I'm ready.

Sunscreen.....check
Beach books....check
Rye, Absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters....check

Topsail, here we come!

Oh sure. Two months idle and then two in one day.

But I had to put this up. This is my letter to Barack Obama:

Dear Mr. President:

I knocked on doors, worked the phones and contributed to your campaign because you promised change. As a straight woman, it appalls me that you cannot bring yourself to use your considerable persuasive powers and oratorical skills to address the immoral discrimination against the GLBT community. You quoted Dr. King and spoke of "the fierce urgency of now".

When your Department of Justice files an incendiary brief in a challenge to DOMA that relies on analogies to incest and pedophilia and goes well beyond what was necessary to secure that the petition in question is not granted a writ of certiorari, you have gone beyond the sin of omission. Ignoring discrimination against the GLBT community is one thing; actively participating in it with such vehemence is another.

Today's memo on federal benefits for same-sex couples is the straw that broke the camel's back and spurred me to write this letter. When bold action was called for, you took the cautious route. I cannot help but believe this was a political decision. But you, sir, are the President with a Democratic majority in Congress. If not now, when?

My GLBT friends are in pain, both because of your action and your inaction. If, in 2012, Don't Ask Don't Tell and the DOMA are still in effect, then you and the Democratic party will get no help from me as you campaign. And please do not try to scare me with "But the Republicans would be worse." God help us all, DICK CHENEY is sounding more progressive on GLBT issues than you.

I know there are many other issues and conflicts you must attend to now, but you cannot use those as an excuse to participate in extending discrimination against the GLBT community. They and their allies will not be quiet and will not wait while you deal with all the other items on your agenda. Dr. King also said "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism."

Be the man we voted for, not just another politician whose campaign promises were a means to secure funds and votes. We worked for you. It's time for you to show that our work and trust were not in vain.

Sincerely,



I haven't been as active as I should have been, but I'm going to make up for it now. I'm going to write letters and give to fundraisers and make my voice heard. And I'm going to Washington in October for the National March for Equality

Silence is deadly, and I won't be silent any more.

Not much. How 'bout you?

Good Lord has it really been two months since I wrote anything here? I'd love to say it's because I've been doing something exciting and interesting, but mostly it's because I've been:


1) Crocheting. I taught a class in it this Spring and teaching has turned me back into a hooking fool. (Great name for a band, BTW). Ravelry has become a bit of an obsession for me -- checking every morning for new patterns.


2) Watching the Tigers. Things are looking rather dismal right now, and since misery loves company, I've been spending lots of time on Bless You Boys, commiserating with my fellow fans.


3) Trying to stay dry. We are officially over drought conditions in NC, except for the extreme northeastern part of the state, and I think we managed that in the last three weeks. I can't remember the last day I needed to wear my sunglasses.


4) Counting down the days (11) till I am here:

Mark Fidrych 1954 - 2009

I don't usually get all that choked up over the deaths of people I've never met, but this is so damned sad.

When he first signed with the Tigers, he rented an apartment in Southgate, another blue collar downriver suburb of Detroit. He was always nice to the kids who hung around on their bikes, waiting for a glimpse of the Best Thing In Baseball, 1976 Edition. When his arm gave way he moved back to Massachusetts and lived a simple, happy life. Ernie Harwell said of him "He reminds me of that line of Rudyard Kipling: 'He could meet triumph and disaster and treat them the same way.' "



The Bird

Happy Easter

And speaking of rising from the dead...

CENTRAL	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
Detroit	4	3	.571	-	3-0	1-3	41	33	+8	Won 3	4-3
Kansas City	3	3	.500	.5	1-2	2-1	14	19	-5	Won 1	3-3
Chicago Sox	3	3	.500	.5	3-3	0-0	24	19	+5	Won 2	3-3
Minnesota	3	4	.429	1	2-2	1-2	26	37	-11	Lost 2	3-4
Cleveland	1	5	.167	2.5	1-2	0-3	33	51	-18	Won 1	1-5

Last year we didn't hit .500 until some time in June. I like this year better.

The Boys (and Girl) of Summer

Such sad news from Detroit. George Kell, former third baseman for the Tigers and broadcast partner of Ernie Harwell, died today at the age of 86.

I grew up listening to George and Ernie broadcast Tiger games on the radio. You could take the radio with you anywhere -- the garage, the car, the park, and thanks to WJR ("The Great Voice of the Great Lakes") you could even pick up the signal at the lake or up north. Especially after sunset in the summer, which was fine because you could get the night games. The trouble with television is you had to sit there and watch -- you really couldn't do anything else. George and Ernie were the voices I heard in my room at night, in the dark with the windows open and the still summer air barely rippling the curtains.

I can remember the first game I went to at Tiger Stadium. It was with the Safety Patrol boys and Service Squad girls. (My Lord -- do they still have such things?) We got a free trip downtown on a Saturday in the schoolbus, courtesy of the local police. I remember one of them even boarded the bus before we left to see who brought a glove to catch those homers that were sure to come flying our way in the stands. We had seats in the upper deck, left field, where we had a great view of Willie Horton.

What I remember most was how incredibly green the field was, and how bright the contrast of the white lines and the home team's uniforms. To this day I have never seen a green that compares to that deep, perfect shade. And the white! So brilliant it almost hurt your eyes to look at it.

After that trip I always saw the green field the same way whenever I listened to George and Ernie, even if it was a night game.

Now George is gone, and Ernie's no spring chicken. Tiger Stadium is gone, too, replaced by Comerica Park. It's a nice place and a fine stadium and all things must pass. But I still listen to baseball on the radio, thanks to XM. I prefer it to the jazzed up, graphic-for-every-pitch television version with announcers who are in love with the sound of their own voices. The Tigers' home opener is April 10, against Texas.

I'll be listening.

Just like Michigan!

Only our snow will melt by tomorrow afternoon and it will be 70 on Thursday.

I actually made it in to work since I waited for the really nasty stuff to start melting. It's still quite lovely on the trees and grass, and there are umpteen zillion kids out there having a blast with sleds that hadn't been used in so long they had to clean the cobwebs off them first.

And, as I've said before, this snow will make for a bountiful lilac display in April.

In like a lion

Issued by The National Weather Service
Raleigh/Durham, NC
3:53 pm EST, Sun., Mar. 1, 2009

... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST MONDAY...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OVER EASTERN GEORGIA WILL PIVOT NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT. AS THIS OCCURS... WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. ALTHOUGH PRECIPITATION MAY INITIALLY BEGIN AS A WINTRY MIX... PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME ALL SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES OVERNIGHT... WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW MOST LIKELY FALLING ALONG THE INTERSTATE 40 AND INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR FROM CHAPEL HILL... WEST TO GREENSBORO... AND SOUTHWEST TO CHARLOTTE.

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS THE TRIAD AND WESTERN PIEDMONT... IN LOCATIONS SUCH AS BURLINGTON... GREENSBORO... WINSTON SALEM... ASHEBORO... AND ALBEMARLE. THE LIGHTEST AMOUNTS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO FALL ALONG AND EAST OF THE HIGHWAY 1 CORRIDOR... INCLUDING LOCATIONS SUCH AS RALEIGH... AND LOUISBURG.

DESPITE THE PREVIOUS WARM CONDITIONS... TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME TREACHEROUS LATE TONIGHT AS SNOWFALL BEGINS TO ACCUMULATE ON AREA ROADS AND HIGHWAYS DURING PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW. TRAVEL ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WILL BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. IN ADDITION... STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED... AND WIND CHILLS COULD FREQUENTLY DROP INTO THE TEENS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

CITIZENS OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND CONDITIONS... AND TO AVOID TRAVEL TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING IF POSSIBLE.

As a citizen of Central North Carolina, I'd happily do my civic duty and avoid travelling on Monday morning. I'm already planning on it, in fact. The day has been cold, wet and raw and I'm just waiting for the snow to start. I'm sure it will be lovely and it will be even lovelier if I don't have to drive in it. I can easily drive in the snow in Michigan, but trying to maneuver up and down these slippery hills is no fun.

Of course, after all this hype if we don't get a decent snow cover I'm going to complain loudly to the management.