Fawn-less......

Where are they? Fenway and I walk up and back on the bike path, day after day. My eyes sweep from one side of the path to the other....but no luck so far. This is the time of year where we always spot the new fawns....sometimes brand new and on shaky legs as they slowly follow mom into the brush.

I look for the white flash of a doe's tail and I do spot the adults, but so far no babies with their beautiful spotted coats. Darn. Robins used to be one of the first signs of spring....but since moving to our condo it's the fawns that mean spring is here for sure. We found several last spring.....

... so I guess I just keep looking. Time for another walk.

And, Once Again.....Damp Eyes.....

On Mother's Day Dave and I went down to Milwaukee to see "Come From Away".... the musical. I hadn't heard much about it, but friends recommended it and so we decided it would be a nice way to celebrate the day. Frankly I had zero expectations because I couldn't figure out how anyone could make a musical about 9/11 that would be entertaining. But from the opening number to the very end we were drawn into the story and back to the day it happened.

We were living on our sailboat, so for us, that day began with a little of the morning news on our small TV and then we lifted the anchor and enjoyed the most amazing blue-sky day sailing east on Narragansett Bay. We were heading for NYC so that we could travel back down the East River right next to downtown. All day our sails filled and the wind was in the perfect direction.....it was beautiful. We dropped anchor somewhere off the coast of Rhode Island and Dave took the dingy to town for some food....and raced back, telling me to put on the TV. So at about 4:00 in the afternoon we learned what had happened earlier that morning....and our little 9" screen was filled with images we will never forget.

And as I watched the musical and listened to the lyrics and the dialogue my eyes were damp from start to finish. It was an amazing production and the cast was incredible. The staging did so much with so little....and the story line unfolded without a hitch. All of those airplanes being forced to land in Newfoundland when American airspace was shut down. All of those strangers being welcomed by strangers. The small towns around the small airport finding ways to feed/house/comfort thousands of people who were unaware of what had happened, had no idea where they were or how long they would be there and only wanted to talk to their families and get home.

Yesterday I picked the CD up at our library so that I could re-listen to the production.....and the damp showed up again. It's not only a story of an incredibly frightening/sad/life-changing day in America....it's also the story of strangers coming together and finding connections. They came from away....all of them, but they found support and friendship while spending a few days on an island.

I love the songs.....Welcome to the Rock, Prayer, On the Edge...all of them. If you can't see the musical....find the CD and listen to the story. A new perspective.....and, after all, don't we all come from away?

Statistically Speaking......

We've just spent a few days wandering around southwest Michigan in our little RV.  Our access to news was a bit limited because we were busy exploring art galleries, museums, woods, small towns and interesting gift shops. TV reception was spotty at best.....but when we did hear or see any news coverage we found that another state was passing/had passed strict new laws governing a woman's right to choice....anti-abortion proponents were speaking loud and proud and dominating the issue.  I watched or listened thinking..."I'm sorry, but wasn't this already decided?"

So when I got home I went to the internet to do a little exploring on my own. I went to the PEW Research Center, a credible source, and discovered the results of a survey done in September 2018. The survey examined how the US electorate felt about abortion. And over and over, no matter the metric used, the results had me scratching my head. And so I share a few quotes:

When answering on the basis of religious preference: About six-in-ten white evangelical Protestants (61%) think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. By contrast, 74% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do two-thirds of white mainline Protestants (67%). Catholics are somewhat more divided; 51% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 42% say it should be illegal.

When answering on the basis of political party:  About six-in-ten Republicans (59%) say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. By contrast, three-quarters (76%) of Democrats say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Among independents, 60% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

When answering on the basis of gender: Men and women express similar views on abortion; 60% of women say it should be legal in all or most cases, as do 57% of men.

When answering on the basis of education: About seven-in-ten college graduates (71%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do 60% of those with some college education. Opinion is more evenly divided among those with a high school degree or less: 48% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 47% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

When answering on the basis of age: Among adults under age 30, 63% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do a majority of adults in their 30s and 40s (59%). More than half of those in their 50s and early 60s (56%) and those ages 65 and older (57%) say the same.

And then I found one more source, perhaps a bit more liberal than PEW Research, but Mother Jones reported : Alabama is a conservative, pro-life state, but most voters there actually don’t support banning abortion in cases of rape and incest. A poll conducted last year but never before released showed that just 31% of voters in Alabama support banning abortion in all cases, while 65% of voters oppose banning abortion in cases of rape and incest.

So again, I sit here and wonder. If, using the numbers, over and over a majority of Americans support the woman's right to choose whether or not to bring a pregnancy to term how are these state legislative bodies forcing us to re-examine the issue?  As I look at the above statistics I see that the one group most in favor of stiff anti-abortion laws are the evangelical protestants. So then I got curious again...back to PEW Research to find that 70.6% of church-going US citizens identify as christian and of that number 25.4% identify as evangelical christians.

25.4%. And 61% of those citizens believe abortion should be illegal in every case and punishments for providing or obtaining an abortion should be severe. So that's actually not anywhere near a majority of our electorate.

Those numbers just don't make sense to me....and while I admit that I am no mathematician....it seems the majority here in America support a woman's right to work with her physician to make choices that reflect her best interests. 

So what do we do.....?  Get out the vote.

Childless.....

What do you do on Mothers Day when you can't "mother"? How do you celebrate when your grown "kids" are not close by and you can't hug them in person? How do you keep from feeling just a little bit "blue"?

That's me this year - and certainly there have been other years when we haven't been able to get together. And many years when Dave and I weren't able to be with our moms to hug them in person. It's what happens when your "kids" grow up.....when you grow up and move away to live your own lives.

For me, today it is a little "blue"...and for some reason the memories of Mothers Days when our son and daughter were little creep back in. I recall one specific celebration at a park probably somewhere in Wisconsin or New Jersey where we had a Mothers Day breakfast at a picnic table. We'd packed up a quiche and some fruit and probably some sweet stuff and sat around on a lovely day and enjoyed the family morning. I can see it in my mind's eye. Sweet stuff indeed!

These were the two kids that made me a mother......and, like every other new mother I didn't get any "practice". You just jump in the deep end and hope you do most things right.

And seeing them today, as accomplished adults raising families of their own....I think, while not perfect....I got most of the mothering part right. Love and hugs to both my "kids"!

Raw.....

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've "scratched my head" in disbelief since 2016.....every day there is something in the news that stops me cold and makes me wonder what the hell is going on in the United States of America. Maybe I'm naive because I know that examples of hatred, aggression, distrust, racism and every other negative ism has always been a part of our history. I also know that before social media the examples weren't in your face the moment they took place. People made obnoxious statements, or hurt people, or ignored the needy and rewarded the abusers....but it was sort of in the background not instantly publicized around the world.

Maybe this instant karma is a good thing....do something hateful or stupid or aggressive and you will be called out....instantly. Sadly, you may also be supported by those who share your ignorant opinions. Today I woke to find an excellent example of something really offensive.....and sadly it was some of America's educators who were responsible.

The principal and three teachers at a school in California are pictured holding a noose and the smiles on their faces demonstrate just how much they are enjoying the moment.  Now I'm sure the post was supposed to be "private" as was their racist act. But guess what.....nothing is private in 2019 so now everyone knows. And I hope that everyone in that school district is enraged and demands they are all fired.....no pay check, no more career, pension cancelled....no more influence over classrooms full of children.

Certainly the vast, vast majority of teachers in America are dedicated professionals and are just as angry about this photo as I am....I hope they all stand up and say no...this is not who we are and these four need to go.

I've got to stop scratching my head....it's raw.....

It's Out There Somewhere.....

It's no secret that Wisconsin has not exactly been enjoying a lot of warm spring weather. It's been cold and grey and here, just along Lake Michigan, our trees are just beginning to bud. We've had a few nice days as a "tease".... and then we go right back to colder than normal, windy and rain. Ugh.

But Sunday was nice so Dave and I went for a walk. We discovered a new nature trail just west of our condo along Sauk Creek. We jumped in the car and took Fenway for a nice walk in the woods. Happily we found signs of spring.....

........so it's coming!

Three Things.....

I was driving home from Madison yesterday morning listening to NPR. I can't recall if it was the regular news part of the programming or one of their daily programs. But three stories caught my attention and have been floating around in my brain ever since. I keep wondering what they mean in the world.......what consequences.....what solutions?

The first had to do with a giant cyclone hitting the coast of India and Bangladesh. One million people had been relocated to inland areas to wait for the storm to pass. The winds were much stronger than expected and the storm was moving much more slowly than the forecast predicted. The commentator on the scene was describing the devastation....the worst in decades. Not only were people displaced and homes destroyed but he indicated that the area's crops were ruined and it would be years before the locals could once again support themselves by farming in any fashion. The people and the country would need help.

The second story had to do with the citizens of North Korea. The country has had it's worst harvest season in decades and 40% of the people are suffering from malnutrition or severe malnutrition. So I wonder about just how long that situation will continue without an uprising (seems unlikely) or aggression on Dear Leader's part. 40% are hungry every day.

And then the third "good news" story was a reminder that about 40% of American's don't have $1000 in their savings accounts and would have difficulty meeting an unexpected $400 expense. Never mind saving for retirement...and oh yes, children today may have basically zero social security funds to use as part of their planning for their senior years.

I drove along in our nice car.....having visited a friend near Madison. I listened to the radio and then blasted a Keith Urban CD singing along with no one around to complain my solo. And I once again thought to myself "I am so fortunate....and frankly so worried." I feel like Dave and I were born at the right time in history, to the "right" parents and had the right opportunities and chances to work hard to achieve and realize our goals. But we were at the crest of a wave that is now heading for shore....with flat seas behind it. Younger kids won't have that wave of possibility......and just what does that mean for our world.

And then came the story about what's going on in the collapsing country of Venezuela....so I guess yesterday there were four things......