Marvelous Night For a Moon Shoot

 I love shooting the moon thru trees in my yard. This reminds me of ancient puppet theater.

And maybe it's because my daughter-in-law is very pregnant, but I see a pregnant belly being hugged.

Show Me a Fridge Door

.....and I will show you a glimpse into the  homeowner's heart. I love to wander into kitchens and see family photos, kid's artwork, food menus, magnets..... You really do get a sense of the person who decorates the fridge. I know this is not just a chick thing because I have some men friends who have adornments on their beer and snack fridges. So here is a look at my very fingerprint-covered, dirty fridge door and I hope you guys will share some photos or tell me what's on your heart door.

Star Wars

In case you missed it I AM A HUGE STAR WARS FAN. Today's hashtag theme on Twitter was Facebook posts by Darth Vader and the twitterverse did not disappoint.

How to pick up chicks at the grocery store

Baby on Board

Last year a friend suggested that I journal to give myself more insight into my feelings about my divorce and family problems, and to just record some of the stuff I was dealing with or contemplating at that particular time.  I made it about 5 months and decided it was more fun to blog. But of course this is true since my blog is mostly light-hearted and positive....mostly being the key word here. The journal was started when I was going thru a really hard time so a lot of my posts are full of sadness, rage, loneliness, and worry--not so much fun to write about.



Last night I was gathering up some notebooks for a friend and I came across my journal. I read it from front to back and let the emotions wash over me. Good times, sad times, angry times, hurt feelings, happiness and naturally some of my weirdness and warped sense of humor. But one entry was a little more magical than some of the others.

On 11-8-17 my journal entry said that I was having very vivid dreams and for a change I was actually remembering them.  I had written about a dream that I had the night before.  In my dream I saw my son and his wife standing in front of a full moon and the moon had a gold ring around it. I wondered if this was an omen that they were expecting again.

Now flash forward------>Nick and Sarah are expecting and the baby is due on 9-6-18.

Political Attack Ads

I HATE HATE HATE the ads where politicians try to smear their opponents and this latest one from Andy Barr has me stewing right now.

I have supported Barr in the past and his office was helpful in getting my passport expedited when I was on a deadline to leave the country and the post office mishandled my application/renewal. His office also helped me with an issue dealing with my health insurance. So when I say that I supported him, I felt like I was supported in return.... Lifelong Democrat who voted for a Republican and felt just fine about it. I have been on his email list for several years and I read it but it rarely interests me.

So today I decided to unsubscribe from Mr. Barr's newsletter. Why? Because of the nasty campaign ads he is running against Amy McGrath.  Amy was a Marine fighter pilot. She has led a life of service, just like Andy. She has ties to our community, just like Andy. She has a nice family, just like Andy...and now her family gets to hear these ugly insinuations thanks to his campaign ads. 
Shameful.

Even more shameful? He infers that she was off nefariously campaigning in other states. The horror!  And according to Andy, she was with other women we should be wary of. "Massachusetts, ELIZABETH WARREN LIVES THERE. San Francisco, NANCY PELOSI IS THERE, COINCIDENCE? Why Amy is even hanging out with Hollywood ELITES LIKE CHELSEA HANDLER".

So am I  missing something here or did Andy Barr just fucking blame all that is wrong in this state, and by association--the country..... on WOMEN? He suggests from the East Coast to the West Coast, and apparently everywhere in between that we evil women are not to be trusted. And please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure the percentage of women in politics is a lot lower than the percentage of men that make up our government, which leads me to believe that maybe there should have been a man or two tossed in for Andy to hate on by sheer volume..... but not ONE SINGLE MALE POLITICIAN was mentioned in this ad.....other than Andy's endorsement of his ugly ad. So today when I emailed him and unsubscribed, I told him his ads were disgraceful, he was not a nice person and a sexist pig who would not be getting my vote ever again.

So ladies, why don't we teach the politicians that women votes matter? Get out and speak up or roll over and let old, rich white men make decisions about our bodies and livelihood. I am not rolling over.

Compliments

Yesterday I actually took some time and styled my hair with the umpteen products and tools to make a big sexy curly do. I also got a mani with an interesting grayish color the day before. Two women, in less than 10 minutes, complimented me on my hair and nails.  I heartily thanked them both. Then later when I was rethinking over my day, I thought how extraordinary it was that two complete strangers went out of their way to let me know they liked my style. This thought went down the cosmic wormhole of truth.

Why does society think it is okay for a woman to say "Wow your hair looks great!" to another woman and it is normal and not weird at all, but men doing the same is thought to be somehow awkward? We gals throw compliments on hair, clothes, weight, communication skills, brains, etc  (Well, some of us do....and if you're not, you are really missing out on some good karma.) So why is it odd for a guy to tell another guy that his suit is awesome or his new haircut looks good? Better still, how do we change male compliments from the rare oddity to normal?

I absolutely love paying compliments to people, but especially women who seem like they could really use a few kind words right about then. I tell people they are great at their jobs.  I thank people and tell them how much I appreciate their courteous manners and hard work. I tell someone when a color looks great on them.  I praise people for being considerate and professional. You have a great smile! Your baby is beautiful, Mom. Gorgeous jewelry! This is normal for me. I do it because I know how much better my day is whenever somebody acknowledges me, even in some insignificant way. I like to give that positive vibe to others and the reward is I feel better twofold.

When someone compliments us, why are we conditioned to shrug it off? Is it a southern thing? Are we supposed to always seem humble?  For years that was my way of handling compliments. I acted embarrassed when somebody praised me.  No more.  I show my delight now. "AWWW THANK YOU!"  This is normal. This is healthy. Thank someone and let them know you are sincerely moved by their kindness.  If you are 3 kinds of special at that moment in time, revel in it and accept your well-deserved recognition. Stay humble by not gloating but accept your glory.

I challenge you to perform three random acts of kindness tomorrow. See how kindness and appreciation can really make someone's day.  See how great you feel in return.  If you feel like sharing your efforts I would love to hear from you.

The Patriot

Hate on me if you want, but I can still appreciate Mel Gibson's movies. I love Braveheart, Tequila Sunrise, and Apocalypto, but today we are discussing The Patriot, another favorite of mine. There is so much about this movie that I love.... and I watched it again this weekend.

I love how they delve into family complexities.  How a father of 7 is opposed to the war because he fears for his family and he remembers all too well his own experiences in war. Two sons desperately want to fight in the war, but have no idea what horrors they will be facing. Psychological issues with a child separated from her father who is away at war. Children being required to kill British soldiers and accept what they did was necessary. Two cutesy romances. Death.

Then you get war strategy, battles and the horrible aftermath. An amazing forest ambush/rescue scene. Some comic relief-- more often at the Brits expense. Racism. Slavery. You also get a happy ending. But it's the little things that are totally insignificant to the plot line that I like the most.

1. Ben seeing his first rocking chair. How he marvels at it as he rocks. He studies how it was crafted. You can see his delight.
2. "If I die today, I will die well dressed."
3. "The French."
4. Ben melting his dead son's miniature soldiers down and making them into bullets. What most people probably see is vengeance and him coping with his grief. I see something else. I see a man who putting his intention into these bullets. He is seeing his enemy and weaving his magic. He sees his son being avenged and he sets out to a destiny he created.

Kimmie's Got a Gun

Let me start by saying I LOVE animals.... I also like peace and harmony.  Currently there is a posse of squirrels that have been attacking my yard.  By attacking I mean they are ripping out flowers in the pots on my deck, they are raiding my bird feeders, and they are drinking the hummingbird nectar from my feeders.  Now factor in my neighbor's walnut tree and you get an idea of what I am dealing with on a daily basis.  The vermin eat walnuts all day and then they show up for a drink of that delicious sweet water, all of which is annoying, but when they broke two hummingbird feeders, I knew they had to go.

So I bought myself a pretty pink bb gun. This is the cheapo, one-pump rifle model so there is no danger of killing them, I just wanted it for stinging them off my trees, deck, feeders, etc.  Most of the time I just aim in their general direction and the noise of the bb usually scares them off. Occasionally I get the very brave or very stupid squirrel who sits and basically dares me to shoot at him. (They are all males in my eyes. Judge me if you like). In fact, one will chitter at me when I get between him and the hummingbird feeders. Today I had one of THOSE squirrels.

He had scampered away and was up fairly high in the tree.  He seemed to be sure I was no threat so he was feasting on walnuts with great delight. It took me three shots but when I hit the lil bugger he spit his walnut out. I impressed myself so I had to share. Please don't  report me to PETA for being mean to bushy-tailed rats.