Fourth of July

I wish I could write a flowery post about what the Fourth of July, or Independence Day should mean to all of us Americans.

I am proud to have a distant relative who fought in the Revolutionary War. I often wonder what he would think of all the contortions our country is going through now.

Under the guise of "fake news" and a worn out amendment, special interests and crooked politicos have managed to take over our country. Over the years too, we have managed to neglect our educational institutions so much, it has "dumbed" down our country so far, that in breeding seems like a real possibility in some groups.

For some reason, I still know a few transgender people who support a president hell bent on taking away what rights they still have. Plus, just wait, as soon as the leader appoints another conservative to the Supreme Court, and LGBT rights come under fire, just wait and see how fast the gays and lesbians come looking for our trans support again.

I also don't know what to say about all the mass shootings which take place, almost all at the hands of white males. Even still, we blame immigrants for the violence. As we consider immigration too, who would have ever thought our country would be the one caging children. Just consider for a moment what the desperate people looking for asylum on our borders were running from.

It seems our country has taken it's lead from a leader who has no compassion or morals and is under indictment at the highest levels.

This Independence Day, it's time to seriously consider what we have to do to reclaim what made the US the country it was. And, not the one known for slavery and genocide of it's native citizens.

Party Number Two

We awoke fairly early to eat at the free hotel breakfast service before heading back to our room for a couple of hours before we set off in the 90 degree (F) heat. For once, the eggs weren't green and rubbery and the sausage was fresh...unless I was really hungry.

Departure time was twelve noon and we had about four and a half hours to kill before the evening picnic/party. First of all I decided to make the thirty mile round trip to Springfield to check on the property I still own. From there we headed back to the Dayton, Ohio area and had an early lunch at one of the first places I went as a cross dresser and was the place I decided I was transgender. It was there I decided to go on HRT and start my Mtf gender transition. I was wearing my "stars and stripes" top and was feeling pretty secure about myself following the real good day, the day before. Our server was busy, so she didn't seem to know or care about me one way or another. Except I was paying.

From there, we went to one of my least favorite places, a mall. This particular mall brought back quite a few bad memories from my cross dressing past and my back was starting to bother me. My partner Liz though was able to find some elaborate hair tie backs in a store which even had a transgender themed t-shirt. They also had a very androgynous employee who was very friendly. We wasted some time in the food court to let my back recover and it was time to head back out into the heat which was made worse by a passing thunderstorm.

The next stop was back into the cool of a big grocery store to pick up supplies for the party and then try to fix our makeup before we headed out.

Finally, we made it to the party and received a warm greeting from all who were there. It was raining again, so we had to hang out inside until it stopped. When it did, it turned out to be a pleasant evening.

I had a very good time and was only mis-gendered once.

From there, we made the hour and a half trip back to Cincinnati and the party weekend was over.

Party Number One

The first party we went to this weekend turned out to be a fantastic affair. We were able to get an early enough start to stop off at one of the "New Age" shops in Yellow Springs we like so much. Little did I know, it was also Pride Day in the village, so there were plenty of LGBT Pride flags to go around. Plus, while we were at the shop, we were able to drop off brochures for the Cincinnati Witches Ball in October.

I bought a pair of "peace symbol" earrings in the shop and had an affirming chat with her. No one else even gave me a glance except one woman who smiled. As we had discussed in depth here in Cyrsti's Condo, it is not unusual for women to smile at each other, so I don't know if the transgender dynamic had anything to do with it or not.

Saturday was one of those days when I felt very secure of myself, even with the temperatures hovering into the nineties. Confidence is always the best accessory!

From the village, we headed about ten miles up the road and checked into our hotel room, which had a great air conditioner. Party time was later in the day, so we had a chance to relax before we fixed up our make up and headed out. I wore the black and cream embroidered tank top I wore to Cincinnati Pride with a pair of Jeggings for comfort.

Seeing my old friends at the party was fun! We haven't seen each other for about three years. Everyone else in the group were very accepting too and no one mis gendered me. At least internally I was able to drop the transgender part of me and just be me.

All too quickly, they lit off their fireworks and it was time to make the journey back in town to our hotel room.

It was a remarkable day!

On the Transgender Road

Very simply today, I will be on the road and unable to write a blog post.

When I get back, I will let you know how everything went.

PTSD?

Sometimes I wonder why I have any reservations at all about going to certain events like the parties we are going to this weekend.

After all, as I wrote previously,  both hostesses of the get together's have been extremely supportive in the past. I guess, I just still have past memories (good and bad) of past events. What I should be worried about is the car making it in one piece.

Perhaps, I just need something to worry about. For example, I am apprehensive about having things to talk about, to whomever wants to chat. Fortunately, the more nervous I get, the chattier I get.

Of course, I worry too about how I look and I wrote too about what I was going to wear. I always dread the "You weren't thinking about wearing that, were you??"

Enough of the paranoia! It's time to relax and have a good time!

Party Down!

This weekend is turning out to be one of the busiest of the year. My partner Liz and I are going to two parties. Then again, who does't need a transgender woman or two to lighten up the atmosphere! Although, I don't know of any other trans peeps coming. So...

Saturday night, we are heading North to attend an annual Fourth of July party, cookout and firework show at the house of one of my oldest friends who was instrumental in helping me come out so many years ago. I was actually introduced by her daughter, who was a bartender at a venue I visited frequently.

We are staying over at a motel in Xenia, Ohio and doing a bit of shopping in Yellow Springs, a very liberal and inclusive village in the area.

Sunday night, we are going to another party up near Dayton, Ohio, hosted by another really old friend who has known me since my earliest days of my Mtf transition. This party maybe will be more interesting in that I know most of her friends are very conservative. I will steer clear of any politics, but I wonder if I will get any "cold shoulders."

The host though has always been very supportive, so I doubt if there will be any problems. Plus, I will be wearing my "Stars and Stripes" top. Which happens to fit just fine!

Wish us luck!

Our Crowning Glory

It doesn't matter, if we are transgender, cross dresser or cis woman, hair means quite a bit to us. I still feel as if I caved into pressure a bit to get my hair cut much shorter than it was. It definitely is more age appropriate and more feminine. And yes Shelle, it is so much cooler!

Here were a couple more questions I received: Plus I added another picture with a bit more contrast.

1. FABULOUSCONNIEDEEJune 27, 2018 at 5:29 PM

   "Very nice! This is after the hair coloring, though? Maybe it's the red brick wall behind you that makes it hard for me to see."
2. 
   Paula GoodwinJune 28, 2018 at 7:34 AM

   "I think that style suits you, and is actually a little more feminine than the flowing locks! I have been nervous of reverting to my natural colour because of the interim stages ~ For the next few weeks I will be sporting pink white and blue wash out stripes"
3. Thanks to both of you! Actually this cut is without coloring. My stylist has suggested I go back to my original color because it brings my eyes out so well. We are going to be able to see more when I go back in August for my next appointment. Fortunately, my hair grows really fast and if the experiment does't go well, we can go back to coloring again. 
4. Also, deep down inside, I have been wanting to lighten up my color anyhow!  As my stylist said, it may be a little less severe. 

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We Got Mail!

Thanks to three of you girls who responded to my post on the Uni-Sex bathroom at the Cincinnati Pride:

1. Mandy ShermanJune 25, 2018 at 1:08 PM

   "Sounds like a good time was had despite the issue! And that everyone was tolerant... "
   
   Mandy

   They had no choice :) but I don't think some were happy about it! All in all, it was the great equalizer.
2. 
   Michelle HartJune 25, 2018 at 3:33 PM

   "I have to agree about "T" being very evident at both the Polk Pride event and at the St Pete Pride. There were still a smathering of Queens in their getups but I saw an almost 50-50 mix of MtF as well as FtM."
3.             Great!
4. 
   
5. 
   FABULOUSCONNIEDEEJune 25, 2018 at 3:33 PM

   "It took a lot of pressure off..." So to speak. huh? :-)
   
   Here in Seattle, the big parade was yesterday. I chose, instead, to attend a "Celebration of Life" for an old friend of mine who passed away a couple of weeks ago. It seems that I could document my own transition along with the critical illnesses and deaths of family and friends over the last ten years. Each one has its own significance, and each one has led to my introduction to others who had never met me as I am (though, many of them had heard about my transition through the grapevine). Yesterday was no exception, and I guess I kind of had my own pride parade as I walked around the room with the purpose of introducing myself. Ya know, you have to have some pride in order to be able to do that!
   
   Getting the "You're so brave" comment from others seems to always come up. I try to explain that it's not so much bravery as it is the confidence I have in who I am, and, with thought of pride, I am also proud to be who I am. Some of the people I talked with would never even have considered attending a pride event, but they got a dose of it from me yesterday, anyway!
   
   The results of my efforts were mixed, but the worst I received was indifference. There was one man, a "born-again Christian," who was quite pleasant, albeit not totally accepting (I don't believe) of what I am "doing." That's fine with me, and I did receive a few hugs from others to make up for it.
   
   The last time I saw my departed friend was just a few days before he died of the terrible cancer that had ravaged his body. He was so frail, yet he made the effort to stand up and give me a big hug as I was leaving his house. This surprised me, as we had only seen each other once before since I began transitioning. Prior to that, he had had no desire to even see me. We were friends for forty years, but when he heard that I was transitioning, he apparently envisioned something disgusting and repulsive. When we did finally meet a couple years ago (at another funeral, by the way), I heard later that he'd told his wife, "Well, that was sure anticlimactic." Very shortly after that, he was diagnosed with the cancer that eventually took his life, but we still didn't meet again until just before his death. That hug we shared, though, made up for all the lost time.
   
   If there's a moral to this recounting, I think it's that we need to remember that pride is so much more than a yearly event. Being proud oneself shows through to others every day of the year, and the icing on that cake is when you learn that someone else is also proud to know you....just the way you are. "
6.             Sorry for the loss of your friends!
   

New Hair

As almost promised, a slightly wind blown look at my new hair.