Today is the 155 anniversary of Juneteenth which is the end of chattel slavery in the United States. The emancipation proclamation had freed them two and half years before it was known official in Texas. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and its territories.
I support a federal holiday for Juneteenth. It is an important moment in American history that needs to be recognized and celebrated. New York finally got on board this year after ignoring it up to now.
Today I have a Doctor’s appointment that was delayed due to COVID-19. I have my hand sanitizer and mask and tissues ready to go.
Later Caroline and I are going to run errands that we do once a week with an added visit to the fabric store and, possibly, the craft store.
I am grateful for things that help my overall health.
I want to organize today. That is my impulse. That’s what I was thinking about when I woke up this morning.
I feel like I have been playing catch-up for a while. Almost moving from must do to must do.
One thing I have not being doing is making lists like I usually do to give an order to things.
Also, when I make a list, I sort out things in my brain.
The only thing I have kept a list on is the groceries and that is because the family writes things on that list and I know what we need in the house.
Caroline and I have been watching our way through the new Queer Eye. It is uplifting and what we need right now. But it is also socially relevant and hits some hard conversations head on.
There was one episode in the first season where they were pulled over by a cop and Kamaro Brown was driving. There was an uncomfortable exchange that was looking like he was being pulled over for driving while black. It turned out it was the guy who wanted his friend to get a Fab 5 make-over but it pointed out the racial problem with the police in sharp detail. Later Kamaro had a frank talk with their client about what happened and how it made him feel and his client admitted he hadn’t thought about that and promised to do better.
We need to have more conversations like this. It is not going to be comfortable but it needs to happen.
We just finished Crossing Swords by the gang that brought you Robot Chicken. It is for mature audiences due to language, adult content, and violence, very graphic violence. Which is rather amazing considering the characters look like fisher price little people. It is very funny and very clever. You will know after the first episode if this is your thing and if it is then enjoy.
I still have the puppets on my list. I just have to get the motivation.
And that’s where is the rub. My motivation is there sort of. My body is not cooperating. The back pain that has been plaguing me for a couple of months took another bad turn. Also in cleaning, we are stirring dust which makes my lungs feel wheezy. I have had dust allergies for a long time.
But I will pull it from somewhere and continue to clean.
And that seems to be the theme this week, pull it from somewhere and get it done.
Day 22 of the Reopening Epic or Wednesday June 17, 2020
On this day in 1885, the French frigate Isere sailed into New York Harbor with the 350 pieces in 214 crates that would be assembled into the statue that we all know today.
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was given to the US by France to mark the abolition of slavery? There is a broken ball and chain at her feet to symbolize this.
The title of the statue is La Liberté éclairant le monde (Liberty enlightening the World)
Today we bring Peter’s car in to be serviced at a social distance. My car’s battery decided to play dead this morning so one call to AAA and fifteen minutes later my car is running again since I have to pick him up because there is nowhere to wait at the dealership
We got a lot of paper out of the house for recycling. There will be more of that over the next two weeks. Today we continue the cleaning project.
Peter has rehearsal today for MacBeth: Death by Fluffy Kittens. This should be fun for him to just be silly.
Caroline is wondering when the end of school is. Is it this week or next week? I am hoping for this Friday but thinking it is next Friday to make up for the longer break.
The weather this morning is very pleasant. The high will be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit with the usual ocean breeze.
Our clowder of cats is enjoying the open window. Everyone has their spot and is very happy sniffing the outside air and watching the birds.
I have discovered that I do better figuring out details on things with a hard copy of a picture. I have no idea why other than weird brain.
This past weekend we had a Zoom visit of my friends Art Salon. Ideas were exchanged. We spent a lot of time talking about what happened on Friday and sorting out what we can do to help our friends. One artist was working on her next performance piece, so she gave us the theme and what she was thinking for the piece and the group brainstormed on ideas and expanding the concept. It was so much fun.
Caroline and I are going through slightly older art supplies and sorting through what is still viable and what needs to be tossed. I am hoping to find a few things that have been lost in this. I am missing a set of tools I need for doll making which I want to start again.
I was thinking about all the different types of art I can do. Most of it is 3-D because that is how my brain works. I am going to try to work on drawing again. I want to find a good book on drawing or a visual tutorial since I suck at learning from Videos. But I think I can at least improve my ability to draw what is in my brain.
Too many ideas and too little time.
This week Caroline and I will be finishing a vest she has been working on for a cosplay she wants to do. She has been working hard and learning as she goes. She wants to get to the point where she can pull out a pattern and make it or draft her own pattern and make it. I know she will surpass me eventually.
We have also started the formal cooking lessons since she is about to go into her Senior year of High School. Tonight, she is making chicken paprika.
I still have a couple of UFO puppets sitting there not staring at me because they don’t have eyes yet, but I still feel some pressure to complete them. I need to earn some money and that is a way I can earn money.
But today is all about cleaning project number two. I have that and a walk planned.
I find that cleaning helps me clear my mind. I tend to clean more when I am upset or scared. So there has been a lot of cleaning during this pandemic. And cleaning can be very creative. I think that is forgotten. Figuring out how to get things looking good and clean takes some serious thought. I have learned more ways to clean over this period of time and better ways to clean too.
I should probably make a list of puppets I want to get done by September along with a few other projects. I have it in my head, but I think I am forgetting a few things along the way.
For me being creative is as much a part of me as breathing. I might hit a bump in a project, but I can usually work it out in my head.
It was a pretty good week overall. Wednesday saw Long Island enter phase 2 of the reopening allowing us to shop and socialize at a safe distance again.
Then we got to Friday and I have been stewing all weekend over my friends’ rights being removed to make other people feel better.
I was going to put this behind a cut, but it needs to be seen and read and heard.
On Friday the executive branch of the government erased transgendered people’s civil rights in health care. The Federal government no longer recognizes gender identity as an avenue for sex discrimination in health care.
This is bigger than I think anyone realizes. Think of it as a trial balloon for all the other things that they will be not recognizing shortly if they can get away with this.
Next is going to be pre-existing conditions but they will do it by bits and pieces.
Transgendered people have had a hard time of it. They always seem to be explaining to others why they are transgendered. They are looked at as less of a person by certain groups and those groups are doing everything, they can to put obstacles in the path of transgendered people.
I have known transgender folks since college. They would tell me how they wanted to be addressed and that is the way I would address them. It seems so simple to me. It is none of my business what is in their pants or how they decided to be who they are. They wish to be treated like I would treat anyone as a person.
One person I know who a strong voice in the fight for Transgender People’s Rights is is Laura A. Jacobs.
She is a Psychotherapist in New York City. She is also an amazing photographer and a very creative person. I am honored to call her friend.
This is a photo she took on Friday after the news broke.
Copyright and all rights reserved Laura A Jacobs 2020 (For the VI: This is Laura. She is sitting in a black desk chair. Her hair is red. She is wearing glasses and an angry expression. She is wearing blue jeans and a black tank top that says in blue lettering Trans then in white lettering it says Visible then in pink lettering Unapologetic.)
I am so tired of people being marginalized by the government. I am tired of my friends not having the same rights as I do. I am tired of the lip service to marginalized people. I am tired of marginalized people not being listen to as to what they need.
I am tired of property being more important than people.
I am tired of those who believe that their skin color or gender or privilege make them better than everyone else.
I am tired of being belittled because I believe in human rights for all.
I am tired of arguing that people aren’t trying to take away other people’s rights but get the same rights for all.
I am tired of my friends being marginalized by others to make themselves feel better about their lives.
Transgendered People’s rights are human rights. They are people deserving of every right and privilege that everyone else has. They are deserving of health care without having to explain themselves every time.
This is just the beginning of this. And it will not stand.
