MaryAlice Musings and More

 I was nine years old in 1959 when Ann Bannon the pen name of Ann Weldy published Women in the Shadows, the third book in what would later be known as the Beebo Brinker Chronicles.  Ann Weldy is known as the "queen of lesbian pulp fiction", she wrote in the pre-Stonewall era.  It was sixteen years later when I came out.  There was no lesbian fiction at the library of the largest city near where I lived.  I went there in 1974 trying to find something when I went through the card catalogue for the word lesbian. The only thing I found was the "Well of Loneliness" by Radcliffe Hall.  The book was published in 1928 and was banned in England and beyond.  I was not the only questioning lesbian who only found this one volume at the library.  It may have created scandal and notoriety in the late 20's and early 30's but it was a very dark, somewhat depressing story and portrayal of lesbian life!   In 1983, Naiad Press published the Ann Bannon se...

 UU Church - Houlton Garden Entrance   It is Monday and even though the weekend was fun and busy, today was not a day for just laying back and maybe getting a little more rest.  There were some great lovely phone calls, a few meetings, and an attempt to get to a few necessary chores. The day started out cool and got hotter and more humid.  It felt good and at the same time I was aware of how few of these days there might be left as we move into the last days of August.   Now that I have resumed this blog, I also have to wrangle internally with questions like how often do I want to blog, will I have something to say, how do i keep it fun?     I appreciate that there is this time where I get to be present, I get to reflect for a moment and take space about what I want to share with you and with myself. I started the blog by selecting a picture I had taken at UU Services yesterday.  I took a moment to take a picture entering the garden, e...

 

  I spent the morning today checking things off my "to do" list and getting ready for a 36 hr. trip to Millinocket and NEOC (New England Outdoor Center)!   Coming to Millinocket is very fun, it is my original Katahdin Region home and it holds a special place in my heart.    I am sitting at a table at the totally remodeled MML .  In early 2015 on a visit to Millinocket from Minnesota I went to the library, it was dark, it was kind of depressing and it was not very inviting.  I had to pay $25.00 for a non-resident card (didn't matter that I owned a home in town!) and they still used a card catalog and signing your name on a check out card at the back of a book.  By then end of 2016, the library had almost closed permanently only to be saved by a small and mighty group of community members, who volunteered, raised money and hired an amazing guy Matt Delaney to come and revive and re-imagine the library.....that happened....Matt has come and gone and ...

  This morning when I woke up I thought it was going to be a cool drizzly day. As I sit here on the porch having just had a little hummingbird moment I am deeply grateful for noticing that it is a splendid day! While typing the tomatillo salsa is bubbling away safely in their jars on the stove. The August salad that I made for lunch is still on the counter.  The bowl is filled with  fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and onions from Phil’s garden.  The feta cheese is artisan from a maker outside of Houlton. The parsley is from my herb garden!  While making the salad I had a big dose of memory and a twinge of sadness that my family was not here to share the salad with me. We have a long history of loving salads.  Often when I would go to my daughters house or when the grandchildren came over or everybody piled into my house someone would say can we have grandma’s special salad?  Today’s  salad is one that they would love. Lots of fresh wonderful veg, some v...

  I don't what this flower is....it grows tall and I can see it when I am sitting on my porch.  It blooms, well right now, mid-August and keeps flowering for awhile.  The hummingbirds love it.  I have been seeing the hummingbirds in the morning, but this morning no hummingbirds.  Tonight in the early evening, I saw the hummingbird, just one,  it came by a number of times, I watched it flit from my flowers over to Fred's across the street and back again.  I stood up and walked closer to the screen while it was at Fred's and when he or she (I have no idea a they it is...) came back it came right up to the screen I could hear the wings flapping, I gave a big smile and they flew away.   Not sure what kind it is but I think that it might be a ruby throated ... there are four kinds of hummers found in Maine for those who are interested.   I just love my visits and maybe I might get one more glimpse before the night sky comes.  It wa...

Neighbor Head Hugs Front Yard Tree Hug   hug [ huhg ] verb (used with object), hugged, hug·ging. to clasp tightly in the arms, especially with affection; embrace. to cling firmly or fondly to; cherish: to hug an opinion. to keep close to, as in sailing, walking, or in moving along or alongside of: to hug the shore; to hug the road. verb (used without object), hugged, hug·ging. to cling together; lie close. noun a tight clasp with the arms; embrace ____________________________________________   It was not long after I met my "caddy-corner" neighbor Terry, that she said, "Oh, you are a hugger!"  This was 2019 when hugging was not something that many of stopped doing.  Yes, I am a hugger, a arms wide open hold on well hugger.  I read somewhere (I tried to find the source this morning, but couldn't) that it would be good to 20 hugs a day.   As a woman who lives alone, that is a high quotient.  This weekend I got way more than 20 hugs in a day, and I a...

  The slogan for 72 is "Be curious, you do not have to be certain!".  Well there are some things that I am sure of, when you open your heart, it might get hurt, but it is so worth it to be open heart-ed.  I am still soaking in all the friendship, appreciation, love that was shared and bestowed upon me on my 72nd Birthday.  It is a reflection of what I receive on many many days...and I sure do feel lots of gratitude, care and awe in who is in my life and how life unfolds each and every day.   In the picture (taken on the patio of Katahdin Brew Works , I am holding a woodcut print created by Diana Furukawa, she has made extra prints, if interested let me know.... how fun to have inspired one more amazing work of art by Diana.  I shared the gift with everyone who was helping to celebrate on one of the most perfect days of the years!  Such a mix of people who not so long ago I did not even know and now they are my neighbors, my good friends, collabora...

It is almost 9 pm on Friday night,  I have had a lovely day. I have not spent much time on any screens and more time on my porch.  Today held blue skies, and some tiny little rain showers on and off, those kinds that it might be raining on one side of the street and not on the other side!    I picked up my mail, I had two birthday card that were square, and had to pay an additional 39 cents for each card and it was worth it for sure.  Who knew that square cards cost additional postage...now you do a first class stamp plus 39 cents!  I picked up my chocolate birthday cakes from Lizzie Yoder, it has been a difficult to not try a piece, they look really really good!  On the way back from Lizzie's I stopped and got some good veggies at the Haymart Stand and then took a long lovely nap.  I love afternoon naps, the sun was shining in and I felt like I was floating on clouds, so good to have space today to float away during the late afternoon. I wen...

Last year at this time, I picked up my friend Jackie at the airport in New Hampshire and headed to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to see my most favorite professional women's basketball team, the Minnesota Lynx.  The schedule almost always brings Minnesota to play the CT Sun in August and this is the first year (well excluding 2020) that I have not traveled to see the game(s).    This year the regular season ended earlier due to the USA Team playing in International Competition and the playoffs started last night.   For the first time in 12 years the Lynx are not in the playoffs. I did watch the games last night, they were great and it is different to not have "your" team to root for and find yourself just rooting for them all.  Women's basketball is my "feel good escape from the world place"  and last night watching two really competitive games was salve for my too busy self of this week.  I had great fun cheering and sometimes just closing my eyes a...

    It has been over two years since I volunteered for the Monument.  The jobs that I did as a volunteer are now done by seasonal or full time staff and other volunteering jobs have not yet been rolled out.  Every once in awhile there are opportunities and late last week I got an email asking if I could volunteer on Wednesday,  I said "yes" knowing that it might just be a time for me to do a few things on my computer that needed to get done.   To get ready for today I went to the Park office and got a few little updates and a new shirt.  I got a number to call if I needed help.  I left confident and ready to step back into a job that I had done several times a week for a couple of years.  It was so refreshing, easy and predictable showing up mostly in Millinocket but sometimes in Patten, to "staff"  the contact station.  I loved answering questions, asking about what brought people here and what they were hoping to do.  Th...