Anniversary in a Thumbnail

"The difference between a comedy and a tragedy is that in comedy the characters figure out reality in time to do something about it." Bennett W. Goodspeed

It's election day 2008. This election will be a mile stone in so many ways. My first election was during the Viet Nam war, I had registered the day I turned eighteen. If I remember correctly it was 1970, Oct.16. I had convinced my then boy friend Steven Kellman to register and then go and donate blood with me. It was some kind of rite of passage for me, and I thought it would be a nice bonding process as well. Poor Steven was forced to give up a pint. Both of us felt very fuzzy afterward and we ended up just hanging out for the rest of the day. I can't tell you the sense of pride and ownership that gave me, and one month later I exercised my right to vote. To me then, it was going to be the election and decision of a lifetime, I didn't envision today, this scenario. I never thought I would have had to send one of MY children or anyone elses for that matter into war again. In those days after protesting the war, voicing my concerns about the earth (Earth day). It was just my naivete that this was over and not to be revisited.

So I will get ready soon to line up again as I do every four years and put my stamp on history as well as honor all my past and present family members who fought to come here, who fought to protect our country, and who also with clear consciences walked the line to the polls. Five generations and counting now...

Well this is our one year in Brownsville anniversary. In the words of Barry's boss Nizzette, Brownsville is not that bad. It is nearly a year ago that I began this blog, out of sheer desperation and boredom. Boredom with a big B. We arrived Nov.10 after a grueling three days on the road with two cars, and as you recall with two howling cats and our few precious things as everything else went into storage. I didn't even have a bra, at the last minute we shipped our luggage and it didn't show up for a week and a half. I had a sports bra, sandals, a change of top and a sweat suit. Brownsville, was barren, brown and looked unpromising from my exhausted stressed prospective. We drove around a little got our bearings and shopped for food. We also visited the Island after raiding Dillards first thing Sunday morning for a few staples of cloths. It was windy and a little raw and the waves were rough and all I could do was gaze through the hazy mist and think straight across is Florida if I just head over and keep going I'd hit Naples? San Marco Island? Ya gotta let go of that though and take on the adventure, and know really know that this will be great, just another layer of living.

It's rained quite a bit this year so the area has remained green, flowers are still blooming and the WIND has not yet begun. Hopefully this will be a more normal year and it won't be howling constantly like last season. We love our new home it is a dream, with towering ceilings each a different Tray pattern with beautiful moldings all over. Huge shiny Porcelain floors, fabulous woodwork everywhere and great big picture windows. The pool we put in is just perfect. Truthfully, I was really reluctant to spend the doe re mi, but after it was all done with a tremendous amount of strum and angst, one day I turned in the kitchen and saw Barry happily, really, happily paddling around in it. His year has been hellish, and he has been uber stressed. I just couldn't hold onto to my money squandering fears in sight of such pure delight on the part of my beloved. He has destresed and detoxed in and around the pool, although it's been open such a short part of the season. It was funny to watch him Sunday in the 72' degree water. Don't forget we've got tropic blood now, he was nearly blue when he came out.

I had a Haddasah tea here the Sunday after Margo's wedding. I had out all my beautiful china tea sets and my silver. I hadn't done this in a very long time. We fixed lots of cute sandwiches, I baked scones, cookies, shortbread and pound cake. Rossana made her cucumber sandwiches, I made egg salad, tiny crackers with home made hummos and cilantro, and Kurisit sandwiches. The house looked smashing and the cats were confined to the den with the T.V. on for company. The ladies arrive, Elka starts the presentation... remember I mentioned the great big picture windows? Now we have a great big view of Barry in his bathing suite laying down on the chaise, walking back and forth cleaning the pool and doing what ever, with his great body like the cabana pool boy. All these old ladies are mesmerized by the sight of my honey "relaxing" by the pool. Forget my beautiful china, the house, the hit of the "tea" was Barry and his fab. bod.

The biggest part of our adventurous move way down in the Rio Grande Valley was the momentous meeting of the Bogorads. Geoff and Rossana are our brother and sister in so many ways. They adopted us, saved my sanity and brought a kind of friendship for me that I have never had, nor expect to have again. To say that Rossana and I look nothing alike is an understatement, not to mention my New York accent and her Cordobian Spanish accent, yet everyone who meets us thinks we are sisters and refers to us as so. It is true enough in the sense that we are Soul Mates. Funny really, how astonishing a relationship. Danielle, and Joseph are my surrogate children, nephew niece. Poor kids I give them the "talks" when they need them as if they were my own. Yet they indulge my need to mother, and we have a bond I think that is very special.

So as I always say it was Beshert, coming here where names like Tipotex, pay homage to where we lie on the map. Where a Sheriff in Jail for taking bribes in dealing with the border can run unopposed from his Jail cell, and people will STILL vote for him cause they like him and he's a good Sheriff. One Judge said he isn't the first and won't be the last as he lists all the other crooked politicians and public servants who've done jail time. Hey look this is the state that gave us the Idiot Bush, enough said.

We've been to the little local theatre for a few plays, attended some great live music at the funky art gallery 409, manned a table at the Boo at the Zoo last Thursday, gone to a few festivals at the beach and made a few friends. As always Barry and I love to entertain and we've had a few dinners and parties. We hope to get a group together for a dance night either here or at some venue. I need to get some Karaoke music for B's machine and do a night maybe with dancing. Lately we've been renting funky foreign films and watching it on our huge flat screen in the den. I am enjoying that very much and look forward to our next odd ball pick. Rossana as always is my partner in crime.

"Language shapes consciousness, and the use of language to shape consciousness is an important branch of magic." Starhawk, Dreaming the Dark

We cross over the border with regularity, and this is probably my most favorite activity of all. I am astonished how much I enjoy Mexico and the Mexican culture and people. Yes, food is always a motivating factor in my life and the food there has been great, but it goes beyond my stomach as it were. Here the people are sincere, polite and interested in talking to you. Yes, yes there are thieves and the poor and the near subsistence part of Mexico mixed in, but the spirit of the people is very fetching to me. I have come to admire the work ethic, community and close family ties. It is also harder to make friends as an Anglo or outsider but not impossible.

My Spanish is lagging along, although my vocabulary gets bigger each day I still am unable to make my self intelligible. Hilda comes once a month to clean she is a g-d send as these floors although beautiful are a lot of work with the cats. From the time she arrives she speaks to me full tilt with every hope that I understand her fully and that we are having a conversation. Often I do understand and can somewhat comport my self but often I run to the phone and Rossana for a clear interpretation. This amuses Hilda no end and each month I suspect she tests my mettle with more in depth conversations. She loves Pablo bless her and lets him do his crazy while she cleans, I often hear her laughing or quietly admonishing him. He totally responds to her and I think the key here is I need to speak to him in Spanish. He has become such an integral part of our little family. His misdemeanors are often hysterical and we fight hard to rebuke him. Piper is showing his age, he is very lean although he eats heartily his bones show a bit. Arthritis is slowing him down, and when Pablo wrestles him you can see how Pablo takes great care to not really rough Piper up. He kind of play tags and wrestles his old friend. Callie is just the sweetest, no words to describe my little girl. Pablo drives her crazy with his games of hide and seek, tag. Once in awhile she will super discipline him, but mostly she yells plaintively at him. She is so aggrieved at his sport it is funny, and again we have to work up a need to admonish him.

We are certainly not experiencing life in the fast lane here, but I have to say I am enjoying it. So yes Nizzette Brownsville is not so bad.

"Motion or change and identity or rest are the first and second secrets of nature: Motion and Rest. The whole code of her laws may be written on the thumbnail." Emerson