small mindedness, casual racism, and incorrect weather predictions

I woke up with a headache this morning. That's usually when I get them, I wake up with them although when I went to bed last night I could feel it coming on and I should have taken some ibuprofen then but I didn't. I always have this unrealistic hope that it will go away before morning. My morning headaches are always on the left side and when they are really bad, they throb. I haven't had a real pounder though in many many years. These days they just make me feel nauseated and achey besides the pain in my head. Sometimes I'll try and wait it out til after breakfast because I don't like taking pain meds on an empty stomach but this morning I caved and took some between my two cups of coffee. The good thing though is, once I take some ibuprofen, it generally goes away within about half an hour. I'm already feeling better.

So I did something last night I don't do very often. I went out and socialized. Well, we went out and socialized since I made Marc come with me. There's a couple here who bought the building next to the antique store and they have been working on repairing and restoring the old building for the last three years with an eye to opening a little cafe but they aren't getting any support from most of the other people on the square or the business council. There's a lot of small town small-mindedness involved. Their ideas for the place have been fluid. The original idea of a restaurant (the building used to contain a restaurant but all the kitchen equipment needs to be replaced besides all the general repairs) has morphed into a wine bar and bistro/cafe, something this town really needs. They've already refurbished both bathrooms and rebuilt the front exterior wall with two new gorgeous 9' doors. They built a stage in the back Garden Room for the music venue and they are renting out the space for parties and events towards getting the new kitchen equipment. Last night they had a little party for their supporters with musical entertainment and dinner and wine. Caroline and Wesley have been swimming upstream for three years so I wanted to show my support for them. They are really nice down to earth people who have been facing a smear campaign almost from the get go. It pisses me off and I don't let comments I hear in the antique store or elsewhere go by unchallenged.

Speaking of small town small-mindedness I had two women in the store yesterday, sisters who live in different towns having a day out together and 'away from the husbands' as they put it. At one point they were bashing some members of their family as being worthless lazy takers who were bleeding their aunt dry and then realized I was hearing their conversation and remarked that they probably shouldn't be saying those things. I just shrugged and said true is true. “Well, they're half-Mexican” she says to me as if that explains it. That's another thing I can't let slide...casual racism. I told her that I had to argue with her there, that being Mexican didn't have anything to do with it, that Mexicans were some of the hardest working people I knew and that there were lazy people across the board. She agreed and went on to say that their (white) mother hadn't demanded much of their children either. The white mother was just as poor a parent as the Mexican father but it was the Mexican part that they attributed the bad behavior to. I don't know these women and I don't know if they are truly racist, surely they must know or interact with lots of latinos and they may not have realized how that sounded. Maybe since I pointed it out they will be a little more thoughtful.

So the cold rainy weekend the weather predictors had predicted did not materialize. It didn't rain and it's not cold. It's feeling like spring and I have noticed new growth beginning to emerge. I'm wanting to get out there and start cutting back dead foliage but it's still only February 1^st and February can go either way. My grandson was going to come out and help me with an outdoor project this weekend but because of the bad weather predicted I postponed it til next weekend which is my regular Saturday off. Just as well, I guess since his mom told me yesterday that he was sick and I wouldn't have wanted him out here anyway. She's right about that. Although I believe I have a strong immune system, I try to stay away from sick people.

Well, my headache is well and truly gone now and the sunny day is beckoning and my wonderful husband is cooking breakfast. If anyone needs me later, I'll be outside.