Terrapin Station

Family Reunion

We have been to the BBQ in town; now a lazy afternoon of talking, looking through my genealogy files, watching Youtube videos of our cousin Gladys Swarthout (mezzo soprano); making and eating large amounts of guacamole; playing poker, playing other card games, watching golf, tennis, and Tour de France; now some are shooting skeet, others heading out soon to fly kites (oooooeeeeeee!  Mine's got a turtle on it!).  Later tonight, brisket tacos, twice baked potatoes, and Uncle Oliver's special cobbler. 

Talking, talking, all the time.  There are, I believe 8 laptops and a desktop here, all in frequent use.  But we are by no means isolated from each other...rather, the party is going out from here all directions. 

Wish you were here. 

Nothing happens by accident. They say.

Just yesterday afternoon I was telling my Teacher, Eva, how nice it has been for the last year and a half, having it be just me and Ken in the house.  Of course, this may partly be because we have NEVER been alone together; we started out with a ready-made family as 20 Years Old was 9 when we married and he lived with his dad most of the time.  

(pause for an aside)

(I know that there are many folks who are sending beloved kiddos off to college right now and really hurting over it.  Rest assured I feel for and with you - but this particular kiddo, in our house, was not a peaceful presence.  More like a portable war zone.  It was a good thing for us all.)

He's been living across town and working for his dad. 

Aaaaaaaaaand............(wait for it)

When I got home last night, Ken asked me if it would be okay if 20YO moved back in.  He's having trouble making ends meet. 

Of course, is the answer.  Of course it would be okay.  Of course we will work it out and maybe by now we can have some fun together again. 

But:  no smoking in the house (he is trying to quit...didn't I tell him it'd be bad if he started that!?)

          no dog (which he has one, but a friend is willing to take it)

          and NO COATIMUNDI (yes, he has one of those too)

  

The coatimundi - which I advised against, and which has proven (per my research) to be very much like a two-year-old human in its destructive potential - must stay at his mom's. 

I - have  - spoken.

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

Lest you all think I am a meanie about the coatimundi, who is definitely very cute:  Ask me about the flying squirrels.  Ask me about the rabbit.  Ask me about the maniac dog.  Ask me about the lizards.  Ask me about the guinea pig.  Ask me about the ferret....ah, the ferret, the crowning blow; that pet that I said he COULD NOT have because of its smell, and that his mother bought him anyway.  Ask me, ask me, about the upstairs bedroom, that still smells greatly of FERRET. 

Ask his mother about how the coatimundi, recently incarcerated in her bathroom, tore all the wallpaper border off. 

That's where I'm coming from.

Telling stories

www.gratefulness.org WORD FOR THE DAY Thursday, Jul. 2

All sorrows can be borne if you tell a story about them.

Karen Blixen

This is why I blog...to tell my story and to read your stories; ongoing stories of your pains and loves and triumphs and silly things said at the table...

In telling a story, we make a community.  And community is central to my life. 

I know that Facebook and Twitter are ways to tell short stories (LOL) but you know...when I go to the library, I do not pick up short story collections.  I like to get involved with a set of characters and stay with them throughout a book.  I like it best if there's a SERIES about the same characters. 

Thus, the bloggage. 

Well, maybe it's not the movie. Maybe it's us.

We rarely go to movies.  We just don't.  Ken sleeps through most, and I usually get annoyed by something.  Big exception lately: Star Trek!

But Sunday we decided to give it a shot. 

We went to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  Unfortunately, it is apparently a sequel.  We didn't see the first one.  Unlike most sequels, they didn't even try to fill in the uninformed. 

And, uh, it's all machines fighting each other - you can't tell which ones are which. 

We were at the Movie Tavern, so we had some lunch and a nice pitcher of beer.

Suddenly Ken said, "Are you asleep?"  Turns out I woke him up with my SNORING. 

Oh, my golly.  I've never fallen asleep in a movie before.  I also do not normally snore.  (Really!) Beer...

Paid our bill and skulked out like the elderly and bored people we apparently are. 

However, I greatly enjoyed the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer! 

Stonewall 2009?

From Hope for Peace and Justice at the Cathedral of Hope

As you may have heard, in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 28, the Fort Worth Police Department raided the Rainbow Lounge, a new, primarily gay bar in the city. As you also know, Sunday, June 28 marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, considered to be the beginning of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement in the United States. For many, this coincidence is a chilling reminder of the fact that, while we have come so far, the journey to equality is not yet finished. The Cathedral of Hope and Hope for Peace & Justice issued the following statement yesterday in response to the actions of the Fort Worth Police Department:

World’s Largest Gay Church Decries Actions of Fort Worth Police:
Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope calls raid “unacceptable”

Dallas, Texas – June 28, 2009 – The Dallas, Texas-based Cathedral of Hope, known as the world’s largest lesbian and gay church, has issued the following statement regarding the raid on the Rainbow Lounge early this morning by the Fort Worth Police Department:
June 28 is celebrated throughout the United States and elsewhere as the beginning of the lesbian and gay civil rights movement in this country. Surely this did not escape the knowledge of the Fort Worth Police Department as they raided the Rainbow Lounge early this morning. In a scene eerily reminiscent of the raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village 40 years ago, the police reportedly entered the bar unprovoked, harassing and arresting patrons without reason. The Cathedral of Hope and Hope for Peace & Justice call on Chief of Police Jeffrey Halstead to issue a full report and apology immediately. This kind of targeted humiliation and harassment was unacceptable 40 years ago, and it is unacceptable today. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their friends, families and allies have had enough.
Reverend Michael Piazza, Dean of the Cathedral, in condemning the raid, said, “After more than a generation of progress, this action shows that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all Americans enjoy ‘equal protection under the law.’ It is tragic that lesbian and gay taxpayers are still abused by the very people who are paid by our taxes.”

may my heart always be open to little

may my heart always be open to little

e. e. cummings

 

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

Source: www.poemhunter.com

From Inward/Outward today.

All the sacraments for all the baptized

 

Integrity is the organization working for inclusivity in The Episcopal Church.  I'm proud to be a member.

The logo above is for their presence and work at GenCon 09 in Anaheim...coming soon.  Check out IntegriTV. 

Hey you Episcopalians!

What do you want the Episcopal Church to look like in 2019?

An eight-question survey posted online June 24 asks Episcopalians—lay and ordained—to envision the church in 10 years’ time and to prioritize the strategies toward that vision.

Go here to read the article in Episcopal Life Online and to be directed to the survey.  ETA:  Fixed the link!  Sorry!

Friday Five: Talkin' 'bout - Pop Music!

As posted by me at RevGals:

Happy Friday to you all!

The sad news of Michael Jackson's untimely death has me thinking about music and its effects on us - individually, as cultures, as generations. Let's think about the soundtracks of our lives...

1) What sort of music did you listen to as a child - this would likely have been determined or influenced by your parents? Or perhaps your family wasn't musical...was the news the background? the radio? Singing around the piano?  My mom listened to a lot of Peter, Paul, and Mary; also Christian music by the Fisherfolk (came out of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in the late 60's and early 7o's; we went there some).   I still listen to both!  

2) Going ahead to teenage years, is there a song that says "high school" (or whatever it might've been called where you lived") to you?   Almost anything by The Cars..."Let the Good Times Roll" always gets the radio turned up loud!  "Candy-O" - "You're All I've Got Tonight" - "Just What I Needed" - I could go on! 

3) What is your favorite music for a lift on a down day? (hint: go to www.pandora.com and type in a performer/composer...see what you come up with!)  Something from high school...usually the Go-Go's, the Cars, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Devo; or the Grateful Dead.  Right now I'm listening to the Cat Stevens channel on Pandora. 

4) Who is your favorite performer of all time?  Wow, this is a hard question to answer!  What made me ask it?  I guess The Beatles and The Indigo Girls and.....okay, that's enough.

5) What is your favorite style of music for worship?  I like a mixture of hymns and what I think of as "praise music" - what we used to play in Folk Mass when I was a kid. 

Bonus if you include a video of any of the above!

Thanks - I needed that LOL!