My mother had her moments.

When I was a little kid, we went to Church #1, to wit:

Note the steps. Lots of steps.

When I was in 2nd grade, I got polio. While I was in the hospital, which was costing my parents a metric shit-ton of money they didn't have, the church called on her at home one Sunday afternoon to inquire when she intended to resume meeting her annual pledge! She basically told them they could stuff their pledges up their collective arse.

When I was able to go back to church, they refused to relocate my Sunday-school class to the ground floor (as I recall, it was on the 3rd) to accommodate my inability to climb flight after seemingly endless flight of stairs.

My mother basically told them to stuff it, she was going to find a new church. And she did. Church #2 was all on one level.

Simply,

Where'd everybody go?

According to The Post-Polio Experience, by Margaret Backman, there are 1.5 million of us polio survivors in the U.S.

So where the heck are all you people anyway? Let's talk!

Simply,

a tear for Daisy

Today is--was? would have been?--Daisy's 15th birthday. But she got so old by the time she was 14 that we had to put her to sleep.

I dreamed about her this morning.

I love Diana: She had my heart before we were halfway home from the pound. But Daisy was born in my house. I toweled her off and handed her back to her mother to nurse.

We had an incredible bond. I adored that dog. She went nearly everywhere I did, including to work every day, for years. I thought we would always be Daisy and me, as if time might pass all around us but we would never die.

Of course that cannot be.

So. I love Diana, and miss Daisy.

Simply,

Gotta Vent

Post Polio sucks.

We went to a party last night. I'd been tired all day (it takes me all day Saturday to recover from the work week, even though I don't have a full calendar at work) but no worse than usual.

We get to the guy's house, and it's this little 1920s brick bungalow at the top of a steep driveway. There's maybe half-a-dozen steps up a steep walk to the front door. By the time I got halfway up I thought my legs were gonna quit working. I wasn't even sure I could do the last step without resting. Embarrassing. I feel like a fat old woman, although I am neither.

We have a wedding to go to tonight, which I hope will be more accessible.

My "vacation" this summer wore me out. Ever since I got back, I've been wishing I had a week off just to sleep.

Simply,

Disability Studies, Temple U.: Flickr, Australian sopranos, and disability history

For polio trivia lovers: Here's another "polio" who made good.

Disability Studies, Temple U.: Flickr, Australian sopranos, and disability history

Silly Season

Saw on Twitter where some (White, male) fool bragged he'd kept his kid home from school to watch a movie Tuesday rather than let the kid listen to the President's speech.

And he thinks that's good parenting?

The speech was 20 minutes. The kid missed a whole day of school for that. The speech was inspirational. The kid watched a movie instead.

What's with these people anyway?

Simply,

No, it's not

Sign in front of church: "This is a Christian nation."

No, it's not. Go back to 8th grade civics class. Re-read the Constitution. Check out a U.S. history book from the library.

This is a nation founded on freedom of religion.

Freedom. of. religion.

Simply,