806.

Happy Monday everyone.

I'm sure you're all hanging on the edge of your seats waiting to hear about my weekend, yes? 😁😆😋

And I'll spill it but not right now.

Right now, I'm all tied up in emotional knots.

I think it's this eclipse in Mercury retrograde.

I don't plan to actively watch the eclipse. By that I mean I don't have the glasses,  I'm not going outside, and I'm not going to look up. My views on this are more akin to what some Native American tribes believe: this is a sacred act between God and nature and not my business to witness.

What I am doing is sitting in my living room watching my window. As of this writing, it's 2:32 p.m. in my location.

From around 11:30 a.m., it has gotten darker in tiny increments. But I can still see the sun shining onto the side of my porch.

To say it looks eerie is an understatement.

I went out around 2, to get my dirty laundry from the car. The air was different. It felt pink and lightweight. The sound was different too. Muted somehow.

I'm also watching the news. Clemson, SC is dark. People are looking up, taking photos or videos with their cell phones...

It's getting darker in here. The "hot bugs" as I call them (Cicadas? Something else?) are singing outside. They usually sing at dusk.

I'll take a photo of my kitchen and post later.

680.

How-do y'all!

I hope everyone has lived to tell about the weekend.

Literally.

You never know with the world's many crises...

In light of all that's been happening in America lately, as a woman who self-identifies as African-American, I wonder when those who oppose the existence of anyone who looks like me (dark skin, Negroid features, etc.) will understand that we really are all in this sh*t together.

It's frightening that our destinies are intertwined in ways that can't be imagined by the predators who just can't imagine that possibility.

It leaves us vulnerable to those who prey upon us.

Those hunters fear "different" and "other" so much that they use any means at their disposal to eradicate "different" and "other" without thought of how said action activates an exponentially expanding ripple that eventually engulfs us all.

Black lives matter.

So does every life. I get that.

I also know that black lives in America have been dependent upon white folks' good graces since we were brought here kicking and screaming to do the work white folks didn't want to do.

We did it (still do) and where is the gratitude?

Not only did we pick the cotton, give their babies our milk, watch while our own babies ("half-breed" as well as full-blooded African) were sold away, suffer countless beatings and other assorted atrocities, but we were expected to do these things without ever expecting anything better.

From the comments I see on social media, the news, etc., I know that some white folk believe we've forgotten our "place".

Will colored folk in America ever be safe from the oppression we face because we're black?

How does human being A look at human being B and decide because of the color of human being B's skin, human being B is not worthy of a decent place to live, decent food to eat, the very breath in his or her body?

Daily this occurs, not only to the individual "B" but to Bs as a group. Bs are discriminated against just because they're Bs. No other reason.

Anyone anywhere can treat a B with any amount of disdain, up to and including killing a B, because history has shown a pattern of disregard and derision for the issues Bs face.

A young B man horribly beaten and killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. An elderly B woman berated and threatened at gunpoint by a storeowner. A Skittles candy-wielding B teen on the way to visit his dad, shot dead by a man who claimed to be standing his ground. B men, women, children killed at seemingly random intervals by law enforcement professionals who have yet to be imprisoned for same.

Statistically, how often do these same events happen to non-B human beings?

A collective form of madness...

Of course we know there are good white people in the world. Oprah's grandmother told us so. Many of us even know and love good white people.

Those are obviously not the people I'm speaking of. Good white people stand with us, have stood with us, in our struggles.

Looks like it's that time again so I'm reminding anyone reading this:

As human beings who care we must stand up for each other. Regardless of skin color, religious preference, sexual orientation, gender, shoe size, hair texture -- when we fail to assist our sisters and brothers in need, we create a space for the same mistreatment to befall us.

If for no other reason, assist in some way big or small, even if it's anonymously.

Your future self will thank you.

One more thing.

Please let us always remember this:

643.

There is always more to every story...

I was astonished and awed to find that the Bowser family is connected to a larger and (likely) largely-unknown important piece of African-American history in the Outer Banks.

One of the articles I came across in my research is titled, "The Freedmen of Roanoke Island: The Other Lost Colony".

Saying, "Wow" doesn't accurately express my astonishment and gratitude at finding this new information about my people's journey from slavery to today.

Here is a link to the article: The Freedmen of Roanoke Island: The Other Lost Colony.

640.

It's been a great week and I'm thankful.

Baby Bliss and I enjoyed a few days of family frolic in the Outer Banks (a.k.a. OBX).

It was a fun vacation as well as an educational one.

In addition to eating, shopping, and sunning, we spent time at the Wright Brothers National Memorial where we walked hundreds of steps while learning more about the Wright brothers, many other aviators from around the world, as well as many aviation firsts in both our atmosphere and in space.

We also detoured at the Roanoke Island rest stop (the first stop in OBX but our last stop before leaving the area) where we viewed a very small cemetery for the Bowsers, a prominent African-American family from the area.

In all my years of study (both forced and independent) I've never heard of anyone from the Bowser family. Their story sounds interesting and I plan to research them this week.

Baby Bliss and I agreed that we liked OBX but missed the good eats in the Carolina Beach area.

In OBX she found a pizza place she liked and I found a place with good Chinese food. But there was nothing to compare to the finger-licking fried chicken, collards, and potato salad of A and G Bar-B-Que at Carolina Beach.

I also liked the drive to OBX a lot more than the drive to Pleasure Island (where Carolina Beach is located).

We'll probably take another drive to the beach before the year ends. My vote is for OBX again but with extensive research on good eats before we go. Another vacation in America without soul food ain't gonna cut it.

That's all for now y'all.

We have a family party in 12 hours.

Sweet dreams for us all...

Amen.

339. inspired by a dream i had the other night...

NubianGraphics.com

233: the Jena 6

good morning y'all.

it is with a dichotomized heart that i sit and type this post.

i had decided i wasn't going to blog on this subject because my emotions were just too strong about it. but God whispered in my ear this morning in several ways and so, i write.

this morning i dreamed i was on my way out. where to doesn't matter and i don't know any way.

what i do know is that there was a crowd of people out by the entrance to our complex. they were orderly but loosely woven into two lines.

i wondered why in the world so many people were gathered and milling about like that, some sitting, some standing, some eating, talking, laughing...

then it dawned on me. they were all waiting for buses to take them to Jena, Louisiana. i looked at the faces, all open and hopeful. none angry or sad. at first every face i saw was brown, like mine. then i looked deeper and harder. and God showed me more.

there were other faces there. i saw caucasian and asian faces too. then i began to cry. like i'm doing now. my heart was touched and overwhelmed with the love i felt.

i knew it was God's way of telling me not to worry because it WILL be alright.

even after that dream, i forgot that today we pledged to wear black, to show our support for our sisters and brothers who are right now caught up in one of life's harshest struggles: the struggle to be recognized and treated as a human being.

and that's why i decided to write this post.

i know that despite what some believe, we are ALL human beings, created by the same God/Goddess/Creator.

my evidence and proof: no matter what color our skin, no matter what race we consider ourselves or are considered; no matter our religious beliefs or lack of; no matter who we voted for in the last election; we ALL got here the same way: from the joining of an egg and sperm that led to a live birth from a woman's body.

i'm praying for the whole town, that God will bring understanding to their hearts, that they will come to understand that this is not a "black issue", it's a human one

i'm saying a special prayer for the mothers, the mothers of the young men in jail specifically. for the other mothers in that town, the ones who may be saying and doing nothing because they think this is not their issue, my prayer is that God shows them that ALL children deserve the best we have to offer them, not just some.

and maybe they will be moved to help in some way. because one day, it could be their child sitting in a place of condemnation because their skin color, the skin that God made, made them a target of those who still need to learn better.

210: perfect strangers

we're watching it right now.

has anyone seen it?

it's kinda s-l-o-w...
.
.
.

163: what i'm reading

it's been a book-lovers summer in my neck of the woods y'all. i love to read as much as i love to write but it had been a long time since i've had time to read like i used to back in tha day.

it's really been my own fault tho, not taking time out to curl up in the sun with a good book. so i remedied that as soon as we were officially done with our schooling.

i've been taking every opportunity to read, mostly at the pool while baby bliss keeps her tail wet.

in the past 2 weeks alone, i finished three books by an author i totally dig.

Armistead Maupin has a series called Tales of the City. it's one of my favorite serials. some of the novels have become PBS and ShowTime mini-series.

i actually saw the mini-series before i read the books so i didn't bother to start from scratch. when i heard there was a new book out, i decided to start with the previous two books in preparation for the last one, so i wouldn't miss anything.

it was needless frettin' tho cuz all the books were stand-alone material.

the three books were Significant Others




Sure of You (Tales of the City series, V. 6)
Michael Tolliver Lives (A Novel)








Michael Tolliver Lives is supposed to be it for those wacky san franciscans but i sure hope not. i'll miss those lovable, every-day-people characters who i love like my favorite comfy undies. and i've been meaning to send Mr. Maupin an e-mail about that last book. he got me all worked up with some of that stuff and i ain't been the same since.

i started Pigs in Heaven (the sequel to The Bean Trees) by Barbara Kingsolver a few weeks back but got distracted by my friends from Barbary Lane. not that Pigs in Heaven ain't a good book. it just starts kinda slow. i'm sure i'll enjoy it just as much as i did the first book.







but i've become so engrossed in The Hindi Bindi Club that i know i won't get back to Pigs in Heaven til i'm done with this one. i love learning about other cultures and i have a real live person (my downstairs neighbor) who i can quiz on the veracity of all the yummy recipes and Hindi customs.

when i'm done with those two, i have about 12 other books waiting for me to dive into 'em. some fiction, some not.

that reminds me that i need to check my library account online to make sure nothing is overdue. :-) i'm sure i've paid at least $50 in late fees since we moved here.

.

88: bollywood

do you like the bollywood-style of indian movies?

i do like some of them. however, i would love to see movies about indian people and culture that feature more in-depth plots. a sista can't live on singing and dancing alone! '-)

seriously though, my interest in learning about people from "other" cultures runs very deep. i say "other" to mean just about anyone who's life experience has been different from my own.

i love to meet people from all walks of life, all areas of the globe, and with diverse perspectives.

that said, i'm happy to say i've found a blog that keeps up with the evolution of bollywood movies, along with a myriad of other topics: http://keralaarticles.blogspot.com

it's an interesting read. go check it out. :-)

.

71: roz stevenson

i'm watching this show that only comes on in the weeeeeee hours. i can't remember the name of it but i'll find out when the commercial break comes, then i'll tell y'all.

but this woman, roz stevenson, is an african-american woman who's a publicist. and she's an older sista too. of course i've never heard of her before now. why is it that the best-kept secrets are secrets?! LOL

oh, the show is called urban style. it's a show about successful african americans. and it only comes on at this time of morning. just like a similar show about successful latino americans.

hmmmmm...

looks like people of color just can't get too many prime time spots these days. 'less they're buffooning and what not...

.

46: hair

originally posted Sun., Oct. 29, 2006; 11:05 p.m. EST

i'm about to talk about something that is one of the most time-consuming obsessions in the black community.

i'm talkin bout hair y'all.

some of y'all know the whys and wherefores of this here topic, right? uh huh.

but guess what? i ain't gon get into it like y'all might be thinking. i just want to make a statement bout it. here it is:

there are certain members of my family who are so afraid of nappy hair that it's almost a phobia. one in particular has a severe fear of the naps. but she done long ago stopped talking bout mine. now she wanna talk about my baby's head. i don't like it.

i'm raising my baby to be free of the bondage that keeps some afraid to be seen without a fresh perm or press and curl.

i don't live like that.

our hair is nappy and i love it just like it is. if somebody got a problem with it, they need to talk to God about it cuz God made it nappy, not me. and it ain't my problem that you be fraid of nappy hair. that's your issue. get some help for your troubles and leave me and my baby out of it.

amen.

----------------------------------------------------------

wed, nov 1, 2006
12:40 p.m.

amendment:
http://www.endarkenment.com/hair/essays/ofari.htm

----------------------------------------------------------

thu, jul 5. 2007
1:25 a.m.

amendment:

the above link is no longer valid. here's one that does work and pretty accurately details the whys and wherefores of "hair issues" in the black community.

http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/amos/mosaic01steel/je/hair.html

----------------------------------------------------------

Sat, May 11, 2019
12:21 a.m.

Another update because the above link is no longer valid:

https://www.dickinson.edu/download/downloads/id/7539/fys_2014_jansen.pdf
.

32: shrimp

originally posted Thu., Mar. 23, 2006; 10:20 p.m. EST

i don't know how many non-black folk know this, but black people have a reputation for loving seafood, 'ticularly crabs and shrimp. i ain't nevva been part of that crowd.

i cain't stand crabs but shrimp ain't bad

i usually eat shrimp every now and then.

but in the past few weeks, i just been wanting me some shrimp every day and i don't know why. maybe it's hormonal? what ever it is, i gots the shrimp-loving blues.

i want shrimp. i crave shrimp. i'm feenin' for it.

i been gettin' it at least once a week but that don't seem to hardly be enough.
and i only like it fried. not boiled, steamed, sauteed, or broiled. just lightly battered and fried.

yum yum!

.

3: tha weekend

originally posted Mon., Aug. 8, 2005; 4:24 a.m. EDT

it was exhausting y'all! a sista had to go make some money! :-O

i worked at a client's site friday evening and most of saturday. not physical labor but i was still beat when i got home. friday wasn't too bad. but saturday morning came too quickly. seemed like i had just gotten in bed and it was time to get up and outta here.

on another topic, my baby just doesn't know what to do when mama ain't home. i mean she's cool when she's hanging with her lil homies. but when mama wants to get outta here without her, to do MY thang, i get full-fledged drama. i love my lil pookie but can a sista get a break?! i'm "mommiiieeee" 24/7 and sometimes it feels like a life sentence. LOL

friday evening, fo' i left, i tole that lil miss not to call me less'n it was an emergency. and didn't she call to say she had eaten her apple and bananas and "what else can i eat mommy?" and didn't my 45-year old hubby call to tell me to "tell the baby to open her bedroom door" cuz people were coming to look at the house? and didn't i get several more calls from her lil tail asking what i was doing? what time i was coming home? could i bring her some food from waco bell? yes i sho did.

i did stay at my client's after i was done working, to run my mouth. by the time i left, i had been finished working for 'bout 45 minutes. i enjoy my client's company. she's cool. a dynamic sista who don't bite her tongue and don't take no mess off nobody. we need her for president y'all! '-)

work is only a 20 minute drive from home and i got here by 11 p.m. i'm sure i stayed up until after 1 a.m.

greeting the wee hours does it for me. there's something delicious about being up around 3 a.m., while most everybody else is snoring... i love seeing the tentative tendrils of daylight as they creep up to my kitchen window.

being up when the sun rises soothes me somehow.

getting up saturday morning at 8:30 was a testament to how much i love the work i'm doing.
the drive out was a breeze. it was a nice surprise because i really expected mucho traffic on that road on a saturday morning. but i'd expected the same for my drive out on friday in rush hour. didn't happen then either.

my client didn't have the air on and saturday was scheduled to really heat up. didn't bother me tho. as long as i'm not dripping with sweat, i can stand temps a bit warmer than most in summer. it's not the heat that bothers me, any way. it's the humidity i don't like.

sista-client and i chatted about work and personal as i began my projects; she left shortly after. alone, i settled into my get-it-done rhythm. a few hours later, i began to feel the effects of sleep-deprivation. i took a bathroom break, ate a few grapes and did a few stretches. i also felt a headache creeping in. possibly because i was sitting too close to the monitor.

my client returned a few hours later. even tho we talked a bit more, i actually finished my projects earlier than we'd anticipated.

tho i set my own hours, there's nothing like getting off work early on a weekend. if i was childless, i'd actually prefer working on weekends. i like working when most people aren't. something about shopping when others are at the office is a turn-on for me. also, i don't like crowds and i have a particular abhorrence for standing in long lines. it's all great incentive for being self-employed. '-)

my client told me one of my favorite brands of juice was on sale at the nearby market and i'd planned to stop in on my way home. but when i got in my car, it was soooooooooooo hot, all thoughts of going any where but home caught fire and fried in my head.

*** gross out alert!!! ***  
by the time i got home, my headache was in full effect. it felt like a migraine. i drank lots of water and a big mug of hot water and lemon juice. it didn't work right away and i felt like i'd feel better if i vomited (which i forced myself to do). then i laid down for a nap and couldn't sleep.

i told my daughter to tell hubby that i needed chicken noodle soup. the soup tasted weird. it was campbell's, a brand i like, but the noodles tasted like they were coated with something. maybe it was just me. or maybe it was wally world cuz that's where i got it from. i finally slept. (until 10 p.m.)

later i got a phone call from my godsister. i felt much better so i talked to her for a few hours. when my son came in exactly at curfew (surprise surprise!), i was still talking. it was after 3 a.m. when we rang off. my daughter came looking for me shortly after 6 a.m. she brought her pillow and sheet and camped on the couch while i completed some things online for our new house. (i love that virtual showroom!)

she and i watched a Bratz movie; hubby came down on his way to church and said we were invited to his cousin's for dinner. i knew i wouldn't make it. (nap time, ya know.)

i made cursory remarks as he left.

my daughter and i watched Garfield until i got sleepy. it was almost 10 a.m. by then. she went up with me but i'm not sure if she got in bed with me. i passed out a few seconds after my head touched the pillow. i vaguely remember her and hubby saying they were going to cousin's and they'd return for me before dinner. they called from there and i guess i sounded like a half-dead hag when i answered cuz no one came back for me. there was a plate waiting for me when i got up tho. that was nice of them.

on a more personal note, i'm looking for a day spa to luxuriate in. it's been a heck of a ride and i'm in need of rejuvenation! i have 2 in mind. both are new to the area. i'd heard of neither until i "found" them. both seem to cater to people of color; both are a few miles away, one about a 10-minute drive, the other about 15 minutes away. i need the works so this ain't gonna be cheap.

time for lights out. it's almost 4:30 and i got a lot to do later this morning. earlier than i would like...

.