I had a surreal day yesterday, alternating between rage and happiness. As I was talking to my sister on the phone, her eldest son told us that Roe v Wade had been overturned. I called Don (who was not at home at the time) to tell him and then I spent hours rage-scrolling Twitter. At the same time, I was wrapping presents and running last minute birthday errands.

I wanted to make sure that my anger didn’t intrude on my beloved’s birthday. It wasn’t easy, but I pulled it off.

He had a lovely day. We had a sweet celebration at dinner time and he loved his presents. Thank you for your birthday messages to Don. They are so appreciated.

I woke up this morning feeling rested and two seconds later I remembered what had been done to us yesterday. For make no mistake, this is about control. It’s a war on women. It’s not about babies or fetuses. It’s about the erosion of our privacy and our constitutional rights.

Next up, according to Clarence Thomas, who is married to an insurrectionist, sexually harassed Anita Hill and never should have been confirmed, marriage equality and contraception. Which means the war expands to the LBGTQ community.

They must be stopped. The only way to do that is at the ballot box. We must vote out anyone who was a part of the insurrection, who still won’t acknowledge that Biden won, as well as any candidate who doesn’t support women or people of color or LGBTQ. If they voted for Kavanaugh, Coney Barrett, or Gorsuch – bye bye.

We need a majority in the Senate that isn’t limited by Manchin and Sinema. We need to suspend the filibuster. And we need to codify Roe v Wade into law.

Women are angry. We are formidable. The GOP and the Supreme Court have no idea what they’ve unleashed.

No comments supporting this despicable action by SCOTUS, please. If you don’t support the right to choose, then don’t get an abortion. It’s that simple.

Okay. I have to go.

Stay safe.

Happy (sort of) Saturday.

Soul crushing.

This is what I wrote this morning:

I no longer have faith in this country.

Money and power fuel every decision. Every bit of legislation.
Innocent citizens become the ‘collateral damage.’

America is no longer what I once thought it was.

It has succumbed to madness.

People buying groceries, going to church, going to the movies, attending a concert. Children going to school. People going about their lives who are gunned down because our politicians are financed by the gun lobby and the NRA and will do NOTHING to stop the easy access to guns. That money is more important to them than the lives of innocent Americans.

No “thoughts and prayers.” I have news for you: God wants you to take action. Use your free will for something good.

I lost a beloved student to gun violence. He was murdered by a 17 year old girl who had easy access to a guns.

If I was younger, I’d leave this country. I no longer recognize it. I want nothing to do with it. Yes, I know we should fight. But, I’ve fought all my adult life and at this point, I’m damn tired.

Anyway, we can’t afford to leave. We’re stuck here.

Please, no lectures on taking action or voting or any of that. I have always been politically active. I never miss an election. I always vote. I donate to Everytown. I donate to the ACLU. I donate to the candidates I believe in. I sign petitions. I make calls. I write to my Senators and Representatives.

I’ve had it.

A word to the wise: If you’re going to leave an anti-gun control comment here, it will be deleted.

My father, when I was young, belonged to the NRA. We often argued about that. In later years, he left that organization. He wanted nothing more to do with it as it had become something he no longer recognized. The NRA had succumbed to the desire for power and money and control.

Always follow the money.

Every day, every hour, we hear of new atrocities. We see politicians selling their souls for power. We see them ignore climate change, health care, gun control. We see a Supreme Court that is bought and paid for.

Women are being forced to carry babies to term because of the ‘right to life’ but apparently that doesn’t matter once those babies are born. Then it’s every child for himself. Good luck kids!

In Texas, you can’t get an abortion, but you can purchase an AR-15 when you turn 18.

Amanda Gorman, the young poet, said this: “One nation, under guns.”

I’m rambling, I know. I’m heartsick.

Thank you for your wonderful comments yesterday. If you don’t mind, I won’t respond to them. I just don’t have it in me today. But please know they are appreciated.

Hug your loved ones today.

Stay safe.

Maybe I can learn not to promise that I’ll take it easy on any given day. Maybe.

Because I didn’t do that yesterday. Nope. Don went off to practice with his camera and I got the idea in my head to mow the lilac side of the front lawn. I was almost giddy with excitement. We were almost out of gasoline but I thought there might be just enough on hand to accomplish my goal.

I mowed nearly all of it and it spluttered to a stop. I got in the car with the gas can, drove to the nearest gas station, filled it up, came back home. Then I finished off the lilac side.

But wait! I could mow the corral, too! So I did.

And then, since it gets so wet back there and I have to take advantage of dry days, it was off to the secret garden! I knew we had rain coming last night, today, and tomorrow so I was trying to get ahead of it.

I finished the secret garden, pulled some weeds, and stopped for the day. The good thing is that I felt very strong and my mowing stamina is back. What’s tricky is thinking that I can just keep going because the endorphins are kicking in. When I pause for a bit, I get it – I’ve done enough for the day.

But it felt good. We still have to do the main part of the front lawn and the back forty. Perhaps not today, though. I really do need to rest. My allergies are on overdrive.

But man, do I love a freshly mown lawn! I can see the results immediately and it’s so satisfying.

We’re due for some heavy storms tomorrow; winds, hail, even the possibility of a tornado, which is quite rare around here. Fingers crossed that we escape unscathed.

I’m really enjoying the newest Elizabeth George. I’ve read enough to get hooked on the story. I plan on reading a big chunk of it later today, as well as catch up on Gardener’s World.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.