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Difficult person
An unhappy challenger
Lines to protect drawn
Haiku
Parenting
Freedom
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
OK, one reason I like my blog is that I feel free to say what I want, including about politics.
In the old days (before Trump), I thought Facebook and other emerging social media was fun. Find old friends and classmates, reminisce, post pics, share news, chat about nonsense, etc.
Then everything went to hell and I had real and permanent falling outs (fallings out?) with the Trumpers in my sphere, as did millions of others.
I’m still on Facebook, but I try not to post too many political things, with abortion access being an exception. (I will not shut my trap about that one until it’s no longer an issue or I’m dead.)
People who read and comment on my blog (and vice versa) are 99% online friends only. I will likely never meet them in real life. But there’s a freedom in that. They’re choosing to read my thoughts, and I theirs.
With 89 days left until we (hopefully) send Donald Trump packin’ for good, my Facebook and Instagram friends (all people I know or have known in real life) have my blog to thank for my relative level of self-control.
So, I can say this on my blog: I am loving the energy right now. From Kamala entering a packed and cheering rally to Beyoncé’s “Freedom” to the Tim Walz dad jokes. It’s soooo good. This is the kind of optimistic, joyful, caring country I want my granddaughter (coming soon) to grow up in.
Wordless Wednesday
Walz!
I can’t help but join in the excitement on WordPress about the outcome of the Veepstakes.
High school teacher, football coach and gay-straight alliance advisor, 24-year member of the National Guard…I mean, c’mon, GREAT choice Kamala.
And he’ll cuddle a pig, happily.
Family photos revisited
Ex-Catholic
I left the Catholic Church. I stopped going to Mass the Sunday after my confirmation, which was the deal I made with my parents.
I’m proud to say I never subjected my children to any Catholic guilt trips or other Catholic bullshit.
Sorry not sorry if this offends anyone, but that church has SO much to answer for. And I’m not talking about the Crusades here. I’m talking about modern times.
Catholic Church Insidiously Control’s Women’s Freedom
Sprawling documentation of child abuse in the Catholic Church
Related posts:
Boy Mom
If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?
“Girl Dads” get a lot of coverage in the media lately. Giant men having tea parties and whatnot…
Well, my son is grown now, but I was a pretty darn good Boy Mom for many years. (I was a Girl Mom too, but I don’t think that’s a thing…that’s just a regular mom. Don’t ask me why.)
One thing we Boy Moms know about is dinosaurs. I don’t know why most boys love dinosaurs, but they do.
The largest and best dinosaur was obviously the Tyrannosaurus rex. That’s the one I’d bring back if I could because it would make so many little boys happy and that would be worth the occasional unfortunate incident with someone’s German Shepherd.
The King of Cruel Nicknames
What’s the story behind your nickname?
I wasn’t going to respond to this prompt, but then thoughtful posts by Singing Gecko and Books by Asher got me thinking.
Growing up in the 70s, kids (mostly boys) were constantly coming up with cruel nicknames for classmates, usually other boys. However, girls were not always spared. A couple of boys decided to call me “Popeye” in 5th or 6th grade because of my large eyes. I was so upset about it. I cried and cried. I think my mother finally intervened and spoke to a teacher (which was not her usual style), after the typical advice given to girls back then did not work: “They’re teasing you because they LIKE you” (worst advice ever!)
These memories made me think of the question Kamala Harris has been posing: What kind of a country do we want to be? It’s actually a great question.
Do we want to go back to the time when casual bullying, based on appearance/race/sexual orientation flowed like water from the tap? (If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you know what I’m talking about.) Or do we want to live in a country where differences are celebrated and everyone feels included? DEI (short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) should not be used as a slur. And it makes me sick that it’s being used that way against Harris.
I honestly think the cruelty is the point with Trump and his followers.
The definitive comfort food…
…is rice pudding. Baked with cinnamon on top, warm out of the oven, with just a bit of milk poured over the top to cool it off. It’s the single best thing to do with leftover rice. It’s also good cold for breakfast the next day. (It’s typically gone by 11am.)
Here is my Nana’s recipe. I believe she got it from her mother—my great grandmother Lottie (the German one).
Related:
Word games
What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?
Wordle 1,126 5/6
⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜⬜🟨🟩🟩
🟨🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I also like Bananagrams, which is sort of like speed Scrabble. And it comes in a fun, portable pouch shaped like a banana. 🍌
I guess I like the challenge of trying to remember words and how you spell them—part fun, part aging-brain exercise. I did not love Scrabble as a kid—too much like homework.
As a young kid, nothing beat Candy Land. Chutes and Ladders was good too. As I got older, I loved playing Clue with my friends.
Isn’t it funny that a game about gruesome murders was so popular and widely accepted by virtually all families? Miss Scarlet killed somebody in the library with a f****** wrench?? 🔧 🩸
50 Happens 