I Am The Proud New Parent Of An Adopted Chainsaw

I just got back from my monthly support group meeting tonight, where my girlfriend, Sophie awarded me custody of her nearly new Craftsman 18" chainsaw, for a third of the price of a brand new one! I know our girl has treated it gently, so I'm not the least bit concerned that it isn't brand new. In fact I'm rather glad that it has been tested on the job, and certified OK by someone I trust. Thank you Sophie! It's going to come in handy in the next week or so. I still have winter storm debris to clean up, and now that the leaves are coming back on the trees, I have a poplar tree that must come down, because it is blocking out my satellite signal.

Once again I had planned on getting out of the house by no later than 6:00PM, but as usual I wasn't ready to leave then. I don't know what's wrong with me. I know how long it takes to get into town, and I always begin my preparations with plenty of time to spare, but no matter whether I'm going to my mother's for Monday night supper, or my support group meeting, I never seem to be ready to leave, when I need to . Somehow, I always manage to piddle away the time. I knew I was running a little late when I left the house this evening, but when I was three miles down the road, and about to enter I-64 to Richmond, I glanced down at the clock on my dashboard and it said 6:24! I couldn't believe it. The potluck supper starts at 6:30, and I still had over forty miles to go, so I set the cruise control for warp 7, and down the highway I flew. I managed to get to the meeting by just after 7:00PM.

My contribution to the potluck was a Stoffer's lasagna. I baked it in my convection oven, and all went well for the initial baking, but then you are supposed to remove the film covering from the pan and let the top brown for 10 minutes. I added an extra layer of mozzarella, since they never come with enough to give them a nice cheesy top. So back in the oven it went, and I set the timer for 10 minutes. Ten minutes later the bell went DING! and I opened the oven door to see a lasagna that looked like it had been browned with a flame thrower. Well......maybe not quite that bad, but it was VERY dark brown! It turned out to be not that bad, and I was glad to see that several people tried it and one very sweet girl even said she liked it that way. Bless her heart!

I am pleased to announce that the khaki skirt I wanted to wear to last month's meeting, but couldn't because I feared I would have a stroke from all the blood that it was pushing up into my brain whenever I sat down, now fits and I was able to wear it comfortably all evening long, and in fact I'm wearing it even as I type. Credit the success to a redoubling of my efforts on the stationary bike, and bit of portion control over the last month. I'm still not where I want to be, as last summer's shorts and capris are still a bit tight, but at least I know I'm getting there.

The guest speaker at tonight's meeting was Lady Ellen, of Le Femme Finishing School who came with her transgender husband, Kayla. Lady Ellen and Kayla put on a very entertaining slide show of the do's and don'ts of being a lady for the MTF's, and even offered some how to's, for the FTM's. Lady Ellen is a wonderful married woman, with a teenage daughter, who is completely at home in the trans scene. She does MTF transformations, glamor photography, and hosts transgender parties in her home in New Jersey. She is planning an all trans gender fashion show in a hotel ballroom in October, complete with a runway, singers, all transgender models, and even a few drag queens for fun. Would that everyone could be as comfortable around us, and as accepting as she is.

I am really beginning to like our dear Madam President. Less than a month away from her GRS, she was especially adorable tonight, blushing at jokes and making quips of her own, in her sandals, short denim skirt and cute floral cap sleeved top. I had to give her a big hug and a good luck wish on her surgery, before I left. It's taken a while, but I am getting more and more comfortable with the girls in this group, and for a very shy loner, that's saying a lot. I really need to make more of an effort to get into Richmond, and join them at the lesbian bar where they hang out a couple nights a week.

Melissa XX