a look at life from the corners of my mind
….or at least, very few. Here’s what happen in middle Missouri over two days.
November 7, 2018
November 9, 2018
Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.
Blog hopping with Comedy Plus for Wordless Wednesday.
Wow, Vogue. Just Wow.
I’ve waiting a few days to cool down and collect my thoughts before commenting on this article. If you haven’t read the article Vogue printed about the awful state of white, republican women, you can read it HERE. I don’t know whether to be disgusted, incensed, or whether to laugh at the sheer hypocrisy of their rationale.
Evidently, white woman who vote republican are “confusingly unsisterly” and “don’t care about other women.” If they did, according to the article, obviously they would vote for every Democrat, in every race, everywhere. The Vogue writer makes no bones about their contempt for this voting bloc. Surely they must be parroting their misogynist, patriarchal husbands and their thoughts are being controlled by the GOP.
And, in my opinion, therein lies the hypocrisy.
Democrat organizations that supposedly champion women tout they want us to be strong, independent thinkers…..but only if those thoughts align with their policies and agendas. It’s unthinkable (and definitely not preferable) for women to think any other way. Their elitist attitude doesn’t consider any other opinion.
Conform to the view of the Democratic party and their organizations, and be embraced and celebrated. Don’t conform to a liberal platform and be shunned, criticized and condemned.
Got it. Attack women if they don’t conform. Shame them into doing what others think is best. Demean them if they disagree with what you believe is the correct path. Historically, that sounds very familiar.
Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. Misogyny is manifest in numerous ways, including social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility, androcentrism, patriarchy, male privilege, belittling of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification.
~Wikipedia
Yes, I’m a white women. Yes, I lean more conservative than liberal. Yes, I’m educated, and have my own thoughts and opinions….sometimes separate from my husband. Yes, I vote Republican….and have been known to vote Democrat on occasion, depending on the office and issue. And yet, Vogue holds me in contempt, belittles me and is hostile to my opinions. Do you see the irony here?
Additionally, I find this article humorous coming from a “fashion magazine” that promotes Exclusive Beauty, Style and Cultural Views. Vogue, a magazine that perpetuates youth and beauty through genetically-altered images of women (aka PhotoShop); Vogue, a magazine whose pages can result in lowered self-esteem among those who don’t look or dress like the pictures within their pages; Vogue, a magazine that promotes exclusive brands and styles that, while beautiful and attractive, no average woman could even dream about affording.
To be honest, I have not picked up a Vogue magazine for years. Perhaps its intellectually stimulating now. Perhaps substantial content pages outnumber (or even equal) the pages of paid fashion and beauty ads pandering to women’s insecurities. Perhaps now it’s an accurate reflection of the average 21st century woman’s style and appearance. Perhaps.
Democrat candidates are not entitled to my vote simply because I’m a woman. “Women’s issues” cover much more than the hot buttons of reproductive rights and abortion that are hauled out front and center most of the time. Taxes, economy, safety…those are women’s issues as well.
My foremothers fought and died for my right to vote. I wrote about it HERE. I take this responsibility very seriously. Show me a candidate with a legitimate, common sense, pro-active plan of action, based on reality and achievable goals. Show me a candidate who understands what it takes for the average family to be prosperous for many generations. Show me a candidate that respects this country’s constitution and values above their own political agenda. Show me that candidate and I’ll seriously consider voting for her or him.
Pander to hot-button, emotional issues hoping to sway my vote….and you’ve lost me. Show me the only passion you have is overthrowing the majority party and being an obstructionist because you didn’t get your way….and you’ve lost me. Show me all you care about is demonizing and disrespecting your opponents…and you’ve lost me. Spend money uncontrollably on expensive, unnecessary programs that only further personal agendas OR refuse to acknowledge waste and corruption in current government spending….and you’ve lost me.
Honestly, I see very little difference between Republicans and Democrats. Both parties want power at any cost…and they are not above lying, cheating and stealing to get it done. Both parties give false hope and make promises they have no intention of fulfilling. Both parties campaign on hope and change in the Washington DC machine, but in reality, when they get there, are only interested in supporting the status quo because they personally benefit from it. Many times my voting decisions are based on the lesser of two evils listed on the ballot.
So, I’m sorry Vogue (but not really) for not conforming to your perfect ideal of what a woman should do in the voting booth. But, I can assure you that by continuing to label me as unsisterly, criticizing and condemning my choices, demonizing and insulting my intellect…..you will lose me every time.
Just before the death of flowers and before they are buried in snow, there comes a festival season when nature is aglow.
~Author Unknown
Well, I may have missed my opportunity for this post since it SNOWED a few days ago! Middle Missouri broke her previous record of .3 inches of snow on November 8th. We clocked in at a little more than an inch of the white stuff. It was magical….and gone from most of the trees by afternoon as the temps warmed to the upper 30sF.
I have shared some of our autumn color in weeks past, but haven’t shared my most fun day of the season. Every autumn I try and take the grandgirls to one of our city parks during the cooler weather. Of course, the camera comes along with us. This year we went to a nature area before going to the traditional park setting. While I love autumn color in the trees and flowers, it just can’t compete with these two!
At ten and four and a half, these two are growing up so fast. And, I believe their personalities are growing faster! Can’t you just see the sass in both of them? Peanut is now in fourth grade and Twix is having a blast in Pre-K.
I fully realize I tend to get a bit carried away when sharing pics of our grandgirls. I would apologize, but I’m really not that sorry!
Unfortunately the trees had not yet given up their leaves for a colorful carpet, so we had to rely on some different color for these last two shots.
Now, we’re hunkering down for winter, which evidently is coming early this year since our temps are now falling into the teens at night. I’m thankful we had the opportunity to take these when we did. They warm my heart.
I hope you’re having a wonderful autumn and sharing the warmth of the holiday season with everyone around you.
Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
Are you up for yet another photo of autumn? I hope so because I’ve taken gigabytes of fall color photos this year! My mums came out of the Halloween door decoration (an idea that looked better in my imagination than in reality) and have been transplanted into the main planters for the rest of the season.
My last post showed some of the gorgeous autumn colors here in middle Missouri. Most of them were of overall tree color.
While the colors of the trees feature the greatest, overall impact, there’s beauty in the details found a little closer to the ground.
These mums were all white when I planted them. Now, surprise!, the new flowers that are blooming are pink and white. Not sure how or why that happened. Perhaps some mineral in the potting soil? Whatever it is, they now clash with my crimson, orange and rust palette. But they are pretty, so they stay. Maybe they identified with the leftover summer, purple petunias that refuse to give up.
I’ve come across a term called autumn anxiety, but for the life of me I cannot understand how autumn’s charm doesn’t win over everyone. Yes, it’s the bridge between summer and winter, and I suppose that is enough to cause some to look at the season with dampened spirits.
But not me!
“I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin and crisp sunburnt leaves.”
~Ann Drake
Blog hopping with Comedy Plus and Awww Monday.
It was a glorious Autumn here in middle Missouri this year. I had my doubts since Summer was so dry, but the season surprised me…in a good way. It’s now November and the leaves are raining down from the trees faster than I can type.
I seem to have a love-hate relationship with November. On one hand, I love the stillness of the month; not yet winter, but no longer the peak of Autumn’s beauty. November makes me pause. November makes me focus on gratitude and thankfulness…although those aspects should not be seasonal. Yet, November is always a harbinger of winter and the season of dark coldness. Autumn’s riot of color is finished and the crisp, joyous season of Christmas is not here yet. Most of the November seems to hang in limbo.
But there is always a November space after the leaves have fallen when she felt it was almost indecent to intrude on the woods…for their glory terrestrial had departed and their glory celestial of spirit and purity and whiteness had not yet come upon them.
~Anne of Windy Poplars
But, as I said, October’s main event was stunning this year. I’d like to share some of it with you. This one I snapped….yes….as I was driving around town. But, as you can see, I’m still in my lane! It’s a wonder more people don’t have accidents while looking at such awesomeness.
All of the rest of these were taken while Cabo and I walked in our neighborhood. Some were found in the manicured parts of yards, and some were discovered in the wild, wooded areas that separate those manicured yards.
Twinning.
The yellows and oranges were spectacular this year.
November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
~Elizabeth Coatsworth (1893–1986)
And with that, I say goodbye to colorful October and welcome November with all it has to offer. I’ll look for beauty in the brownness and let my spirit snuggle into the coziness of the month.
The Halloween candy is far from finished but now we’re racing towards the holidays. My October 31st was a whirlwind of activity with grandbabykin school parties and trick or treating. Why do I subject myself to all this…for the second time around? Simply because they are only little once and I want to soak up all I can before I’m too old to be able to run this pace this anymore.
And, this year was a special year. Twix was finally old enough to be Snow White. That, in and of itself, doesn’t sound especially significant until you know the back story…….
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (circa 1989), there lived a four-year-old Snow White with her white, woodland bunny. These were costumes I made for my wee ones for Halloween fun. Little did I know at the time, Snow White would stand the test of time in more ways than one.
When 1991 rolled around, another four-year-old Snow White made her debut with sister princess, Rapunzel (another homemade costume). This one was expected. After all, it took me quite a while to make the Snow White costume, and I was determined to get more than one wearing out of it. I think they both wore it for a couple of Halloweens.
Fast forward to 2013. Five-year-old Peanut donned her Mama and godmother’s costume for another generation of Disney princess trick or treating. Why did I keep this costume in storage so many years? I suppose I simply couldn’t part with the memories.
And this year, at four years old, Twix followed in this tradition. And, a whole new set of memories have been made.
And, yes, the costume will go back into storage now. The Golfer has instructed me to keep it in case she should have a future princess to carry on the tradition.
Even though I missed Thankful Thursday at Brian’s Home, I’m thankful for the opportunities to make memories through photography for my family. I hope after I’m long gone, they will also stand the test of time.
Can you tell Twix really enjoys playing in the Autumn leaves?
Blog hopping with Comedy Plus for Wordless Wednesday.
