I went to bed at 10:30, and read til 11:00. I turned off the light, and promptly fell asleep. For an hour.

Grrr. Wide awake at 12:30 AM. I was slightly hungry, because I’d eaten a light dinner. I lay there thinking about the peaches in my fridge, and about a bowl of them with some whipped cream, which I happened to have on hand from something I’d made a bit ago. I got up, sliced a peach, and covered them with whipped cream (thus the Haiku post preceding this one). I very rarely, like less than twice a year, get up and have a snack. But this snack was really good.

Now I’m sitting watching late night TV which I NEVER do, and writing, and just perusing my stats and other people’s blogs, and comments. There are inexplicable things that you can see if you use the statcounter widget. And some really cool things. It’s fun to see how people from all over the world read the blog. This week, I’ve had hits from Mongolia, Korea, and Kenya, just to name a few. I am so grateful for all my readers, near or far. It is such a small world, and I’m so pleased to be connecting with so many wonderful people.

We had a great time at the parade and fireworks last night. We watched the parade, which was a cute, short, small town thing.  Just anyone who wanted to really, could decorate a car, or truck or bike, or even baby carriage and be in it.  People were throwing candy to the kids, and mardi gras beads, (though they weren’t requiring flashing for them)!  Then we set up our chairs on the beach to wait for the firewortks. We had about 2 ½ hrs to wait. We watched a bank of very black clouds come in, heading for us, full of thunder and lightning. But, in front of us, reaching from the black clouds across the blue sky, was a rainbow. It reached across the bay. I kept hoping it would stop the rain but it didn’t. At first it just sprinkled, and the sky in front of us was still blue. But then it started raining harder and harder, and we quickly packed up our chairs and waited it out under the overhang of the restaurant across the street. It poured for about an hour. By the time it was over, the street was flooded, but the sun came back out and we made our way back across the street to the beach, and set the chairs up again, and sipped on the wine we brought in a travel mug. The fireworks were great for such a small town as this.

The picture on the left is the rainbow before the storm.  Notice the storm clouds on the far left. The picture on the right was taken after the storm, before the fireworks.  The setting sun caught the top of the storm clouds out over St. Pete beach and made for a gorgeous sunset. 

We came home, sat around the kitchen table for a bit talking, and snacking on whatever we could find. It was a great 4^th, my first in FL. Very laid back, to be sitting on the beach watching fireworks. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I guess it’s time to see if I can get back to sleep. I have a lot to do tomorrow, or more correctly, today. I’d better get more than an hour’s sleep.

Love and light.

Happy 4th of July to all my U.S. readers! I hope everyone is able to enjoy the day and maybe some fireworks. I’ll be going to the parade this evening which culminates in fireworks.

When I was married, we’d drive to New Hampshire to buy decent fireworks before the 4th. Then we’d set up a display on our waterfront (we lived on a lake) and shoot them off on the 4th, along with everyone else who lived there. It was usually a fun night, with fireworks going off late into the . My ex was usually in a good mood on the 4th. My son has often said that 4th of July was his favorite holiday. That’s probably because he and his dad set the fireworks up together, and his dad was usually pretty excited about it, and they had a good time together, unblemished by ugly outbursts from his father.

The Saturday after the 4th we always used to go to the Thames River Fireworks, when we had the boat. We’d anchor right on the edge of the line created by the buoys around the fireworks barges as close as we could get. Back in the day, the fireworks there were paid for by the Mashanpequot Indians who owned the Foxwoods Casino. They put about $500,000 into the display. It was the largest between New York and Boston. There were 3 barges, and the fireworks were put on by the Grucci family, a well known name in fireworks out east.

Anyway, it was fun. We’d go to the beach for the day, then anchor down there, and make a nice dinner. There’s nothing like sitting right under the fireworks as they go up. Crazy. They used to make smiley faces, and peace signs and hearts. It was kind of crazy. All synchronized to music. Another day my ex could forget himself and have a good day.

After I got divorced, I’d go to the marina where I owned a slip, park the car, and and my friends and I would walk over to Ft. Trumbull State park about a half mile away, sit out on City Pier over the water and watch them from there.

Obviously I love fireworks! Especially coordinated to music. I’m really looking forward to tonight, and to spending my first 4th of July in Gulfport. I think we’re going to spend the afternoon at Dan’s, and go for a drink at a place he’s been wanting to take me to. Then head over for the festivities. Time to make some new traditions and memories. It’s nice to have some memories of the old days that are untarnished, too. But it’s nice to make some new memories know they are not isolated events.

Love and fireworks to all!

Note:  The picture above is from Pinterest, and is of the Thames River Fireworks in New London.  The pier you can see is where I used to sit, once I no longer had a boat.

I went to a play with Dan on Friday night. It was an unusual performance. It was put on by a man who regularly performs at open mic night named Peter Suarez, and is a very accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter. This play is a one man show. He has created 5 characters, and all of them are funny, though there are some poignant moments too. He has Theo, who performed in the Catskills, and wears his pants way up high like an old man, and a black fedora, and glasses which are taped together at the bridge of the nose. There is Brother Soiree, who is a gay preacher, and really funny, but wants the audience to say AMEN a lot. There is The Spanish Guy who dances very well, and also performs with these things that are hard balls at the end of a rope. He spins them very fast, and you know if he messes up he will kill himself with one of them. There is the country singer, I can’t remember his name. And an Irish singer. They are all funny, in addition to being talented.

At one point in the show, Brother Soiree, the gay preacher asked the audience if they had ever studied abroad. Dan and I were in the front row, of a very small venue, maybe 20 people. Dan answered him, “Many.” Brother Soiree looked at him and said, “What?” Dan said with his Boston accent, “Many. I’ve studied many broads.” Everyone cracked up. Then Brother Soiree came over to us, put his hand on my knee, and said, “This is for you.” Then he stood in front of Dan, and slapped him. Not hard, but a real fake slap. We were hysterical. Peter, the actor playing Brother Soiree, is a small guy, about 5’5” and slender. Dan is a big guy, about 6’2′ and not slender. Not fat either, but certainly not tall and thin. At the end of the show he came over and shook our hands, and thanked us for adding to his show. He said he was grateful that we laughed because he realized, post-slap, that Dan was way bigger than him, lol.

It was such a fun night. They had complementary beer and wine and water in a cooler in the back of the room. We may go again.

It’s a great little town that I live in. To have venues like this, and open mic, and a small real theater for stage productions, as well as a dinner theater, is pretty remarkable. Lots to do. Tomorrow we’re going to the 4th of July parade which starts at 6 pm, and then stay for the fireworks they will be shooting off from the fishing pier. Should be a fun 4th.

Love and light, everyone.

Dan and I had a discussion this morning about whether or not judgment is a good thing or not. I have tried to be non-judgmental, because I thought I was being noble, or compassionate, or something. Really, though, who is non-judgmental? When someone behaves in a way that hurts us, or embarasses us, or disregards us, don’t we have a right to judge the actions? At least to the point of being able to make choices for ourselves?

I had that happen to me recently. Someone told me something they believed to be true, to be acceptable behavior, and it affected me. As non-judgmental as I try to be, in this case, I judged it to be unacceptable behavior. I told this person that he had every right to live his life that way if that’s what he believed, but that I wanted no part of anyone whose adopted this belief. I judged the merit of his beliefs, and of his actions, in order to make a choice for myself as to what I would allow into my life.

So, really, isn’t it ok to be judgmental? Don’t we, in fact, HAVE to be, in order to allow our lives to progress as we want them to?

To go back to an older blog, isn’t not judging someone for something that is hurtful to you, or even to them, stealing their pain? Isn’t that helping them to not be accountable for their actions? Does that mean that to judge someone is helpful to them?

I don’t know if judging someone for their actions, or beliefs, or for anything, is helpful to them. That might be going too far, giving our judgment too much power. But I know it’s helpful to us, as individuals who want to determine the path our lives will take. It can be a small thing, or a big thing. I just get to make a choice as to whether or not it’s my thing.

Love and light.

A plague of locusts

Is invading the garden

Bugs, caught in the act.

Of multiplying.

They were stopped from their folly

I’m sure they were bummed.

By Deborah E. Dayen

Picture taken by myself, yesterday.