Where's the purple?

My view of the Iowa State Capitol one morning this week

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too! But my voice is less than stellar (okay, bad), so don't get me started. Speaking of rainbows-

Recently Paul and I got together with red friends (you know, the right-leaning kinda red). We actually broke the no-speaky taboo and discussed politics. Paul is actually a registered Republican (just pretend red in my opinion) and of course, my fave color is blue. It was very refreshing to talk politics in "mixed" company!

It made me pine for the days when I didn't identify the people I know by colors. Now I feel I must evaluate the crowd I'm with and muffle thoughts, or at the very least comments. I'm sure people do that around me too! What has happened to us?

Something needs to change. All this separation is bad for our country. We need to talk about issues in mixed groups, like Paul and I did a few nights ago with our friends. To share thoughts and concerns - instead of only hearing anecdotes on our own carefully chosen media outlets.

I think if we talked in mixed company more, we'd find that we're not so much blue and red, but varying shades of purple. Of course, I'd be the better-looking more bluish shade of purple (haha).

I was sad to see my beloved Cyclones lose in the NCAA tourney. I love this time of year - especially when my team is playing. Though it can be nerve-wracking! Pablo and I are hoops hounds and watch lots of games, if I can stay awake... Good luck to my sister's fam favorite, the Zags of Gonzaga (pronounced Gone Zag (like sag) A). My nephew Eric is a grad and niece Sarah is a junior there. If the Cyclones can't win it, I pick the Zags!

Post Birthday Reality Check - political alert.

My first week at age 59 didn't go so well in my view.

• I have a sinus infection
• After a Bone Scan the past week, I learned Monday that I have Osteoporosis
• The election didn't go the way I hoped

Life is certainly a roller coaster. It takes a lot to get through it at times. The sinus infection is one of those brief blips. With an assist from a ZPack and time, I should be back to my usual sinus self in a few days.

The Osteoporosis diagnosis was a bigger blow. I asked my healthcare provider, former Crestonite and longtime pal, Sheryl Young about the Bone Scan because I had read that people with Grave's Disease were at risk for lost calcium. She arranged the scan for me at age 59 - prior to the usual 60 year threshold due to that and my broken bone last year. Even so, I have it in my head that I am Super Woman - immune to such things!

When Sheryl called Monday to tell me I have the disease I was stunned. In my mind I had pictured people with Osteoporosis being hunched 90 year-olds with blu-ish hair. Not me! Now I have to decide my method of treatment - more calcium for sure, bumped up to 1,200 milligrams from the 900 I was taking. Weight bearing exercise. And a medication to be determined - by what my insurance company agrees to. (yeah - they are the experts..). I'm hoping to do the twice yearly shots. Sheryl says perhaps these things could even build up my bones. Fingers crossed. I'm glad I found out and am treating this issue. I will continue to be careful about falls.

Next came the Tuesday election. I'm still coming to terms with the result. I always knew it could happen. I'm weary. I'm so very tired of playing defense - the constant anger, obstruction and criticism directed toward the current administration. In some ways this will be a relief.

I remember eight years ago. Many Americans woke up feeling like I do now - in reverse. I vow to not act like some of them have towards Obama - so very disrespectful, in fact downright hateful. This president-elect is testing me to my limits due to things he has done and said in his past. I appreciated his first speech. I hope he means it.

Here are a few a my fears:

• For the environment - are we going to go back to the 1970's where businesses and anyone could pollute the air, land and water however they wish to? Or have businesses learned that they must be good stewards of this world?
• Women's rights when it comes to their own bodies. Would outlawing legal abortion drive it underground as it was before it was legal? Will legislation allow women to die, sparing the fetus? If so, what happens to the children left behind? Why would fetuses have more rights than women?
• For minorities and immigrants. I know that most of the people who voted for the president-elect are not racists, but this election has elevated racist acts. There are those who don't blame Trump - they blame the media. Or Obama. No matter where this new boldness by racists is coming from - telling those of color to "go back to where they came from", We The People need to put an end to it. We cannot allow students to chant "Build A Wall". We need to speak up! It is learned behavior, and must be dealt with. This must be condemned from the top on down.  
• Health insurance - Republicans have campaigned on repeal and replace for many years, but nobody seems to really know what this means. Will 20 million be kicked off insurance plans? Will those like my cousin with a pre-existing condition still be able to get insurance?
• My niece plans to marry her partner Jill in Colorado next year. Will their marriage be threatened by this election? Will businesses continue to stand up against discrimination against LGBT?

That's enough for now. I'm trying. I want this country to succeed. I will try not to encourage posts comparing the new first lady past ones. That was very unfair to Michelle Obama and would be unfair now.

If a member of congress yells out "Liar" during a State of the Union Address, I will condemn him/her. There has been too much of that these past eight years. It has hurt. Decorum has suffered and the president deserves a level of respect that Obama never received from many in the country. Now those same people demand it for Trump. I will give it to him because of the office.

I traveled to Zearing yesterday for work. Rural Iowa voted for Trump. They are suffering. Their world has changed and the past eight years has not helped them. In my view life will never be the same in small town Iowa, but people will adapt. They are good people out there. I always see something cool in the towns we visit. Check out this sign.

A local soda pop bottled in Marshalltown back in the day

Vote for me

No not really.

Recently Paul and I, disgusted by negative campaign advertising, pondered why anyone would ever wish to run for elected office. When you do - all the dirt comes out. In this election sometimes I don't even know who their opponents are or what they stand for - but now thanks to TV commercials I (and other Iowans) know some junk about one candidate posted on the Internet and another's tax history. While this might tell me about a mistake they made, it doesn't tell me if this is ongoing behavior or what kind of candidate they might be. These ads must be effective though - or they would not do them.

When I think about my own life, at first glance I'm a Girl Scout (in my own mind anyway). No boyfriends, no arrests, groping or email controversies. Taxes are paid.

But wait! All the opposition would need to do is search social media or this blog for fodder for advertisements and speeches.

They would have a field day!

• Goldsmith has a filthy mouth (after a blog I wrote about how much I enjoy swearing)
• She's a former shoplifter (one I blogged that a took bubblegum and felt so guilty I put a dime on the cash register)
• Here is a photo of Goldsmith drinking shots of liquor. (Um, which time?) Searching Blog Topics one can learn that seven of my blogs are contain the word shots - but two were really about medical shots. That wouldn't stop them though...
• I'm sure they could drum something up from my work history. Goldsmith job-hops for ten years before becoming a public serving and sucking off of taxpayers for the rest of her career. Yep - that would be the take.

Yep - a brief outburst in your online social media life can make you a target. Or in my case - an ongoing self-destructive need to write exposes me this type of overexposure. Oh well - one has to take some risks! My name is Leslie, and I am an over-sharer. I guess public office is not in my future.

Yesterday brought yet another football loss for the Cyclones. There were some cute dogs and kids in costume tailgating! I always look at the bright side. Cyclone fans have to or we'd be pretty crabby. And we got to hang with our buddies, Don, Diana, Kevin and Kari - who are fun, win or lose.

I took a few pictures as usual. I didn't get a photo of the strangest scene though - a guy on a motorized cooler being chased by a guy on a small motorcycle (complete with rubber with a horse head) - trying to lasso him. Too funny.

I wish this guy had been our ref for the game...

Hank and Max - Lion and Giraffe

Missy was a peacock

beautiful day to hang out with pals

Fiction and religion

Sometimes I don't mind when an author slips a bit of the character's feelings/doubts/thoughts about spirituality into a book. I just don't like "holier than thou" attitudes.

This past couple days I've been catching up on some reading. I picked up a couple "quick reads" at the library. Robert B. Parker is one of my all time faves - he writes the Spenser books, along with Jesse Stone and now Everitt Hitch - Westerns. All the leading characters are pretty much the same guy. And all the books are filled with bits of conversation by men of few words. I read yesterday's offering "Brimstone" a western, in about 4 hours or so, finishing when I couldn't sleep after we went to bed.

Robert B. Parker books don't usually get into religion, but surprisingly, this one did broach the subject. The religious guy turned out to me a schmuck of course, in it for the power and the money. But Parker's lead character did admit that he thought the religious guy actually believed the stuff he was spouting, all while molesting a teenage girl. Jim Bakker anyone? and others...

Today I dug into "Face of Betrayal" by Lis Wiehl. I should have gotten a clue that this would be a very conservative book, as it was reviewed on the cover by Bill O'Reilly. But I must give the author credit. She inserts religion into the various character's lives, but not in an "in your face" way. I'm only about half way through so I hope it doesn't take over!

Today I had breakfast with my homies after running into them on my inaugural post-hysterectomy walk around Lake McKinley with Pablo. Ah I've missed them so! It's amazing how a bit of girl chat can lift one's spirit (speaking of religious experiences). We talked about girl stuff - BMs and sex. And got into the world's problems on which we don't all see eye to eye. But we were able to stay civil, and when conversation got a bit animated, we decided to switch back to BMs. haha! Estrogen trumps politics!