The Interregnum when we had some rights produced a Black middle class that had the disposable income to invest in their children’s talents and dreams. I’ve viewed videos of two black figure skaters–one male and one female. I’ve watched videos of gymnasts, swimmers, tennis players, etc. Sports that were lily white when I was growing up. In tennis, there was Althea Gibson. However, she was before my time.
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People who live in a country far to the south of Tennessee name this “The Last Fruit”. I asked why. This fruit, the persimmon, can withstand cold weather, but not an ice storm. When there is no other fruit available, there is the persimmon which can be stored for a time. This is a picture of a hybrid. When I was young, the persimmons were small, wild, and if the least bit unripe pucker your mouth so one couldn’t talk. We learned, by trial and error, to only eat the ones that had fallen to the ground. My mother never made any jam or preserves, even though there was a grove of persimmon trees. The pigs ate them. This hybrid was sweet, juicy, with no hint of puckering.
The lower courts are valiantly trying to uphold the rule of law. However, the regime then appeals to the corrupt Supreme Court that supports fascism, authoritarianism, and Christian nationalism. The regime is demented–when he law is quoted, the regime screams traitor, when questions are asked, the regime curses and/or vilifies the questioner. There is no such thing as professionalism–just sycophantic antics to curry favor with the regime.
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Until I was almost eighteen, I lived in the country. On my walk today, I noticed this weed that looked like a stunted version of a weed that grew prolifically in the fallow fields. Way back when, this weed was tall, and grew in patches in the field. The only reason I noticed it was that my neighbor cut down the mulberry tree and the other brush in the area. Now, the weeds in that area get more sunlight…so I’ll see what else pops up in that area.
Just found out. Most paper towels are not food safe. Another source of slow acting poison that we are exposed to. Seems like the method of production to produce those white paper towels uses some toxic chemicals. I looked for some food safe towels and the local Kroger’s actually had a brand that is food safe—for twenty dollars a pack! Needless to say, I left the food safe paper towels on the shelf. However, for what I needed the towels for–to store my broccoli sprouts–cheesecloth appears to be a good alternative.
Food manufacturers have gotten more and more sloppy. Campbell’s soup is only for poor people according to one of its V.Ps. Cans of vegetables from a well-known brand were mis-labeled. Cans of cranberry sauce were filled with water. The more the executives make the less they care about quality or the consumer. Greed rules and greed wants our money and value to the consumer is not a concern. That’s not taking into consideration the many instances of contaminated foods that have caused illnesses and death in the recent past.
These companies consider us a captive audience, but captives have been known to free themselves.
What kind of country is this where a known, convicted drug dealer gets pardoned and fishermen in boats in international waters are murdered because known liars say they might be carrying drugs?
Lyrics from Ball of Confusion by the Temptations 1970
The sale of pills are at an all time high
Young folks walking ’round with their heads in the sky
The cities ablaze in the summer time
And oh, the beat goes on
Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul
Shooting rockets to the moon, (Crashing rockets to nowhere) kids growing up too soon
Politicians say more taxes (for the middle and lower classes) will solve everything
And the band played on
So, ’round and around and around we go
Where the world’s headed, nobody knows
Oh, great Googamooga
Can’t you hear me talking to you?
Just a ball of confusion (oh, yeah)
That’s what the world is today, hey, hey
Fear in the air, tension everywhere
Unemployment rising fast, the Beatles (Swift’s) new record’s a gas
And the only safe place to live is on an Indian reservation (hasn’t been found)
And the band played on
Eve of destruction, tax deduction, city inspectors, bill collectors
Mod clothes in demand, population out of hand
Suicide, too many bills, hippies (billionaires)moving to the hills (bunkers)
People all over the world are shouting “End the war(s)“
And the band played on
With a few minor changes, lyrics written over fifty years ago are applicable to today!
Well, we know that Tennesseans have little intelligence and critical thinking is beyond them. Another sycophant, white, male, who will vote for no safety net, no affordable medical care, no help when disasters strike, more money to billionaires, etc. They get nothing except the knowledge that the regime will permit them to spew hate toward anyone who does not look like them or think like them. Hate on an empty stomach; hate the doctor that cures all ills–I wonder what hate tastes like and what cures Dr. Hate has for one’s ills. Stupid, stupid white supremacists.
However, the regime is losing support. That was evident in the election results. Just not fast enough for us who must suffer because of the ignorance of the ones who voted for hate.
Last night, I went to a function…the kind I try to avoid. Why? Because people who attend those functions have eyes that slide past you because they do not, for whatever reason, want to acknowledge that you exist. However, I had an awesome conversation with a gentlemen about all the parts of the pig that we ate growing up. The only thing I have not tried is scrapple. I’ve heard of it, but it wasn’t something that my grandmother made. The gentleman was from one of the Carolinas, so maybe that’s a regional dish.
Also, one of the items displayed was a shirtwaist dress. It reminded me of the dresses my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother wore for daily wear and church. The dress on display was more of a church-going shirtwaist. The friend I was with is from the city and she didn’t know what a shirtwaist was. She said that the women she knew, including her mother, wore suits. 
These dresses were usually made of cotton, a thin cotton that flowed. But the cotton was durable. Objects like the shirtwaist dress bring back memories of relatives who are long gone. I will never forget my great grandmother struggling, in a cloud of talcum powder, on a hot summer Sunday, to shimmy into a girdle made of rubber, I think. It was a garment meant to torture women. 
The center picture is an example of the rubber material, but the girdles worn by my mother and grands were more the thigh length panty type, like the picture on the right.. And I cannot forget the garter belts. All were uncomfortable and, from experience, pantyhose, were not more comfortable…just less of a hassle than the garter belt and stockings. Now, I cannot imagine torturing my body into one of those garments. No wonder, on those hot Sundays, with only fans blowing hot air, women were shouting and fainting. The ushers, dressed in white, always had smelling salts to revive the ones passed out between the pews and sometimes in the aisles.
I’m glad I went…the memories of that long ago time were worth it.
Just a ball of confusion (oh, yeah)
That’s what the world is today, hey, hey Temptations 1970
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