I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Category: Life

  • #STAND AGAINST HATE


    corner of Main and Laurel – parade starts here

    where are my peeps?

    where’s our group?

    for sure YOU rock, little sis!

    These girls rock, too – ALL TOGETHER NOW!

    you girls totally rock!

    my chariot for the parade – SC Gay and Lesbian Guild parade entry

    (Thanks to Mar-la-ti-dah (l.) for giving up her ride in the Guild chariot)

    Guild President CC (r.) drove us and served as dj for our fabulous parade music

    (oh, no, she didn’ have ABBA and Dancing Queen  oh, yes, she DID!)

    Robin Ridgell and the Famously Hot Mar-la-ti-dah strategize before parade

    floats getting ready!

    hurry up – don’t be late

    Pretty waiting for Matt Tischler’s Light Brigade to organize

    Baby Tonks’s very first Pride Parade – Mother beaming

    this family walked beside me and made me proud

    Rob is ready!

    Let’s go!

    The Pride Parade made an important statement once again to the city of Columbia and the state of South Carolina as we laughed, sang and chanted our way down Main Street for the first nighttime parade in our history. The crowds on the sidewalk clapped, cheered and waved their own flags to the gays and their families and friends who they knew were taking a stand for equality in a time when equality is under attack by a hostile administration in Washington, D.C.

    I will never forget the older attractive African American woman sitting in a wheel chair on the sidewalk waving a small Pride flag at me as we rode by her. She was smiling with real happiness for what she was witnessing, and that brought tears of joy to my eyes.

    Nothing rained on my parade last night – none of the usual group of protesters appeared – and my last view as we left Main Street was my favorite float.

    Stand against hate. All together now.

  • I just love the gays!


    SOUTH CAROLINA PRIDE PARADE: LIGHT IT UP!

    Friday Night, October 20th. 7 – 11 p.m. on Main Street

    Pretty will be marching with the Rainbow Light Saber Brigade led by annual head cheerleader for the gay Pride celebrations Light Brigade Captain Matt Tischler who says there are a few spots available in his regiment tonight so check with his FB page for updates and instructions on where to meet and when.

    This is our first year for a nighttime Pride Parade in the almost 30-year history of Pride Parades so Light It Up, Columbia!

    Tomorrow the Famously Hot South Carolina Pride Festival starts at noon and goes on until ??  Take the whole family, why don’t you?? The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center sponsors a special area for children’s entertainment.

    P.S. I hope to see you tonight – I’ll be wearing my Pride beads in memory of Freddie Mullis and in honor of Dick Hubbard who loaned them to me to wear in Pride Events until they find a permanent home in the Queer Section of the Caroliniana Library at USC. Freddie and Dick wore these colorful beads, bracelets and rings in the 1993 March on Washington.

    P.S.P.S. I won’t be walking with Pretty – I’ll be riding in the Business Guild automobile with the Famously Hot Mar-lah-ti-dah who ended her instructions for our meeting tonight with the words, I just love the gays. I do, too, and we party tonight in Columbia, South Carolina!!

     

  • “Honey, life’s a 4-Ticket Ride”


    My friend Esther told me this story Tuesday when I was sitting in her chair for my regular pedicure at Eli’s (which I thoroughly recommend for anyone who needs a good manicure or pedicure plus entertainment while you’re at it). She swears the story is true.

    She was sitting in a doctor’s waiting area that was empty except for her and a petite elderly lady who had been in the room when she arrived. They waited and waited together, but Esther decided to break the awkward silence by asking the little old lady how she was doing that day.

    “Honey, life’s a 4-ticket ride,” the woman said with a smile.

    I almost fell out of Esther’s chair laughing at what the older woman had said. The remark was particularly appropriate since the State Fair is in town for the week with the amusement park rides going strong.

    For anyone of my friends in cyberspace who might not  know what a 4-ticket ride is, please ask me in the comment section.

    The quote “Honey, life’s a 4-ticket ride” has now made it to my own memorable quotes collection which reminds me:

    Peace and Kindness Quote Contest

    Deadline: Midnight Friday, October 27

    3rd place Granny Selma Award for Trying  – $25

    2nd place Old Woman Slow Award for Close But No Cigar –   $50

    1st place Daddy Glenn L. Morris Award for Quote Mastery –  $75

    Keep those quote coming in, and be sure to stay tuned.

     

  • Pretty’s Antique Empire Expands


    Pretty’s antique empire continues to grow with the grand opening of her second booth at the Little Mountain Antique Mall and Café on 1528 Main Street in Little Mountain, South Carolina 29075. Check out the Little Mountain Unlimited facebook page and take a close look at these photos taken today.

    teal leather chair with loads of treasures keeping it company

    (downstairs booth next to the café that has yummy food, too)

    furniture plus smalls galore and of course tons of books and art

    Ta-Dah! New Booth on the entrance level at Little Mountain!

    Look for Pretty’s booths (she is dealer #221) and the other 60 dealers who happily join her in the nearly 15,000 square feet of floor space there. Follow Little Mountain on facebook for special music events at the café, super sales and just plain fun for all antique lovers. Then take a day trip to the midlands of South Carolina and plan to spend several hours wandering through an antique mecca with the added attraction of southern cooking comfort food when you need to take a break.

    Don’t forget to visit her booth (dealer # 221) at Three Rivers Antiques, 615 Meeting Street, West Columbia, South Carolina 29169 if you’re in the Columbia area looking for a place to indulge your antique addiction.

    local artist Bill Davis’s Divas always popular pieces

    (Bill Davis popular with us way back before the Divas)

    Spike, Charly and I are very proud of Pretty – she and her sidekick Shelley work way too hard every day, but their booths look awesome. They always have something you can’t live without!

    Stay tuned.

     

     

     

     

  • the inconvenience of truth


    Wildfires are raging out of control along the west coast bordering the Pacific Ocean in California as hurricanes formed in the Atlantic dumped unwanted, unprecedented amounts of rain on the Gulf Coast and east coast over the past few months. People in all parts of the country struggle to salvage and rebuild their broken lives from natural disasters that have created damages in the gazillions of dollars while they mourn the loss of loved ones unable to get out of harm’s way during the catastrophic events. American citizens in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands beg for food, water, shelter and electricity as they experience the total destruction of their infrastructures and homes.

    A mad man in Las Vegas waged his own personal war against demons we may never identify, but what we do know is that he killed almost 60 people and wounded 500 more in a bloodbath executed from his hotel windows overlooking 22,000 persons at a country music concert on a Sunday night.

    Today I heard a story about two of the victims of the wildfires in California: a hundred year old man and his 99-year-old wife who died in their home yesterday. They had recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Imagine.

    Meanwhile, the headlines involve a Hollywood movie mega mogul who has been fired for decades of sexual harassment against women and a president (who openly admits to sexual harassment) lunching with his secretary of state who called the president a “moron” last week. They are reportedly comparing IQs for lunch table talk.

    Other headlines involve the arguments between the president’s third wife a/k/a the first lady and his first wife a/k/a the new author regarding who is the more influential in the president’s life which moves our nation from reality TV directly to soap opera within the blink of a book promotion.

    Our nuclear treaty with Iran hangs in the balance this week with rumors it will not be renewed. Our relationship with the unstable leader of North Korea is tenuous at best. Nuclear missiles here, there, everywhere…

    America burns within itself as debates over climate change, racial and transgender discrimination, wealth disparity, patriotism, kneeling at football games, nuclear deals, the perception of the presidency, health care, tax reform, Russian election interference, building a wall, immigration, gun control – these are a few of the hot button issues that divide us; and our differences become a  deep, dark wedge  of despair in our democratic process.

    It is imperative that people of good will speak truth – even if it is inconvenient because the fabric of our society is in danger of being torn apart. There is no “little” moment of truth.

    We must speak truth during coffee breaks at work with our co-workers, standing in the grocery store lines, at family gatherings, at Sunday School and church, in our seats at concerts and sporting events,  at PTA and business meetings, with our next door neighbors – and especially in our homes where we must wage peace as we teach kindness and respect for others to our children.

    Our individual responsibility is to commit outrageous acts of everyday rebellions whenever we are confronted with our own moments of truth. The answers we seek  to the problems we have as a country lie within ourselves. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their nation.

    Amen.