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Welcome

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Make yourself at home. Put your feet up. Grab your favorite beverage and prepare to enjoy the reads.
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Friday

Halloween Costuming 1977, a Story

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love to go “all-out for it.  My best friend, Linda knew this about me and took advantage of my enthusiasm by asking me to dress her up and do her make-up for a Halloween party she'd been invited to attend at her husband’s work.  I was glad she decided to be a Witch. (one of my favorite characters to enhance), cause I hate doing clowns.

On the agreed upon time, Linda and Bob showed up at my house carrying large plastic garbage bags of possible costume combinations.  “What’s going on?” I asked Linda.

“We brought a bunch of stuff ‘cause we didn't know what you would want to use for us.” She replied

“What do you mean, US?” I asked. “I thought I was just doing you!”

“Aw! C’mon!” she wheedled. “You know I can’t go to that party as the perfect Witch, if Bob goes in an average sort of get-up.  Besides, they have prizes for the best couple and we want to win!”

“No, No, No.” Bob piped in. “I don't want to impose. I can do my own make-up. you girls just do your thing.”

Linda started to object.

“Linda! I can do it myself.” Bob insisted good naturedly. And with that, he grabbed a plastic bag and went into the other room. So, I began painstakingly mixing iridescent green eyeshadow to a flesh toned make-up base and applied it to her face, neck arms and hands.  Tearing several black dresses to shreds, I hung them on her body. The ragged death-shroud fashion fit her perfectly. She began cackling hysterically as I finished her off. I could barely do my job, as I was giggling.

In the midst of our jolly mood, Bob entered wearing his costume.  My laughter increased to guffaws and my belly was in spasms.  He looked absolutely ridiculous! There was Bob, naturally built like a feather-weight, wearing a nurse’s uniform, cap and shoes carrying an old-fashioned metal bed pan and enema pack.

“You’ll make a better Witch than I!” Linda shrieked. Bob, at first laughed along with us. But, as the moments passed, he got red in the face, as I pointed out that he did not fill out his dress properly. He almost squirmed as I suggested that we enhance his beauty. But he consented to a make-up job.

Even though he had shaved earlier, pan-cake was the only thing that could cover his thick black whiskers.  We all grew quiet as I concentrated on heavily applying lipstick, rouge, mascara, and eyeliner. Pretty soon his face was transformed into a believable woman. Linda, sat staring at him, mesmerized. Once I was finished with his make up, I ran to my closet and pulled out an eight inch Auburn Afro Wig. It was a relic of the 70’s. I had thought I was so cool to wear that, then.  I  brushed it out to its complete fullness and carefully placed it on Bob’s head and accessorized his look with a pair of earrings.

Bob had no mirror to see what I was doing. So, when I was finished, Linda and I took him to the full length mirror in my hallway. For a brief moment, he looked like he was going to cry.

“Oh, my God!” he moaned. “I look exactly like my mother!” That had us in stitches another twenty minutes. Then, Linda and I were able to convince Bob to wear padded buttocks and bosom. I grabbed some small pillows from my sofa and squished them tightly into his bra. Er, I mean, my bra. When I told him to hike his skirt so I could stuff his panty-hose, he adamantly refused.

“I barely have a shred of dignity left!” He protested as he went into the bathroom to do it, himself. Linda and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Had we taken this thing too far? We decided to behave more respectfully.
“Otherwise, we won’t win!” Linda whispered. “He looks great! You did a good job” She patted me on the back. I smiled.

“I almost wish I could go with you.” I said.

Just then, Bob opened the bathroom door and stuck his head out. “How in God’s name do you women tolerate wearing this stuff? I am sweating like crazy!” He was about to wipe an arm across his forehead.

“Oh, No!” We both piped in at once. Linda grabbed a Kleenex and dabbed lightly at her husband.

“You don't want to smear it.” she admonished. Bob just rolled his perfectly done eyes, and sighed. His head was still sticking out from behind the bathroom door and the rest of him was hidden.

“What’s wrong, Bob?” I asked, fearful that he had changed his mind and I would have to do a clown costume and make-up instead.

“Uh. Well, I don't know how to make them line up with each other.” He said. Linda and I had all we could do to maintain straight faces. “Will you come in here and help me?” he asked his wife.

I was grateful as she went to his rescue. I gripped my belly as I bent over laughing. I could hear them tussling in the bathroom.

“Hold Still!” she said.

“It tickles!” he responded, giggling uncontrollably.

A few shrieks of laughter later, they came out of the bathroom with Bob’s bottom in proper position. It stuck out just fine! With his tiny waist, he made a very shapely nurse. Linda and I just stared at our creation with envy in our hearts, but silence on our lips.


The next day they came over to return my underwear and wig. They had won the contest for the best couple, a dinner out on the town in a fine restaurant. They joked continuously with me about all the fun I had missed. Apparently, a gentleman at the party found Bob quite attractive and followed him about like a puppy dog. Bob grew more and more uncomfortable with the situation.

“I want to tell you two something. I owe you both an apology.” Bob said. I couldn't imagine what he was talking about. “In the past, I have ridiculed you. But no more. I now know how it feels when guys look at you in a disrespectful way or hit on you. And from now on I will take it seriously if anyone ever bothers either of you, again.”
My mouth hung open in disbelief as Linda just knowingly nodded.

I have bruises on my pectorals and gluteals where guys grabbed at me last night” he said.
“But how could that be? You had all that padding” I said

"That’s just the point. Since they were squished up in such hard balls, over time they grabbed at me, it was like having a cannonball hit me.”

We sat in silence as we pondered this.

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Note: the pictures are only representative of Linda and Bob

Tuesday

Grey Water Gardening

What plant safe laundry detergents and soaps should I use for  my homemade grey water system?


Because of the drought, I don't want to use the hose to provide moisture to my garden. In the past, I totally got rid of grass and just started planting drought friendly plants. (except for my Myer lemon tree) Keeping a grass lawn takes a lot of water to keep it green all year in California. And what a waste of money paying someone to mow it regularly! Certainly with a yard full of grass during a drought, there is no green. Ugly! This year the drought is severe. So, I chose to just let the garden go. Live and let live... the plants that survive will be fine. The plants that need water will die.

It's funny how things work out. When the washing machine drains into the plumbing, it goes out, and down into the sewer. But, recently my plumbing got clogged. The washing machine water was backing up into the kitchen sink. At first it wasn't too bad. I just had to not leave any dirty dishes in the sink and the water would slowly drain. For a while, dumping baking soda and vinegar into the sink seemed to loosen things up a bit. But, after a while, it got to the point that I could only wash small loads because the sink would back up so much there would be no doubt it would overflow onto the floor if I washed a larger load.

One might ask... well why don't I hire a plumber? Simple... I have very little money. I have someone in my life who volunteered to run a "snake" tool into the plumbing, but because of back surgery, that got put off.

I thought about when I was a young mother and had an old fashioned wringer washer. Just like washers today there was a large pipe connected to it that would be able to drain into the plumbing. However, back in those days, I could lay that hose down and let it drain out the back door into the back yard. Wringer washers had legs and rollers on them. As I thought about that, I realized I could do the same today with my modern washing machine. The only problem with it was the pipe on the back of the washer wasn't long enough to get it out the back door and of course, the washer is wieldy. That's when my friend connected a garden hose to that pipe. We ran it out beside where the dryer vent passed through the wall. Today the garden hose leads out to the front yard garden.

When thinking of laundry water going into the soil, I wanted to make sure that any detergent I might use would be friendly to plant life and the soil. Obviously big brand detergents are not a wise choice. I've learned that the various so-called detergents, even ones marked “biodegradable”, are not always appropriate for the soil because they are essentially salt-based. And salt is BAD for the soil. Surprisingly, even Seventh Generation brand laundry detergent is NOT a good choice according to the research I did.

Now that I've been washing my clothes this way (in cold water) I've tried using less detergent. It's amazing how soft my clothes have become. I'm glad I made the switch.

With a little research, I came across this list of safe laundry detergents for grey water use:
Oasis laundry liquid
Bio Pac Laundry Liquid
Biokleen Laundry Liquid
Ecos Laundry
LifeTree Laundry Liquid
Ecover Laundry Wash (some salt)
Mountain Green Laundry Detergent
Vaska Herbatergent

Here is a list of ingredients to avoid in grey water:
boron/borax (toxic to plants)
sodium and ingredients with the word "sodium" in them
chlorine bleach (acceptable alternative: hydrogen peroxide)
sodium perborate
sodium trypochlorite
peroxygen
petroleum distillate
alkylbenzene
water softeners (contain sodium chloride or potassium chloride)
anti-bacterial soaps & cleaners
"whiteners",
"softeners"
enzymes (enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein or fat stains on clothes)
titanium oxide
chromium oxide
artificial colors; FD&C colors
synthetic fragrance
artificial preservatives

NOTE: Most "popular" detergents do not even have their ingredients listed.

Monday

It's a Lovely Day in the Neighborhood

Yikes, I just accidentally came across a site that has "offenders" listed for my city.

Directly across the street is one. I had no idea.

Now I wonder what the crime was. How long ago was it committed? Is the perpetrator rehabilitated?

Perhaps that explains the arrest I saw going down last spring in the middle of the street right near where the "offender" is mapped out to be residing.

No more to say about that. I've got to let it go. Be aware, be alert, but let it go.

Two of my neighbors have had yard sales for the last couple weeks in preparation for moving.

One of the neighbors is a genuine Hoarder, and had a garage full to the ceiling of "stuff". Seriously! No kidding!

I saw how emotionally difficult it was for her to let go of her years worth of collections. Her husband had to keep reminding her that they had no choice. They had to move. They had just a few weeks left to get out. I gave her a hug when she started to cry after someone bought up her collection of Mr. Rogers books. I wonder what causes people to hoard. I wonder what's the difference between my too many things, and a hoarder's way to much overabundance of stuff.

It was my understanding that they had already been living in a trailer because there was no more room in their house to get around safely. Now they were moving to another house, smaller than the one they are in.

It made me realize just how much junk I have sitting around that I don't really NEED!

My local Project Purr is holding a giant Rummage sale this month.

I've managed to clear all this stuff off the dresser!
Except for the cats. They are permanent fixtures!
I'm donating directly to them. They use the funds they raise from their twice a year sale in order to rescue feral cats. Some they can tame and place for home adoptions. Some they can place with people who can maintain them without expecting them to be tame.

I love the fact that I can help cats this way. I already took one carload over to them last week.

My car is half packed right now with another load. When I feel better, I hope to finish and take more extraneous belongings away.

It's nice to have reminders from the examples of others how I can improve my lifestyle.

Saturday

Cab Driver

I realized I was not as honest with myself in this soulful concept as I thought I was, when the man who picked me up in his taxi wore prison gang tattoos on his scalp, face, arms and hands.

I struggled not with fear, but with revulsion, and judgementalism. Though he chatted nicely and I soon learned he had seriously left his criminal life behind, his exterior appearance got in the way of my seeing his inner light.

Now I understand how my father was able to perform his prison ministry when I was so angry with him for doing so.

I didn't believe prisoners, especially rapists and murderers deserved forgiveness. I still have that hump to clear. But have learned a lesson that some people can be rehabilitated and deserving of the same respect as anyone can have. I wonder how others would feel to discover that their cab driver was an ex-con.

It was very thought provoking and soul searching experience for me.

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Note: I borrowed the picture of the "prison sleeves" from a site that sells them. Guess what! They are not tattoos at all!

Friday

America, the Ugly - A Rant

Someone I know posted something on Facebook that I found offensive. I was so angry, I posted a very careless sarcastic comment. The statement she posted was:

"We have illegal immigrants who are staying here on a military facility while homeless veterans are outside the gate with no shelter and no food."

My sarcastic comment was: "Yeah just kill those kids and be done with it!" Sadly there are people who might really feel that way!

I steamed and fretted about it for an hour or so. Then, also thought better of my comment, for the sake of the relationship between me and the person who posted, as well as the fact that someone might actually take me literally and take action! Heaven forbid!

So, I went back to the posting. No one else had responded yet. And I then posted the following:

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I just get so sick and tired of the hypocrisy of statements like that. Yes, we need to care for our homeless, veterans or otherwise. I go to my local homeless shelter regularly to donate clothing. I hand out money on the street corner. Not much, but a dollar is a dollar.

Photo: Breitbart
These children seeking refuge from us are starving, sick and courageous for traveling all that way to seek asylum in our country that has a statue of liberty with a statement on it. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Either we are proud Americans willing to stand up for the human rights that we supposedly believe everyone should have or we are hypocrites and believe it is only for US citizens.

Note: I got a little personal here and have changed the name of the person I was addressing.)

How quickly we forget our own history, my friend. What's the history of your mother's people? How did they get here to the land of the free? Do you know?

I know my own family history going back for generations. We came here in the 1600s for the same reasons those kids are coming here. Did you hear about the one they found dead yesterday?

Do you have friends who were refugees from another country? I do. In fact, the father of my grandchildren came as a child refugee from San Salvador. I have friends who came from Russia as children. They are now grown up and committed American Citizens. I have a young friend who escaped from rape and torture as a child. She now takes care of a little old lady, and bicycles 20 miles round trip daily to attend college classes to make a difference in our lives and hers. A dear friend who came to our country, served in the military and sacrificed his life. Just like those who came before us to America, our own ancestors!

I cannot believe how cruel, insensitive and unchristian people are towards these "Illegals". I'm ashamed of our countrymen."

Note: This is the end of my rant. Sometimes I am so ashamed to call myself an American.