I've noticed what men will do....

I was at the Royals baseball game over the weekend.  Before the game started I was sitting in my seat, drinking a beer, and eating homemade potato chips with blue cheese, green onion, and bacon.  Decadent on so many levels. The Kansas City weather had calmed down and decided to act like San Diego.  I was in my own personal heaven.

The players on the field were going through their pre-game routines.  As I watched a group of guys walk from the dugout, all the way behind right field, to the bull pen, I couldn't help but notice one particular guy.  He had on a hot pink Barbie or Hello Kitty backpack. Not one other player had on a backpack.

I came up with two possible reasons why a Major League Baseball player would walk across a ball field wearing a hot pink backpack:

1.  He lost a bet with some of the guys.  Guys take betting seriously.  Including payoff and the big loss.  It's what they do.

or

2.  His little daughter asked him to use it so she could see him on TV.  Dads will do ANYTHING for their daughters.  Anything.  It's what they do.

Religious Freedom

I cooked all day today for a sick neighbor.  Chicken and dumplings and peach crumble.  Lots of time to think and pray. I thought about a lot of things.  The one thing I thought about a lot, was the discussion and goings on around our country concerning the Muslim community center to be built in New York. 

I am very concerned for our country.  This is not a path our country should be taking.  No religious group should ever be singled out and shunned.  Our country was started because certain religious groups were shunned.  Religious freedom started the exodus from England to the New World. It continues today from other countries.  Persecution of religious groups is not to be tolerated, period.

A neighbor of mine recently described the allowing of a Muslim built community center to be a "poke in the eye".  Really, a poke in the eye?  That is pretty drastic.  I am thinking a poke in the eye is an action of intent to inflict physical pain and disfigurement.  Somehow, I don't think a community center has that intent.  But hey, that must be just me.  I just kept my mouth shut and filed it under ignorance.  One cannot argue peacefully with an ignorant person who is unwilling to listen and reason.  No matter how much wine either party has consumed!

I remember how wrong it was to shun Catholics, Jews, and Mormons even as a young girl.  People did it all the time. Many of my family members did it.  Marrying someone not of your religion was considered a mixed marriage.  Some things have changed for the good.  But this Muslim thing has me a bit sad and angry.  Muslims are being terrorized and shunned because of the actions of a few.

When Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier bombed the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, their religious faith was not shunned.  Christian churches were not told they could not build in certain locations.  Why?  Because they did not embody the Christian religion in their actions.  They chose to use terrorist violence to show their disdain for our country. They should not be tolerated.

The way I see it, Muslims were not embodied in the actions of September 11, 2001.  It was a political group called Al Quaeda who chose to use terrorist violence to show their disdain for our country and disdain for Jews. They have no affiliation to a country, so they do it in the name of Islam.  That does not mean all Muslims are members of Al Quaeda.  Just a very, very small group who have tarnished the name of Muslims all over the world, especially here in the United States.  They should not be tolerated.

The way I see it, Christians are not embodied in the actions of Skin Heads, the KKK, or Neo Nazis.  They are political groups who have no affiliation with a country. They have chosen to show their disdain for non white, non Christians by terrorist violence in the name of Christianity.  Just a very, very, small group who have tarnished the name of Christians in the United States.  These groups should not be tolerated.

The way I see it, Nazis did the same thing.  They had no affiliation with a religious group or country.  So, they decided to try and create their own country to justify their disdain for Jews and non white people as they committed horrific acts of terrorism.  They tarnished those who were not Jewish and white. This group should not be tolerated.

We cannot allow our country to be overtaken by religious intolerance. If we do, we will be just like others who have terrorized and shunned religious groups.  We will fail as a country.  Our country was not based on religious intolerance.

Things I like to do..........

Kiss my husband...Walk on a beach...Taste frosting...Pet the cat...
Swim in a pool all by myself...Watch sunsets...Knead bread dough...
Rock my babies...Laugh with my sisters...Drink champagne...
Listen to blues music...Cook for my family and friends...Read...
Smoke cigars...Road trips...Watch Christmas movies...Paint furniture...
Kiss the heads of my grand children...Take food pictures...
Sit in DFW watching people...Shop for gifts...
Drink coffee...Walk in the woods...Listening as it snows...
Get ice cream at 10pm...Drive a golf cart...Write...
Watch a thunderstorm roll in...Open a gift...Sneeze...
Read cookbooks...Ride the Sea Doo...Road trips...
Digging around in antique stores...Surf the internet...
Make quilts...

Cigars and Citronella

Last evening was one of the few evenings we have been able to sit out on the deck.

We have had a run of very hot and humid weather. Just watering the flowers, as the sun is going down, results in sweat just dripping everywhere on my body. Very, very miserable.

I would not have made it as a pioneer or old settler in the Midwest during the Summer. Those pioneer women who cooked meals, tended gardens, raised children, had babies, and helped their husbands to tame the country in this sweltering heat, were some of the strongest women in the world. I'm not so sure I would have made it.

Tonight was a respite. A short thunderstorm moved through the area. It provided just enough relief to enjoy the veranda by lowering the humidity and temperature.

We had gone out for dinner later than usual because we were mesmerized by the storm clouds. The clouds were so high and so beautiful we couldn't stop looking at them. Many times in the Summer, here in the Midwest, thunderstorms just form. In one hour it can go from totally cloudless to a thunderstorm billowing 50,000 feet into the sky. Then, after the sun goes down, there is nothing but stars in the sky. Last evening was one of those times.

After the storm had passed, we went to get a bite for dinner. It was about eight o'clock and the crowds were starting to thin out. I enjoyed a delicious white sangria before dinner, sitting there, with my sweetie. We each talked about our day and enjoyed being together. You would think, after thirty eight years of marriage we would have grown tired of each other. Quite the contrary.

By the time we left the restaurant, the temperature had dropped a few degrees and the humidity had dropped many percentage points. When we got home the veranda was calling us. I watered the hanging baskets with flowers, the pots of herbs, and the tropicals. Saw a neighbor walking her dog and chatted a bit. It had turned into a comfortable evening.

As the dark set in, I lit a citronella candle and a couple of little tea lights. The veranda had that welcoming, cozy glow. Jim came out with a cigar and asked if I wanted a little one. When he buys cigars, he also gets these little vanilla cigars not much bigger than my pinkie finger, just for me. Once in a while, a little cigar is just the right thing.

We sat there in the flickering light smoking our cigars and listening to George, the resident bull frog. George has been bellowing for a mate all summer. The chirping birds of the day were replaced by the symphony of tree frogs, crickets, cicadas, and George.

The smell of vanilla cigars and citronella candles finished our day. Summer in the Midwest.

Things I love......

Classical music...Mount Rushmore...Astronauts...My husband...
Lavender scented sheets...My yellow Bug...Sweatshirts...Thunderstorms...
Onion rings...Black Hills Gold...Art...
Road trips...My brother...Rome...Sea glass...Boots...
The veranda...Thanksgiving...Amaretto on the rocks...KCGC logo...
My daughter...Dangle earrings...Pink polish on my toes...Jeans...Meteorite shower...Rabbits...
Pink and purple flowers...Art Museum...Dishes...Roses...Socks...My sisters...Spandex...Christmas...
Mashed potatoes...Hummingbirds...Fall...Chocolate fondue...Glitter...The ocean...Kindle...Shells...
Niagara Falls...Rosé Wine...Riding the Sea Doo...Eggs over easy...Flip flops...My grandchildren...
Puerto Vallarta...Blues Music...Burning Man...