So. Just before I started writing my post last night a guy walked into a Tallahassee hot yoga class in a building about a quarter mile from where I lived when Lily was born and shot six people and then himself. Two of the victims have died.
I didn't hear about it until after I'd published my post and at that point I was too disheartened to say anything about it. It made the national news which I am a bit surprised about. I mean- only two victims dead. That hardly registers on the ol' tragic-o-meter these days.
Shit.
I didn't know any of the victims but seems like a lot of people that I do know knew them.
Could there be a safer place than a hot yoga class on a late Friday afternoon?
Well.
Andrew Gillum's been campaigning with Barack Obama and he had to come home because he is the mayor of Tallahassee. He's back out on the trail again today and I don't blame him. Somehow I feel like if he doesn't win then I'm really going to give up on humanity entirely. Or at least Americans.
Jessie and the boys are here as Vergil's in the woods trying to get a deer to restock their freezer. He hunts for one reason and one reason only and that's to get good meat for his family. I never would have foreseen him doing this. He was raised vegetarian and ate mostly what came out of his mama's garden or from her goats or apple orchard. I think that did influence him though to know that whatever it is you eat, the closer to the source the better and your own harvest is always best in all regards, whether of fruit or vegetables or meat or fish. Anyway, I'm making a corn and vegetable chowder for our supper and have rolls rising which may have way too many healthful grainy ingredients in them. They remind me of the rolls that I made once for Thanksgiving back when I was a true hippie-in-training and my grandmother, sprung from the nursing home for the dinner gnawed away at one of the puck-like whole-grain gobs of baked stuff and finally said, "What is this?"
"It's a roll, Mother," said my mother.
"Must I eat it?" asked my granny.
I hope they're not that bad.
August in his happy place.
Before they sat down to watch the TV, they went to the dump with an entire truck-load of stuff to get rid of. That made August so happy. He helped his Boppy unload the stuff and Boppy paid him with the quarters that were in the truck.
Win-win for August.
He checked to see if the lightbulb in the range hood was still nice and clean.
It is.
Jessie told me that when she asked him if he wanted to go to Mer's this afternoon he said, "Yes. Can you leave me there?"
Thoughts and prayers, y'all.
A friend of mine on Facebook reported that a friend of his said that the shooting made him feel "ragey and votey."
Yeah. I think that's about the correct response and I couldn't have possibly said it better myself.
Although I feel mighty sad, too.
Take care of each other. It's a crazy world out there. And no, you don't have to eat the rolls if they're too hard to chew. That's the rule.
I love you.
Ms. Moon
I am trying not to think too much or read more than headlines until November 6th. Your posts about your family and pictures of your chickens are the sort of thing that is helping keep me from feeling frantic with worry. Another thing is drinking a cocktail of fresh passion fruit juice (from our very own passion fruits) with a generous pour of gin. I am in ostrich mode for now.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the most perfect antidote to what's going on possible- homemade passion fruit juice and gin.
DeleteOstrich mode for sure. As my friend Kathleen used to say- "I carry my bucked of sand around with me."
Oh.My.God...
ReplyDeleteYep.
DeleteLove you too, Mary.
ReplyDeleteWe are old friends by now, Jo. We really are.
DeleteYou're right. I do harbour dreams about coming to visit!
DeleteI thought of you at once when I saw the news of the shooting. So sad. But on a happier note, big and little Boppy sure do look happy. What pals. It’s beautiful to see.
ReplyDeleteThey are the best of pals. Their love is true.
Deleteoh man, being anywhere in the USA is taking a risk.
ReplyDeleteI know. It sucks.
Deletewe are a mean and dangerous country. no one wants to come here and I don't blame them. depending on what happens Tuesday, I may not want to be here either but here I am. when I came back from Portugal I was all for moving the entire family there but husband said no, we will stay and fight. lots of dead people in Germany probably said the same thing. I hope we make a better world for August et al.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Ellen. And I totally understand that desire to live somewhere else. And we'd probably move too if we didn't have this huge family that we cannot bear to be so far away from.
DeleteLet's do our best, staying here.
Me, too, if Andrew Gillum doesn’t win. He has to win.
ReplyDeleteYour lips to all of the gods' and goddesses' ears, sweet Lorie.
Delete"http://www2.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/hate-addiction-pittsburgh-shooting-childhood-trauma-gabor-mate-20181102.html"
ReplyDeleteThis article is about a Canadian doctor who specializes in addictions. It's quite a good article about trauma and hate.
And there's this too.
Thug Life" it's actually an acronym for "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fuck Everybody."
We need to go deeper, past the anger, back to what happened in the beginning.
I truly believe what that Canadian doctor says. Anger is always a symptom of pain. Perhaps the most important thing any human can do is to love and support their own and all of the children they come in contact with. If it's not the most important thing, it's got to be in the top five.
DeleteAs Tearful Dishwasher said once, "We are all broken toys." Some of us, though, are far more broken than others.
I wondered if you'd know any of the people involved in that shooting. So horrible, just like all the horrible shootings that keep happening over and over. Fingers crossed for Andrew! I can't imagine hunting myself but I certainly don't hold anything against people who do it, as long as they're eating what they shoot.
ReplyDeleteNo, but it's like one degree of separation. And I've spent a lot of time in that little shopping plaza over the years.
DeleteFingers crossed for Andrew indeed!
And yes, we certainly eat our venison. I could probably write a cookbook on how to cook it.
I am so very sorry to hear of this most recent tragedy and senseless loss! Yes, could there be any perceived safer place than a Hot Yoga Class on a late Friday Afternoon? I am retired from our local DA's Office and sadly, the violence of humanity against humanity is nothing new, but it never fails to shock and sadden me that it is so. This World could be such a Beautiful place if each of us did our part to make it more so and chose Love, Light and Beauty over the Darkness, Violence and Hate that seem to dwell in the Hearts of some.
ReplyDelete