Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Today I visited the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market held at Museum Hill. It cost $15 to get in but it was worth it. With admission to the market you could also visit the museums - Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Wheelwright Musuem. I had a great time visiting all the booths and looking at all the arts and crafts. There was so much to see and there were so many people. Sometimes it was hard to get to the booths and actually see the artwork. But I saw some incredible things. Weavings, drums, jewelry, block prints, tinwork, baskets and a lot more. I ended up purchasing a hammered copper vase - it is made from recycled copper that is melted down and formed into disks and then hammered into shape. The piece I bought came from Santa Clara del Cobre in Michoacán, Mexico and was produced by the Roberto Castro Hernandez workshop.

I also took a little break from the heat and crowds and visited the Folk Art Museum and the Museum of Indian Arts. I hadn't been in these museums for a long time - it was good to take this opportunity to see them again. After a walk through of the museums I went to the stage area and watched the Kalakriti Dance Company - they performed Bharata Natyam (a traditional dance from India). It was really enjoyable - I watched them for about 30 minutes and then I made the rounds of the booths again. I decided it was time to go so I made my way to the payment booth to pay for the vase and then went back to the booth to pick it up.

Last Day of Gay Pride Month

Today is the last day of gay pride. I have decided to put all the things that I had on the blog into this one post - there is the picture from Kelly's blog (Rambling Along in Life), the quotes from That's So Gay and a few other things I had posted. It was a good month with lots of celebrations all over the world and some very positive and powerful messages. I enjoyed reading other blogs as people celebrated Gay Pride. Here's hoping that next year will bring more for us to celebrate.


We have come a long way,
but still have a long way to go.
Thanks to all those who have paved the way,
Some even gave their lives...
Keep their fight alive...
We won't forget!!

These quotes are taken from That's So Gay

"Soldiers who are not afraid of guns, bombs, capture, torture or death say they are afraid of homosexuals. Clearly we should not be used as soldiers; we should be used as weapons". ~Letter to the editor, The Advocate

"More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion."~ Harvey Milk

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision".~Lynn Lavner

"Maybe what a gay icon is, is a person who is rooted for – in other words, cheered on by people who feel different"~ Liza Minelli

"Family need not be defined merely as those with whom you share blood but for those for whom you would give your blood"~ Nathan Lane

"Love is the big booming beat which covers up the noise of hate"~ Margaret Cho

"I believe that we, the lgbt community, need to continue to dialogue among ourselves about the issues and concerns that effect us. We are often banded together so often against a common foe, we forget to take the time to talk to each other about our lives and feelings as gay people. We are not all the same, we do not all have the same goals and desires and we do not always agree on everything just because we all share a common sexuality or struggle"~ Sean Breen

"There's no life without humour. It can make the wonderful moments of life truly glorious, and it can make tragic moments bearable"~ Rufus Wainwright

"The idea that your parents influence your sexual orientationis ridiculous. Because if it were true, I'd have my mother's taste in men, and i've never dated a guy who falls asleep in his chair during Jeopardy"~ Bob Smith

"We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag"~ RuPaul

"Parents have to understand: if your kid isn't you, don't blame the kid"~ Chastity Bono

"Tolerance and acceptance are not enough for me-it's celebration I'm aiming for"~ Kevyn Aucoin

"Sexually progressive cultures gave us mathematics, literature, philosophy, civilization and the rest, while sexually restrictive cultures gave us the Dark Ages and the Holocaust"~Alan Moore

"On the surface, civil unions are a politically safe middle ground, an attempt to highlight the artificial divide between secular unions and the religious rite of marriage. But the fact is that marriage is a civil institution just as much as it is a religious one, and therefore religious objections to same-sex marriage shouldn't be an obstacle. We allow atheists to marry and we do not refer to a wedding performed by a secular judge or justice of the peace as a 'civil union'."~ William Jelani Cobb

"...there was something reassuring about watching my best friends joking around. It was what we did, how we engaged with each other. Silly but witty chit-chat about inane things. It's funny how meaningful inane things can be- comforting, easy things like family. And they were my family."~ Tommy's Tale (Alan Cumming)

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination"~ Oscar Wilde

"For flavor, instant sex will never supersede the stuff you have to peel and cook"~ Quentin Crisp

"I was raised around heterosexuals, as all heterosexuals are, that's where us gay people come from...you heterosexuals."~ Ellen DeGeneres

"I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short"~Armistead Maupin

"No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. the only queer people are those who don't love anybody"~ Rita Mae Brown

"They are preserving the sanctity of marriage, so that two gay men who've been together for twenty-five years can't get married, but a guy can still get drunk in Vegas and marry a hooker at the Elvis chapel! The sanctity of marriage is saved!"~ Lea DeLaria

"I have come to fully understand that tolerance is only a fraction better than intolerance but a world away from acceptance"~ CawfeeMate

I'm Proud!

You can read my other posts related to Gay Pride by clicking on the picture below.

Prayers For Bobby

Last night I watched the movie Prayers For Bobby. It was a Lifetime movie and as you can probably guess it was pretty sentimental. I related a lot to the movie, not so much with my parents but with just the general attitude of people about gays and lesbians and I definitely related to Bobby and his feelings. One part of the movie really got to me - that was when Mary made a speech to the Walnut City Council. Below is a video of the speech from the movie and the transcript.

" 'Homosexuality is a sin. Homosexuals are doomed to spend eternity in hell. If they wanted to change, they could be healed of their evil ways. If they would turn away from temptation, they could be normal again. If only they would try and try harder if it doesn't work. '

These are all of the things I said to my son Bobby when I found out he was gay. When he told me he was homosexual, my world fell apart. I did everything I could to cure him of his sickness.

Eight months ago, my son jumped off a bridge and killed himself. I deeply regret my lack of knowledge of gay and lesbian people. I see that everything that I was taught and told was bigotry and dehumanizing slander. If I had investigated beyond what I was told, if I had just listened to my son when he poured his heart out to me, I would not be standing here today with you filled with regret.

I believe that God was pleased with Bobby's kind and loving spirit. In God's eyes, kindness and love is what's it's all about. I didn't know that each time that I echoed eternal damnation for gay people, each time I referred to Bobby as sick and perverted and a danger to our children, his self-esteem and his sense of worth were being destroyed. Finally, his spirit broke beyond repair.

It was not God's will that Bobby climbed over the side of a freeway overpass and jumped directly into the path of an 18 wheel truck which killed him instantly. Bobby's death was the direct result of his parents ignorance and fear of the word gay.

He wanted to be a writer. His hopes and dreams should not have been taken from him but they were. There are children like Bobby sitting in your congregations.

Unknown to you, they will be listening as you echo 'Amen' and that will soon silence their prayers. Their prayers to God for understanding and acceptance and for your love. But your hatred and fear and ignorance of the word 'gay' will silence those prayers.

So, before you echo 'Amen' in your home and place of worship, think. Think and remember that a child is listening."

Mary Griffiths

Something to Ponder

I found this cartoon and I thought it spoke volumes even though it is such a simple drawing. I am not trying to say anything in particular but I thought it was something to ponder.

An Orchid and Many Poppies

I have a few orchids and I have trouble getting them to bloom a second time. I attended a talk at Tropic of Capricorn earlier this year and learned some incredible information about taking care of my plants. Last year one of my orchids bloomed (this was only the second time, the first was when I bought it) and I was so excited - even though I have no idea what I did to get it to bloom. For about a month I watched as my Phalaenopsis sprouted a stalk. I made sure to follow everything I learned to help this plant to bloom again. Today I was rewarded - when I got home from work I had a beautiful bloom awaiting me. I hope the reason it bloomed was because I did all the right things and if that is true I hope it will bloom again next year.
My Oriental Poppies on the other hand have been incredible. I have had this plant for about eight years now and each year it grows more and I get more blooms. I really don't do anything special to it - I treat it like every other plant in the garden. It must like the location because it is one of the hardiest plants in the garden. This year I have had 11 blooms so far, and I have 5 more yet to come. I am hoping that this plant continues to grow and bloom for years to come.

A Little Lesson on Some Gay Symbols

To celebrate gay pride I decided to do a post about some of the common symbols used in the gay community. I have to tell you it was a lesson for me as well. I learned about symbols I never knew about and learned more about others. So here are a few of those symbols and at the end of the post there will be links for you to find out more if you are interested.


The Lambda
The lower case greek letter was adopted by the Gay Activist Alliance to help members of the gay community identify each other. No one is really sure what the symbol means or meant.


The Rainbow Flag
This is probably the most widely used and recognized of all the symbols of the gay pride movement. Red for life; Orange for healing; Yellow for the sun; Green for nature; Blue for art; Violet for spirit. There are many variations of the flag used to represent individual groups within the gay community.


The Pink Triangle
The pink triangle is a symbol taken directly from the Nazi concentration camps. It was used to identify homosexual prisoners. There are other versions of the triangle to represent individual groups.


The Red Ribbon
The red ribbon is used to recognize and honor friends and colleagues who have died or are dying of AIDS. It was inspired by the yellow ribbon used during the Gulf War. The red color was chosen to represent blood since HIV and AIDS are blood related diseases.

These are only a few of the symbols. You can read and learn more at Lambda GLBT Community Services and Stonewall Society.

Detached Retina . . . One Year Later

Today is one year to the day that my retina detached. I was a little worried because last year June 4th was on a Thursday and I worked that day and I worked today. So I kept thinking all day that everything is the same as last year and I sure as hell hope my retina doesn't detach again this year. Well, so far so good! Even though a year has passed I still remember how I felt when I covered my right eye and realized that I couldn't see out of my left. The anxiety and fear are still vivid. But I have a lot to be thankful about. After four surgeries and countless hours in a face down position; after being very still and inactive for a full summer and after numerous doctor visits I do have vision in my left eye. In February I saw my regular eye doctor and had my glasses updated and in March I saw my retina specialist and things were looking pretty good. I do still have some blurriness in the left eye and if I cover my right eye it is still a little difficult to see things clearly. The good news is that I can walk and not bump into things with just my left eye - there is still some problems with details. But I continue to notice small improvements as time goes by. Dr. Wyant told me that patients sometimes notice improvement even a year later. So I am optimistic about things. My eye pretty much feels normal - no itching or watering and it isn't red anymore. I also have better depth perception and that makes getting around easier. All in all things pretty darn good. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't happen again.