Everything I ever needed to know in life, I've learned from Drag Queens

(The past six weeks, I've been down with the hives and down with life.) 

I love drag queens. Always have.  They teach amazing lessons, even if they aren't contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race.

Who was my first drag queen? 

pre-makover ... note the chocolate mask!

Technically it was my brother, at age two, we dressed him in a plastic wig, oversized jewelry, and a dress.  He was adorable.  Just because he was adorable, to us, means nothing.

no wig in this shot
but twas her norm

The other was my grandmother.  OK, so women aren't considered drag queens, but everything she did was exaggerated. Oversized wigs, big earrings, too much lipstick, and the deep smoker's voice that could go either way.

over enthusiastic makeup
darn it all

So what is the actual lesson?

1) Know that you are beautiful from the inside out. No amount of makeup can give the inner glow of confidence.

2) Accentuate the positive ... even if it takes a bit to figure out what that means to you. Is it the voice, the walk, the attitude, or the incredible hair?  

3) There is no such thing as an ugly woman, just one who hasn't exhausted all of her options. If one look doesn't work, try, try again. Besides in fashion what is in one day is out the next.

4) You'd better work.  At all of it in life.  It isn't just about the illusion, it is about achieving something you really, really want.

holiday letter 2013 - reboot

Every year, I write at least four drafts of the Christmas letter.

This strangeness usually starts in June.  Then come the revisions.

I take a lot of pride in doing one to two pages that says absolutely nothing other than life is going as it should and balderdash such as that.

The thing is, I seldom have anything I think is worth reading - in  a progress report kind of a way. 

I put things in first person because I tend to drag Fuzzy along with me - no matter what. So he is part of 'I'

I haven't saved a village from carpenter ants. 

I haven't become a lemonade stand tycoon and bolstered or destroyed a bunch of kids ideas about the business world.

My dogs can't read Braille not do they respond to commands in Pig Latin.  It is along the line of, "Look cute.  That's a good dog." And I hand over the sandwich I just made for myself.  Mind the other dog is rolling her eyes and hoping for something with less carbs and more protein.


I did get in touch with my inner home ec geek and I made oodles of pillow cases for foster care.

I did finally clean out the hall closet and can close it again, sadly half the contents are on the sofa in the living room.

This year, I blame my lack of letter writing speed on the home ec geek.  Instead of drafting, revising (read expounding and usually fibulating - just a tad), honing and starting over, nothing happened.  June came and my niece and I re-learned more than I had forgotten about sewing.  August came and went, and I was in a flurry of making Xmas ornaments for my beloveds.  October came, was full of car repairs, and went ... as flat as it came in.

Thanksgiving!  

E gads! 

I should have done it then ... except no one came in from out of town this year and I usually work on the letter to avoid washing all of those pots and pans.

Top it off with another truth - Thanksgiving was late.  So the retailers didn't get to me and nudge me.  The sounds of the jingle in front of the malls didn't get to me either, all gifts were hand crafted ... 

Now I am looking forward to New Years and know if I don't post this, and plenty soon enough, thank  you, it will be the holiday letter for 2014 or 2015.

Wishing you, yours, and those you want to be yours the very best of 2014!

Christmas Decorating

This hasn't been my year for Christmas decorating.  Good intentions abounded, but never really seemed to get off the ground.

So in the spirit of getting into the spirit, thought I'd show some favorite images.


The trees aren't too far from where Santa was raised.  

The others are shots from the Mesa Mormon Temple (this year).

castles in the air? nope, in the middle of the desert

 
 There is another ''famous" desert castle in the city limits of Phoenix, the Mystery Castle.

The story behind the dwelling is much better told on the website than I could ever do, be that as it may, it is fascinating.

Most of the materials were scavenged, salvaged, or recycled.  

Built with no plans.  Take ambition, an artistic eye, determination, and a very limited budget and this is what you get.

 A labor of love from a father for his daughter.  Castles at the beach can wash away, those built of stone and cement last a little longer.

So he kept his nose to the grind stone(s)

A great way to recycle the rims from his car

In winter, there needs to be a way to get and stay warm

A different meaning to going to the chapel!

No castle is complete without a knight!

first draft of the Christmas letter

This is awkward.

It is mid December and I not only haven’t sent my Christmas cards, I haven’t written the annual Christmas letter.

Normally said letter is drafted by October 1. (OK, so sometimes it is as early as July, but not normally.)

EVERY YEAR!

I do this early each year!

Why so early?

I procrastinate by my very nature. I figure if I start early, I will get letters printed and mailed early, too. It doesn’t always work, but it is a good idea.

Does it ever resemble the final draft?

Usually not. The point is, you can’t edit a blank page.  Even if I just type Albert Einstein over and over again, it is something to change.  And on the odd occasion, sometimes AE’s name still shows up in the final draft. 

Does anyone ever read them?

No idea.  I do try to keep them to one page to keep the boredom factor down …

Is it worth it?

Maybe.  It does ensure I write at least one piece of fiction every year!