We Made It. Traveling Photos

 

Love...Ms. Moon

Are We All Packed Yet? What Do You Think?

Well, that much is packed. I have absolutely no control when it comes to packing dresses. As I texted Jessie today, I think I'm afraid the ones I leave behind will be sad. There sure isn't any logical reason to bring that many. However, I will point out that that is a carry-on sized bag so it's not so terrible. Of course I'll have a bag with my fan and pillows and books in it and a bag with my toiletries and meds and all that stuff in it. And the bag holding my needlework projects in case I have some time on my hands. And of course jars of pickles and a bag of green beans and, oh gosh. I don't know. 

Speaking of books, I got so angry today. And it was ridiculous anger and useless anger and pointless too. I went to the library specifically to get "Confederacy of Dunces" and Barbara Kingsolvers "The Poisonwood Bible" because both of those would be good ones to read aloud on the trip but I did not really consider the fact that the library we use, which is a branch library, would have neither one of those. 
But if you want a book by some crime novelist who cranks 'em out by the dozen, you've got a good chance it'll be there. 
FUCK ME! 
Oh well. This is hardly a world-class problem. 
I pulled Colson Whitehead's "Harlem Shuffle" from my shelf because I love that book and I'd love to read it to Glen. The n-word does crop up a lot due to the fact that all of the characters except for the crooked cops are Black, many of them gangsters, and although Mr. Whitehead is absolutely allowed to use that word in a book set in the 1960's I just can't wrap my mouth around it. This presents a problem. I am listening to a book right now where the author is white and he narrates the book. He also uses the n-word but as with Whitehead, always in context because he is writing about a murder trial set in the '60's where the accused are a Black man and his wife and it's set in Virginia. BUT, he cannot speak the word, the author, I mean, and so he says in the forward that he uses the first two letters as in "Ni-" which is not really a great substitute but it was the best one he could think of.
I may try that. 
I have already read "Harlem Shuffle at least twice and I've read the second in what is going to be a trilogy, according to Whitehead, which is "Crook Manifesto".  The third book has not come out yet. 

So there is that.

The heat has remained oppressive but a possible tropical depression looming off the east coast is supposed to bring some rains and hopefully cooler temperatures as well as possible flooding, of course. This is Planet Earth, 2025. And here we go again as hurricane season really gets going. 

I texted Jessie today to ask her if she could ask the boys if there's anything they'd like me to bring them and August responded, "Their TV." 
Oh, he's a funny boy. I can't believe I'll get to see those crazy brothers in two days. I also can't believe we're going to hit the road tomorrow. 
We've talked about how we'd really like to get an earlier start than we usually do but the odds of that are slim. Oh, but we are old now and we like to take our time. Let everyone pass us because we are in no real hurry anymore. 

I will be taking my laptop. I will probably NOT be posting every day and answering comments will not be a priority. Nor will reading blogs and commenting on them but I will do my best while at the same time, knowing full well that the world will still rotate around the sun if I do not. 

Take care, y'all. I'll be checking in and that's for sure.

Love...Ms. Moon

 

Hot. And I'm Not Talking About Brad Pitt

That is the extent of my picture-taking efforts today. I took it when I was watering the porch plants. I liked the way that unimpressive begonia blossom looked with those sincerely cool wall decorations that I got at Wag the Dog a long time ago. 
Definitely made by a real human. 

Lord god almighty, it is hot. This is the sort of hot that makes you feel foolish about complaining when it wasn't quite this hot. This is the sort of hot that makes you wonder why in hell anyone lives here in the summer. This is the sort of hot that wilts the plants, the trees, the flowers, the humans. This is the sort of hot that makes one long for a swimming pool. This is the sort of hot that drives people to the icy-watered springs and the rivers they feed. This is the sort of hot that makes cows and horses stand together under whatever meager bit of shade they can find. This is the sort of hot that makes the cicadas chant warnings and birds grow still and the sound of the air conditioners is heard across the land. This is the sort of hot that makes people abandon their gardens even if there are still tomatoes and beans to pick because it's just not worth the effort. This is the sort of hot that blooms mold and mildew on any damp thing it can get its filthy, fiery breath on. This is the sort of hot that makes dogs dig caves in the cool dirt under the porch steps and sleep in them all day. This is the sort of hot that when you step out of your air conditioned car, snatches your breath. 

And so forth. I could go on all day but you probably get the idea.

I went to town today to get things for Mark and for our trip and also my sunglasses. I tried taking a picture of myself in them but I cannot stand the way I look, even with glittery, cool sunglasses on. I cannot bear it. I simply go through the world looking out from behind this mask that cruel age has set upon me, pretending that it's not there. Yes. I am that vain and that self-delusional. 

But I do really like the sunglasses. I feel like an aged and tawdry Hollywood has-been. All I need is some scarlet lipstick, thick layers of pancake make-up, and rouge to complete the picture.

I wore my new blue dress. It is so comfortable. Lily and I went to lunch together and I spilled a drop of salad dressing on it. 
"Damn," I said. "My new dress!" 
And Lily said, "That's a new dress? I thought it was your old one!" 
They do share several similarities and I have no doubt passed on the genes I have which are sort of useless when it comes to remembering details on things we've seen a hundred times. A thousand times. Lily said that she's always been worried that if she witnessed a crime and the police asked her to describe the suspect, she would have no idea how to do that. I am the same. I told her that I've always feared one of my children going missing (well of course!), one of the reasons being that if they asked me what the child was wearing when they disappeared, I would have to admit I had no idea. 
"Clothing?" I would say. 

But I got two very nice compliments on the dress. Mostly the color and I get compliments on the other dress that Lily confused it for on its color. They are, as I said, quite similar in that regard. 
I mean- a Flax dress is a Flax dress. 

I am not at all ready to leave on Wednesday. I keep thinking that I can easily get everything done tomorrow that I need to get done. I suppose I will get it all done but it's probably not going to be that easy. My plan is to pack lighter than I usually do. When we're up there, I only wear my overalls at the house and a dress when we go out but we don't go out that often. And when I say "go out" I mean to a restaurant or something because I wear the overalls while shopping for groceries and stuff too. Also, I really don't need to take books to read to the boys and I don't need to bring art supplies and I don't need to bring kitchen tools and I don't need to bring mass quantities of food. I do need to bring the martini shaker. And the vodka. Booze is expensive in North Carolina. I do not know why but it is. I need to bring my pillows and also my bedside fan which I cannot sleep without and a power strip and all my meds and my hormones and, and, and...

I am going to be busy tomorrow. And I couldn't even get books from the library today because it is closed on Mondays. Will I go back tomorrow to get some? I better! 

Meanwhile, life in Lloyd continues apace and I need to go make us some supper. I'm going to make clam spaghetti because I only have to use two burners and not for very long. I'll make salad too because of course I will make salad too. The Caprese salad last night was so damn good that I might just make it again tonight. When you have the tomatoes, use the tomatoes. I am sure there may be a point when you've had enough Caprese salad to last you a few months but we are not nearly there yet and the tomatoes are but a fleeting dream we have in winter. 
Just like the coolness of winter is a fleeting dream right now. 

Love...Ms. Moon

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

In Which I Discuss Invasive Plants Once Again. Skip This One If You've Heard Enough About That Shit

So attractive, right? I should be ashamed to even post this picture.
That's the view from the door leading out of the laundry room. The building you see there which needs massive wood replacement (as does the whole house) is the old kitchen, which was my writing room for quite awhile but is now Glen's office. And that ancient picket fence just needs to go. We discuss this often.
That unattractive strip of dirt and overgrown iron plants as well as overgrown border grass is part of the old kitchen garden which I bitch about all the time because I've let it go to hell and it, like all the rest of the yard, is filled with ALL the invasive plants and for the past few months, every time I looked out at that view, I felt terrible about all the glory bower and other plants that I haven't even identified, just running amok. And it drove me crazy and I vowed, every time I saw it (at least three times a day), that I would do something about it.

So today I waited until it got to the apex of the heat index (that's probably an incorrectly written sentence in every way but, whatever) and put my long overalls on and got the garden cart and a shovel and the trowel and the old canning kettle that I throw weeds in and I cleaned out as much of the area as I could before passing out. 
And that wasn't much.
But at least I got some of it. 
I am going to get some help with this yard. Perhaps that'll happen when we get back from North Carolina. I can't believe it but we're leaving on Wednesday, taking our time, and arriving on Thursday. I'm not feeling as anxious as I usually do about a pending trip because we've done this one so many times we practically know each and every turn in the road, as well as good places to stop and pee. 
I am very excited to see Jessie and Vergil and August and Levon. I am sure that August and Levon have both grown at least a foot. I wonder how soon it will be that every one of my grandchildren is taller than I am. Two down, three to go. 
Meanwhile, I am trying to get things done that need doing before we leave. Today I made up the bed with clean sheets in the guest room for Mark, house-sitter extraordinaire. I've made sure that I have plenty of all my medications and will get those organized. I need to go to the library and return books and get new books. I haven't yet figured out what book I'll be reading to Glen on our trip. This is tradition. So I need to do that.
Of course I have to pack and I am grateful that this year I will have a few more options in that department. Some months ago I ordered a brand new, not from e-bay, linen dress. When it arrived, it was a tad too small and I didn't feel comfortable in it but knowing that I was about to ask my doctor to prescribe one of the GLP-1's, I did not send it back and now it fits quite well, is a lovely shade of blue, has deep pockets, and could hardly be more comfortable. It was a little too long and I had hoped to get that taken care of today. I did not finish the task but I have it all ready to sew the hem now. 

Hopefully, I'll get that done tomorrow. I've got another dress that needs hemming and maybe I'll get that one done too. 

I got a text from Costco that my sunglasses are in so I'll be picking those up on Monday. I wonder what Glen's going to think about them. I haven't even shown him a picture. 

I just checked the weather for Black Mountain for next week and it would appear that it's going to rain every day. Oh well. La-di-dah. At least it's only going to be in the eighties and not the nineties. What a relief that will be. 

Glen got most of the stains out of the green velvet chair last night. After years and years of detailing the pre-owned cars he sold, he knows how to do it. He uses Windex and an old bit of terry cloth. I am sure there are other methods but he has tried this one and found it true. I bow to his experience. Cleaning upholstery is not something I've ever really worried about. I must sound like a slob. I don't think I am but perhaps I'm delusional. 

And as I so often say, that is enough of that. Why anyone comes here to read the ridiculously boring shit I write about is beyond me but I am so grateful that some do. 

More zinnias.

Love...Ms. Moon

A Very Fine Visit And A Little Time Travel

Supper last night made Maggie so happy. She loved the grouper and the macaroni and cheese and had plenty of cut-up vegetables to go with it all. She was sincerely a happy girl. And she kept telling me how glad she was to be here and how much she loves it here and she kissed me about one million times. I mean, she was just pure sweet. 

She didn't fight me at all when I told her it was time for her bath and she didn't get water all over the bathroom and she brushed her teeth without being asked. Twice. She brushed them and then she had ice cream and so she brushed them again. 
We got the light situation in the guest room all figured out along with the quilt and pillows. And she wanted me to read to her and I loved that with all of my little ol' meemaw heart. 
She slept fine and told me this morning that she'd loved having that whole big bed to herself to roll around in all she wanted. She was still in a fabulous mood when she got up and I made the pancakes and bacon and eggs. I put blueberries and pecans in Glen's pancakes but Magnolia didn't want anything to cover up the delicious flavor of the pancakes. That's what she said, anyway. And she didn't want butter or syrup on them for the same reason.

After breakfast it was time for us to play some card games. Go Fish and Battle. I won Go Fish. She won Battle. At that point she was really ready to do something with her grandfather but Glen was on the phone and drowning in paperwork, trying to get insurance on Owen's car so that Lily can drive it and so can O. And I am not sure what else he was doing but it looked and sounded like a lot. He tried to explain this to our girl but she did not like it. 
She sulked a bit. I really don't blame her. I had some things I needed to do so she was on her own for a while and eventually, she got out the old toy tent and filled it with pillows and dolls, crawled in with them and had some sort of pretend thing going. I finally asked if she'd like me to show her how to crochet and she said she would so we tried that but she got frustrated. Then we did some other things which I cannot remember and finally Glen was done with what he was doing but by then it was early afternoon and he had things to do in town, of course, so he took her home. By then she was over her deep sorrow and there were more kisses and hugs and off she went with Boppy. 

So it was a very good visit. Of course I was fairly exhausted by the time it was over. I've been having a lot of what I am 99% sure is kidney stone related pain and that's wearying too. 

Fridays are my day to weigh and even stepping on that scale once a week stresses me out. I even had a dream about Weight Watchers this morning. I've been consistently and slowly losing, which is good and today it seemed like the scale caught up with the way my clothes have been fitting. I've lost an average of two pounds a week and I think that is great. 
I took my ninth dose of Zepbound this morning, up one more increment in dosage. I always respond to the injection so quickly and today is no different. I made a pot of red beans this morning after soaking the beans all night and I'll make some rice to go with them. I'll air fry some okra to round out the cajun theme. Or is it Creole? Don't ask me. At this moment though, I have absolutely no desire to eat beans and rice or okra either. Or anything else for that matter. However, I will eat some, of course. I am still absolutely amazed at how my relationship with food has changed. 
I heard two hosts on a podcast the other day talking about a friend of theirs who has lost three hundred pounds without the use of any medication and how much they admire him for that. So do I! I mean, that is fucking amazing and shows dedication like I'll never have. But the way they talked about people losing weight on the GLP-1's, made it sound like they believe you just take the medication and the weight magically melts off. 
This is so not true. 
The drugs allow someone to make the good choices for healthy weight loss without the feeling of deprivation, constant hunger, or the massive guilt that can occur with a "slip." And I say this as someone who has lost at least a hundred or more pounds over her lifetime, only to gain them back. 
In a way, it has felt like magic to me but a very biological and sensible magic that I had never imagined possible. 
So. There is that. 

Glen brought the chair home. Of course Mr. Eagle Eye had to ask me if I'd noticed all the stains on it and so on and so forth and I said, "Yeah. And they don't bother me."
They're not that bad at all. 
I helped him bring it in from his 4Runner and I can attest that it is a good, solid chair and after sitting in it again, I hereby designate it as a Comfy Chair. 

For the moment it is in the library where it looks very much at home. 

It's hard to see the true color there but Glen, too, thinks it will go well with the rug. 

It's funny how Glen and I have such different feelings about new things versus old. We agree on the fact that many older things are made better, look better, and are just more generally pleasing than new things. Unlike him, though, I do not mind the signs of use and wear whereas he likes to defunkify things. And I guess that's what he's doing with the lake house which in this case does not bother me a bit because the funk there is not the sort of funk I have the least bit of fondness for. 

I discovered today that the pinecone lilies are sending up their cones.

Those pale yellow things are what I think are the blooms of the plant. When I noticed the cones I couldn't believe it was already that time of year. And yet it is. And Maggie will be taller than me soon and how did that happen already? 

Here's a picture that my brother White sent me today which I had never seen before as far as I can remember.

That's Lily and me sometime around 1990? Lily would have been about five, I would have been about thirty-six. Hank? Do you know? I could be completely wrong but we were at a family reunion down in Vero Beach and it seems to me that Jessie was still very much a baby whom I carried in a sling most of the time. I do not remember those glasses, I do not remember that dress, nor do I really remember that woman who appears to be so incredibly sure of herself and her place in the world. 

But I do remember that little girl in the Seminole skirt and reunion T-shirt who grew up to be the mother of my granddaughter, Magnolia June, the one and only. 

Time. Phew. 

Happy Friday, y'all.

Love...Ms. Moon

P.S. Just got this from Lily.

She says Maggie refuses to take it off. Oh well. Mermaids gonna mermaid. It does look pretty cool. And Mermaid Magnolia looks pretty happy. 

Adventures With My Granddaughter

I picked up Ms. Magnolia June around two-thirty and I asked her if she'd like to go to Oak Tree Treasures for a little shop-around. Oak Tree is the resale place whose proceeds go to Big Bend Hospice that rents in Moon Plaza. She said she'd like that very much and so off we went. I'm not sure about Maggie but I had a very nice time. She was so polite and so very sweet and patient and so very, well, mature. 

About the first thing we saw when we walked in was a lovely older velvet armchair which looked to me as if it would go quite nicely with the rug Glen and I bought a few weeks ago for our bedroom in the cabin. Sort of an aquamarine on the greener side of things. I sat down in it to give it a try and by golly, that is one comfortable chair. It does show some signs of wear but so do I. And the price was right. I know I took a picture and I swear I sent it to Glen but I guess I didn't because it is just not on my phone anywhere. But I did text him about it and he said to get it if I wanted it and I thought about it while Maggie and I shopped. They have some pretty cool things there and I was happy to find a present for a friend. Maggie and I discussed things we saw and it really got interesting when we got to the jewelry section. They have a lot of old costume jewelry and Maggie found a ring that she fell in love with. It's an old cocktail ring with a huge stone and as we were looking at it, the woman behind the register came over and told us that she herself had donated those rings and that she would love to give one to Maggie!  
WHAT????
And so Maggie is now the proud owner of a stunning ruby ring. Well, we've both decided that it's probably not a real ruby. The lady who gave it to her claimed that it was a magic ring and would help Maggie do really well in school. 
Neither I nor my grandchild bought this, plus Maggie already does great in school. But we graciously accepted the claim along with the lovely ring. 
I decided to buy the chair and lo and behold! It was senior discount day! So that was another 20% off. Good shopping!

Then we went to Publix and then we came home where we are now. For no reason whatsoever I am rather tired but I need to rally. I've got things to do, including making the dinner which Maggie asked for which is fish, macaroni and cheese, cut up carrots and cucumbers with ranch dressing, and blueberries. Sounds good to me. 

Mr. Moon is on his way home from the lake house and although the sky is blue, there are great rumblings of thunder to the west of us. The weather widget shows no rain expected at all but I sure would love to get some. 

I do believe that Maggie is finally ready to sleep by herself in the guest room. I told her that Boppy would be so tired and would want to sleep in his own bed tonight. She got that. He spent the day installing the toilet in the upstairs bathroom at the lake house and waiting for the internet tech guy. He got a call at five telling him they were going to have to reschedule it for another day. 
Thanks a lot. 

Well, at least the upstairs bathroom has a functioning toilet.

I've now just tried to help Magnolia put on a mermaid tail with a monofin that I ordered her because I promised her about two years ago that I would indeed buy her these items. 
Have you ever tried to put a mermaid tail with a monofin on a child? 

I finally said, "Honey, you're going to have to take this home and let Mama help you."

I feel as if I have done my part in buying the tail and monofin and Lily can take it from here. "Thank goodness for grown-ups!" said Maggie as I was struggling to put her feet into the stretchy-but-not-stretchy-enough feet things on the monofin. Being a Moon child, at the age of nine she is already wearing shoes at least as big as mine. I have a very sad feeling that wearing the outfit into the water is not going to make her immediately feel like a mermaid nor is she going to be able to swim with the grace and fluidity of a Weeki Wachee mermaid but who knows? Maybe she will with a little practice. I hope so. Dreams can come true, you know. Especially where there is determination. 

I'm out. I'll try to get yesterday's comments answered but no guarantees. 

Here's our girl.

Love...Ms. Moon