We're Getting Married

Leaving tomorrow for Toronto, we have a date at city hall on Wednesday. Wish us well!

My Home Town!

While looking around You Tube I stumbled upon an advertisement for "Girard, the heart of the valley." I guess they mean the Mahoning Valley of Ohio-named after the Mahoning River which became so polluted that rumors circulated that if you fell into it, well, life would be very short. There were also rumors of it catching fire, but I was not able to confirm this. This was all is in the Ohio valley area. The town is tiny. When I grew up it was nice with two movie theatres, a couple of clothing stores, a five and dime, a candy store (which also sold ice cream and which was great to go to for a sundae after the movies.) a couple of pizza parlours (large Italian pop.) If you look carefully, although there were a number of churches in the area, the video shows only St. Rose, the church where I was baptised and where I attended and attended school from 1-8. Also, you'll see the high school which was on my street, but because I was so brainwashed, I chose to ride a bus for 45 minutes twice a day to attend the Catholic H.S. I'm not bitter. Actually I had some nice times in Girard, Oh. It was very pretty where I lived, and when you got into the surrounding countryside-which was very close, quite beautiful. Actually I was able to appreciate it best after my parents passed away. Does this sound strange. We're having a 90th birthday party there for my aunt this August and I hope to take BL to the landmarks of my youth. I made the border of the video the color of the sky at night from the blast furnaces of the steel mills. The sky was always red at night, then.

On a Lighter Note

Friday Five Summer Vacation

It is a holiday weekend here in the UK (and in the US too), and the weather forecast for much of the country is not good!!! But we can still dream and so with that in mind I bring you this Friday Five.

1. Getting ready for summer, do you use the gradual tanning moisturizers
(yes gentlemen you too can answer this!!!), or are you happy to show your winter skin to the world?
I redden so quickly that I don’t need the artificial tanners. One time in the sun, I burn then tan and that’s the beginning of the summer for me!

2.Beach, mountains or chilling by the pool, what/ where is your favorite getaway?
I prefer the beach, BL prefers the mountains, and usually we end up at the pool deck on at our Health Club on 42nd St. Could you stop that honking?

3.Are you a summer lover or does the long break become wearing?
There’s no break for me, but I much prefer the sunny, hazy, sweaty, humid, nasty days of NYC summers.

4.Active holidays; hiking swimming sailing, or lazy days?
Lazy days, Though I like to swim and used to like to sail!

5.Now to the important subject of food, if you are abroad do you try the local cuisine, or do you prefer to play it safe?
Local food, if it’s safe from parasites. Italy was great!

No Friday Five-What’s a Girl To Do

It’s a Sad Thing.
I went to the RevGalBlogPals page and all of the RevGals are off to some RevGals event-so lots of hits on their sitemeter, but not FF. I’ll make my own, and you’re welcome to play along. So, what shall it be? Hmmm…
I’ve just finished reading “Take This Bread” and been thinking about sharing food as communion. Also it’s almost lunchtime and I’m really hungry.
What five experiences and foods can you identify with communion? I know this is kind of vague, as it is for me, but give it a try.
1. Bread-obviously, as that’s what is used for communion, but not stale pita bread which is commonly used in churches these days-I hate it-but nice warm yeasty bread, or Challah-sweet egg bread used in synagogues with the sweet wine on Shabbos.
2. Lasagna-Think potluck or church supper or a shared meal. Warm and steamy and spicy. With lots of cheese and no meat except maybe some in the sauce.
3. Macaroni and Cheese- I had Stouffers last night and even that was comforting. Another pot luck special, at least in this office when we have International Day
4. Here I’m thinking of all the Christmas cookies my mother made and gave to everyone. Then when I moved to NY, she boxed them up and sent them to me in great quantities, so that I would take them to the office where they were appreciated by all.
5. I’m a little stuck here so I’ll throw in egg salad, the dish of mourning, served when sitting shiva for a loved one who has died and what I’ll will probably have for lunch as I’ve discovered that Starbuck’s makes a pretty good one. The egg’s roundness signifies the continuity of life.

Going to Church

(picture of Church of Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen)

It's Sunday and I'm thinking of going to church.

I don't go to church. I've been estranged from church going since probably sometime in my sophomore year in college when my mother stopped going to church and church going was losing it's meaning to me. I was coming to the conclusion that I was a lesbian although I continued to "act straight" having a steady boyfriend for several more years. My mother, I believe was depressed, something that I have struggled with on and off. She became angry with the church-Catholic-I can't remember why. I stopped going because I was feeling that if indeed I was gay, well they didn't want me there anyway. I never felt any community there. I felt like a stranger in the pew. It was my hometown, but it was about 1969 or so, so lots of people were dropping off. I never felt any home at that church. Women could only play one part and that was cleaning the church and altar area. (I always wanted to be an altar boy!)

But now, I'm feeling a deep yearning to find a spiritual community.My partner attends a gay synagogue and I tried that but I was not really a part of the place because I didn't want to convert-the Jesus thing, you know?

I've been reading books and attending the The Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Lesbian Group (:-@) The Lesbian and Gay Groups are out and in public and announced in the weekly bulletin. I'm hesitant to get too comfortable in the Catholic church, because I remember 20 years ago, by decree of the archbishop, the gay Catholic Dignity, who had their masses there, were ordered out. We had a candlelight march from there to the GLBT Community Center and everyone was very angry and sad-I was there. I'm afraid that could happen again with the new regime of the Catholic Church.

In my neighborhood, Is a nice Episcopal Church. I've been reading Take this Bread by Sara Miles. And MomPriest has said that she thinks this denomination might be a good fit.

What should I do?

And Ellen is getting married

Well, I had a crush, so BL will be happy. Actually I'm happy and really happy she announced it on national TV!



Congratulations and Best Wishes to Portia and Ellen.

Congratulations to the California Supreme Court for their common sense

Friday Five Grand Tour

Friday Five: Grand Tour
One of our original ring members, jo(e), wrote yesterday about a trip she and her sisters are taking overseas with their parents, to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Many other RevGals are headed for the Festival of Homiletics in the coming week (click here for information on a RevGals meetup!!). In honor of these upcoming trips, herewith your Grand Tour Friday Five.

Picture: (That would be me in the Red Dress)

Name five places that fall into the following categories:

1) Favorite Destination -- someplace you've visited once or often and would gladly go again
That would have to be the Southern Coast of Italy where BL and I traveled to last Spring. It was very bella. You can see the pictures here. http://web.mac.com/jordanash/iWeb/Bene%20italia/Italy.html

2) Unfavorite Destination -- someplace you wish you had never been (and why.)
Hmmm, there must be SOMEPLACE. Once to an AA retreat in Queens, NY. based on the teachings of Catholic Matt Talbot who apparently when he got sober, became very religious and wore a clice-a penitential chain with little spikes that bite into the flesh. I was very glad to get out of that place! (I am not into mortification of the flesh!)

3) Fantasy Destination -- someplace to visit if cost and/or time did not matter:
I think the Grand Tour, maybe by ship, to Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Bali etc. but I'm not greedy... Because I've never been there. And Bali because I've recently read Eat, Pray, Love

4) Fictional Destination -- someplace from a book or movie or other art or media form you would love to visit, although it exists only in imagination.
Probably Cold Comfort Farm because it seems like such a funny place, I'd like to meet the cows and I want to know what happened in the woodpile.

5) Funny Destination -- the funniest place name you've ever visited or want to visit
Probably Idora Park (an amusement park in Youngstown Ohio) now long closed. Where my mother used to take me. I loved it especially the roller coasters-the old wooden ones.

And Sometimes You Lose