Dragonflies, Butterflies & Lady Bugs

Out of the Frying Pan...

So... you all are so cool that you know the Zep lyrics. I knew I was in good company! Treesssa got them first, by the way, in the Notes section -- it was Led Zeppelin's "Thank You."

I didn't tell you about the silly and embarrassing thing I did last weekend. It was Saturday morning and I was cleaning house in my jammies, getting ready for Mom and Dad to pop in. They're just your garden variety jammies, little purple flowers on a white background, jersey knit, with long pants and a sleeveless, button-up top. So there I was, with my lavender Dyson vacuum, sucking up the copious amounts of black dog hair on my carpet (and lest you think I'm a slob, I vacuum every other day -- these damned dogs seem to be regenerating hair daily, just to have it shoot right off their bodies like little hair missiles) when there was a knock on the door.

Now, the night before, D's daughter stayed the night, and D had called earlier to say she was coming by to pick her up. So when the knock came, I assumed it was D. The morning was bright, and I just glanced out the door, seeing a woman of medium height, small build and darkish hair. She had a little girl standing next to her (one of D's daughters had stayed home). So given all the similarities, I assumed it was D after the very quick glance and swept my arm in an exaggerated arc and said loudly and somewhat clownishly, "Come on in!" And, as I stepped back out of the sun to make way, got a better look -- and realized it wasn't D, but someone I had never seen before! Turns out it was the president of the HOA (that's Homeowner's Association, for those of you who don't have to deal with such things) and her daughter, who is in Gab's class. I quickly covered my gaff by remaining insanely friendly while she stood in my living room surrounded by books on Witchcraft, herbs, comparative religions, tarot and Celtic mythology. It must have been surreal.

Anyway, the cool thing that came of it is that she made mention of the Kerry-Edwards sign we have in the window over our front door. As she came in, she motioned to the sign and said, "I'm voting for him too. And you know what? I've never voted in an election." I was positively giddy. "I hope there are thousands of others just like you." She went on to relay her annoyance at a neighbor who does yard maintenance while listening to Bush speeches and cheering. Ugh.

When I got here, I was dumbfounded by the signs all over the place for Republicans running for office. Little elephants abound. Was it that I was in a Democrat stronghold and the Republicans were trying to swing voters? Was it that I was in a Republican stronghold and they were just preaching to their choir? Oh yes, it's that, and worse. I forgot that this area is so Republican, that often Republicans run unopposed for office. I was so horrified when D reminded me (my face must have been priceless) that I almost opened my mouth and declared I would be running for office, and soon! Damn, why didn't we move to Tucson, where there are not only liberal politicians, but even a few Green Party politicians in office?! Oh well. At least we can huddle with D&B (and apparently the HOA president) and vote our five little Democratic votes.

All right, so here's today's lyrics, also pre-1989, and from another of my all-time favorite bands:

Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside.

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