The Gypsy on Adventure

Here we go again!

Here we go again. Church and State is not being separated, stepping on other people's rights, religious bullies,  rhetoric for the sheep. Texas is disturbing.

Look it, you do not have the right to decide for other people HOW they will live their lives. It is not up to you! And I am really starting to be angry with how our Country is going. Am I passed having children, yes, but this is still very personal!

First off, at 17 years old I had my first baby, I had the options all laid out in front of me, and for ME, I wanted to keep him. I always say that having him saved my life. I made better decisions, looked after myself while pregnant, and had the best delivery I could do. I did lamaze and had him natural, I was a hippie mom, every thing natural. I got married when I was 18, I was on the pill and got pregnant (those were they days when you got sick and on  antibiotics would screw up the pill but we didn't know that), I was flabbergasted to find out I was pregnant again! We chose to keep her.

We were struggling. My ex was a year older, he wasn't making a lot of money, we struggled for everything. Every single day was drama and struggle. It was HARD. The wolf was always at the door, always.

I put my foot down. He was going to have a vasectomy. Why should "I" have a major surgery to prevent children when I had just gone through the worst birth ever with my second! 42 hrs of labour, she was feet first and I had her natural, 2 hours in I couldn't even talk and I had bruises down my back from holding on to the bed so tight, I almost died! I was a mess! AND clearly the pill did not work for me! I wasn't going to be pregnant again!

We went to the doctor together thankfully, to talk about him getting a vasectomy. The doctor said no! I raised my eye brow! What are you saying? He is too young the doctor said. He was 20 and I was 19. I said, we have 2 children! We are done! He was like no, I won't do it. Then the stupid reasoning. What happens if one of your children die and you can't have more children? Raised eye brow again. I am sorry but you CANNOT replace one child with another child! They are NOT the same child! That is stupid.

I said ok, then this is how it is going to go. I am going to hold YOU responsible for ALL the other children we have, and I expect YOU to send us money monthly to help feed all of the children that will come after we leave this office! I was on the pill and my children are 18 months apart! I expect in about 9 months there will be a third.

The doctor looked at me horrified. I wasn't kidding. I wasn't budging. I was 19 fucking overwhelmed and I was not leaving without an appointment for my ex husband. We got the appointment! He had a vasectomy!

I am fucking sick of people telling other people HOW to live their lives! They don't help those women when the babies are born! And if they do get State aid, they shame them for being on it! So shut the fuck up! I don't see compassion for those that have to deal with a child in incest or rape. I don't see the punishment for men that are JUST as responsible for making a baby. And then have your neighbors turn on you for money! This is the lowest of the low, especially to poor women who have limited choice as it is! Lets face it, women with money can leave the State and deal with the issue any where. Poor women cannot, you are boxing them in and putting them at more risk! And why should ANY woman be trapped because you don't like something!

If it is not YOUR choice, that is fine! You live with the choices YOU make! Do not force others to live by YOUR choices!  

Like Mr. Rodgers said, I am looking for the helpers!

Blogging with Effy Wild

 

We've seen days like this.

Any motivation to write is a good thing.

 

 

When I interviewed Maya Angelou, she told me to write this sentence in my notepad and to never forget it: 

"Every storm runs out of rain."

I still think of that line to this day.  Alex Banayan

I am trying to keep my eye on that line. That this terrible experience we are all in will run out of power and stop, eventually. The pandemic, Delta Variant, Covid deniers, Mask resisters, Science haters, California Wildfires, Hurricane Ida, New Jersey and New York flooding, Greenland losing the ice, Global warming deniers,  the attempt to recall our Gov. and costing the tax payers of California Millions of dollars, Good people doing nothing, Afghanistan, Rep. McCarthy threatens tech and telecom firms that comply with the January 6th insurrection committee's request,  and Texas...

I sure hope that the storm runs out of rain soon.

 

 

 

I know I have a really hard job, to stay better and not bitter. It is up to us to keep voting. Keep educating ourselves. Keep speaking out. Keep being kind. Keep our humanity. Keep creating art. Keep being thought provoking with our art. Keep standing up for people who cannot stand up for themselves alone. Keep believing in the separation of Church and State. Keep believing in our Constitution. Be willing to learn and grow.  What a time we are living in. 

The one good thing I noticed today, my point of joy was the blue sky out my art desk window. I haven't seen a blue sky in weeks due to the Wildfires. My soul felt a burst of hope while I looked out my window today.

 

Fauci's Ouchie

So I was really nervous when I woke up this morning, knowing I was going to get the vaccination today. I thought it was going to be the Moderna vaccine, but when I got into the process I learned it was the Pfizer vaccine. “Pfizer’s is 95% effective, while Moderna’s is 94.1% effective. And I go back to get the second vaccination in 3 weeks vs. 4 weeks. 

I have to say my health group had it dialed in. The hardest part was driving the hour to get there. You stood 6 feet apart outside, in a group of about 50, then you were let into the huge office space, check in, stand in line 6 feet apart again until you get to the person who gives you the vaccine. You sit and verify your information, and receive the vaccine.

Then you go to an area set up with chairs where you sit 15-30 minutes afterwards. I had to sit for 30 minutes because of my usual reactions to medications. I sat there and did some urban sketching to pass the time. I had NO pain in my arm at all! When No. 15 vaccinated me I didn't even know she did it! AND I didn't even feel her put on a bandaid!!! 

We had to do some shopping and as I sat in truck, about an hour into it, my throat started to swell, I had an issue swallowing...but I tried not to panic! At about the 2 hour mark it was all gone and I was back to normal. 

We ordered take out at PF Chang's to take it home for Lunch/Dinner and saw Barnes and Noble!!! So I was able to run in, pick out magazines and get a coffee from Starbucks! Then drove home. I was tired but grateful that I was able to get my first shot today.

Moving forward

WGB got on me about finding an appointment for the vaccination. I have been looking on the California website, and he directed me to our health insurance website, and it had to be on the app on the phone (which I didn't want to put on my phone), and it took about an hour and I got an appointment!!!!

My appointment is for 1:10 pm TOMORROW!!! But we have to go to Roseville, CA to get it. Which is fine...so we will leave early since I don't know how the traffic will be. It's about an hour away from us...but while we are there I am sure we will go some where to pick up a good lunch/dinner!

Luckily I have really been drinking a lot of water today, the research I have been doing tells you to be super hydrated and to take tylenol when you get the shot. 

I am nervous about side effects. I always react so poorly to things...but I do the normal yearly flu shots ok, but it still makes me nervous. I am allergic to everything.

So I am scared to get the shot but more scared NOT to get the shot! sigh

Need to figure out who to contact?

We have to speak up for every woman no matter the side

Part of a blog post, please read her entire post here.

 

You don’t have to identify as a victim to recognize your victimization. You don’t have to be public about your victimization, but what you should consider is how you re-victimize millions of girls and women when you deny theirs.

Believe this: when you claim that we are crazy, stupid, overly emotional, and overly sensitive to distance yourself from us, you bolster misogynistic stereotypes that are then applied to you. No matter how you try to distinguish yourselves, you will continue to be categorized as sexual objects and second-class citizens only useful for reproduction.

Because we understand the toll heterosexist white supremacist patriarchal oppression takes, we recognize that being “woke” is an emotional commitment many of you reject. So you don’t want to fight for your own freedoms…fine. But please, if you’re not going to join us or build us up the least you can do is refrain from tearing us down.

Pay attention...don't be distracted

And, so it begins...watching This Week with George Stephanopoulous on ABC...where you cannot get a straight answer from Conway, the media has their facts and they have Alternate Facts!  1984 was NOT a play book dear one, it was a book of caution!

Once upon a time...