyDeleteI, too, thought that twenty years, even just symbolically, is a pathetic sentence.
DeleteYour Camellias are prolific bloomers and very beautiful. I'm glad you got some rain. A moist garden is a refreshed and happy garden.
ReplyDeleteThe gas leak sounds very scary and dangerous. I hope you can get a technician in to do a repair.
We're expecting a call from a technician about scheduling an appointment.
DeleteReading this feels like home -😌 like sitting at the big butcher block island in your kitchen and discussing all the exquisitely ordinary things we’ve discussed over the years that connect us and will forever fill my heart. Ahhh Tallahassee rain, chickens, fresh biscuits and the Camilla’s beginning their welcoming of spring display…Your words feel like a much needed Mary and Glen Moon hug and have brightened my day. I love you
ReplyDeleteI am sure I love you too but I don't know who wrote this. Which sorrows me.
DeleteYour epiphany in the twilight world made me think of the time me and this guy took acid and talked all night long and solved all the world's problems and when I finally came down and slept, when I woke I couldn't remember a damn thing. And your camelia bush is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteAnd men are assholes, not all, but far too many hate women and will do horrible things to us.
Oh, yes, those brilliant answers to all the world's problems which acid can induce. But you know, I still vividly remember a few things I gleaned from those trips. Things I still believe with all my heart, things that make me smile to look back on.
DeleteNo, men are not all assholes but it would appear that given a free rein, more than we would think certainly can be and certainly DO a lot of horrible things to women.
Well, speaking of lean meat, pork roasts seem to have disappeared. Too much fat? (Too much flavor, if you ask me). A pork loin is not a pork roast. I really miss the good roasts my grandma, my mother, and I used to make. I read about an experiment in which cuts of lamb, pork, and beef, with the fat removed, were cooked, and people could not tell which was which. One thing I won't argue with RFK about is whole fat dairy.
ReplyDeleteIs there a butcher you could go to for a pork roast? I think our grocery stores do offer them and I know that at Publix, you can ask one of the guys in the meat department to cut you just about whatever you want.
DeleteI believe you about the lack of fat taking the identity away from meat. Fat delivers flavor and if things are fat free they generally contain more sugar and salt than the non fat free versions to make them palatable.
I refuse to agree with RFK about any damn thing.
All I know is that patriarchy is not work for more than half of the world's population. Men don't even understand what it's like to feel the weight of patriarchy, or understand that they are entitled just by being male. And my white husband is entirely clueless to how entitled he has been his whole life, to be fair though, I am clueless as to how entitled I am by having white skin either.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is clueless too about how entitled he is. He gets the concept and agrees he is, but I don't think at heart he really understands. Our men are not only white and male, they are also very tall which in our culture is a very positive attribute for a man.
DeleteI have, my entire life, understood that as a white woman, I was born on third base. Still, it is hard to know exactly how others with different colored skin are treated.
Those camellias are a JOY to behold. We are having a taste of spring today and I have opened a couple of windows for some fresh air. 54 degrees outside, probably too cold for Florida.
ReplyDeleteBonnie in Minneapolis
Yes. Fifty four degrees would definitely not be a day I opened my windows up. But good for you!
Delete