Good morning All. Coffees on.

[Ivy]

Coffee is long gone.  It's been a mixed day, really hard in some ways.

 

I was supposed to spend the day at my daughter's house with 2 of the other daughters and some grand kids.  It had been planned for a week.  This morning I was getting ready to leave when I got a phone call.  One daughter had cancelled at the last minute (like 1/2 hour before she had planned to be there).  So the host daughter was trying to get a hold of the rest of us to let us know.  No time for details - so bye.

Okay.  I was dealing with a cranky heater at the time, so just went back to work on that.

 

Later I get a text from her.  Says other daughter has issues with different people.  So I ask if they were mad at someone.  She said no, not mad, but they didn't want their kids to be around transgender people.  Kinda blindsided me.  I had the impression we were on good terms.

I've thought my family was supportive - or at least tolerant of me.  They had just been to visit me a few weeks ago, but her kids were at their father's at the time.  The other two daughters are kinda upset with her. 

 

So I just fell back on my usual Saturday routine, and went into town for a beer and some socialization.  Got there and some of the people that have come to know me were there and were friendly.  Then a cis friend showed up that I hadn't gotten to see for a few weeks.  When she asked how I was doing I just told her what had happened. (I had previously told her of the original plan)  It was good to talk about it, and she was sympathetic.

 

Later when my friend had left I was talking to the younger woman that works there.  We talk occasionally when they're not busy.  I mentioned that while I was processing my own family drama, I had read Willow's post about the girl in Wilmington.  She hadn't heard about that either.  But she said I was fine coming there.  I told her I've always felt welcome in that place.  She also told me that there are a couple other trans people that come there fairly regular, a trans guy, and a trans woman.  So now at least I know I'm not the only one in town - which had seemed unlikely anyway.

 

It's kinda been a rollercoaster kinda day emotionally for me.  Rejection & Support

 

 

 

[KymmieL]

@Ivy I can relate to your daughter. My oldest son and Daughter in law pretty much said the same thing to me. That they don't want me around my grandson and granddaughter. Saying in short by my DIL. I let you sleep in our home, be around my children. Almost like I was some deviant.

 

I swear if our middle son has # 4 and it is a girl. I may just tell my oldest and DIL off. Our middle son and DIL are totally supportive of me. Even getting into a argument with his brother about it.

 

So tonight with Hot dogs and Chili for dinner. I grabbed the mayo out of the fridge. Our youngest asked why. I told him that I like it on my hot dogs. That opened a can of worms with the wife. She complains that one time I told her that I preferred my chili dogs without beans. Now just about every time we have chili and dogs. She to bring it up, saying next time she makes chili she will hold some without beans for me. She doesn't get that I like things different. While she cannot handle change. Hence me being trans. Hell most of the last 5 years we made love. Which was over 8 yrs ago. it was pretty much straight missionary.

 

Then after she told me that she should have put her bean chili on my dogs before she served them. I took a big table spoon of chili and plopped it on one of my dogs. I wasn't gentle with it.  Of course, she said she was teasing me. Yet, she didn't act like it.

 

One last thing: A couple weeks ago I posted this on facebook:

 

 

It was aimed at one of my I thought was my best friend. Because it seems he did just that when I told him I was trans. Yet he was one of the first ones to reply, "Anything wrong?"

I almost reply to it. Do you think? but I didn't.

 

Well enough of my pathetic existence,

 

Hugs,

 

Kymmie

[Davie]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:35 PM, heatherd said:

t is looking good, her bio mom signed her parental rights away.My lawyer found this out and got a copy of the paperwork on it.I went to her school,she is a freshman and met her teachers today.They are proud of me and seen her confidence and self esteem come right back.Same with her high school counselor,said I am what she needs in her life,someone in her life that loves her for she is.

So glad to hear this, @heatherdI wish you both happiness from now on. Considering how unaccepted I was at a young age, I can understand how important this is. Love requires understanding words and actions and this feels like it.  💜

[Mmindy]

Good morning everyone, 

After spending last week in Daytona Beach, FL on a working holiday, I returned to snow and empty bird feeders. So first thing this morning while coffee was brewing I trekked through the snow and filled them. Now the bird have sounded the feeding calls, and every bird feeder is active. 
 

Hugs, 

 

Mindy🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋💖

[Willow]

Good Sunday morning 

 

rather quiet today.  My wife and I had a dust up yesterday.  I tried to show appreciation for things she was doing but she took it as a slap in the face. We went out for some reason and when we returned she was angry as hell.  Laid into me about what I’ve done for all our lives together.  Even brought up something that happened 50 years ago, that I didn’t appreciate something she did that she thought was romantic.  
 

I pointed out that I appreciate all the help and and attempts to be more accepting.  Even told her how I had applied for a part-time job to try to get out of debt.  But then I lowered the boom, and said when we got to that point we’d have to discuss the future.  She has threatened me twice with leaving.  And I was getting around to doing just that.  It’s been tense ever since whereas I’ve just been continuing like normal.

 

chilly and rainy today.  Another one of @KymmieL’s weather presents 🎁.

 

hugs

 

Willow

[Ivy]

1 hour ago, Katie23 said:

Willow, your words regarding passing are haunting. In this current climate, I am worried that more of these physical attacks will get worse. 

I have had people advising me to carry.  (actually twice yesterday)  I have firearms, but no concealed carry permit.  Admittedly, I have done it without the permit in the past.  I'm not a violent person - and even less so since coming out.

I think (hope) that at my age I am seen as more of a curiosity than a threat to civilization as we know it.

[Ivy]

1 hour ago, Willow said:

…she was angry as hell.  Laid into me about what I’ve done for all our lives together.  Even brought up something that happened 50 years ago…

My ex was like this the last couple of years we were together.  It was hard.

She also accused me of a lot of stuff I never did.  If I denied it, I was lying of course.

These days she says she knows I did the best I could.

 

Leaving gave me the freedom (I didn't want at the time) to get to know myself again after 40+ years of "us".

[Marcie Jensen]

@Willow and @Ivy you are not alone. My ex did the same sort of thing to me. She even made a chart going back 18 years to try and document all of my transgressions.  She, of course, was blameless... It was quite the learning experience, I must say.

[Colleen Henderson]

A major turning point for me occurred while I was working as an office volunteer for a hospice organization about 30 minutes from home. By that time, I'd experienced two other similar situations in which I was fully "out" and accepted, and I was quite sure of my ability to live full-time.

 

On this particular day, traffic on the interstate had come to a standstill. There was a lengthy wait, and after a while other drivers were leaving their vehicles and walking around. Trapped in my small car, suddenly surrounded by a growing crowd of strangers, I began to feel extremely vulnerable. That's not a position I'd been in before, and I didn't like it. Shortly thereafter, I told my confidants at the office that I just couldn't make the trip anymore.

 

That was eight years ago. Now, seeing today's much more toxic climate, I wouldn't even dare to take the steps into public that built my confidence back then.

 

Please be careful out there.  

[KymmieL]

7 hours ago, Willow said:

chilly and rainy today.  Another one of @KymmieL’s weather presents 🎁.

 

hugs

 

Willow

Your welcome for the gift. You can send some of your warm weather this way. It may take a while though. As weather normally goes west to east it will take its sweet darn time getting here. LOL probably go cold in the mean time.

 

5 hours ago, Ivy said:

She also accused me of a lot of stuff I never did.  If I denied it, I was lying of course.

My wife does that to me. She accuses me of doing something. I lie  if I did do it like SHE says.

 

On a happier note, I have been getting ma'amed more and more at work lately. An it is not just younger people either. Some older people have too. feels good.

 

Hugs, Kymmie

[Mmindy]

Good morning everyone,

 

The coffee is brewing, today is a workday out in the shop. I have prop builds scheduled through Mid-March, interrupted by a week of vacation in New Orleans, LA in February. 

 

Hugs,

 

Mindy🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋

[Willow]

Morning

 

Rough night last night.  I get these pains in the area of my right leg between my hip and thigh.  Well I had it bad last night.  I have a heating pad on it now.  I’ve had various injections over the years, from cortisone to injections in my back to nerve ablation.  I don’t know what it is but I’ve been getting these for at least 40 years.  
 

we are going to the Y for a senior stretch and tone class late this morning.  
 

otherwise, How bout dem cowboys?  Was that a dumb last play or what?

 

Willow

[Mmindy]

Good morning everyone,

 

This snow event CAN NOT be blamed on @KymmieL it's clearly following the Old Route 66 now I-44 corridor. Once it makes St. Louis, MO it tracks the I-70 corridor. As usual there's a big difference in snow totals. The pink areas are expected to get 7+ inches. 

 

I've also stocked up on items required for French Toast. 

 

Hugs,

 

Mindy🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋

[Willow]

Good but cold morning here.  Woke up to the upper 30s.  @Mmindy  as you wish, I won’t blame @KymmieL THIS time.  Just take away my fun.  Maybe I should pick on someone from Arizona or Northern California,  Any volunteers?

 

Hey, it’s all in good fun.  And we all know that Californians are getting beat up with this weather.  I wouldn’t want to pile on.

 

Got asked by a man from our senior stretch class yesterday if we were coming to yoga today.  It’s nice to be noticed even if that’s all it was.  And yes we are going to yoga.  
 

Talk later 

 

Willow

[KymmieL]

Our official temp is -2. I'll take upper 30s gladly. Even as a day time high. I actually would like to get a major snow storm. Last major one we had was 2003.

 

Only bad thing about doing the day shift is you gotta wake up early. I was so comfy in my bed this morning. Coffee is coming shortly. They are preparing the IV bag as I type this. LOL.

 

Have a great day. Stay warm as safe.

 

Hugs

 

Kymmie

[awkward-yet-sweet]

More snow...ick.  I'm looking forward to spring.  For now, I'm hiding in my den until warm weather returns.  And my GF...has to go outside for some reason 🙄

[Ivy]

Lovely pix

[Marcie Jensen]

@Willowif you want to pick on AZ about weather, go right ahead. I'll volunteer. e actually had a freeze warning here in the Valley of the Sun last night, but we didn't quite make it; it only dropped to 35 degrees. If it gets much chillier I'll have to break out the mukluks. Lol.

[Jackie C.]

24 minutes ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

And my GF...has to go outside for some reason

 

I know how this one works. You unbury enough of yourself that she can see one eye and mumble, "Outside? Tell me how that works out."

Then you burrow back under the covers and resume your nap.

 

Hugs!

[awkward-yet-sweet]

39 minutes ago, Jackie C. said:

 

I know how this one works. You unbury enough of yourself that she can see one eye and mumble, "Outside? Tell me how that works out."

Then you burrow back under the covers and resume your nap.

 

Hugs!

Oh, I plan to do that.  Won't change my GF any, though.  I have the world's most stubborn girlfriend.

 

A couple years ago, she was outside in July laying concrete...while 7 months pregnant. 🙄 I've caught her running barefoot in the snow multiple times.  Followed by attempts to warm up her feet on me or carry me outside ❄️🤬.  Sometimes being light and carryable has disadvantages.

 

[Ivy]

Y'all are just hardcore.

[Willow]

Copied from a face book post.  The characters have nothing to do with me.  However, I felt the message applies to us.

 

My dad has bees.Today I went to his house and he showed me all of the honey he had gotten from the hives. He took the lid off of a 5 gallon bucket full of honey and on top of the honey there were 3 little bees, struggling. They were covered in sticky honey and drowning. I asked him if we could help them and he said he was sure they wouldn't survive. Casualties of honey collection I suppose.

I asked him again if we could at least get them out and kill them quickly, after all he was the one who taught me to put a suffering animal (or bug) out of its misery. He finally conceded and scooped the bees out of the bucket. He put them in an empty Chobani yogurt container and put the plastic container outside.
Because he had disrupted the hive with the earlier honey collection, there were bees flying all over outside.

We put the 3 little bees in the container on a bench and left them to their fate. My dad called me out a little while later to show me what was happening. These three little bees were surrounded by all of their sisters (all of the bees are females) and they were cleaning the sticky nearly dead bees, helping them to get all of the honey off of their bodies. We came back a short time later and there was only one little bee left in the container. She was still being tended to by her sisters.

When it was time for me to leave we checked one last time and all three of the bees had been cleaned off enough to fly away and the container was empty.

Those three little bees lived because they were surrounded by family and friends who would not give up on them, family and friends who refused to let them drown in their own stickiness and resolved to help until the last little bee could be set free.
Bee Sisters. Bee Peers. Bee Teammates. 

We could all learn a thing or two from these bees.
Bee kind always.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

@Willow That is a cool little lesson from nature 👍  

 

[Willow]

Good morning 

 

much warmer today our high will be upper 60s but rain, possible thunderstorms and tornados.  It’s our turn with the storm that spun up the tornados in Texas yesterday.  
 

Pray for our brothers and sisters that have been affected by the storms.

 

hugs

 

Willow

[Mmindy]

Good morning everyone, 

 

☕️ Coffee hasn’t always been around. 

The local weather forecast personalities are playing down the snow totals for today. 

 

Hugs,

 

Mindy🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋