Sweetnesses

Last night when we got home from the meeting, when we got out of the car and went to walk into the kitchen I smelled the tea olive which is the first I knew it was blooming. The flowers are so miniature that I always notice their scent which is not miniature in any way, before I notice the blooms. I love the way they smell so much. I call it angel perfume. 

As to the meeting which we left before it even really got going- the results are in and I got a text from my neighbor who said everyone there had been opposed except for one person and the commission opposed the request. Now. What this means exactly, I do not know and my neighbor said that she bets Love Truck Stop will come back with another proposal. 
Sigh. 
But for now...
We are good. 
Personally, I wish they'd put in a hotel and a Waffle House. That would be dandy. I mean, hotels can be pretty ugly and they aren't the most charming things to look at, at least not the big chain ones they put up now, but they are tolerable and a Waffle House- well. You know how I feel about Waffle House. I am pretty sure that won't happen because there already is a Waffle House just one exit to the west which is about ten minutes away. 
But as I said the other day, eventually something is going to go in there. That property is just too ripe for development, especially as Tallahassee is growing this way so quickly. Huge housing developments are going in where there were only large tracts of woods. 
It is a sorrow and it is a reality.

I took this picture this morning because of the way the sun was shining through those petals. So tender, so lovely. We have many buds, waiting their cues to come on stage. I do not know exactly what their cues are, but they do. They have the script and I trust them to have memorized it. 

I was pretty busy today and it felt good. The weather was absolutely perfect. For a time I was even barefoot and sleeveless and yet, it was not hot. The sky clear blue all day long. 

I even managed to get the sheets and a few towels and new placemats hung on the line. I got those placemats at the thrift store Hank and I visited yesterday. I call them "fancy" and I think they are a fabric fiesta for the eyes. My eyes at least. 

I finally got to what needed to be done on the front porch which was to bring in all of the sheets and blankets I had out there to wrap plants in. I should have done that a month or so ago when I brought the plants inside. I don't know why I haven't. I gave the porch a good sweeping and set the plant stands where they should go and I brought one little old wicker table that's falling apart around to the side of the house where I'll see it and remember to take it to the dump. It has lived its life, it has served its purpose, it has brought me pleasure. 
I even carried a few plants back out there, just smaller ones, to get more light. They're still okay inside but gradually, we'll get them all back out. I'm a little leery of doing that yet though. I've seen freezes in March. 

I did several more loads of wash after I did the sheets, dried them in the dryer and folded them and put them away. I brought in the things hanging on the line and made up the bed. 

I also made the ganache for the truffles I'm making for Mr. Moon's Valentine's Day. We have agreed not to do anything special but any reason to make chocolate truffles is welcome. I haven't made any in so long and they're just the easiest things to make. Also, they are divine. I mean- chocolate, cream, and vanilla. And a tiny bit of butter. The ganache is in the refrigerator and I'll make the truffles themselves tomorrow, rolling them in cocoa and perhaps some in crushed pecans and some in coconut. They are a messy thing to make, as rolling them heats the ganache in your hands so it's a thing best done quickly, keeping whatever you're not working with in the refrigerator. But so worth it. I imagine that beyond that we'll just be giving each other a few extra kisses and hugs. 
We know we love each other. We do not take that for granted. We do not need a particular day to express that. 

I'm not sure what else I did but I know I must have done other things as I kept moving from one thing to another most of the day. This is housekeeping though, isn't it? All of the little things that must be done to maintain order and at least a modicum of tidiness. 

When Hank and I went to that thrift store yesterday, I not only bought those placemats, I also bought a new purse. 
I know. Shocking, right? 
And the shocking thing is that it's not really the sort of purse I usually fall in love with but for whatever reason, I did. It cost $14.99 and it delights me. 

The leather is very soft and I love the weaving in the design. Also, these tiny buckles just made me swoon for whatever reason.

I'm not big on decorative blah blah on purses but in this case, I am charmed. 

Oh, those little brass clasps which connect the strap to the bag! And the strap has small gold links woven into the first few inches of both ends of the strap which I would normally disdain but in this case, I do not. The strap itself is thin-ish and delicate, but strong. Quality leather indeed. And already broken in and ready to go. 
Although it is quite small, it easily holds all I need. Three pockets inside, one of them zippered, and those two zippered pockets outside. 

This post is very lighthearted. I am not talking about what I have come to think about as the horrors. I have needed this day at home spent in doing the simplest of tasks, being outside and inside, loving where I live, loving whom I live with, taking note of the blooming things, looking up and feeling at peace. 

The Japanese magnolias are beginning to open. They are always late, perhaps due to the fact that they are of the magenta variety rather than the normal pink. Or, because they don't get all the sun they need. I look forward to them blooming every year and I am patient. 

And here's a funny little cartoon from the New Yorker that made me smile. 

Happy Valentine's Eve. I raise my martini to all of us. We are all worthy of love, we are all worthy of being cherished, we are all worthy of buying little things that bring us pleasure. We are all allowed to eat truffles and to sleep on clean sheets and smile and laugh. 
Even now. Even in these times. 
Especially in these times. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

 

A Day Of Busyness And Goodness

That's a picture of a flyer stapled to a telephone pole on a busy corner yesterday as I sat at a red light on my way to pick up Jessie for pottery. It just evoked so much of old Florida to me that I had to take the photo. Mullet and oysters at a lounge in Quincy, Florida. 
Somebody's going fishing and oystering and that is going to be some good food. Twenty bucks for all you can eat is a terrific deal. Go check out the prices on a dozen oysters and you'll see I'm telling the truth. And mullet is god's own fish, once thought of as mostly poor people's protein but which is actually a delicacy. Lily was just saying the other day that she wishes some church would have a fish fry soon and I agree with her. Churches used to do that all the time. They'd set up in parks and downtown and serve fish that was fried when you ordered it in a big pot of oil on a propane burner, usually mullet, along with grits, cole slaw and beans. Plenty of hot sauce on the side. Sodas came with, and you could pick one out of a cooler full of ice. They were fundraisers for the church. I've bought terrific lunches from several of those fundraisers right here in Lloyd but I haven't seen one in a long time. I do not know why as the churches are still definitely here. 

But that's just a flyer I saw that sparked memories and what I really wanted to talk about is the meeting in Monticello that Glen got home in time for and I actually went to with him. This is the meeting of the Planning Commission that I posted about a few days ago. These meetings are held in the courthouse annex in a relatively small meeting room and by the time we got there, about five minutes early, that room was packed to standing room only and the connected entry way, waiting area, and I guess overflow space, was also packed. 

Many, many people had shown up for this meeting and I doubt one of them was in favor of the zoning change proposal. The crowd was quite mixed as to age, race, sex, and just-coming-from-work attire. Cowboy hats to business suits. Tattoos and obvious church attenders wearing crosses on necklaces. There was a bench Glen and I could sit on in that waiting area which was good because due to his neurological situation, he cannot stand in one place for more than a minute. He does not have the balance for it. And that would have been fine except that from that room, you could not hear a thing that was being said in the meeting room. We stayed through the prayer (I could tell because people closer to the door were bowing their heads) and the Pledge of Allegiance (I could tell because people closer to the door were reciting it along with the others) and we realized that our presence at that point was, well, pointless. 
A little girl and her mama were sitting next to us on our bench and the girl, who told me she was seven, was understandably antsy. I had brought a notebook which was actually a sketchbook and a pen to take notes which were obviously going to be useless and I asked the darling child if she liked to draw pictures and she assured me she did. I handed her the book and the pen and said, "You can draw pictures in this," and she looked at her mama to see if that was okay, and it was, and she began to draw a little girl who looked much like her and I was quite surprised at how well she drew. 
"Is that you?" I whispered. She nodded. "You are a very good artist," I told her and she thanked me. 
When it became apparent to Glen and me that really, there was no need for us to be there, we took our leave but before we left, I offered the sketch book and pen to the little girl to keep. I was having to fight my grandmotherly urge to hug her up by then. I really did want to squish her with my love, just as I'd wanted to squish those little soccer players last Saturday. Again she looked at her mother who nodded yes. To the sketchbook and pen, not the squishing.
And then we came home. 
And here we are. 
I saw another across-the-street neighbor there and I know she is a persistent and dedicated woman and defender of Lloyd and she said she'd let us know what happened. She didn't have a seat in the meeting room either but she did have a place in the doorway into it so she could hear what was being said, at least. 
The neighbor who's been doing so much work to educate us and to get in touch with the county commissioners had to leave today because she's headed off to go and stay with her daughter to help her with her new baby son. But we owe her a huge acknowledgment for all the work and research and being in touch with the proper people she's done. And for making and distributing the fliers that have alerted people to what's going on. 

So we shall see what the outcome of this outpouring of community voices will be. 

And besides all of this, Hank took me to lunch today! It was so fun. I can't remember the last time Hank and I got time to ourselves. As happens with all my kids, we talked and talked and laughed and laughed and it was good. My first baby is turning fifty in June and no, I can't believe that, and yes, I was a young thing when I had him, and he is planning a week at the coast in a beautiful house with a pool where his friends can come and celebrate with him at their leisure. So we talked about that a lot amongst many other things. 
We even visited the thrift store right next door to where we ate and that was fun too. 

I am the luckiest mother in the world. As my children have grown into adults our relationships have changed, of course, and I have been feeling the balance of things sliding evermore from me being the mother/caretaker to the mother/friend who is constantly learning from them about so many different things and who patiently listen to me as I talk about the changes in my own life as I age, and assure me that I am loved. 
Hank described himself today as the "lore keeper" of a very longtime dear and beloved friend of his, a virtual part of the family, and I loved that phrase. 
"Lore keeper."
When he said that, I told him that he was the lore-keeper of me, too. 
I take great comfort in this knowledge. 

Before we went to the meeting this evening, I made a soup so that Mr. Moon and I would have something to eat when we got home. As usual, it has all the vegetables and although I did not have the time to make bread, I think I'll go make cornbread. 

It's been a day. It's been a week. 
It's been a life. 
A life I have been so fortunate to have shared with these people I call family. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Another Scatter-Shot Post

This is what I achieved in three hours. Meaning that small bit of glaze painting. Those are not the colors they will be after firing. 
Inshalla. 
The pink-looking color on the edges of the petals (or shall we call them the lips of the petals?) is supposed to look like this.

Candy Apple Red

And the sickly grey-looking color on the inner petals themselves will hopefully look like this.

Grapel

That is not a typo. "Grapel" is indeed the name. 
But who knows? And whatever colors they turn out to be after firing, will they dance a spicy tango together or will they fight? 
I'm hoping on the tango. I have no idea what color I'll paint the other petals nor do I envision what color the outer part of the bowl will be but probably green. A green of some sort, at least. And what will the center look like? There must be yellow for the pollen and beyond that, I don't know. I love the process of going through all my little bottles of glaze and looking up what the colors are supposed to look like after the heat of the kiln has its way with them, and then just quick-quick, reaching out and grabbing one I think I like, and going with that. 
I have no brush skills. I've taken exactly one art class in my life and the main project I did in that class was with a palette knife. And this was in the 8th grade, I do believe. One semester. And, oh yes- I have painted my finger and toe nails many times and I suck at that. 
So this is all a trip and an adventure and I am very, very slow and despite that, my painting is sloppy. I can't paint a wall, y'all. This fact has been proven over and over again. 
But oh well. 
I am having fun. 
Class was more sedate today. Not sure why. This is part of it, I guess. I don't think anyone was thrilled with what they accomplished. 
Perhaps the moon is not in the seventh house of pottery right now nor has Jupiter aligned with Mars. 
Or something. 

And why is Mercury ALWAYS in retrograde? 
I am curious about these things. 

Still, it was a good time, three hours of concentrating on painting two colors onto clay, general small talk, a few good laughs, learning some more about the women I am in class with. 
A funny thing happened. I was outside, sanding my bowl before I began the glazing process. This smooths out bumps and rough spots and so forth (in theory) and a man got out of his car which he had parked in a spot right across from where I was working and said in the most jovial tone, "What are you sanding?"
"Uh. A bowl," I said. I mean...really?
"Can I see it?" he asked. 
And so I showed it to him and I could tell he was not overwhelmed with admiration but he said something like, "Nice!" and I felt exactly like a child when an adult tries to make conversation with them although the guy wasn't weird or creepy or anything but very friendly, as amiable as a Labrador sniffing your legs and offering his head for a good scratch. 
It was weird but it wasn't weird weird.
And other things happened after pottery including Lily going to lunch with us again wherein I learned even more from her about things that are sexual in nature or in the neighborhood of that. For instance, did you know that women who ply their trade as sex workers at truck stops are called "Lot Lizards?" 
How could I be 71 years old and not know this? 

Dang. 

And on that note, may I say that I have buried the lede here. About half an hour ago I got this text from my across-the-street neighbor:

Great news. I talked with Austin Hosford today, our County Commissioner and we all are on to same page. He does not agree with Kundra's request and does not want to change the land code if the community is not behind it! He appointed 2 planning commissioners from Heritage Hills who also support this viewpoint. It still will be important to show up at the meeting to convince the other planning commissioners. I also pointed out that Kundra intends to sell the property which would  anyone to do as they please. 

Given what Kundra said in the article in the Monticello News, the current code would accommodate a pharmacy, urgent care, etc. under mixed use suburban residential.

And then this:

Austin was a reasonable person to talk to, even though he ran as a Republican. 

As you can see, I have some wonderful neighbors. And it looks like we have a very good County Commissioner. 
Again I say, "Inshallah." 

Glen's been catching some very fine fish up there at the cabin when he's not working his ass off, doing carpentry stuff. 

And this is what his sunset looked like tonight. 

I'm going to go heat up the tofu and vegetable stir fry I made on Monday night. I believe I will add some fresh peas I got at the Asian market today. I mean, they need shelling but I think I can do that. 

Oh! Here's a thing I saw on the wall of a restroom I was in today.

Amen. That is our spiritual message for today. 

Some of us are Buddhist Monks who walk thousands of miles through snow and ice for peace and some of us get our wisdom from bathroom walls which is nothing like Simon and Garfunkel were singing about when they said, "And the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls..."

I honestly am so humbled by those monks as I think we probably all are and to be honest, Paul Simon's songs have gotten me through some very tough times.  

Meanwhile...

Love...Ms. Moon

 

This One's Hard To Pin Down

Here are two more camellia blooms I picked off the original bush in this yard. The one I showed you the other day was pink and these are more to the red side of the spectrum. The bush has both colors. This is not completely unusual. If you are interested enough to find out about this phenomena, you can go to THIS LINK wherein you'll find a little explanatory video. It's only 1:36 minutes long and hell, I learned some things from watching it. 
Not to insinuate that I know a damn thing about the cultivation and breeding of camellias because I don't. I really need to drive over to the other side of Tallahassee to go visit Maclay Gardens which is a state park. They have bazillion camellia shrubs, some over a hundred years old. And you can read about that HERE.
The gardens really reach their peak sometime next month when the azaleas are also in bloom. If the azaleas have survived these freezes enough to open this year. 

It's been an anxiety day. I believe the reality of this proposed development has hit me hard. 
Y'all- I'm scared. As if we weren't all scared enough at this particular point in time. I'm trying not to freak. It's quite possible that the county commissioners and city planner will see the absurdity of this proposal and deny the whole rezoning plan. 
And it's quite possible the opposite will happen. And no matter what happens this go round, something is going to be built on that land and probably sooner rather than later. It's inevitable. The exit and entrance from and to I-10 there is just too juicy of a money-making possibility to pass up. It's the first exit for west bound traffic before you get to Tallahassee and on top of that, the property has been empty for ages. There WAS a truck stop there for many years but it was a small affair and the "restaurant" was closed and finally, when it was discovered that there was a great deal of contamination of the site, the whole thing was shut down, torn down, and supposedly some of that contamination was ameliorated although I truly doubt it was. There's a shitty hotel right next to the interstate and I don't have the slightest idea why it's still in business. 
And here we are. 

So what did I do today? I had a great yearning to go thrift shopping. I felt that if I could lose myself in the leftovers of others' lives I might be soothed. So I went to the closest Goodwill but nothing caught my eye or tempted me in the least except for a very small vintage dish that was quite beautiful and of English origin. It was three dollars and I carried it around in my cart for an hour while I looked at place mats and napkins and dresses and skirts and shirts and when I decided there was nothing on those racks for me, I put the pretty little dish back to let someone else find and delight in it. 
And no, it did not help with my anxiety. The entire time I was there I was wondering why in hell I WAS there and I finally left and went to Publix and got a few things and came home and was so very glad to be here. 
So very glad to be in my home, the place that shelters and comforts me. The place I love. 
The place that is being threatened.

I have decided that I already own a dress pretty enough for any occasion. It is, in fact, a Johnny Was dress and May got it for me years ago. She found it at...Goodwill. I've hardly worn it, it's in perfect shape, and although it's a little big on me now, it will do. 
It will do.

I believe the last time I wore this dress may have been on New Year's Eve in Cozumel in 2016. 

Who WAS that woman?  
The dress is quite sheer and I have to wear a slip under it and I need some sort of jacket to wear over it because I don't think it will be THAT warm where I'm going and I'm always cold these days anyway. And to put the cherry on top of the cowgirl (thank you, Tom Robbins, may your memory be a blessing) May also sent me a link to a site that sells tights and hose that are absolutely mind-blowing. 

These are just a very few that have caught my eye. 

I believe with the right pair of those gorgeous tights and a Levi's jacket over that gorgeous frothy confection of a dress, I might feel like myself and yet...well, pretty okay at the same time. 

I seem to be all about the links tonight. 

I'm tired. Anxiety will do that to you. 

Pottery tomorrow. I am so glad. I need that like a traveler across the Sahara needs the sweet water of an oasis. 
And so forth. 

Love...Ms. Moon

 

It Never Stops

 Remember when Lloyd was all up in arms about the GDDG? (Goddamn Dollar General) store that was going to be built? And then it was built and now it sits there and we barely register it and sometimes we even buy something there although if we go once every three months I'd be surprised. 
Still, if you need ice cream at ten o'clock on a Saturday night, they have it. 

BUT, this newest proposal for development makes the GDDG look like a harmless minnow in the wide waters of the Mississippi. 
The deal is, someone's trying to put in a Love's Travel Center on the property by the interstate exit and entrance ramps which is about half a mile from here, if that, and when they say Love's Travel Center they mean Love's Truck Stop and Travel Center and if you want to know what that would look like just google Love's Travel Center and see what we're talking about. Although they cater to semi's, they also offer some sort of fast food and a huge convenience store and of course bathrooms. They have overnight parking for diesel trucks and RV's as well as dumping stations for those RV's. 
Did you know that it is more economical to run a diesel engine all night long than it is to turn off a truck and then start it up again the next morning? So. Diesel fumes at all times of the day and night. Human waste being flushed...where? 
Lloyd has no municipal sewage system. We have septic systems. There is a municipal water system but it's hardly big enough to handle the needs of a fucking truck stop. 
Let's add to that the gas and diesel tanks sunk into the ground. The amount of increased traffic and oh! By the way! The sign I've been blithely passing on my way into town a few blocks from here advising that a proposal for new zoning is in consideration is actually a notice of a sort of back-entrance to the truck stop from our tiny little road which already has too much traffic on it. 
I'm just sick. 
My across the street neighbor is doing a fantastic job of researching and spreading the news. She's the one who printed up and distributed the notice at the top of the page. Another neighbor is doing whatever she can to deal with the Jefferson County Planning Committee. 
I told my across the street neighbor that if they pass this horror I'll be moving. As much as I love this house and this neighborhood, I will NOT be putting up with all that's being proposed. 
Glen and I will probably go to the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday. I imagine it will be heated. 

So there's that. On top of all the national shit and international shit, there is that. 

Let me change the subject. Have any of you seen the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime performance? 
If not, may I suggest you do? 
I don't even know what two teams played in the Super Bowl but by GOD I was going to watch the halftime performance because if the idea of a Puerto Rican Best Album of the Year Grammy Winner was pissing off so many MAGA maggots, I needed to be a witness. 

And so I did. I watched it.
Here's what I texted my children: 
"I just watched Bad Bunny's half time show and I can't stop crying and I don't speak Spanish."

The production itself, the choreography of it all, the symbolism, the beauty, the energy, and the representation of people who, as we speak, are being hunted down by masked, armed thugs and held in detention camps which are little more than concentration camps, was completely overwhelming to me. 
They had me at the sugar cane. 

I can't embed the video because of licensing, etc., but here's the YouTube link. 

Of course the Pedophile in Chief had a few things to say about the halftime show.

My favorite part is where he says, "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying  and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children who are watching from throughout the USA., and all over the World (sic)". 

Those dancers too old for your tastes, Trump? 
Shut the fuck up, you hyperventilating hypocrite. 

I really do not have anything more to say. Glen's gone to the lake house, I am feeling anxious but not because he's gone and not overwhelmingly so. I mean- who wouldn't feel anxious in these days and times who has also received notice that the tiny sanctuary where she lives is being threatened? 

Just another day in Paradise. 
But the response to last night's performance is heartening. So there is that. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Good And Evil And Truly Unimportant

Look! The freezes did not kill all of my camellia buds. That's the bush out front with the flowers the ants love. I picked some and brought them in anyway, along with another blossom I picked on the only camellia that was growing in this yard when we moved here.

I do love that green vase. I am just now realizing at this late stage of my life that along with bags and baskets and bowls, I also love vases very much. I cannot resist a good vase at a thrift store. It makes perfect sense. I feel very tender and loving when it comes to things that hold things. 
Hands are on that list as well. 

I did a little check-in in the backyard too where lo and behold, there are opening buds. 

All is not lost! 

It's been a lazy day today. First off I slept so late that I'm not sure why Glen didn't come to check on me. Or Maurice. Neither one cared, I suppose. 
Sigh.
And then I pretty much did diddly squat. I changed up the Sunday morning breakfast and made Mr. Moon some pancakes. He does love them and it's been awhile since we had any grandchildren over to spend the night with a pancake breakfast the following morning guaranteed. I don't even really like pancakes anymore but I made eggs and bacon too so I didn't starve. They were banana, pecan, oat bran pancakes. I've been having a hard time finding the Quaker oat bran cereal that I love so much for making bread and muffins and pancakes. I like it made into a cereal as well, and it only takes about five minutes to make. Publix has quit selling it and I went online and found Bob's Mill oat bran cereal and I bought two bags. We shall see how that works. I think I'll make muffins tonight to go with the pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes we'll be eating. I'm pretty excited. 

I don't seem to have a lot to talk about. I spent some time online looking for something to wear to the event we've been invited to next month. I asked the inviter what sort of dress code we were talking here. Jeans and ripped tee shirts or sleeveless ball gowns? He suggested just a "pretty dress."
Hmmmm...
Now I have nothing against buying a pretty dress. But...shopping to find one? 
Oh dear Lord. Jessie suggested we go to Dillard's and do real shopping. I am sort of thinking of a Johnny Was dress because Johnny makes the prettiest dresses with the best fabrics and they are usually embroidered or alternately, printed with gorgeous designs. 

That's one I found online. It is rayon and silk velvet which in my opinion, is the ultimate in softness not unlike a newborn's cheek. After touching silk velvet, you'll never want to mess with regular old velvet again. I feel like a damn queen when I wear it.

Dillard's does carry Johnny Was but even on sale, the clothing is astronomically priced. So I checked out the Gem website which one of you beautiful people suggested to me awhile back and I found a few dresses that might do, the one above being one of them. But you know, it's hard to buy a dress online without trying it on. Beautiful on the screen doesn't mean a darn thing when it comes to what it looks like on a body. My body, in this case. 
And then I got to thinking about shoes. What kind of shoes would I wear and I'm pretty sure that even my best flip flops are not what I'm going for here.
Oh god. It's all so stressful. Will it be cold? Quite possibly. For me. But could it be warm? Again, quite possibly.
This is why I don't go out. This is why I love Levi's. And overalls. 

And of course all of this is such bullshit First World problems but it's just that I haven't done anything like this in so long and here I am with an easier to fit body and part of me yearns to dress up and look pretty in a pretty dress for a very fine occasion. 

Note to self: Call doctor and ask for a refill of my Ativan. I'm still on the same bottle I was three years ago and those pills may be losing their effectiveness. You think?

Last night I wrote a few paragraphs and then deleted them about how Trump finally seems to be getting some backlash and how it sort of shocked me that the incident which triggered the backlash was the video he posted on his Lying Son of a Bitch, Perfidious Social a few nights ago. 
Oh wait. That's supposed to be Truth Social. 
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
I'm not even going to discuss what it was. The whole world knows. 
I'm not saying that what he posted wasn't so vile that any decent human being wouldn't be appalled and aghast and horrified and angry as hell. I'm just saying that the man was pretty much elected on his racism along with his misogyny and white supremacy dog whistles. Why is anyone surprised in the least? Why is everyone acting so offended NOW? Have they just come to the realization that maybe Donald isn't the president of all the people, just the white ones? Or have the Republican law makers suddenly realized that whoa! Black people vote too! And that there are many, many people in this country who adored and respected and admired the Obamas so much? 
So I was not shocked. Hell, I grew up in an era where Klansmen's  robes were not uncommonly found in attics. They probably still are. 

Well, whatever it takes to begin to turn this giant ship around. 
And while we're at it- RELEASE THE REAL AND UN-REDACTED EPSTEIN FILES, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! 

**************

And so it's been a nice, quiet day. And while we're here, why not post this peaceful picture?

She so kindly helps me with my jigsaw puzzles. Bizarrely, she rarely knocks any pieces off. 

Okay. Carry on. I am signing off on tonight's program. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Sports And Swine

 This is where I found myself at 10 this morning. A basketball gym in downtown Tallahassee where Levon plays on a team called The Lakers. 
Great name, huh? Maybe some pro team should adopt it. 
Anyway, it was of course a completely different Saturday morning than I usually have but I was way overdue at going to one of his games. I don't think Levon is actually in that picture. 
But here he is.

Pretty sure that was during drills. 
Do you notice that he tucks his shirt in? No one else but Levon does that. As we all know, he has his own style.

Y'all- That boy plays so well and so smart and so fast that I actually came to tears watching him. I was so proud. He is INTO IT! He's not fooling around. When he's on the court, his head is constantly pivoting, checking out where the ball is, where the other players are, planning his next move with the information he's gleaning. I forget how many points he made but it was a lot. There are some other really good players on the team but Levon and one other guy were definitely the most kick-ass and of course, they're the shortest kids on the team. 

An excellent example of size not mattering. I was so impressed with how good all the kids were. They were like tiny pros. 

Here's Vergil watching one boy while the other is studying the back cover of a book he's reading. 

Vergil is not that loud dad shouting instructions to his child from the bleachers. That guy was sitting right next to me but he knew he was getting over-amped and took a break to calm down. I respected that. 
Jessie is an enthusiastic cheerer and positive reinforcer. Any kid that needs a cheer or deserves one is going to get it from Jessie. Either team. Doesn't matter.

After the basketball game, both boys had a soccer game at another location, thus August's shin guards. So when the game was over and the buzzer buzzed, and all the boys had shaken hands and all the stuff was said and arms were draped over team members' shoulders and pictures taken, off we went to the soccer game location. 

Both boys are on the same team and Levon generally plays offensive, August defensive. 

Although Levon was pretty wiped out from the basketball game where he gave 110% effort, he still managed to make at least one goal I remember. August is far less assertive than his brother. I am thinking he got the reading gene from me while Levon got the sports gene from his grandfather and his father. And his mother. Jessie was no slouch at sports. 
The goalie on their team is the granddaughter of two folks we've known for many, many years. From old Tallahassee days. They were there too.

One of the best parts of the soccer experience for me today was the team right behind us which consisted of really young kids. They were so adorable! I wanted to squish them all with my love. 

After the soccer game we went to lunch at May's restaurant but she wasn't there! She'd taken the day off to go up to Bainbridge for a music fest. I think her other Daddy was playing. I bet May doesn't miss five days of work a year for any reason but although we missed seeing her, we were glad to know she was having a good time on a beautiful day. 

I dropped by Publix on my way home to pick up two prescriptions and while I was there, I ran into my old yoga teacher. I asked her what she's been up to and she said that she and her husband were currently doing a lot of prison ministry in Jefferson County. 
Hoo boy. Those two are quite religious. 
So that was interesting. 

While I was at Publix I took a picture of the new handles on the refrigerator and freezer cases. 

I know, I know. They just look like regular handles but they are not. They fit the hand like they were custom made for that purpose.
Oh wait. They were. But someone did a really good job on design. 

To top the day off, Vergil and Mr. Moon got right to work after all of that, finishing the processing of some wild hogs that were culled last week. Due to the destruction these animals wreak on sensitive environmental areas like wetlands, and their incredible ability to procreate, there has to be some control of their numbers. The Spaniards brought over domestic pigs when they started colonizing over here. The wild, non-native swine are descendants of those pigs and have turned into very large, invasive, and feral animals. I have heard that running into a wild boar in the woods is far more dangerous than running into a bear. 
Anyway, these hogs were shot and instead of just leaving them where they dropped, people were allowed to come in and take some as food for the table. Vergil, who does not like to buy factory farmed meat, gladly took two pigs and has spent the past week turning them into meat. He and Glen did this some years ago and that was the best pork I've ever eaten. And that is saying something. 

So today they got to work finishing up the cutting of the meat and also grinding a lot of it for plain old ground pork AND sausage. They used my new garden table sink which worked perfectly for this purpose and kept them out of my kitchen. 

Now what I haven't mentioned is that Glen got up at a stupid hour before dawn to take Gibson to a youth duck hunt and took him home afterwards before he met us at the basketball game. 
He was exhausted and finally told Vergil that he just couldn't stand up for one more minute and so now he's sitting in his chair and Vergil is on his way home. 
Jessie and I were texting back and forth and she said, "Both of those men are some hardworking humans. I love them both so much."
I wrote her back, "Yep. Their off buttons are hard to find and even harder to push." 
I think that's a very apt description. 

Love...Ms. Moon