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Black and Blue

Jul 17, 13

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After deciding to try being in a relationship with Mel, I had to try to figure out how I wanted to “be” in the relationship. I know the rules are different for us, but I didn’t know how I wanted to “be” with those rules. Also, we were in a new relationship and I wasn’t ready to tell everyone I knew about us because I wanted to keep him to myself. After we had been together about a week, we went to an event I have come to recall as my “One Day in the Closet”. This was an event put on by our church and ironically, it was an informational event for congregants about the church becoming a “welcoming congregation”. Being a “welcoming congregation” is a Unitarian Universalist designation meaning the church is GLBT Friendly. The church has a series of information sessions and then votes to become “a welcoming congregation”. Mel and I go to this and pretend for the whole day that we aren’t together, that we aren’t a couple. We know most of the people there and we try to “act normally.” It is agony. I want to hold his hand, I want to sit next to him. I feel physically sick from the deception. The event goes from 9am-3pm and when the end finally comes, I realize that if I am going to be in a relationship with Mel, then I am not going to hide. I am going to have to be brave enough to come out of the closet and tell everyone I know that we are together. Even though I am sure I don’t want to be closeted, I am also sure that I want to be safe. I become acutely aware of the special attention we get if we hold hands in public. I learn to ask myself whether it is safe before I grab Mel’s hand. I look around–usually for conservative looking rednecks–before offering a kiss. I am a rebel, so I like the...

Uniquely Texan

Jul 15, 13

Posted by Melanie in Branding, Family, Foodie, Recipe, Travel

I just spent 10 days in Texas with my 98-year old grandfather, Bubba. “Bubba?” you ask. Yes,that’s what we call him. It’s a nickname he got many years ago when his sister couldn’t say brother. I was in Texas because Bubba recently spent some time in the hospital and I needed to visit him and the rest of the family.

Since we were eating out a lot I got to have some pretty tasty Texas-style food. The Tex Mex Chile Rellenos and BBQ brisket were good, but by far my favourite–for culinary and sentimental reasons–was a nifty little corn tortilla sandwich called a “Chihuahua.”

Summer Sun

Jul 12, 13

Posted by Melanie in Poetry

Beautiful day full of silky hot strands of sunshine in the air Watching my children exploring, making a limbo game from a fallen tree Taking off their shoes to tip-toe into the water Recklessly hanging upside down from the play structure. “Mom, can you take my picture?” they yell. I fill with pleasure just watching them play. Soon their little bodies will be brown from exploring in the sun. Kissed by the light with a loving residue left behind as the brown of summer fun. I sit, talking to my grown-up daughter feeling strangely like there is something I should be doing but it is just the memory of the busy week. I feel my body start to unwind. I yawn. “Let’s go get ice cream, ” I say. The crowd goes...