ISN'T IT IRONIC....DON'T YOU THINK?

It was mentioned recently that an acquaintance, a professional black man, is decidedly on the side of God and in full support of Proposition 8. This was not really a surprise since he flies the Christian flag on his car and all other quadrants. I couldn't help but see it as odd, though, since "his people" had been treated so poorly in the not-so-distant past.

Last night on the drive home, I had sudden recall - his wife is as white as he is black. Not so long ago, he would have been lynched. It too was deemed "against nature". Ironic or simply hypocritical?

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

If you are voting Yes on Proposition 8, this blog is not for you. The version of Christianity to which you subscribe is different from mine. Your church that "hates the sin, not the sinner" and promotes marriage for some but not for others, is not one I can understand. At this point, you can move along.

For those of you who are uneasy...unsure... not comfortable with Proposition 8, because deep down, you don't feel right about placing a barrier placed between certain people, I hope you will consider a NO vote. I hope you will recognize the inequality. I hope you will see the parallels between these barriers and the ones that forced black people to sit in the back of the bus and those that prevented women from voting.

You don't need to approve. You don't have to be comfortable or tolerant. You don't have to because it does not involve you. It does not affect you. How can it be wrong to marry the person you love and raise a family in love? Really...how can it be a bad thing? How can we prevent it?

P.S. Thanks to Joe over at Eureka POZ for pointing out the WRITE TO MARRY opportunity. There are a bunch of great blog posts listed if you click on the logo.

I FEEL FREE...

Feel when I dance with you,
We move like the sea.
You, you're all I want to know.
I feel free.

It's amazing how often the right song comes on at the right time. I thought Bobby Darrin had it nailed with Somewhere Beyond the Sea then, next on the iPod comes Cream. Very awesome soundtrack to my afternoon and solo paddle #2.

That's right, I played hooky. A perfect sunny autumn afternoon is made even better when the rest of the world is working as I should have been but, instead, I took a few hours of annual leave. A day like this is a terrible thing to waste. I even ditched weight training though maybe I will be forgiven since I had to hoist my kayak on to my car twice and carry it back and forth a few more. That's gotta be worth a few reps, right? I had planned on paddling around the waterfront since I don't have much experience anywhere else but on the way home I cruised past the launch ramp at Fields Landing and realized that it was far quieter than Samoa was likely to be. After I launched, I headed south and came across the Frances. Her captain told me they were stuck in the mud. Patience, Grasshopper. He did wait patiently (what choice did he have?) while his wife and child wandered along the mud flats. By the time I came back around, the tide had risen adequately to float them free and they were gone.I pushed along, stroking quietly so as not to disturb the birds then allowed the kayak to drift with only the distant sound of the waves crashing and the drip drip drip of the water falling from my paddle. I watched a pelican dive for dinner but, when I heard a loud splash behind me, I saw no sign of the pelican. I turned the kayak around and drifted a bit more and heard another splash, then another. Turns out my solo paddle wasn't exactly solo. I had company from this little dude and a couple of his buddies who, I believe were screwing with me, splashing when I wasn't looking. Fine with me as long as they didn't pop up next to me. So I continued around the area, never venturing too far from shore because I'm still a little uneasy out there alone but, at the same time, alone was perfect. Relaxing my mind while venturing further out of my rut. The bright sun reflected on the ripples that were beginning to gather as the tide flowed in to fill the bay. I paddled back to shore, quite pleased with myself.

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

The poopy autumn weather touched my inner wimp and kept me indoors. Hardly freezing but cold enough that I couldn't convince myself to head out on the water. It made for perfect pie-bakin' weather, though.

I gathered up my bag o'apples - I can't say I necessarily agree with Clif Clendenen's politics or personal beliefs but the man grows a fine apple. I picked these up at the Co-op, a variety of Clif's best. I rolled out my crust - just a plain crust with a little bark and twigs added (actually sesame seeds and flaxmeal) for texture. Then I pulled out my all-time favorite kitchen gadget, the .... apple peeler-corer-slicer-thingie. When we lived in Nevada and autumn meant a family road trip to Apple Hill near Placerville, I saw one of these demonstrated at a farm and HAD to have it. It was the best purchase ever. Makes quick work out of preparing for apple pie. The only downside to it is its distaste for misshapen apples. If you've a wonky fruit, it has some difficulty with the balance thing. so I just choose carefully when shopping for pie fruit. The kids don't even mind helping when they get to use this. And the hens think the peels are worms so everyone's happy!
I sliced up the apples, tossed them with the cinnamon and lemon juice, adding a little fresh nutmeg and ginger and heaped them into the crust. I wasn't in the mood for a fussy edge so just threw the edges over the top.
I think last night Rice Krispie treats are a lovely balance to this still life. Anyone for a la mode?

SPOOKY.....

The wispy threads drape across my path...across my face. They block the way to the car by spinning their webs in the night between the rosemary plant and my car's mirror. They dare us to enter the garage through the barricade they've strung across the doorway. They taunt the letter carrier by stringing their traps near our mail slot. I'm often forced to destroy their artwork, waving a stick or dried stalk of hollyhock, as if performing incantations. Pumpkins Spiders are good mojo. Nature's Halloween decorations. They eat bugs but DANGIT I hate it when they end up in my hair.

They are just one of the harbingers of autumn along with pumpkins at the market and apples arriving to take the place of the summer's zucchini abundance. I gladly accept even the homeliest of apples from Mark's customers. This week I filled the crockpot at night and awoke to the heavenly smell of applesauce. I suspect there will be apple pie for Sunday dinner. I do love autumn.

PLOP PLOP FIZZ FIZZ

Am I the only one that hates jingles? Jingles drive me NUTS! I'm that I would avoid a business that had a jingle for fear my business may encourage them. I'm so grateful that Mark is handy and I have never needed the services of a certain plumbing company and I don't mind cleaning so I can do anything that's "got to be done". I'm double glad I don't have an RV or double-wide with repair needs which might force me to use the local shop with the TV ads using camo-clad line dancers, including chicks in "daisy dukes" and aviator shades. I get that damn song stuck in my head. But I wonder.... am I the only one that feels that way? Are the rest of you out there hoping against hope that your favorite fueling station will start an jingle ad campaign that will remind you to fill up? Or your coffee-pusher will sing a song of mocha to draw you in for your morning fix? There must be someone out there that thinks this is a good idea or they wouldn't create them... or would they?

My sincere apologies if this is your line of work. I don't blame you...truly I don't. I blame the business owners who are convinced that getting a song stuck in our head like the Ivory Liquid or Alka-Selzer ads of old will be lucrative but we've progressed, people. We have 300 cable channels, not just the two or three we had in the sixties. We have countless radio stations. We have the internet -- we have choices. Have some dignity. Please save me from the jingles.