Longest Day, Shortest Night

It's the Solstice!

I can hardly believe it. It hasn't got above 80* except maybe twice, and it's still down as low as 50* at night! Wow. In NC it's like 85* or more in the day, and I dunno at night...60-something?

We are going there in 6 days. Stopping to see cousins on the way, which is exciting! I can't wait, really. I miss the mountains absolutely acutely. I have mixed feelings-- there are things I lovelovelove about my new home here in MA, but it's rather flatter than NC, and not near as pretty. I love the climate here way better, and I love how liberal it is up here, and I love that nobody cares what religion I am, and I love that we get free (FREE!) healthcare. I do not love that there aren't mountains. I miss moving water-- as afraid of rivers as I am (for getting in), I love watching how alive they are.

I'm so mad at the political climate down there in NC that I can hardly breathe. It appears we got out of there just in time, and as much as my heart is still very much in the mountains, we can't go back. Can't afford to. Not financially, though there is that-- I meant NC is just not OK anymore. It's so broken.
We can't get health insurance, not even my kid (who knew ADHD is a pr-existing condition? and, who wouldn't insure a child?). The politics are insane; they're trying to go back to the dark ages with women and contraception and abortion and such, and, voting rights, and my goodness, the water pollution and fracking and all that...it's just awful. NC is beautiful, just absolutely breathtaking, but it's becoming a glamour, I'm afraid.

And the religion issue-- I can't believe we've been here in MA for a year and three days, and not ONE TIME, not once, has anyone asked what church I go to. Not once has anyone brought up religion as a topic. Not once in a meeting (I'm a 12-stepper, if I've not mentioned it) has anyone said "...My Higher Power, who I choose to call God (or Jesus)". It's lovely not having to justify myself. It's lovely not to get all passive-aggressive and say "My Higher Power, whom I choose to call Goddess"...on the other hand, I got so used to religion being the Topic du Jour that it's discombobulating not to have it mentioned....ever. Nice, but weird.
And at least I don't have to go to school board meetings here to keep the Bible out of my kid's school. Not.An.Issue!
He did have a course called Ancient Civilizations which is history, and they covered the Romans, Greeks, Egypt I think, and early Christianity, and when I asked him was the Jesus part more even with all the other parts of history, or was it emphasized as The One True Way, he said it was even with all the other parts, just a blip in history. LOVE! Exactly how it should be.

Still, I can't wait to go say hi.

There are wild roses growing next door. I don't remember them from last year, but in my old yard, the wild roses were short lived, and last year we moved here on June 17th. so maybe they were gone by then. They are beautiful! Such a treat. I took pictures. If I remember later, I will upload them! There's a gorgeous purple something growing next to. I took a pic of that, too. If someone can ID it for me, that'd be cool!

11 minutes till work, so this will be short.

2 weeks and 3 days till we go back to Asheville for a visit. I think I have The Boy almost all packed. Me, now, that's another story.
I'm pretty excited. But I am worried about KittyCat Meow....True Love said he would take care of him for us. I hope to heck KittyCat won't be traumatized with us being out of town for so long :(