Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Piedmont Awakens From Its Winter Slumber

Spring is now in full bloom, and along with it comes runny noses and respiratory discomfort. Runny noses are always expected this time of year, but this year respiratory distress seems to have been added to the ticket. For the past week or so, I have been plagued with a tightness in the bronchia, accompanied by an intermittent dry wheezing cough. I thought I may have contracted a late season case of the flu, but now I'm not so sure, since the discomfort in my chest seems to correlate with the intensity of the flushing of my sinuses. Please wish me well, and be sure to beseech the gods to encourage all of the flora to get their free love fest over with as soon as possible, so that all of us fauna can resume our normal dry nosed, and clear lunged lives.

Here are a few pics of the awakening flora around the house. It was overcast when I took them, and it had been many months since I used my camera, so please take them for what they are worth. If you click on the images, they will enlarge to a much bigger size.


A view of the tree tops above my roof.



A view from my rear deck through the woods overlooking the pond.


My lone scraggly redbud.

Tonight's Supper

I don't often eat large quantities of beef, but I do like it. I went to the grocers today, mainly because I had run out of anything to eat other than peanut butter and sardines, and while there stocking up on essentials, I decided I wanted to eat steak tonight, but I wanted it to be lean. So I ended up with two petite round steaks, that looked quite good in their polyethylene wrapped packages. Into the cart they went. This evening, I put one of the steaks in a broiler pan, and put it under the burner. Ten minutes later, with beefy smelling smoke pouring out of the oven, I removed my medium rare steak, and plated it with a serving of steamed broccoli, and half of a backed potato. The broccoli and the baked potato were delicious, and the steak wasn't bad tasting, it just had a vein of sinew in just about every bite, making it very tough to cut and chew. A slow cooking crock pot full of carrots and potatoes should been that piece of meat's fate.

A word about human decency.

There will always be disagreements between human beings. That is a given. It's been that way since the dawn of humanity, and will remain that way until humanity breaths its very last breath. The trouble comes when one group sets itself up as morally and intellectually superior to all others, and then in the fashion of zealots, casts itself as the sole arbiter of truth, rendering unsolicited judgements against all others, and declaring non-believers to be the equivalent of the devil's spawn, or worse. When people start to thinking that way, trouble is always sure to follow. No one likes to be denigrated and dismissed as a heretic, or worse yet, a pervert, but in so many words that is exactly the way a certain self-satisfied element has been treating a good portion of the trans community here in Blogistan for the better part of the last year. While we all have certain similarities, our lives are all completely unique. No one can pigeon hole us, simply because our lives didn't exactly follower their own personal narrative. We, and we alone define who and what we are.

This past week, I was the target of one of these, self-appointed high priestesses of the Transexual Sanhedrin. Her judgement? Since for personal reasons, which of course are none of her business, I am non-op, and not transitioning, and didn't demand my parents get me a sex change when I was a teenager, or commit suicide by the time I was 25, then I must be a fraud. This coupled with the fact that I had the audacity to challenge her self-appointed authority on all matters transgender, then I am obviously in her words, a.................well, I won't repeat those despicable words here. There really isn't any point in repeating what you can read post after post on her own blog, if you are so inclined.

Thanks so much to those dear sweet souls who posted in my defense. To all the troubled souls who are so full of sulfur, and so quick to pass judgement on others, of course you are free to wallow in your feelings of hatred if that's your thing, but take care dears, for there lies the way to desolation row.

Speaking of desolation row, here is some very good Bob Dylan. Does anyone write lyrics and play their instruments this good anymore?

Desolation row
This MP3 was found at Dilandau MP3

Melissa XX

12 comments:

Kathryn Dumke said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathryn Dumke said...

Desolation row indeed, Melissa. The only comparative to this point of view are the outcroppings of racial purity laws. And while initially it is all rhetoric the step from there to throwing the first stone is short and dark. Selling post cards of the hanging it is, I guess. This has been been a dark and greasy blemish on the happiness I have felt the last weeks over finally leaving the make believe of my life behind me.

Let's have our backs.

Steaks? I think it is all a question of what cut it is. And truly there is no steak that matches a tenderloin or a striploin as long as the animal is not age old. There is nothing that goes better with a healthy serving of rapini or spinach, pan wilted with a touch of bacon, onion and garlic finished with a dash of lemon juice to cut the richness.

Becca said...

I confess I didn't see the exchange of words but I was unlucky enough to catch some of her posts. I had tried to remove her from my 'reader' but obviously without success as two more popped up this morning.

I find it hard to contemplate how she can make no consideration for others life constraints - it seems to be that unless you have put transition ahead of everything else you are a fraud. Her pontifications around relationships I find astounding - more than a little undermined by her own inability to stay married. Ooops - that was nasty.

Oh well - there is always one I suppose. Narrow minded, biggoted and more than a little sad !

Becca

Anonymous said...

I've never met (and hope I never do) anyone I agree with 100% of the time, but I'll never understand those who get off hurting people. Thankfully, evil is the minority.

Jenny said...

You're not alone in being bunged up at this time of year, my sympathies. I have my daily blast of beclometasone followed by an unfortunate quarter hour when everything lets go. Too much information? Hell yeah!

I sometimes despair of our more militant post-op sisters both within and outside the blogosphere. We are a community united by a serious medical issue and as a result we have among us a lot of people who bear significant mental scars. I take prickliness like this as evidence of those scars not being healed, thus I prefer not to poke such people as to do so is not humane. In my experience those long-ago-transitioned people I have met who have exorcised their demons do not react in this way.

Lisa Maria said...

Nice pictures.
Dont take that episode to heart.
Hold your head up and be yourself.
Big hug xx

Anonymous said...

The "high priestess" person you described above seems to fit the personality of a male more than a female. Females tend to be more accepting, understanding, and emotionally tied to others. Many males tend to be "left-brained", which makes them more opinionated, pragmatic, and self-confident, to a fault.

I know whereof I speak because "I are one."...lol. As I age, I find those male patterns are fading and the nurturing female is taking charge more and more.

I believe your "high priestess" is a frustrated male...perhaps NOT a true TS. I wonder what she would think of that diagnosis?...lol.

Don't waste your time trying to edumacate him/her...not possible. Just be the sweet Melissa we all know and I'm sure you will find we will ALL be able to live with that.

It IS nice to see someone like you stand up for the rest of us though...thanks Melissa. :)Suzi

Amy K. said...

In my opinion, anyone who spreads hate or judgment on others has simply not learned life's lessons. This is sad, because you figure as transsexuals, they would be wiser and more enlightened than the average cisgendered person. But no, they'll come back to repeat life over again, until they finally get it right. From what I've seen, Melissa, you are much more connected with the "rightness" of the universe than these others you speak of. Maybe they'll see the error of their ways before they depart this life. Maybe not. They may start over again, only cast into the life of those they scorn so much. You know the saying, "That'll teach `em?" Well, it's meant literally here. ;)

I love the pictures you posted. I hope you feel better real soon. *hugs*

Melissa said...

@ Kathryn Martin

Re: " This has been been a dark and greasy blemish on the happiness I have felt the last weeks over finally leaving the make believe of my life behind me."

Kathryn, I have felt the same way, ever since she first appeared here in this part of Blogistan, nearly a year ago.

As for the steaks, you are right about choosing the right cut. I tried to get away on the cheap ($5.49 lb.), and got what I paid for. As little beef as I eat, I think I'll stick with the good cuts from now on. I have one left and I think I'm going to cut it up and slow cook it with some potatoes and veggies in the crock pot all day. :)

@ Becca

Re: "I find it hard to contemplate how she can make no consideration for others life constraints - it seems to be that unless you have put transition ahead of everything else you are a fraud."

The inability to put one's self into another's shoes, is a classic characteristic or a narcissistic personality. It's always all about them.

@ Penny's Arcade

Thanks for your comment, Penny!

@ Jenny

I usually get a runny nose this time of year, but this year for the first time, I am getting respiratory distress, almost like a mild case of asthma.

@ Lisa

Thanks for your support, and for defending me on her blog!

I hope your new job is going well. I just knew it was only a matter of time before some employer recognized your talents!

@ Suzi

A couple of people that we both know have met her in public, so I know she is for real, but that doesn't give her license to treat others rudely. You are right about her ultra-competitive nature being uncharacteristically masculine for a fully assimilated transsexual, but I think that has more to do with her narcissistic personality, than anything else. Thanks for your comment!

@ Amy

Too bad everyone isn't as sweet as you and me! ;) I don't know if I believe in karma or not, but it certainly would be justice, for those who abuse others to come back and live the lives of their victims. Thanks for your comment!

Melissa XX

Amy K. said...

Hate is as hate does. That "lady" is certainly no lady. Female, yes, just as much as all of us here, no less and no more. But being female and being a lady are two entirely different things.

Diana Nicole B said...

egads that should have read that the new found cousens transition was "MtF" sorry about that

Diana Nicole B said...

i have to agree with your blog and
isn't it amazing how we the transgendered have been granted any rights at all considering how much hate and distention there is within our own ranks!
sadly this is not the first time i have heard this happening.
what some people seem to selectively forget is that the word "transgendered" includes both those who are "trans"-sexual AND those who are "trans"-vestite it has become a umbrella for both branches of the "trans" or "transgendered" community.
there are many of us myself included that consider ourselves transgendered but not transitioning.
when i am out and about i truly am Diana.
in fact in my family i just found a new cousin who has just completed her transition MtF this month.
so i now believe some of the theories that it can run in the genetics of a family.
just this last sunday at my Diginity church service i offered up the eradication of hate in our prayers. but it is sad when it is within our own group of the transgendered.
if the entire group stuck together just think of the legislation we could accomplish. ahhh but then again i am "preaching to the choir"