coming full circle

it is fascinating, when in studying and researching times and dates that your ancestors were born and lived, you realize those times correlate with eras and events you formally only read about in books, or heard about in college lecture halls or television documentaries. most often those eras are still significant to your own life in some form or fashion, and so you begin to wonder: what opinions did my family have about 'that'? how did such events influence their lives?

my third maternal grandfather was james williams. he was born in norfolk, virginia about 1862 which was one year after the start of the united states civil war. that information in itself invokes a whirl of thoughts for me because it causes me to explore our reality-MY reality- in this land in a more in depth and personal manner than i ever used to. indigenous and african stories here have always been of importance to me. however, since i have been BLESSED to find more and more concrete information about my own family via documentation, dna, and knowledgeable people, they have taken on a much more profound meaning to me. i am no longer leaning about 'them', i am learning about ME.

finally, i know my people; my story; my name. i am empowered.

#KnowThySelf and #ToThySelfBeTrue

feel-in' thrifteee!

i seriously enjoy spending time with my children, and one of our favorite things to do as of late is thrift store shop. last week was no different. with only my two girls by my side, we hit our favorite store and got it in! 

study table

so many things to see and buy. for starters, baby girl wanted this cool lil hula doll. i think it may actually be a knick-knack, but it was only 0.99 and she said she wanted to put it on the new folding table i picked up for her study area (for only $5). the plan is to pain, decoupage, or SOMETHING it.

hula doll

for the house i purchased a small shelf and two sconces (which will sprayed metallic gold) to display an arabic plaque i got at six flag's muslim youth day last month.

a few other things brought home were this awesome painting on glass, (trust me, the photo DOES NOT do the vibrant colors justice), and two wicker baskets whose use i still haven't decided.

for my sewing endeavors i copped this plastic wood-look sewing 'basket', and MOST EXCITINGLY, patterns that cost a STUPENDOUS 0.49 each! WOOHOO!! they're were only four that i wanted, but any sewists out there KNOWS the thrill that comes with getting such a deal. 

this will be getting a face lift, too.

not very large inside, but will do for
moving small projects around the house.

i will use the child's doctor costume to
islaamic garb, and the blazer pattern
is great for a fabric i planned to sew a
jibaab. 

i didn't buy anything for myself, but i eyed a couple of purses i had to DRAG myself from the store in order to leave behind. i would show them to you, but blogger won't allow me to upload anymore photos. hmph! go figure... 

i need to get going anyway, i have lots to do! all my grand plans of chores to get done today have yet to be  realized. 

toodles! 

                                            

     

backyard gardening

i really missed having a garden, but living in an apartment complex now i thought it would be impossible to have one this year. not only are there a slew of rules to follow, but the only dirt/gardening area is out front beneath my window, and i know the management would not be happy with a bunch od tomatoes and lettuce springing up from the ground. then i had an idea to use cement blocks as a sort of plant bed. i went online to see if it could be done, and saw that it not only could be done, it had been done successfully by many others. great! it was time to have my garden. following are some photos documenting the journey. become a follower of my blog to stay updated, or offer encouragement and advice.

peace!

                               backyard patio slab: not a big space, but sufficient for now...

                                      
                                frontyard: i went to work one day, and when i returned this
                          is what had been prepared for me. i would have preferred the plot            
                            to be more beneath the window, but as it turned out, this area is        
                                better for what i decided to do: caladium, garlic, sunflowers,    
                                 and herbs. i will not be denied my edible front garden!! lol

                                since bordering our patio and walkway  is a large grassy play
                                   area for the neighborhood children (and to deter possible    
                                      "would be" thieves) we fixxed a fence around the bed.
                                 that's my baby peeking out the door; i grew her, too! not bad, huh? =D    

                                              
                                                        gettin' ready to dig...                  

                                                           all in!

                                                       about two weeks later...                                                           

                                        
                                    tomatoes, pole beans, zuccini and yellow squash, collard
                           greens, eggplants, chillies, bell peppers, and (as of yesterday) sage       
                                 i am still planting, and have to rearrange some things also.          

                               red potatoes i started in a potato planter yesteday. i could have 
                       used one of those plastic reusable totes you can buy at the supermarket,
                                            i bought one of the planters at walmart instead.

                                 some strawberries i planted vertically in a hanging plastic 
                                                         shoe organizer (forgot to upload)

                                              he had a ball playing in the manure-lol!!

                                                      he likes to get his hands dirty:))

house!

watch: soulful house documentary

polygamy: why not?

my girlfriend texted me a couple of months ago saying that i should turn to the cable channel tlc. i obliged, and about three hours into watching several episodes of the show she suggested determined that i was hooked, a newly recruited fan.

the show is called "sister wives", and follows the real-life polygamist marriage of utah native koby brown, his four wives, and their family. normally i am not one to watch reality shows, but my girlfriend and i are of those who find absolutely nothing wrong with the concept of "sharing" a man, certainly if the relationship exists within a realm of love, respect, honor, and committment. such a lifestyle is one that most tend to shun in the open (though i suspect they don't behind closed doors), so the fact that a family was brave enough to divulge themselves to the public fascinated me. besides that i am always interested to see how those from other backgrounds, cultures, and religions practice this way of life.

one of the things i think may stand out for many viewers is how "normal" (to use the words of an interviewer) they all seem. the browns all work, partake in regular past times, and have children who appear to be happy. the only thing that may not be normal in relation to the rest of the country is that koby has managed to stay married for 21, 18, and 17 years to each of his first three wives, the fourth being 9 months thus far. in a culture that welcomes divorce about 50 percent of the time, that's saying something big.

in the past, popular public information about polygamy has come via media probes of so-called religious cults who marry children and their close relatives, or mooch off tax payers by collecting welfare benefits. then of course there is the hbo hit series "big love" which portrays yet another view-albeit fictional- of how polygamist relationships flow.

the thing that always riles me is how people tend to point the finger at couples who choose to live this way. according to recent headlines the browns are not only in danger of imprisonment on bigamy charges, but of losing their children. so far as i know, they have not attempted to have each of the marriages acknowledged by state law which takes the charge of "bigamy" off the table. also, unlike polygamy cases we've heard of in the past, all the women were adults at the time of marriage, and chose to do so of their own free will. so what is the problem? in my opinion, it is nothing more than good ol' prejudice, fear of something not understood... or is it?

it seems more than a bit hypocritical that so many gasp at the thought of a man having multiple women, being open about it, and the women being fine with it, when this is something deeply ingrained in our [american] society. "as long as he knows to come back home at night" is almost a mantra among married women, used by many a girlfriend or mother to console a broken heart. hilary clinton, former first lady of the united states, admitted that she knew her husband cheated for years before she was humiliated the world over by his affair with monica lewinsky, but chalked it up to him having "a problem". hugh hefner is the envy of millions of men, and his live-in girlfriends are celebrated for their "status". even clergy and celebrities are not exempt from such lifestyles; reverend jesse jackson had a "love child" outside of his marriage, and kim porter is famous for being p. diddy's main squeeze, baring their children while he publicly dates other women.

i don't understand why [at it's jist] it is perfectly alright for adulterous affairs to carry on, children denied the right to their name and heritage, but when a man stands up to say, "hey, these are my WIVES and children whom i love and care for, and whom love and care for me" there is a serious problem. polygamists should serve years in prison, but adulterers run free. polygamists shouldn't raise children, but neil patrick harris and his partner make people magazine cover for adopting twins together. maybe koby brown and his last three wives should say they're not married, just cheating on the first wife so the courts will leave them alone. obviously that seems more logical and just in the eyes of the law; who cares about a bunch of women and children anyway?

Lest We Forget

(from my facebook page)

i debated on whether i should use this picture for my profile, or one of young emmett as he looked before he met with the devil- clean-cut, dapper, that hint of arrogance that can only come from being young and feeling yourself,believing the world is yours.

i decided on his funeral photo because i feel somethings warrant a jolt in order for the severity of its reality to be understood.

it is my opinion that in 2011, when the internet has made the ability to have "friends" of all ethnicities as easy as clicking a mouse, people are no longer lynched or homes burned down due to "mixing the races" and the such, that we not only have forgotten that we stand on the shoulders of others who have fought and died for us to be able to live without those same realities, but we seemingly think that we are somehow home free. a "that was then" mentality.

so what, do we forget? do we let all their work and [BRUTAL] deaths be in vain? is it enough that we can now walk down the street hand in hand with a white woman or black man without incident (besides the obvious "looks" or under-breath remarks), eat in intergrated restaurants, or make a couple of million for shaking our ***es?? (to be continued)

strange fruit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

southern trees bear strange fruit
blood on the leaves
blood at the root
black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
pastoral scene of the gallant south
the bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
the scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
then the sudden smell of burning flesh
here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
for the rain to gather
for the wind to suck
for the sun to rot
for the tree to drop
here is a strange and bitter crop

Composed by Abel Meeropol (aka Lewis Allan)
Originally sung by: Billie Holiday

strange fruit

a'swingin' from the tree

ripped out the very

heart of me

look out behind

you're sure to see

this country's horrid

legacy...

Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography of America