This past Saturday, on 21-June-2025, which not coincidentally was Litha (Summer Solstice), Jenni and I were handfasted. Before twenty-five of our closest friends, we declared our love for one another, now and for the rest of our lives. Handfasting is a Pagan tradition. Jenni and I are both Pagan, though from somewhat different traditions.
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A reminiscence of magic
6 OctToday, in response to a question on social media about a time you felt magic in your life, I responded thus.
Continue readingI of I
15 FebI know some of you are already rolling your eyes at the sugary sweet memory I am about to share, and some of you have no idea what is coming. Continue reading
Santa Left a Forwarding Address
24 DecSanta Left a Forwarding Address: The North Pole – Sarah Klein for the NY Times
“Have you seen the letters?” I overheard a girl in a hair-sprayed beehive ask her friend, who was wearing a skinny tie.
“Have you seen the letters?” I heard when I waited to get myself a spiced eggnog and some shrimp cocktail.
I was intrigued, and when Jim, our tall, rosy-cheeked, cardigan-clad host, came barreling up to me, I had to ask: “Jim, what are these letters everyone is talking about?”
OK, anyone who knows me, knows that I am the quintessential Grinch. I have no use for Christmas. I differ from the well-known Grinch only in that I don’t begrudge others their celebration. I do ask that they don’t push it in my face. Continue reading
Dinner and movie
13 DecThe dinner party turned out well. We had much fun, lots of good food, good company, and good laughs. Continue reading
Today is Barbara’s birthday
12 DecIt doesn’t matter that she is no longer here. December 12th will be her birthday as long as I draw breath. Ancient Egyptians believed that as long as your name was remembered, you would live on eternally. Every day, but most especially today, I remember the name of Barbara Allen Underwood Shaw. Continue reading
Six months ago, or “A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime?”
8 DecJune 8. Six months ago. And I am still here, and slowly getting better. I wonder still if I will ever be better. Or is grief, like life, a journey with only one way out? Will I grieve the rest of my life? While talking about that with a friend online, she reminded me of this old quote, the source of which is elusive.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
21 NovLast night, I attended the Houston Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony on the campus of the University of Houston. I had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time, and ended up attending with Vanity Wilde and some of her friends. If I hadn’t gone with them, I probably wouldn’t have been able to attend. Read elsewhere about my ongoing medical issues. That’s not what this post is about. Continue reading
Four months ago
7 OctIn a few hours, it will be four months since Barbara died from complications of lupus. In that time, I have found a way to continue day-to-day. Continue reading
Uno
4 OctLast night, after dinner, Kris and I played Uno with the girls. Rebeccah wasn’t feeling well, so she didn’t join in. Uno is a great game for adults to play with kids. Anyone can win, because there is a significant randomness factor to the game. As a result, the adults can play to win without fear of hurting the kids. It had been a great many years since the last time I played, and I kept getting confused on the rules. Once I did finally get them straight in my head, though, I went on to win the hand we played. We only played one hand, and yet had over 45 minutes of fun. I highly recommend this game to any grandparents looking to have fun with the grandkids.
