Animals Painted on Lips

Animals Painted on Lips

I'd rather see lips painted this way than seeing overdone female makeup.

If you're a guy doing drag I'm all for the fun, ostentatious faux-female fab-u-lous-ness.

For women? Not so much. Why paint out your beautiful, awesome, individuality?

Egypt and Squirrels are my passions

The revolution in Egypt has completely rocked my world. I thought about taking pictures of the extra clutter that mushroomed in my house the last 18 days while my whole life was watching trusted (not network!) news shows and reading blogs from Egyptians who were in Tahrir square. So obsessed, that my 450 some friends on facebook barely commented on my multiple posts about what was going on. I imagine that many clicked 'hide this person' beside my posts.

During my hearts and minds involvement in the revolution, the one small act that calmed me most, was feeding the neighborhood squirrels. Every day I provide a daily smorgasbord for the squirrels on the ledge of my deck railing.  The ritual started soon after I moved in four years ago. At first it was sporadic. The one constant was that I gave them fresh water everyday in the large dog bowl on the small table by the ledge. There are lots of feral cats in the neighborhood, as well, and as rough as their lives might be, I didn't want thirst to be one of their tortures. Even on winter days when the water was frozen, I would find that some courageous critter or two had licked a groove in the ice with their efforts to quench their thirst. So, another part of my winter wildlife buffet became popping the ice from the dish and filling it with hot water to prolonge liquidity.  Then about a year ago I began the never-miss-a -day food line-up. As far as their usual diet, I found they really liked the corn tortillas I buy in bulk. My recent Celiac diagnosis makes the tortillas my easy bread substitute. Soon I added blueberries that were too flaccid for my taste but were succulent morsels for the squirrels, and on and on.

Recently, I found out that Whole Foods sell squirrel and wild rabbit feed!
It was a great price, too! It cost $6.99 for five pounds of crunchy peanuts in the shell, sunflower seeds in the shell and hard corn. Other stuff too but those are the ingredients that come to mind. I bought a bag and enthusiastically created a tiny mountain range of feed around the wide railing for them. The cats and I watched from the window, hoping to see surprise and maybe delight on their little faces. Best I could tell, they were mostly confused, and if I stretched my imagination a little, the word disappointment came to mind. They politely crunched a couple of the peanuts in the shell and delicately considered the sunflower seeds. Mostly they seemed to be looking around for the fare they had become used to over the years. From that day on I only supplemented their usual banquet with the plebeian 'feed.'

How do squirrels tie in with the magnificent fact of the new hard-fought Eqyptian freedom? I think it comes down to the sense of impotence I feel about wanting to help peace come to the planet. Yes, I called the White House every day to ask them to support the Egyptians in any way possible; I called my senator with the same plea. I encouraged and expressed my love on Egyptian blogs and websites. But my hands buzzed with the emptiness of all they couldn't do.

My nurturing of the squirrels might be just a small act of something I can do, substituting for all that I can't do out there in the vast world. 

squiggystardust-the etymology

I'm surprised that I get to be squiggystardust throughout the internet. I was musing about it today as my eyes struggled to see the computer screen through my searing migraine. I hobbled around making a cup of leftover ground Starbucks ChristmasBlend, attempting to sculpt it into a resemblance of espresso- mainly for medicinal purposes. I'm hardcore now, drinking it without soy or sweetening. Just get the medicine down my craw. But back to the musing: Of course the major nod is to David Bowie. Then squiggystardust kept making it through as my screen name on various sites, not having to put numbers or additional letters to "win" it. But today with my pain-altered state I saw a deeper, or you could call it a 'lighter' meaning:
"squiggy" for goofiness (a bare essential for everyday usage) and "stardust" for the invisible magic dust I like to leave wherever I go. It makes my day more magical and I sincerely hope that it makes a more stardust-y day for my co-inhabitants in the world. May you all be stardusted, be you human, critter, plant, mineral, fire, air, water, earth or something as yet undiscovered that likes stardust or is stardust.

Skyping with family across the pond

Today my daughter, her baby and I Skyped with my other daughter in London and whiled away the hours like women in the old days might have at a quilt-making session or a knitting circle. Jacy nursed her baby part of the time but mostly we sat with our smart phones and three macbooks and illustrated our lives and interests to each other by wifi. Singing and dancing with Hugo got to be at such a pitch that he began singing at the top of his 7 month old lungs varying the pitch and intensity like an infant Pavarotti. He was so caught up in the fun he even planted some soulful kisses on my cheek. It was my first time to receive these sweet priceless gifts! Hugo played talking with his Aunt Phoebe and continued their budding relationship from a few months ago. Finally it was 1 AM in London and Phoebe stumbled sleepily to bed with visions of Hugo-shaped cherubs smiling in her head.

MSM

Have you guys checked out the supplement msm? I picked up 8 oz or so of the powder the other day at the healthy store. (Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, etc.) I sort of gravitated to it. It helped that it was cheap- a little over four dollars and I also remembered hearing positive things about it awhile ago. When I got home I googled it and liked it even better. I took about a half teaspoon in some water before bed and liked it even more. Since I was diagnosed with Celiac two years ago I am particularly concerned with getting enough nutrients out of the food I eat. Msm is known for helping bodies get maximum nutrients from food. It feels like it's sort of turbo-charging that for me. (The link I selected seems to encapsulate the benefits most clearly but of course research msm yourselves.) I've been taking it for about 4 days in the morning and before bed. I feel far more energetic, less headaches, amazing sleep, and more optimistic in general. It's impossible to take too much because it clears out of your body in 12 hours.
I'm excited about it.

squiggystardust: Donna Wilson Alert!

squiggystardust: Donna Wilson Alert!

donnawilson.com

Donna Wilson Alert!

Rockin' Sockin' artist of the century so far. Check out her Divine Designs and live vicariously through her free spirited romp through life! I bow deeply to Donna!