325 Too Many, A Plea to Humanity

Image by Peggy

325.  That's how many people were killed by gun violence in the United States of America during the week of 11/1/16 - 11/8/16. That's 325 too many.

Even one is too many.  325.  In one week. There are 52 weeks in a year. My brain calculates quickly, almost without thought. I have to force myself not to do the math. Unspeakable.  But I can tell you one thing about it.  It's too many.  Even one person killed by gun violence - which is totally avoidable - is too many.

It is a turbulent time in the United States. Slow down. Read your constitution, study your history.  History repeats itself.  We are going down a path, and we can change our mind.  It's that simple. Not easy, but simple.  

Change is not hard.  The way we are living now is hard.  Young people feel helpless.  They ask me all the time, "What can I do?" The answer is easy:  Spread Love. Turn away from the ugliness and insanity.

And for goodness sake, it is time to lay down our arms.  It is almost 2017.  Not 1957.  

It is time to lay down our arms, because we are more similar than different.  We all grieve when someone we love is carelessly, foolishly and avoidably taken before their time.

It is time to lay down our arms, because the loss of even one is too many.

It is time to lay down our arms, because the loss of any human being before their time should be incomprehensible.

It is time to lay down our arms, not to make us great again -- but because we are great.  Great nations lead by example.

It is time to lay down our arms, because we refuse to live in fear any longer. Fear is a crippler.

It is time to lay down our arms, because it is the right thing to do.

I'm in Denver, yo! It's all about love

Hi friends, as you know I'm in Colorado and it is Nirvana!!!  I came here to escape the insanity of the northern mid-west (is that a thing?)  Tough to get away from, and BTW I want to marry Jon Stewart. Anyone got his number? Is he already married?  If so, sorry Mrs. Stewart. :)

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the laptop again, since I started my boycott of the robbers aka TimeWarner.  I got used to my Android.  At least I had a choice.  Choice.  Choice is what we need.  But here in the mountains, the Android is shit.  Shit, I tell you.  But.....

 the mountain air is heaven.  If you are a weather lover, this is the place to be.  Raining one minute, sun the next. Beautiful mountain air, sunset and sky.  It is heaven on Earth.  I feel sad when I see liter, so I pick up as much as I can without my back hurting or splitting my pants.  everyone is so patient, they move slow, they approach slow and in a non-threatening manner.  They are very polite. i feel like a queen.  when i was swimming i pretended i was Rihanna.  Man, I wish I had her skin.

It's so pristine and new, it's such a gift to be here.  I sure am tired, though.  This may be my last trip. Starting to miss my quirky little cottage.  I love the people here.  Love them. Love the diversity. There's just so many of them. In a year you won't be able to get near this place. And can you blame them? Gotta go where the opportunity is.  And they can pretend it's not about the weed trade, but it is.....and.......everyone........knows it.

 I feel like Michelle Obama designed the area.  Around all the available development areas - are areas reserved for agriculture.  Not sure what kind, right now it looks like sunflowers.  So pretty for a walk and a stretch at night.   The stars.....the air.  Ahhhh.

sorry I digress.  I swam so much I got burned.  Ooops.  Today I swam with my baseball cap 'cause my forehead is gonna blister.  I love the water.  it's the only time i don't feel awkward. It carries all the weight for me so I don't hurt so much from the weight of these gigantic tits.  I can't take the noon sun. I swear I am a hybrid mermaid/vampire.

another digression?  perhaps....i'm losing my train of thought.....,which is a good thing. my brain is too active at times.  i've got lots of good pics, but those will have to wait until i get home.

Remember, to choose love, my dears.  xo

to be continued......

Denver Peeps, Part Four: The Coolest Peeps You're Ever Gonna Meet......

WARNING!  ADULT LANGUAGE AND REFERENCES TO SMOKING MARIJUANA


My posts are not necessarily  in chronological order, but it doesn't really matter. The stories are true. I felt as if Denver gave me a big welcoming hug upon my arrival.

Meet John Elway's new press secretary.  He had just arrived, and he was one of the first people I met when I started exploring. BTW - John Elway is a big local hero. I heard him being talked about constantly by locals and tourists and saw posters of him everywhere, including at the airport.  I'm dating myself, but I remember him being the nemesis of the Cleveland Browns back in the day of Bernie Kosar and Marty Schottenheimer. We almost made it to the Super Bowl, until the fumble heard around the world. I remember that fumble clearly. We all cried. That's when I gave up football......

Sorry, I digress.  So dude told me he just arrived because John Elway had been arrested and his services were needed to spin the story and repair John's image. Apparently he's a master spinner.

Yeah, dude was talking shit. But he was pleasant, funny and welcoming. He had twinkly eyes and a contagious smile and laugh.  And here's something funny:  he was clean.  In fact, this was something I noticed about the homeless and transients in general. They look nothing like the Cleveland or Akron transients. They are much cleaner, have better clothes, better shoes.

See what I mean?  This is Capital Hill.  There were people from a social agency passing out food, blankets, clothes, shoes, backpacks, water, etc.  I'll try to get you a pic from a soup line in Cleveland to give you a comparison.  I'll tell you what else was refreshing about Mr. Press Secretary. He didn't ask me for money. Of course, a lot of people asked me for money since I had the large neon sign on my forehead that said: TOURIST. But it's okay, I can handle myself. I'll have more to say about poverty in a subsequent post.

By the dollar store I met a couple of good ol' boys from Alabama (their expression, not mine). I wanted to pet the dude's puppy. I approached and gently asked if it was okay to put his pup - you never know pup might be in training. He said in a drawl, "Why sure lil lady, and thanks for asking."  He explained that people approach the pup without asking him first and she doesn't like that.

This guy had the most riveting eyes I've ever seen. He told me he and his buddy had hopped a train from Alabama (I wish I had recorded his voice for you to hear). He said they had no choice. There were no jobs. Alabama (like Ohio) is broke so there's no welfare. He told me he was strong as an ox and wanted to work and that he found an agency like Minute Men, except they don't take a cut of the workers' pay. It's more like a social agency. He also said he doesn't like to give people money unless he can see they are trying to help themselves. Heard that.


I had nothing but mad respect for him. He said he and his dude hopped a train. Slept in the woods at night, and the pup alerted him if any one approached. We talked little about the myths the wealthy like to perpetuate:  1. The Safety Net.  No such thing, doesn't exist.  2. The Free Ride. Again, this is bullshit, it doesn't exist. and 3. That people are lazy and don't want to work.  Also bullshit.  See also post below where I talk about the guy who was putting scrap metal in his car. He's been accused of being lazy.

He told me, hey you do what you gotta do and for a young, strong buck like him that means going where the opportunity is.

Meet Jacob. The story of Jacob is one of synchronicity and mad hospitality. In our search for another lounge, we ended up at the wrong address. He was working in his garden, so I approached. His three legged, rescue pit bull greet me warmly, so the dude knew I was cool  I chatted him up a bit. He said, "Oh are you tourists looking for a place to smoke?"  Indeed. You're welcome to smoke on my porch. I asked our cab driver to come back in an hour. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Again we passed the peace pipe - something we did often in Denver. He shared an out of this world bud with us and we shared one with him. Turns out dude is a chemist and was explaining a lot about strands, and growing methods and something called cytokines. There's a whole science to picking the strand for your physiology. It was good not to feel any pain. We'll get more into medical implications in a subsequent post.

We sat on the porch, smoked, talked and admired his beautiful rose bushes. Turned out his girlfriend was in Cleveland.  Small world. He talked a little about Cleveland, and mentioned the brutal killing of a woman by the cops. Turns out that's my step mom's niece he was talking about. Small world.

A cop drove by.  Out of habit, we hid our joints.  He said, you don't have to do that, it's legal here. He explained the police department was right across the street from him and that he was friends with the local sheriff.  I laughed, kinda like Andy Griffith, I said.  He said, funny. The name of the 'burb we were in was Mayberry.  I'm not shitting you.  That's how the trip was, nothing but synchronicity.

Jacob is an intellectual, and I love talking to intellectuals. It was a great experience that I will never forget.

Meet Yubo. Yubo is one of our kind cab drivers. Since we were smoking, and didn't have a lot of time in Denver, we cabbed it a lot. Cab drivers are great. I love hearing their story, and I learned a lot about the city. They are really ambassadors. Yubo was a gentleman, and really watched my back to make sure I was safe. He arrived at Jacob's house 59 minutes later. He was there right when we were ready to leave. Didn't want to wear out our welcome, and we still had a lot to see. Hugs and love all around.

I love hearing the cab drivers' stories. Yubo is from Nigeria. In fact, we met a lot of East Africans. You have to listen carefully because he's still learning English, but the dude is an intellect. He came to the U.S. looking for his permanent home. He explained the hell he went through with immigration - much like the hell I went through with looking for public assistance. No one gets a free ride in the U.S.  I repeat, no one gets a free ride in the U.S. It's a myth.

He said he first arrived in Columbus, Ohio. People were cruel and intolerant (I have family there. The dude is not lying). So he left. Didn't waste time. Went a couple other places. If it wasn't right, he left. He finally settled in the Colorado mountains and he loves it. My next trip will be all about the mountains.

Think for a minute about this bravery. Okay, imagine you are an average American. Meaning you watch a lot of TV. You speak only English. You decide to move to Nigeria and start driving a cab to support yourself while you find a place to settle. I don't know about you, but I couldn't do it. I Yubo, and others like him deserve props.  To be continued.......


All words and images by Peggy. Not to be used or reproduced in any manner without express permission.

Denver, Part Three: The Coolest Peeps You're Ever Gonna Meet.....

WARNING!  ADULT LANGUAGE AND REFERENCES TO SMOKING MARIJUANA

The next day in Denver we needed to find a discreet place to smoke. I'm all in favor (as is any pot smoker) of discretion. Denver is being thoughtful with the roll out of this experiment. I'd like to see it succeed. I'm not alone in this, many would like to see this succeed so it's all about responsibility, hospitality and peace. And hey, why not make some money? You need money to live in this economy. And a lot of it. Oh and BTW - most pot smokers don't drive high. We'll talk about this later, but we had some real cool cab drivers who watched our backs. I love cab drivers! You learn so much from them.

Our friends at Purple Haze gave us an address to a post-industrial area to the west of the city. Cool. I love post-industrial. Should be lots of photo ops. I was a little tired and I thought it might be a great break from the densely populated area of E. Colfax.

We made a quick stop at Subway. Have you tried the turkey with avocado?  Delicious!  We walked in this area, I was in heaven with my little camera.  Clicking away in the gray, drizzly weather. My favorite. I noticed these barracks behind what I'm assuming is a closed factory. Huh. You know you could stimulate the economy and put people to work in those areas growing hydroponic weed. And you know hemp isn't just good for smoking. It makes superior cloth, soap and paper. To cut down trees -when Mother Earth gave us this glorious plant - is a sin.

Or these could be converted to rental spaces for living, or maybe even lounges for people to smoke.

So we ventured into i Bake. We were greeted warmly. You pay for a membership (only $10) and you can hang out as much as you want 24/7. You bring your own smoke and/or pipes, although they have a ton of pipes you can borrow. You also bring your own snack if you want. And it's just a super chill time. Most stuck to themselves and were enjoying their medication of choice. I learned a lot from a local chemist about picking the strain that is good for your physiology. It's all chemistry. I learned just enough to know that I have a lot to learn! 

Had some cool conversations. Sat at the bar and smoked my favorite, Pineapple Express. Chilled to the music. It was heaven. And it was a lifelong dream of mine! I always thought I was going to have to go to Amsterdam to take part in this activity. I was fulfilling this dream in the U.S.!  And it was perfectly legal! Just on a side note: a friend of mine recently traveled to Amsterdam. He told me tourists are not allowed to smoke. Don't know if it's true or not. Please leave me a comment if you know anything about Amsterdam.

Actually, my lifelong dream is to sit in a coffeehouse and smoke a dube. You can't do that in Colorado. They are still being very careful. And I get it. There are kids to think about. Then there's the smell which is offensive to some. Weed smokers do not want to offend. In fact weed makes people better at difficult social situations.  But I think vaporizers are coming a long way. We may actually be able to use vapor in a coffee house. No smell, no smoke in your lungs.

Anyway this was a good time. I was feeling no pain. I was worrying about not a damn thing. We even sat on the porch and watched the rain for a while. 

While we were there we met this dude. Can't remember his name, my bad. Like so many people I've met in the last few years, he fell on hard times. I should mention that before the rain it was like 100 degrees and the sun was beating down. This dude had gotten an AC unit from the garbage. Yep the garbage. He was tearing it down enough to put it in his car - that he was living in. He touched my heart because that dude was in that sun, then in the pouring rain for hours performing extreme manual labor. He finally got it in the car enough that he could drive slowly, and we all prayed that the cops wouldn't fuck with him.

The irony struck me yet again. This is a man who the privileged would call lazy. They would say he doesn't want to work. And they don't have a clue what they are talking about. I sat and watched the dude for quite a while. He was sweating like a pig. He was cutting himself. He got drenched by rain. His muscles rippled cuz the shit was heavy as hell. Once he got it to the scrap yard he would get pennies for it. If that ain't work, I don't know what is.

He was good natured and pleasant to talk to. He did not mind my ignorant Euro-centric questions at all. So I gave him a bud. Hey, the dude's exhausted mentally and physically. Some bud will help him get through the day. I also gave him money for a meal because - I am not shitting you - he was so hungry I could hear his stomach rumbling. He didn't want to take it. But I insisted he take it,  and that he drink some water. I don't know how he didn't have a heart attack. He said in his loving way, "Hey you do what you gotta do." True dat. We shared a group hug, and I told him he's on the right path. I see people do this sort of thing in Cleveland all the time. The difference is in Denver there's some opportunity.

Want more pictures and less words?  Please see my Urban Photo Journal.

All images by Peggy