Out and About -- In the World at Large

[moonshadow]

'Twas a good day. But, no comments. I must look normal now. How ordinary. So much for shock and awe.

I'm having a few instances where locals who hadn't said anything for the longest time are starting to ask about the skirts. Comments like "I've seen you around before and always wanted to ask.... what's with the skirts?"

[Fred in Skirts]

I'm having a few instances where locals who hadn't said anything for the longest time are starting to ask about the skirts. Comments like "I've seen you around before and always wanted to ask.... what's with the skirts?"

So what do you tell them?

Fred

[moonshadow]

Went grocery shopping at Food Lion in Abingdon tonight. Both Jennifer and Amber went. We had a pretty good time actually. We cut up and carried on quite a bit. A couple of times during our shenanigans our faces got so red we almost cried!

This is more or less the same store I've been doing most of my grocery shopping in since May, I'd say they've probably gotten used to seeing me in there. We'll go here until the Walmart is completed on exit 19 which hopefully won't be much longer. But I'll still take time to visit my friends at Food Lion once in a while, they are the only store to carry the ice cream I like. I'd continue to shop there after the Walmart opens, but this Food Lion is on the opposite side of town, the Walmart will be much closer.



Finally, here's a photo I took of me wearing one of the dresses I purchased on our vacation at the GoodWill in Bowling Green Kentucky. I took my bicycle down to the Tweetsie Trail in Elizabethton Tennessee and rode a few miles. This was QUITE an outing as the strip of trail I rode ran parallel to the main 4 lane business drag. I'd say thousands of cars passed by, in addition the numerous intersections I crossed while cars were stopped at the lights. This outing was particularly bold as this area of Tennessee has a reputation of being quite red and conservative. Alas, nobody bothered me, with the exception of one punk who made a remark as I rode by towards his friends... "what tha f___".... Gheesh... kids. Yeah kiddo... try getting out more often, there is a big world outside of Carter County Tennessee believe it or not....

[moonshadow]

I'm having a few instances where locals who hadn't said anything for the longest time are starting to ask about the skirts. Comments like "I've seen you around before and always wanted to ask.... what's with the skirts?"

So what do you tell them?

Fred

One woman in particular, the own of a local store in Damascus... We simply had about a 15 minute discussion about the various reasons I do this. It went well. She said "to each his own". I purchased a VHS tape off of her. She asked my permission to take a picture of me... I granted it.

[Sinned]

There are parts of Boston that are now unrecognisable to me, even though I worked in that city for almost two decades. Traffic-patterns, mainly thanks to the "Big Dig", are completely different, although the drivers aren't, and the number of new buildings -- many of them architectural monstrosities that never should have left the architects' imaginations, never mind the drawing board (Prince Charles, where are you when we need you?!) -- is astonishing.

Carl, your mention of Prince Charles caught me on the hop. It's charming to know that he is noted for more than his eccentricities and talking to plants. He does put his oar in at times that only come to light much later on. I am not a royalist and if the family died out tomorrow I wouldn't lose any sleep over it but I think that he would make a really good King, as long as he outlasts his mother.

[crfriend]

It's charming to know that [The Price of Wales] is noted for more than his eccentricities and talking to plants.

That's not an eccentricity at all. I do it, after all. It's also fairly well known that he does have some remarkably strong opinions when it comes to architecture, and I think that's a good thing. Foisting architectural monstrosities onto future generations really should be discouraged -- and some of the new buildings in Boston are truly atrocious.

I am not a royalist and if the family died out tomorrow I wouldn't lose any sleep over it [...]

Germans.

I think it's going to be a crap-shoot to see who buries who in the current royal family. But there is one thing to be said for a monarchy -- at least one that's constrained as is the one in the UK (unlike the clowns we get in the USA) -- it's nice to have something that's reasonably stable in these unstable times.

I still chuckle about the time I got sent to the Headmaster's office for singing "God Save the Queen" instead of "My Country 'tis of Thee" when I was in grammar school. My elders fairly howled about it but informed me that it wasn't to happen again. (Of course other bits did, some of which also resulted in the parental units getting summoned to the school, and usually with the same result.)

[Kirbstone]

When Her Majesty visited Ireland for four days in 2011 she ensured that the magazine stalls throughout the Republic would thereafter groan with royalist illustrated literature, which still flies off the shelves five years later.

We were over in Brexitland the other week and we visited Highgrove, the Tetbury seat of the Prince of Wales, just to stroll about his garden, which he bought in 1980 and in 36 years has created a lovely 'English Country Garden' (in E-flat!), so he's got a lot going for him apart from his firm views on architecture.

I heard an amusing comment just today on BBC Radio 4 by an architect.....A Doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only grow creepers or plants up his, hoping to hide it/them!

Tom

[Sinned]

Carl I did say eccentricities and talking to plants. Plants listen and talking to them and playing music to them can have positive and negative effects depending on what's said or played. I talk to even inanimate things all the time - it's when they talk back that I get worried.

[STEVIE]

Best comment yet,
"Man, those trousers look so cool"!
From a guy, Aberdeen city centre yesterday. He was mid twenties, not intoxicated or visually challenged.
However, he was a missionary for the Church of Latter Day Saints. Pretty sure that has no bearing
I didn't correct him.
Steve.

[Sinned]

Stevie, We have a sense of humour as well as being a wee bit serious about our religion.

[STEVIE]

Hi Dennis,
I did not mean that to sound so bad and apologise!
There was no trace of humour or irony that I could detect from him.
I think he was actually trying to engage me in conversation.
Alas, I'm a lost cause in that respect. I came to my own conclusions re God, Religion and Church a wee while ago.
I'll leave it at that, with due respect to anybody elses beliefs.
Steve.

[Sinned]

Stevie, no need to apologise, no offence taken. I didn't take it in a bad light at all. He probably was trying to engage you. One thing you can never say about us is that we are stuck up. At least none that I know anyway. As I have always said that we don't convert people to our religion - they convert themselves, or not. Like I said we have a sense of humour, most of us anyway.

[moonshadow]

Spent the day in Abingdon today. I wore my blue floral Old Navy skirt and black tank top. Stopped to get some lunch and then walked around downtown. They were having some sort of Highlander festival I believe. I'm really not too sure. I just like to look at the stuff on display, I seldom buy anything. Not really much of a nick nack guy... except for fairies and witch statues. Those items are my weakness. I love collecting fairy stuff.

Anyway, I also visited a few antique stores downtown and headed home. I got the grass cut today, however as I was cooling off, debating on jumping in the creek behind the house, my phone went off (on call.... AGAIN! ) Had to change into my blasted trousers and ride to Bluefield to work on a hood system. Got home and just showered and changed straight into my P.J.'s. Today was Jennifer's birthday, so it was special treating her to lunch and a day out in Abingdon.

At the restaurant, she allowed that some guy was making a big ruckus about my skirt. I actually never heard him say a word, a credit to how adjusted and "numb" I have gotten to people's ugly remarks. But Jenn heard it, and apparently went off on the guy for it. I'm glad she had my back, however I'm also glad that apparently I don't notice this stuff anymore. I just walk with my head held high.

It was slightly breezy today. And this skirt is a BEAR to keep down, it's feather light. There is an inner "slip" built in that hugs my legs and I believe it helps to prevent unwanted flashes, but still, when all you can see is the hem of the skirt coming up even with your waist, you never can be sure if the inner slip is where it needs to be. I spent most of the day with my hands holding it down.... If I were somewhere a little less populated this wouldn't have bothered me, but there were thousands of people downtown today and it was giving me some modesty issues. Next time I think I'll wear something a little heavier.

Here's the rig:

[Jim]

Could you slip a few quarters in the hem here and there to stop it from blowing up? (or dollar coins if you want more emergency money?)

[moonshadow]

Could you slip a few quarters in the hem here and there to stop it from blowing up? (or dollar coins if you want more emergency money?)

I thought about something like that... but then it would loose it's fluff. I guess I could just try to condition myself to not worry about it so much. The inner liner I believe stays down as it's a closer fit.

I've even had this problem with a few longer skirts. Gas pumps for some reason seem to attract hem lifting gust.....