musings, Nonsense

Of Flags and Flowers

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I sometimes think our house has the curb appeal of a fairway exhibit. Or else a parade float. I can’t decide which, but I blame our neighbors.

We live on a busy corner in an older neighborhood. At some point during the pandemic, a house across the street started flying one of those Trump-Rambo flags and I was incensed enough to not care whether our response made us look like we were trying to sell hot tubs at the county fair, or enter the Mardis Gras parade.

After careful consideration, we hung a trio of our own flags. Combined, they’re about a third the square footage of our whole house, and so aggressively brilliant and demonstrative. We’ve never been flag-flying people and I kind of waver on the edge of embarrassment every time the wind blows.

The neighbor with the faux Rambo flag moved at some point, and eventually we took ours down, too. We put them back up for special occasions, like to commemorate Pride month, for example, or Juneteenth, or welcome our part-time legislature to town.

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Parenting

We never were a Mustachioed Nation

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statehouseEsteemed Representative Nuxoll,

I just wanted to drop you a little note to thank you for the interesting family discussions around here recently.

So often, conversations based on the antics of politicians and others of note end up going places I’d rather not. Such was the case with a certain Toronto Mayor last year, and before that a senator with an unfortunate surname and a predilection for smart phone portraits of his mister bits.

But your recent actions weren’t awkward in any sense that has to do with photos of body parts, or what someone may or may not be snorting up his nose. Our conversations about what you had to say recently were just plain interesting.

What’s more, when you stood outside that legislative chamber last week in protest to an opening prayer offered in Hindu, you really owned it. Others offered feeble excuses like being tardy and embarrassed about interrupting a solemn moment.

But not you, Representative. You and at least two others of your disposition stood up for your convictions. Even if doing so showed you to be embarrassingly small-minded, you owned it. Go you.

Talk about a teachable moment. This was a humdinger, lady.

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