Saturday, April 15, 2023

Nothing Says Pridefest Like A Giant Rainbow Sno Cone!


This morning while Glen was eating his cereal at the kitchen island, I took a plastic bag that I'd washed and hung it up there in the pantry entrance with all the others one that had been washed and hung. 
"I've got a pretty impressive plastic bag collection!" I said cheerfully. 
We laughed and laughed and laughed. 
"I had no idea that getting old would be this much fun," I added. 

We senior citizens are so funny. Just a continuous laff riot! 

Today was Pridefest in Tallahassee and every one of my kids and grandkids were there, down by the Capitol, except for Jessie and May who had to work. Hank and Rachel were there, of course. This was the 30th year that Hank has celebrated Pridefest. When he was a senior in high school, he absolutely wore a T-shirt proclaiming his pride on that day and thus, became the first openly gay student in his school. My brother, his uncle, got permission to accompany him all day to make sure that no one threatened him. He was bullied that year. A lot. 

I was so damn proud of him. Here he is today. 


Over the years my pride in him has only grown. And when I texted him to tell him how proud I am of him, he texted back, "A good family makes a happy queer!" 

Vergil took the boys down to the Plaza to take part in the celebration. August in his pink shoes and shirt, of course. 


August is currently in love with a girl named Emma in his class. Levon asked the other day if he planned on marrying her. 
"If she wants to marry me," August said. 
They make pictures for each other, with love and hearts drawn in. But both boys are apt to say that when they grow up and get married and have a wife or a husband, they definitely want children. 

Lily, Lauren, Owen, Gibson, and Maggie were also there although Owen refused to have his picture taken. He was at a sleep-over last night which, as Lily said, probably means he did not get any sleep. Also, he will be thirteen this year so...you know. 


Chloe and Pepper were there to represent too. 
Maggie was looking a bit worn out at that point. 


Here she is with her mama. Beautiful ladies. 


So while all of that was going on, I was here attacking the croscomia and chenille plant and lariope and some other nasty invasive. It took me all afternoon but I cleared out the area around the hydrangeas. I should have taken a before picture but I did not. 


Here's a picture though, of how thick the croscomia is just beyond where I stopped. 


And can you see the chenille plant? 
Here's what it looks like growing around the tea olive. 


Each of those little tassels are about an inch and a half long and they are fuzzy- thus their name. I can see why people would plant them but damn- they are choking out everything they can get their runner roots on. 

I'm never going to clear out all this shit, am I?
No. I am not. 

Here's my latest puzzle. 


That's one of the ones I got at the Goodwill the other day. When I first looked at it I thought, "Oh gawd. That is going to be so boring and look at all that snow!" But I am really loving it. I am still so new to this that I am not a good judge of a puzzle I will enjoy putting together. 


I love all the little creatures- the fairies and elves or gnomes or whatever they are and the animals, too. It is a beautifully clever thing. It had never been opened so I am confident that there are no missing pieces. Last night I sat down after supper and worked on it while listening to a good podcast and before I knew it, it was an hour and a half later and I was late getting to bed for my book-reading! What an exciting life I live. 

Black kitty seems to be getting a little less skittish but the downside of feeding it is that the crazy-quilt cat with balls is also dining here which is completely understandable but that damn thing has been chasing Maurice right up to the kitchen door and scaring my poor crazy girl to death. She did come out to be with me while I was outside but stayed safely under the garden cart, all senses alert to possible threat. 

So that's that, another day in the life and the only thing I'd like to add is that in response to Hank's quote, I can say with some authority that happy queers make for good families. 


Love...Ms. Moon





 

31 comments:

  1. Happy people make, well, happy families. And you have made happy people and people happy.
    Can you squirt the bully with balls cat with a garden hose? Poor Maurice.
    Your gardening endeavours continue to inspire.

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    1. That cat runs when we come out so I don't think I could get to the hose.
      Isn't a happy family what we all want? I think so.

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  2. what an embracing, loving and caring family you have, Ms. Moon.......of course......you and Mr Moon raised them. And the next generation following in those large footsteps is a joy to see. Blast that quilt cat for terrorizing Maurice! And.....I'm glad to see I'm not the only one washing and drying plastic bags LOL! They are too costly to toss out if they can be reused! Only ones I never reuse is those that held poultry.....all others are fair game for multiple uses!
    Susan M

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    1. I even use the ones that frozen shrimp comes in. Those are good bags! I do wash them quite well.
      I love how it's not even a thing to the grandkids about who loves or marries who. If there's love- well, there you go!

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  3. My grandson Blake sees a therapist. Blake reported that on learning Blake was from a family of four children, all of whom are part of LGBTQ+, the therapist had to excuse herself from the room. On returning she learned their father had been the most susceptible gay of all, a Mormon terrified of being outed.

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    1. That's a rainbow family for sure! But why did the therapist have to leave the room? Was it that shocking?
      I feel so sorry for true-believing gay Mormons. What sort of hell must that be?

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  4. I came in here later, Mary, and don't know how all these people connect to you. How is Frank related? Thanks for posting the great Pride pics. Wonderful family you have. Poor Maurice. Sounds like this stray does have balls!! Is a chenille plant considered a weed? It is pretty but looks like it could certainly strangle out other plants. Hope you're feeling better.
    Paranormal John

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    1. Do. you mean Hank, John? Hank is my eldest child. He's with Rachel. Then there's May who is married to Michael, Lily, who used to be married to Jason but is now with Lauren. She is the mother of Owen, Gibson, and Maggie. And last but not least is Jessie, married to Vergil, mother of August and Levon. Does that help? A little?

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    2. Also- chenille plant is sold to people to play in pots and in their yards. Here though, it has become invasive.

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    3. Thank you so much for the clarification, Mary. I was always trying to figure out who was who and how they were related to you. That did it! Thanks! Lovely family. Also, thanks for the info. on the chenille plant. Sounds like a 'pots only' type of plant.
      Paranormal John

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  5. Funny that the chenille plant, here a prized houseplant, is growing like, well, a weed where you live. One of my neighbours was in Florida and reported back that everyone's back yard seemed to have all his treasured house plants just growing everywhere!

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    1. LOL, Boud! When I took train trip from Calif. to NYC 5 yrs ago I was stunned to see Stargazer and Tiger Lilies growing unchecked like weeds on the sides of the roads...... they wouldn't survive here even if I took care of them! Susan M

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    2. And when I go to South Florida, I am amazed at what all grows outside there! And am jealous by the way. I want mango and avocado trees and many different sorts of palms. Isn't it funny?

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  6. Maggie's dress is pretty and Gibson looks good in a hat. I love your family. I think the trees in that jigsaw will be the hardest part.

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    1. I think you are right about the trees. Although there are plenty of differences.

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  7. What cracks me up is that you proclaimed with great certainty "I will lput it together, but I will not enjoy it..." and now look at you! William's mother is very active in the local Gay Pride thing, as is my church. William is in middle school now. 12. He is very self conscious and does not want to stand out in a crowd. Any crowd. But when I think of it, I always come back to one thought. What if you were 12, and in middle school and very self conscious and did not want to stand out in a crowd? Any crowd? And what if you were gay?

    And every year, I realize, anew, just how important this work is that my daughter is part of.

    Here's something else, that will make you proud to be a human being. Our schools have a dress code. A new principal has begun to separate the boys from the girls and inspect the girls each morning. These middle school girls are so outraged that they are picketing at the court house.

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    1. At this point, I do jigsaws for mind and emotional control more than pleasure. I just plug in and listen to a podcast or book and it is such a good distraction. I was, however, happily surprised at how much I love this particular puzzle.
      Good for William's mama and good for your church! Standing up for the rights and dignity of that community is absolutely doing the Lord's work in my opinion. And you are so right about teens. The suicide rate for gay and transgender teens is way above the average.
      And hurray for those girls! That's just ridiculous. I mean- that sort of thing was happening when I was in high school in the '70's. All it did was make me hate authority.

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  8. My great niece on my side of the family finally revealed that she is gay by introducing her girlfriend. no surprise really as she had never dated (boy or girl that we know of) during her college years. and a nephew on Marc's side of the family absolutely must be gay, we all are sure he is though he has never said, claims to love the ladies, but never has had a girlfriend beyond a few dates or married and he's got to be in his late 40s and very flamboyant. I doubt there is a single family, whether they admit it or not, that does not have an other gendered member. it's tragic, evil, that the dominant religion here teats them with hate and disgust when all they want is to be left alone to live their lives in peace.

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    1. I'm glad your great-niece could finally feel safe enough to come out. Good for her! And I'm sorry that Marc's nephew can't manage to do the same. Isn't it funny (not funny) how many gay people think they are so well hidden in the closet and then when they do come out everyone's like, "Oh yeah. We knew you were gay. Pass the rolls, please." I sure hope that things change enough and fast enough that less and less people will feel the need to hide their own true identities.

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  9. I was just wondering about washing plastic bags the other day and I thank you for your example of the best way to do that! Now I will...
    Happy Pridefest to you and your lovely family! "All you need is love..."

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    1. So after I wash and rinse mine, I put them upside down over an upside down vase or glass or something and then later hang them up. It's silly but it works! And we should all do it. Actually, we shouldn't even be using plastic bags.

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    2. That's exactly how I do mine.

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  10. You have the veranda of my dreams. Although mine would have to be screened-in because of the g.d. mosquitoes up here. -Kate

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    1. Oh, the back porch, where i basically live, is most definitely screened in. Mosquitoes are a torture here too.

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  11. Thanks for sharing all of the pride pics. I feel honored to support my nieces and nephew that are a part of that alphabet group. And they make me proud. As soon as I saw that puzzle I was like oh that's a great one. A good 500 piece puzzle is refreshing when most seem to be 1000.

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    1. 500 pieces seems just about enough for me. I am not fast at this yet.
      Your nieces and nephew are lucky to have you as their aunt. I love you from afar, Jill.

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  12. August and Levon both have small halos in their joint photo. (Yes, I know it's actually sunlit foliage in the background plus photographic serendipity.) Levon's especially has a Renaissance painting touch-- those spiky little golden tiara-like rays! And somehow Levon ended up with straight rays, and August with curly.

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    1. Oh my goodness! I did not notice that until you pointed it out! That's so funny!

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  13. Happy Pridefest to all of you wonderful people.

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  14. So good to see everyone celebrating PRIDE! I am impressed that Hank came out in high school. I can't imagine wearing a Pride t-shirt at that age. But then, Hank is younger than me. :)

    I love Gibson's stylin' fedora! And of course, the rainbow sno-cones.

    Yes. Too much nature. (Or invasive species, which aren't exactly nature, I guess.)

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