Work from home day 15

Even my introverted self is having trouble with stay at home.  I can only imagine the effect it's having on the extroverts among us.  Days start to run together and even with needing to work weekdays, I still forget which day it is.  Sydney was sure Saturday was Sunday. 

I've spent a little time quilting.  Not as much as I wish I was getting to spend but I have to work.  I got the email the other day that I have to take time off or lose some paid time.  Not going to let that happen, so I'm taking half days off and this week, should be able to take a full day. 

I got two blocks of the repro quilt done.  They take a couple hours each, but it's time I don't have to think about anything other than where the needle is going to pierce the quilt.  I ended up going with a larger scale clam shell in the outer blocks and it goes really well with the smaller scale in the two center blocks and I am happy with it.  It's still not in style of the quilt, but so what?  It's going to be a very nice quilt and I've already come up with an idea for the sashing. 

But, even as nice as that is, I still need distracting other things to do, so on Saturday, I baked.  I made blondies, which are like a butter and brown sugar cookie bar with pecans and chocolate chips.  And, I made three loaves of some of the best bread I ever made.  It's a very rich recipe and kind of dense (I see why most people double the yeast).  but it's rich and creamy and makes a great sandwich.  I'm sure I'll end up making more later...I'll run out of flour before I run out of yeast. 

Yesterday, I dragged a chair that's been a problem out to the deck to work on it.  You can see the broken webbing on the bottom and you might be able to see the springs hanging down.  The black dust cover on the bottom was holding the whole thing up.  I ended up stripping it down and replacing the webbing on the bottom and re-tying the springs. 

We're painting the bedroom a medium gray-blue and keeping the khaki curtains.  I found the perfect fabric at JoAnn's a few weeks ago on markdown.  It's been sitting around waiting for me to decide it was time to take on something new. 

It's not finished.  I worked on it about 7 hours yesterday and all that's left is the piping around the back and attaching the backing fabric.  I may take the front apart and add some staples to get rid of that slight scallop along the front...or I might just live with that.  And, yes, that center stripe will also match down the back of the chair.  Because I can do that. 

The yard is starting to put on a spring show.  Things seem to be blooming a little early and that's likely due to the warm winter we had. 

This is an iris my Mom gave me.  Last year, it went nuts.  This year, I dug and divided it and only one side is blooming right now.  I hope the rest will start to bloom soon. 

Don't know where this yellow bearded came from, but I'm looking forward to a lot more bloom from it. 

This amaryllis came from the neighbor across the street.  She had them blooming profusely over there for years and when I was taking care of her yard, I took one random bulb and brought it home.  Now, I have a nice sized clump. 

I took the diabetic cat to the vet on Monday after our trip to the emergency clinic.  They ended up keeping her overnight for two nights.  She wouldn't eat for them and they weren't letting her walk around and they were worried about her not eating and not being able to stand up and move around.  On Wednesday, after every promise to call and update me had been broken, (yes, I get it, they're very busy.  I'm cool with that) I called and said I'm coming to get her. Of course, that got me a call back.  I think the vet wanted to keep her another day, but I didn't let her entertain that idea and an hour later, I had my girl at home.  I know her.  She's not going to eat off schedule and she's not going to eat unless Rob puts it in front of her.  She wouldn't eat Weds, but on Thursday, she was in the kitchen at 4 when Rob went to feed.  She ate some and started drinking.  By Friday, she was demanding food and we started giving her insulin again.  Over the weekend, she got back to her old self as far as eating and drinking.  She's still having some trouble moving around, but can walk the length of the house and the other day, when I was pursuing her with another spoon of food, she trotted away from me, just like old times.  We're not under any delusions.  She got through this time, but every time she gets really sick, her new normal is a little less than she was before.  We're looking at this as a reprieve and as long as she doesn't appear to be in pain and is demanding lap time and belly rubs and purring loud enough to hear across the room, we're going to enjoy her being here.  And, when that changes, we know we will have to let her go.  BTW, the treats in this photo were the third handful I offered her.  She ate the first two right up.

Sydney came to stay with us on Tuesday when the city issued the shelter in place order.  She brought all her games and entertainment and all the food she had.  I'll be really honest.  We get along better when she's not living here.  She's kind of a butthole.  That first day, I told her I wasn't going to ask her to do things but expected that she would find things that needed doing and do them.  Of course, she didn't, so on Friday night, after I'd done dishes for 45 minutes (she baked an experimental cake on Friday and left the dishes for me to do) I told her that if she expected to eat my cooking, I expected to see her back bent over the kitchen sink more.  Saturday night, she acted like she wasn't going to do anything and without saying a word, I stood in the doorway and took away all options except doing dishes, and without complaining, she began to run the dishwater.  She washed, I rinsed and dried.  We actually enjoyed talking while we worked.  Last night, I washed and she rinsed and dried.  There is truly no free lunch!  Everybody contributes in a time of need.  At least around here. 

Every body have a great week!  If you're staying at home, which you should be, I hope you're finding things that are fun to do.  This is hard.  But, it's necessary.  Don't listen to the pompous orange asshat in the white house.  Listen to Dr Fauci.  I've already decided that I'm social distancing until he says it's safe to stop.  He is the adult in the room and is a hero, as are the gas station attendants, cashiers, stockers, police, nurses and doctors that are keeping the country running right now.  When this is over, I hope we have a new respect and a new pay scale for them all! 

Be well! 
Lane

Work from home, day 8

Who else is stir crazy?  Rob had to go to Nebraska to take care of his Mom because his sisters, who live a half mile away from her weren't.  She had little food in the house.  She had a serious health issue that required doctor's appts.  And someone needed to take care of that and apparently he was the only one.  I wouldn't want to be either of those women if I ever see them again.  (BTW, they're the same two that took Syd in and thought she was too much trouble...uh-huh, right.  But, she wasn't too much trouble for the two gay men.  Just sayin'.)  Anyway, being here by myself showed me just how much trouble I'll be in if I'm ever single.  I mostly walked from one end of the house to the other, trying to figure out what needed to be done next.  Except I'd done everything except the laundry.  And, I couldn't sit still to quilt.  I kept wanting to start something new. 

I realized that I didn't have a batting for the arc quilt and that I needed to order one.  It should be here later this week.  I still need to try to find thread.  I played with another background filler that I'm thinking of using.  From the front, with the grey thread, I can see every mistake.  I eventually took a spool of thread and marked my curves and that made it better.  But, still I can see the errors. 

Just when I was about to give up, I flipped it over and looked at the back and it looks so much better!  The black thread on the black background hides a multitude of sins.  After I took this picture, I had to look at it again because of all the white looking spots.  I thought that was the grey thread showing up on the quilt back, but it's only the light reflecting off the silk thread.  I can't find black silk thread on a cone right now, but I have most of a cone.  I may use that on the front and the gray on the back.  The back of this quilt is a print, so the grey wouldn't show up as much. 

I also pulled out this quilt.  It's a 30's repro quilt that I started quilting a few years ago and got discouraged with.  It was a block of the month, many years ago

I'm quilting straight lines in the prints, and am toying with background ideas for the white.  I quilted this one background before I put it aside and it's beautiful.  It's also the reason I put it aside.  It doesn't feel in style of the quilt, which would have been quilted much more simply if it was an actual depression era quilt.  I'm trying to make a lap quilt, not a wall hanging and quilted this tightly, it won't be a very comfortable quilt to lie under.  I may use the clam shell pattern, but in a larger scale on the rest of the quilt.  It's hard to go from the dense quilting I love and have practiced so long to a looser pattern.  But, learning to do things like that is why quilting has been enough of a challenge to keep me interested for all these years. 

When I got really bored, I made cookies.  I was very good at not buying snacks when we stocked up.  I thought not having snacks would mean I wouldn't spend all my days eating away the stir crazy.  But, I've been really good with these cookies and haven't eaten my weight in them yet.  Hopefully I can continue to step away from them as week two of being homebound begins. 

Last week, it rained.  And, rained and rained and rained.  That left me unable to work in the yard over the weekend.  That's probably most of why I was so "lost at sea".  But, when it would stop, I'd be sure to take a few minutes to roam the yard. 

These lilies bloomed in the greenhouse.  Syd gave me these for Man Mom's day about 3 years ago and they've bloomed consistently since.  I tried growing some in the yard and that was not a success.  But, in the greenhouse, they grow and thrive.  I didn't catch them in this shot, but even the geraniums in the back are starting to put up flowers. 

These violets were so wet, but waiting for some sun to dry them out and make the flowers open back up and be beautiful.  I use violets as a ground cover and I also plant them in my large pots.  When the violets wilt, it's time to water. 

I don't remember what this is.  It was another Man Mom's day gift from Syd.  It's been in this pot for several years and it thrives and loves the sun and it gives multiple colors to the garden.  Right now, pinky-orange, but when these leaves mature, they'll be purple-green all summer long and in the fall, they'll turn red.

Speaking of Syd, she started the conversation about coming home for the duration.  Her work is closed and her roommate's Mom is asking him to come home and she doesn't want to stay there by herself.  She texted me to get the facts about what is happening because she had conflicting information from multiple sources and knew we'd have done research and know the truth.  I was honest and up-front with her.  I explained what the city is asking all residents to do.  And, I explained the repercussions of not doing it.  She asked if it was time to come home to stay and I told her that she should stay there, where all her entertainment is as long as she can, but that if her roomie went home, we'd come get her.  I'm pretty sure that made her feel better, and you can imagine what it did for Rob and me, knowing she trusted us for the facts and that she knew she had a place to go if things got rough.  I talked to her about the importance of staying away from crowds if she was coming here to stay so she wouldn't bring anything with her and she was completely understanding of that.  And, I thanked her for being understanding.  We did such a good job.  I don't know if she'll actually come home, but I know she knows she can.  And, that's what's important. 

Last night, my diabetic cat had an episode and we had to go to the emergency 24-hour vet.  All I needed them to do was give her fluids and check for a UTI.  They wanted to keep her for 48 hours, which I knew we didn't need, to the tune of $1400.  NOT!  I was pretty insistent that they give her fluids and let me take her home.  Rob got back last night and I seriously needed my whole family back home.  Leaving her was not an option for me.  So, they tanked her up and we left for $518 ($275 of which was unnecessary lab work).  And, this morning, she came out and ate, just like I knew she would.  It's not rocket science people.  It's not my first time at this particular rodeo.  Doctors need to learn to LISTEN!  People know what they're talking about.  And, if they don't, it's pretty easy to tell that from LISTENING to them.  Anyway, she's going to be fine and I'll call our vet today and see if they'll give me a bag of sterile water and some needles so I can tank her up from home if she needs it. 

I'm WFH.  It's hard.  First, I found that I need to be around people more than I knew.  I miss my co-workers and plan to create a IM group chat today, just to catch up.  My business continuity responsibilities are taxing.  Just keeping everyone up and running from home is a challenge and I'm doing that in addition to my regular job.  I was pretty lucky.  The 110 people I'm responsible for all had the capacity to work from home and had all done it before, so all I've had to do is order them extra equipment and send instructions to do some things that people don't normally do from home.  It seems like no big thing to me, but the gratitude people are showing for such simple tasks is very rewarding.  And, like the lady in the commercials that made rice krispie treats and flicked flour in her face to make it look like a lot of work, I'm not telling anybody how easy it is...most continuity team members are having a much tougher time of it. 

That's my week-at-a-glance.  At some point, I'll need to go to the grocery.  Not looking forward to that.  I'm hoping some of the hoarding is over and that the store will be stocked and there won't be too many people.  But, who knows.  People are fear buying and there's nothing more dangerous than that.  And, we have enough supplies to get us through, even if I can't get into the store for fresh cream and more chips and another pound of butter and some yogurt.  Oh, and a box of sugar cereal in case  Syd comes to stay. 

Y'all take care.  Stay home.  Be well.  And check on your friends.  The extroverts are apparently going nuts!

Wow, I got through that without any political commentary.  That's a huge accomplishment because I have some very strong angry feelings. 

Lane

Working from home

Like most employers, mine has asked us to work from home if we can.  That will let them put the employees that can't work from home in our desks so that they skip every other desk and leave at least 6 feet between them.  I left a note on my desk that said "welcome to my space.  I hope you are comfortable here.  Thanks for all you do to assist our customers.  Please water my plants on Fridays."  I'm almost certain to have someone in my space because the alternating desks in my row of cubicles are very cluttered, but there's a definite pattern of clear desks, partly because I cleared off desks of my teammates while they worked from home on Friday,  I'm part of the team that writes the plans and executes them when an emergency happens.  This is our biggest response so far and I am glad to say that we are prepared (so far). 

We spent the weekend preparing for social distancing.  We had to have supplies around so Rob could do things if his office closes.  Their work is not really 'work from home' ready.  We needed things for him to do so he won't be under my feet.  We also went to the grocery on Saturday morning, where we found more people than groceries.  I had my hands on a four pack of toilet paper and Rob said we didn't need it so I sat it down and someone else picked it up before I could get to the end of the aisle.  We also picked up things for him to be able to build if he's stuck here for an extended time.  I will never run out of supplies to keep me busy, but because I'm on the disaster response team, I'll have priority computer time.  I'll be working. 

Dot asked a while back how I choose thread color for quilting.  I complained that I had used matching thread to quilt a quilt and the quilting disappeared.  Now I use a thread that's close, but not an exact match.  I'm working on choosing thread for the arc quilt.  I'm starting with grey thread, but the decision isn't made yet.  I bought two spools.  One was obviously too light so I haven't opened it yet, but I made a sample and am testing the darker shade. 

Even though that silk thread is a dark grey, it looks white against a black background.  That's not my thread color.  Every mistake will show and scream "look at me, look at me!"  I used a black thread in the bobbin.  It looks better, and I'm still hoping to find a thread that's a darker grey.  But, there aren't that many choices in silk thread and finding a really dark charcoal grey might not be an option.  If not, then black will have to do. 

The black thread really doesn't show.  It's just the sheen of the thread that catches the light and has a little shine to it.  I'm still shopping.  I think I'm going to try a cotton thread that might offer a better selection.  I might even settle for a heavier thread, like a 60wt just to get the right color.

On the gardening front, here is that orchid that I showed a few weeks ago when it had just three flowers.  It looks great and I'm very happy that I've been able to get it to bloom again.

This is a torenia.  It's a mounding annual that I'm growing in this trough, hoping it will hang over the sides. 

I got my first Poppy bloom.  A friend from work shared a couple of poppies with me, but this is the only one that thrived.  I'm hoping the other one will catch up, but in case it doesn't, I picked one up at the hardware store. 

The mock orange has started to bloom.  This will put on a huge show of white flowers that will last a couple weeks, then it will be a large green shrub the rest of the year. 

 

Remember this hanging basket?  I constantly confuse pansies and petunias and meant to type petunias.  Others knew that was wrong and took guesses at what it was.  Turns out that it is calibracoa.  Calibracoa should thrive for most of the season, so this could keep going on for quite a while.  It was a very good purchase.

 

 

Last week was the anniversary of the day we met.  Before marriage equality, like many other gay couples, we celebrated the day we met.  Twenty years together.  It sounds like a long time, but it hasn't felt like it.  We created a healthy relationship and we raised a child and now we are empty nesters, just like so many others our age.  When I came out in 1984, I'd never have thought that so much would change for gay people.  But, it has and we've paid a heavy price for the rights millennial gays take for granted.  And, they are disrespectful enough to call us names like boomer.  That's what comes from giving children trophies for minimum participation so they can all feel special and not spanking them when they deserve it.  I blame the parents. 

 

I talked to a trump supporter last week.  The level of mis-information was shocking.  The defense of the administration in light of what is happening took me off guard.  It was pretty clear that a decision had been made to watch the news, but not listen to what was being said.  I did what I could to provide correct information, but really, it was clear that despite the warnings about older adults being hardest hit, she still planned to attend several events with groups of other people over the weekend.  I hope she eventually understands and stays home.  But, there's really nothing I can do about that.  All I can do is try to protect my family through what is going to be a very difficult time. 

And, speaking of my family, Syd came for dinner last night.  I'm not sure she came for dinner as much as she came for the last of her kitchen tools and all my recipes.  She sat down with my favorite cookbooks and took pictures of anything she likes.  And, we reinforced that if her work closes, she can come stay with us for the duration (but she has to bring whatever food she has left).  The shocking thing is that there are still customers at her retail location.  Fortunately, she's been relocated to their stock room, unloading trucks and unpacking the stock.  That reduces her exposure by a lot, but even so, I asked her to be sure to shower and wear her hair up when she came, which she did and seemed to do respectfully...that made me more proud than you can imagine.  After dinner, she and Rob and I sat at the dining table while she flipped through the cookbooks and we talked about food. 

Well, that's the highlights of my week.  Except for the anxiety I'm feeling.  Every time we've taken what felt like an overreaction at the time, it turned out to be the recommendation a couple weeks later.  We are listening to Dr Fauci.  He seems to be the only one that can speak the truth, and we understand that to maintain his ability to continue to serve, he has to temper the truth to suit the orange lies.  But, he's still managing to get the truth out there despite all the gaslighting. 

Everybody have a good week.  Stay busy.  Stay out of crowds.  Don't touch things when you go out.  Please be safe.  I don't think any of us have seen anything like this in the US in our lifetimes.  This should change how we feel about being part of an inclusive society that watches out for those in need. 

Be well.  Lane

Polyester is forever

I always try to post my favorite picture first.  These are the new drapes in the spare room.  I've been working on them for the last three weekends. 

My Mom will likely remember these, as they are the curtains that hung in my teenage bedroom in 1976.  I had the bedspread to match (I don't know how people didn't know I was going to grow up gay.)  Anyway, I found them in the attic when we were cleaning up and Rob liked them.  They were a very nice set from Sears.  At some point, my bedroom went to green and there were drapes purchased from a neighbor that went with it and I ended up with these when I moved into my first apartment.  It was two large panels that covered a double window and I cut each panel in half and did a really bad job of sewing down the seam and took out some of the pleats to make them the right width.  This time, I took out all the seams and put them back together.  They were three inches too short, so I added a piece of fabric to the bottom and turned it under as the hem.  I bought pleating tape and pleating hooks that have four prongs that you insert in the tape to form the pleats.  And, we hung them.  We didn't go with a transverse rod because I couldn't find one, so we hung them on a regular rod and they work perfect.  They give the room a lovely golden glow during the day when the sun shines through.  It's amazing that after 44 years, they're still in great shape!  Because polyester lasts forever.

Last week, I shared a picture of the studio wall where there were quilts hanging.  Glenda asked about the quilt in the lower left corner.  Glenda, it's not a quilt.  It's the painted pegboard I hang my rulers on.  Unfortunately, I had to clean up the mess before I could take a picture of it.  It had all the boxes of scraps that I've been using to make the arc quilt piled in front of it and they've now been moved back to their scrap user bins.  I painted pictures of flowers that were growing in my yard that year on it to put it in the greenhouse, but it came out too pretty to let the sun fade it, so here it is in my studio.

This is the hanging basket of pansies we picked up on our antiquing trip on my birthday.  It's been this full of bloom since we brought it home and shows no signs of stopping. 

The orange and lemon trees are starting to bud, but there are no bees to pollinate yet.  I don't want this little orange tree to make fruit this year because it's too small, so that's okay, but the rest of the fruit trees will either need bees or I'll be out there with a q-tip spreading pollen from one flower to the next.  I do it nearly every year and it works fine.  I'm even going to try it on the pomegranate tree. 

This is the spirea in the side yard.  Like most of what has grown and thrived here, it came from my Aunt Jane's house.  My parents helped her dig up and divide her bed, like I'm doing this year and they brought me part of what they dug up.  This was in that and it has grown and bloomed for 20 years here.  I almost lost it last year but I fed it really good all summer and it seems to have recovered.  After the bloom, I'll take off those two long limbs on the right, but I was so desperate to save all I could that I let them grow last year.  My Grandmother called this Bride's Wreath and she used to cut a branch and put the end in laundry bluing and I'd watch as the flowers all turned blue.  I'm sure it would keep me entertained all afternoon long.

And finally, me.  I'm learning the art of taking selfies (look at the camera in the mirror, not at the actual camera).  My new glasses came in and I'm liking them.  I picked them up last Thursday and that afternoon, I did not have eyestrain, so that's a very good thing. 

What an interesting week.  My favorite candidate is out of the race for president, even though she was more qualified than either of the very old white men that are still in the race.  One of those has some of the most aggressive supporters (mean and hateful children) I've ever encountered.  I'm sick of the hate surrounding this election and the current administration.  It grows from our desperation to get rid of the POS president and his kind.  My favorite tweet of the week expressed gratitude to the airheaded first lady for building the tennis pavilion, because we're going to need a level place to put the guillotine so it meets OSHA standards. 

I'm part of the emergency response team at my company.  And, we are planning for what could happen if Coronavirus takes hold.  I wasn't very worried until the cheeto in denial told us not to worry.  Then, I started to panic because he cannot speak truth.  We've made plans to close offices and ask staff to work from home and the company has cancelled all non-essential business travel for at least two months.  We've stocked up and told Syd that if things get bad, she should pack her food and come stay with us. 

Speaking of Syd, she invited us to her house for dinner last night.  I didn't make much of it, but when she moved out of our house, she didn't tell us where she was going to be living.  She wouldn't even let us drive her home.  We've speculated on the reasons and settled on the fact that she wasn't very proud of that first place (who is proud of their first place?).  Now, she's moved into a house and she lets us take her home when she stays here after dark and last night, she had the Dads over for dinner.  She made a delicious salsa and cheesy chicken and carrots and we all had a nice visit.  Her roommate came home while we were eating and we got to meet him.  (before you ask, she says it's platonic and we believe her and I don't care.  She's happy and in a good place and that's what matters.)  I told her last night that everyone was so proud of the fact that we have such a close relationship now that she's grown and out on her own.  I credit our willingness to give up passing judgment for that closeness.  When she moved out, we realized we didn't have a say anymore and we just enjoyed being around her and that seems to have made all the difference in the relationship we have now.  And, I'm both happy and proud of that.  It was hard.

Everybody have a great week!  Stay home and sew if you can.  Stay well and avoid large crowds. 

Lane

It's all about the yard, baby!

I took last Friday off and powered through the rest of clearing up the garden.  I even bought two new plants to put in the space.  But, more about that later. 

I did a lot of sewing, too.  I had to take all four corners off the arc quilt and put them on again.  The corners are curved and the curves don't spread to create 45* angle where they end and join the straight side borders that end in a 45* angle.  It was causing the corners to roll up and stand up.  They were never going to lay flat.  So, I had to take off the corners and about a foot of side border in both directions and push some fabric toward the corner so that I could get them to lay flat.  The, I used a Sally Collins technique and spritzed the heck out of it, ironed it down and sat a ruler on top to hold it flat, then weighted that with the iron.  When they dried, they lay flat.  And, now that the bias edges have stretched where I need them to be, it's gonna be all right. 



 

In case you'd lost your belief that spring would ever come, here's what it's going to look like when it gets there.  I picked an Iris up from the sidewalk where someone had kicked it out of the ground and now I have several clumps.  The yard it got kicked out of belonged to a very sweet lady who loved her garden and I'm glad to have this reminder of her. 

 

I don't usually take "before" pics.  I'm usually deep into a project before I realize that the transformation would be interesting.  But, I thought to take a picture of the side bed before I started digging.  I was already nearly across the back, which wasn't nearly this overgrown and I was longing to get started over here.  Those plants were put in 18 years ago in small clumps and had been allowed to take over the entire section, choking out anything else that was there. 

This is the after.  Mostly, I dug things up, divided them, let a lot go, and replanted what I already had.  I don't believe I need a lot of new plants when I have so many sure bets in my existing perennials.  The chair belonged to Linda.  When she was in the care facility, she asked us to take it and put it in our garden.  It sat on the deck for two years before I got around to creating a space in the garden, but here it is, and she would have loved sitting there and looking at the back flower bed. 

 

At the far left, I had a little space, so I treated myself to that Shasta Daisy.  The iris and the daylilies came from places where they were getting too much shade.  The back has a row of turks cap that I dug up and replanted.  In the front, there's a verbena that I pulled from a pot where it had survived, but not thrived for two years.  And, I topped it off with some dusty miller to give it some really different leaves. 

 

This is the back bed.  It mostly looks like dead leaves right now, but I promise that doesn't last.  Soon, you won't be able to see the ground back there.  We just need the rainy season to happen first.

I thought I'd share another pic of the studio.  A friend from guild has her miniature quilts all around the top of the walls in her studio and I didn't want to do exactly that, but I did want something that would show them off.  This is what I decided on. 

They also tell a story about how my quilting has developed in a counterclockwise way, starting with the gold and blue quilt to the left of the aquarium and ending with the baskets in the upper left.  I know, you wouldn't normally tell a story backward, but they didn't fit the wall the other way round. 

Everybody have a great week!  No yard signs this week, but I did want to give a big shout out to Pete Buttigieg.  He carried the flame of gay acceptance further than anyone has so far.  One day, when we've caged the haters, it won't matter whether a candidate is gay or not.  It will only matter whether they are qualified.  Pete showed us it's possible to get national acceptance as a candidate.  He was not chased off the stage by the haters.  Every election cycle, more gay and trans people get elected to office.  That's how you solidify change.  That's how you observe change.  No matter what the haters say, time can't go backward and erase change.  And, the more they fight it, the worse it's gonna hurt when it knocks them down and rolls over them. 

Lane