Another Summer

 Another summer has come and gone, way too quickly. Even though summer is not my favorite season, it's almost time to consider putting all my seasonal sleeveless tank tops away and taking stock of my sweaters which are still wearable from my wardrobe. I say "about" time because here in Ohio we always have what we call an Indian summer when temperatures hit normally summer like temperatures. In the meantime, we have been enjoying rare wonderful fall weather away from all the fires and hurricanes plaquing the country. Where ever you are, I hope you are staying safe. Of course too, we have the continuing tragic problems with the Covid virus.

I keep thinking as bad as the year 2020 has been, I ought to try to slow down the march of time as much as I can, because as I near 71 years of age, realistically, I don't know how many summers I have left. But that is a whole other subject. On a lighter note, I did take advantage of the good weekend weather to finally start to clean out my old car which is probably heading for the junk yard. Being the procrastinator that I am, I still have a couple weeks before the license tags expire and I have to get it off the street. Interestingly, none of the neighborhood kids I encountered yesterday paid me any mind whatsoever. 

On another level, the car represents one of the few remaining ties I have with my old pre transition self. Cutting ties all the way with it would provide me yet another way to cut ties with the past. 

Later on today, I hope to take advantage of the weather and do a little more work on the car. When the rains come later on in the week, I plan on going through all my clothes. I did find a The Ohio State hoodie in the back of the car I can wear on my walks when the weather cools off again. And I'm excited the Buckeyes (OSU) are going to start playing football again in about a month. 

Go Bucks!

Hot Flash?

 If you have never experienced a hormonal hot flash, it's quite the experience. 

I remember vividly my first real "flash" as I was sitting at a favorite sports bar (of course) of mine enjoying a drink and watching the big screen television. All of the sudden, I felt like I was internally combusting. I wondered if the whole world would notice. They didn't seem to and fairly quickly I returned to normal (?) and began to realize I had just experienced my first hot flash. No wonder all the cis woman of middle age I knew talked about their overheating. 

All of a sudden, this morning, I experienced another hot flash and I am not completely sure why. I have not changed any of my HRT meds I have been on for many months now, so meds should not be an issue. Similar to my first case of heat, the whole episode probably only lasted an hour or so. 

I will have to see if it happens again as I have another visit coming up in October with my endocrinologist so I am sure she will check my hormonal levels again anyway. 

As with mammograms, I see hot flashes as a rite of passage into being a more physical transgender woman. I say physical because I feel mentally I have always been trans. Plus, all of this temperature issue leads me to point out the changes I went through in relating to the weather as I hormonally transitioned. I found I became colder quicker and stayed that way.

I also recognize though that hot flashes could be an issue with my HRT meds. An issue I will have to discuss with my Doc if it happens again.

A Real Loss

 The passing of "Ruth Bader Ginsburg" creates a massive hole in the US Supreme Court. One I fear will be impossible to fill with a qualified candidate. Here was one of the news releases: "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the demure firebrand who in her 80s became a legal, cultural and feminist icon, died Friday. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas."

Seemingly, before the body even had a chance to cool off, "Moscow Mitch" McConnell in the Senate was starting the fight to replace Justice Ginsburg who had also voted to help gender causes. 

For all of you who didn't vote for Hillary and identify as transgender and/or crossdresser, your desire to have all of your gender rights taken away could become a reality.

In the meantime, Rest in Power Justice Ginsburg. You will be missed.