No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on January 18, 2021

On Wednesday we swear in Joe Biden as President but more importantly to this day we swear in Kamala Harris as Vice President.

I think Dr. King would be proud of that. She is a woman. She is a person of color. She believes in fighting for those who have little to no voice in government.  

I wish them both nothing but the best.

Civil rights being applied to everyone is still an upward struggle. 

Until 1967, interracial marriage was illegal in some states. Now no one even blinks about a mixed race couple.

2015 marriage became marriage for all. Not gay marriage or straight marriage, just marriage. My friends who had been together longer than most straight marriages last these days could finally get all the rights and privileges that straight marriage had enjoyed for so many years. 

We are fighting a battle for the rights of American citizens to vote. That should be a no brainer but there are those in power that want to stay in power so they do everything they can to suppress votes that they know will go against them.

1920 was the first-time women could vote. And we remember that inequality every time we walk to the ballot box.

In 1964 we eliminated the poll tax which made it close to impossible for the poor and marginalize to vote. That it took until 1964 to get rid of this obstacle to voting is appalling.

I would love to get rid of the ability of anyone to gerrymander districts to their favor.

I also think that the electoral college is a dinosaur.

The voice of the people, as a whole, needs to be heard. Not the few with the loudest voices or slippery tricks.

I think Dr. King would be proud at how far we have come would encourage us to continue to do better for all.

I am grateful that I grew up in Atlanta.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 17, 2021

There is a rule in retail. If it doesn’t sell well enough, then we need the space for something that does.

Right now, I am having a hard time finding whole bean coffee I like. It uses to be easy to get a bag of French roast that I could grind. Since the introduction of the coffee pods, the space for whole beans is getting smaller and smaller to the point that it is hard to find what I want in the grocery store. I know it is because whole beans do not sell as well as the pods and ground coffee. It is still annoying.

While I was working at Borders Books, I could see trends in various sections of the store. I watched sections expand and retract. Books on pagan religions were all the rage in the 1990s. Now that section is reduced to one bay if that. 

I used to be able to find good books on doll making or stuffed animals in bookstores. Then knitting became all the rage and other sections in crafts were reduced. Then came crochet to take up more room. Now the sewing sections are expanding as people start making their own clothes again. I am waiting for cosplay books to show up in sewing. If I need a doll book, I have to find it online. I really like to look through a book before I buy it. 

There are fabrics that I loved to work with. Some are no longer sold in my local fabric shop. I know it is because they started selling less and less. I can find them online, but I can’t feel them which is important to me. I will say that it is so much easier to make my puppets now then it was in the 1980s and 1990s.  Polar fleece was a game changer. 

With all the interest in cosplay, it has been easier to get materials and glues that I use in puppet making. 

The explosion of jewelry making has been a boon to me along with the parachute cord and other crafty items. The downside is that I cannot get 24mm eyes in a store anywhere. It is online and I cross my fingers that they are the right color.

Items come and go. I adjust accordingly.

I am grateful for items that I can still get in store.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 16, 2021

There is one toy I have never liked and that was the doll named Chatty Cathy. The only saving grace is they spelled Cathy with a C than a K.

Peter does not like the phrase, “Petered out.”

Caroline loathes the song “Sweet Caroline” which is why I will never take her to a Red Sox game.

We all have phrases that we don’t care for. Some because they are grammatically incorrect. Others because they are attached to bad memories or insults that have been thrown at us.

The third season of Disenchantment is on Netflix. We really love this series created by Matt Groening. 

I have some errands to run today then I put my creative hat on and make things.

Caroline has a project I want to start today.

I am grateful for new episodes of shows I enjoy.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 15, 2021

After a very strange dream about explaining why America likes French fries so much to a bunch of aliens that looked like potatoes.

Haven’t a clue what that one was about.

Today is house cleaning round 2. Then onto several projects.

I read an article in the Washington Post breaking down the demographics of votes by a variety of metrics. The purpose of the article seemed to be to myth bust some of the assumptions of Trump supporters and the attack on the capital. Trump once said he loved the poorly educated and that lead to the assumption that if one supports Trump, they are not educated. The article then went on to income and the other statistics. In the comments section the readers pointed out what a majority of those seditionists had in common, they are racist with a majority believing in white supremacy. There should be no tiptoeing around that fact. It should be front and center.

Someone compared 2020 to that Sesame Street classic “The Monster at the End of the Book”. They are not far off except the monster crept into 2021 and we are still turning pages.

The first two episodes of Wanda Vision are up on Disney+. I have been looking forward to this since it was first announced. 

One of the cats is snoring. It is a very odd sound.

Sun is starting to rise. The color of the light is changing outside. I love to watch the sun rise and set. I love the colors and qualities of light that accompany it.

There is a quiet before the dawn that I like. It feels like moving from one day to the next.

My David Bowie playlist has been pretty much on repeat for the past two days. He was the master of many musical styles and re-invented himself and his music several times.

I have hope for the future but am concerned about the next month for my country and its democracy.

Good time not to go anywhere.

I am grateful for all the sunrises and sunsets I have seen over the years.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 14, 2021

I might be writing here more, or I may be very quiet for a while.

I haven’t decided yet.

Things both good and bad are happening rapidly both within the house, the United States, and the world.

I have to take a break from obsessively reading and watching the news. It is not doing my blood pressure any good.

There are those glimmers of hope that keep me going.

I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop or rather a plethora of shoes. 

I am hoping they will drop in our favor.

Mentally I am in a bit of a quandary. I am using all the techniques I have learned over the years to be functional. I am making sure I take care of myself, so I have the energy to take care of others.

Today is housecleaning day. I plan on starting in one room and work my way around.

Please be safe and careful. There is a lot of danger out there.

I am grateful for things that get me through the day.

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