I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

For any who want more, complete list of all posts by month since 2011

  • remembering The Red Man two years later


    Many of our cyberspace friends and followers came to our home via my first blog Red’s Rants and Raves that began in 2009. The Red Man was a rescued Welsh terrier who looked at life from both sides then but always picked the right side to champion.

    Two years ago this week we said goodbye to the little guy who brought us so much love. This is a re-blog from February 22, 2016.

    Red and the old woman Slow

    December, 2000 – February 22, 2016

    It is with immeasurable pain and sorrow I must tell our Amigos and Sports Fans that the old woman Slow’s best friend and faithful companion has passed on to his reward, which Pretty and Slow both hope is a rich one.

    Red spiced up our lives with his annoying barking rants and raves and endless supply of Welsh terrier energy. Nothing and no one escaped his tirades, but he saved his love for his Pack and Pretty and Slow.

    He ran away from us countless times for reasons known only to him – but always ran to someone who would call us to bring him home. His escapes were remarkably injury free and equally free from remorse. We hope this final escape is his best ever.

    No words can express the depth of our sadness at bringing Red’s Rants and Raves to this ending.  We understand death is inevitable, but we will miss the Spirit of The Red Man that brought us such joy and happiness and was the life of our homes on Worsham Street in Texas and at Casa de Canterbury in South Carolina. Our lives will be entirely too quiet without him.

    Smokey Lonesome Ollie, Paw Licker Annie, Tennis Ball Obsessed Chelsea, Fence Jumper Spike and The Red Man will live forever in our hearts and memories as will all of our cyberspace friends who are now a part of our family. We will miss you all.

    Get me outta here, Percy – and he did.

     

  • and still we wait


    SEVENTEEN

    17

    I have nothing.

  • valentine’s day…schmalentine’s day…let’s love everyday!


    Our trip to Charleston last week for the College of Charleston book event was a treat on many levels, not the least of which was getting to visit with old friends we don’t see enough and meeting new friends for the first time in a diverse crowd that was fun and humming with enthusiasm. Over 60 people came out in the pouring rain to talk about Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home.

    The Fab Four warming up…or something like that…

    k 

    Panelist/Contributor Linda Ketner listens intently

    to young person with questions following discussion

    (while I sign books for a student)

    Contributor Warren Redman-Gress (l.) and Harlan Greene

    It was fun to finally meet Harlan Greene in person after months of emails. Harlan wrote the Foreword for Committed to Home, and we have discovered we share a common passion for the preservation of our community’s history. He is a really cool guy.

    Warren is a friend of many years who came to South Carolina with his husband Jim from Long Island, New York. Their story of love, activism in our state and overcoming great odds to adopt their son Cristopher 18 years ago is an inspiring one in the book. Happy Valentine’s Day to one of my favorite couples!

    And Happy Valentine’s Day to all our friends in cyberspace from Pretty and me – let’s love each other everyday.

    Stay tuned.

    (photos courtesy of Beth Huntley and Teresa Williams)

     

     

  • when somebody loves you…17 years and counting…


    Oh my goodness, today belongs to Pretty and me – tomorrow marks the beginning of our 18th. year together and today marks the end of 17 unbelievable years for us as a family. Take a look at this picture of  two young, oh so young but not too young women, in Cancun on February 09, 2001. A new century, a new love, a new life.

    Happy Anniversary, Pretty – the adventurous spirit of the Cancun trip lives on in our lives every day…through the good and lean years and for all the in-between years…come what may.

    I love you all the way.

     

     

     

     

  • hot off the presses: limited seating remains for Charleston event!


    Greetings to all friends in cyberspace who will be in the Charleston area next Wednesday, the 7th. of February. The College of Charleston Friends of the Library and the Alliance for Full Acceptance headquartered in Charleston are sponsoring our panel discussion of Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home. 

    Harlan Greene who wrote the Foreword for our book will also discuss the beginning of a multi- year project to preserve and make accessible the historically endangered stories of LGBTQ communities in greater Charleston. Supported by a $200,000 grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the College of Charleston Libraries’ project marks the first initiative of its kind in the region. Huge thanks are due Harlan and the CofC Libraries for their efforts to keep our history safe and available for future generations.

    The project dovetails nicely with our Committed to Home authors who are exchanging views about their stories. I am so pleased to moderate our group which includes Harlan, Linda Ketner, Jim and Warren Redman-Gress. These essays are intimate accounts of their individual journeys to making South Carolina a better place to live for all her citizens, how these individual roads led to collaborating on the creation of organizations designed to achieve the goal of equality for everyone.

    Our event is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required and may be made at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/committed-to-home-tickets-42316377424.

    I understand seating is now limited, so if you are planning to be there, please register.

    Charleston is a wonderful place to visit – I wish some of my cyberspace friends would take this opportunity to make a quick trip to the showplace of our state’s tourism. Pretty and I would love to see you!

    Stay tuned.