Father's Day...SCOTUS...and a "Grandma Rose" Day with Emma

Started for my eldest with the  kids piling on, and breakfast in bed!  And later a visit by Hannah and Kaylee. Playing with all of them in the fort-in-the-woods he finished building, and watching the nearby fox's den together- where she has new (baby) kits. By the end of the day he proclaimed it "Best Father's Day EVER!"

So OMG....what a week!  Several Major Supreme Court Decisions.

The ACA (subsidy) was upheld...thereby assuring there would be no disruption of the Affordable Care Act   (aka Obamacare)  That is right. Insurance Companies can STILL no longer refuse to cover anyone because of pre-existing conditions. I think I feel good about that.And to the GOP'ers who have tried to legislate the ACA away for the 50th time now...get a grip...it is here to stay...and quit wasting our tax dollars trying to get rid of it.

The Fair Housing Act.

And today's ruling...finally laying to rest the SSM Issue by LEGALIZING it in all 50 States.

 You know those moments in life when you are so overcome by emotions you openly weep?

This was one of those moments for me. 

My late husband-person and I fought for and supported gay rights and SSM long long before it was fashionable to do so. I only wish he could have been alive today to see its cumulation.

So now the gay couple who has been together and loved one another for 20+ years can get married just like the straight couples who in some cases are on their 5th or 6th marriage and sit bitching about SSM destroying the "sanctity" of the institution.

This week also saw the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

An Act whose time was long overdue as well.  You know, I was married to a Southern Gentleman for 18 years (until his death)...and in those years, yes...he referred to the Civil War as "The War Between The States" or when in a less generous mood he would call it "The War of Northern Aggression"...he also always opened doors and pulled out chairs, he taught me to eat grits "The Way The Lawd Intended Us To" with butter and salt...and absolutely no sugar. He and his brother had pictures taken at school back-in-the-day (as God is my witness) with little bow-ties with tiny little Confederate Flags on them. I think he may have even had a Great Grand-Pappy way back then who was active in the Klan.  But even my Mississippi-bred husband realized long before we were ever married that the war was (and had been) OVER for years and years. And that we lived in The United States of America...not the Confederate States. We always had a flag flying at our home. It was the Stars and Stripes. Still do.  We had, and I still have, black friends and family members. I never once heard my 6'6" Southern Man use the "N" word throughout his life. And he realized that the Confederate flag was as reprehensible to some people as the Nazi Swastika flying is to others. 

You want to display the Confederate Flag in a museum or on your own private property...not my problem and absolutely your Constitutional Right.  You want to fly it over the Courthouse or Statehouse.
Different message entirely.

Glad to see it REMOVED.

We are living in interesting times, indeed.

"Becoming"  maybe.

It was a good week to be an American. 
It gives me hope.

Spent a wonderful Grandma Rose day with my Grand-Daughter Emma (and "Rebecca" her doll) full of shopping, brunch, art and afternoon tea.

And getting things squared away for our Family Gathering tomorrow. Chuck and Shirley (Great Grand-Parents)  Chris and Tina, Nicki and James, Aiden, Brenden and Emma, and (hopefully) Kaylee and Hannah, too.

I have an entire Pork Loin (HUGE) slow roasting tonight to pull and BBQ tomorrow...and yes, the Tucker-cat is losing his mind at the smell! I think my neighbors might be as well.

I have Buns and Potato Chips and am fixing a Crockpot of Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans, Coleslaw, and Sweet Tea and a Ginormous Home-made Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Have an AMAZING Weekend!
We ARE!

My Cascading
Juniper Bonsai...6 years old.

Holy Blazing Birthday Cake, Batman!!!!

Back from our Spring Adventure!


As always...it was excellent and much too short.

The above selfie together taken at the moved and completely (authentically) restored 40's Diner (d.b.a. The Oasis) at the west end of Plainfield, Indiana, now.

As someone who used to frequent the original years back, I was amazed at how careful they were to detail and it was exact...right down to the no AC...but instead large standing floor fans.  I was swooning over my Vanilla Malted with fresh whipped cream and a cherry on top :)  It's the little things!

An early week trip to the library together for those quiet moments.

Now "Idgy" is hooked on Det. Ret. Hodges, too.  Soon to follow up with Finders Keepers.
                                                        
I am nearly finished with Ken Follett's Century Trilogy. The third book was slow to start, but has gained momentum. This may be the BEST trilogy I have read for a while.

With the tropical weather, first sunny and high 80's...then raining (at times monsoon-like) and instantly becoming bright, sunny, humid and 80 again we dodged raindrops and visited several nurseries during our holiday together.

I bought her a Wisteria she dubbed "George"  (...and I will pet him and stroke him and name him...) who in less than a week sitting on my patio was reaching out for the arbour with one slim tendril and to the Morning Glory trellis with another.  She told me that on the way home he felt a touch on her shoulder and realized it was "George" reaching out!  At any rate she is taking him back Down South" where he is actually a WEED.  With the 90 degree heat and the 100 degree humidity...he will be thrilled!

She bought me a cluster of three Redbud Trees.  (...aka The Children)  I am going to let them grow a bit more...then divide two off to re-pot (The Twins) and try my hand at bonsai on the third (Melissa) for inside.

We plundered Snowy Pines and Cox Nursery and found (me) Winter Savory for my Herb Basket and (her) a bristly purplish Outback Australia Native which looked soft and feathery but was stiff and waxy and touted for its outstanding abilities to tolerate drought conditions called PTILOTUS...the common-name was "Joey". which sounded properly Aussie, and it stuck.

                                              "Seriously, Dude..."

We invited Nancy and James and Nicole and Chris and Tina and The Grands over for a Pizza Gathering Tuesday...and it was nice to have everyone together :)
And she brought a small sampler box of that amazing, straight from The South- Peach Sipping Whiskey so we handed out gift-bottles at the end of the evening for everyone to take home. So nice mixed with Sweet Tea.
Hot or Cold.

And, of course, there was the Combined Birthday Celebration.

This year she turns 40.

This year I turned 55.

We had the bakery put together a sheet cake with a circle of logs made with chocolate icing to represent a camp-fire. Inscribed with "Rose" and "Idgy". Except they didn't write Rose at first...they actually piped on a Rose. She removed it and wrote ROSE. And they misspelled "Idgy"  It IS Putnam County, after all. Where English isn't a second language...it usually doesn't even rank fifth or sixth.

After we added the marshmallows...and 95 candles.
It became kind of moot.

It took 4 boxes of candles...with a single candle left over.

And then we lit the cake...and grabbed our marshmallows...laughing so hard we were crying...

Pretty soon the flames rose just like a REAL Bonfire.

And then came a moment, for both of us, of terror...when we tried to blow the flames out...and...well...they weren't going out.  

They were not going out.

I believed the phrase

"Oh Shit...ohshitohshitohshit"

was uttered several times.

And just when it had reached that complete panic feeling...they finally subsided a bit. Leaving us with a few to finish marshmallows over. Although by now the top of the cake was hidden under the molten tie-dye lava of nearly 100 multi-colored birthday  candles.

When we finally extinguished them all...the candle circle resembled a bomb-blast radius. Twice Baked Cake.

We were lucky the fire alarm did not sound through all of this...because if it had...we would have both experienced incontinence.

I am sure of it.



Haven't laughed that long or hard since our Macon Donkey Farm/Tourism Department Adventure. Or maybe IMA?  You had to be there. 

Trust me.

 And "Idgy" saved me once again by REMOVING the cake from the box before we set it ablaze...the box would have went up right along with the cake. She has suspended my "fire privileges" indefinitely...

Quite a few mornings spent watching the sun rise together with coffee...and also watching it set. We sat on the patio with Tucker and sipped Peach Whiskey and Miss Emily (the feral) even made a fleeting appearance on our last evening!

So now...we're back in the box again. 

~Sigh~

Until next time.

See you in the morning for coffee...biscotti and chat!



It was wonderful  :)

Friday's Cup...

It has been a WEEK!

First, I would like to offer KUDOS to my oldest son who (as of Monday) has custody of his 5 year old son.
I am so proud of you...
and I know Dad would have been, too!

Spent part of an afternoon with Loretta and Sharon in Bloomington for our monthly "Mall-Rat" together. And Idgy is right...I am morphing into a "bag lady" and developing a keen interest in shoes as well.

I know, RIGHT?
Who saw THAT coming.  
EVER?

In my defense it was a very small cross-body, okay. A very small  very soft and supple dark brown bag that matches my Fall jacket well.Oh so soft. One touch of the buttery leather and I fell in love. And yes, by Fall it is going to necessitate dark brown slouch boots, but Fall is a whole season away. 

Don't Judge Me.

~laughing~
 Yes...it's hopeless.

Anyway,

Met with my old friend/long ago lover for brunch from my very favorite tea room late this week. He brought brunch with him...I made Raspberry Millefleur
Pastries, and Coffee for afters. After catching up on our children/grandchildren, we spend the latter half of the afternoon discussing politics...and the current crop of hopefuls both at a State and Federal Level. After the laughter died down...I think we came much to the same conclusion: We may be (at a State or Federal Level) completely screwed.  

So it is "Goodbye" until we reconvene in Late Summer.

One thing is for sure...the debates are going to be entertaining. 

And only 

More days until our Late Spring Adventure, Idgy!
Real Coffee and Biscotti.
Real Hugs!

Our Bonfire of a Birthday Celebration! 

Maybe adding a bit to our matching tattoos, plundering Michael's and Menards and Hobby Lobby, sculpting a couple small sandcastles from clay and sand to hold tiny tea lights perhaps, playing in plants, spending some time with the kids & grands, sipping wine and painting together...and, of course, decorating our bonfire cake and lighting it!  

Can't WAIT!

Musing this morning that next year will be our 10th year together. BFF. Where the hell does the time go. Che (her son) graduates Highschool next year. Amazing...since it seem like only yesterday he was playing "Trouble" with us beneath a Christmas tree, a little boy...or when he turned 13 and I got the phone call

"OMG...is this NORMAL?"

"How long do the teens last?

"Damn it, stop laughing!"

"What the hell do you mean, FOREVER."



(...it only feels like forever...actually it lasts much much longer...)

When we're back "in the box" I will try to start some in-depth analyzing of the 2016 crop of primary candidates...or maybe just some tongue-in-cheek observations. It is hard to tell at this point. They lend themselves to political humour so well.
As Will Durst reminds us...it's rip and read, folks...rip and read.


Really excited as the list of attendance grows for the September DS Gathering here!  Only

More days until The DS Greencastle Gathering!

Have an amazing Weekend...and don't forget to hoist the flag this Sunday!

Caitlyn...Bernie...and the latest Stephen King: Finders Keepers

Yeah...it's official.
Bruce Jenner (now post sex re-assignment: Caitlyn) has better boobs than me...and maybe a narrower waistline as well.

Damn it bitch...you've raised the bar for all of us!

                                            ~laughing~

(...and also wondering if I am the first to call Caitlyn Jenner a bitch...)

Huge kudos to Annie Leibovitz for the amazing Vanity Fair shoot, and I wish her (Caitlyn) only happiness in this New Beginning in life!

Nice to see Bernie Sanders join the 2016 Presidential Hopeful Fray, too. I would like to see him get the nod. I think he could muster enough of the Independent vote to actually win...and he comes with a lot less baggage than Hillary. As my youngest son pointed out....since Bernie is Jewish....his campaign theme song could be Weird Al's

 "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"

We'll see.

So..............thanks to Lisa...I had Stephen King's latest tome: Finders Keepers the day after its release date. And, as so many of his novels, it immediately became "That Damned Book" 
As in

"Can't talk...sleep...eat...busy reading!"

A nice surprise. A continuation of the world he built around Mr. Mercedes. I love the new direction these books take...not ghouls and goblins and such...but the real monsters in the real world. The ones that stand next to you in the checkout line. Much scarier. So, a re-visit with many of the old characters from Mr. Mercedes...and the addition of many new ones. If you read and loved Mr. Mercedes...Finders Keepers is a must read!

 Outstanding!

The countdown has started! Only 10 more days until
"Rose and Idgy's Spring Adventure and Combined Birthday Extravaganza"
And we are both so excited.

From the Hubble...


"NASA are you getting this?"

"No...disregard that NASA...repeat disregard...this is not an anomaly...it appears to be a Birthday Cake."



 T-9 and counting.


Have a Wonderful Weekend!