Yet more photos....

I took these photos two days ago in our yard. Plants are starting to bloom here in Northwest Florida after what seems to have been a long " winter" season.

 This is a photo of our betta fish boy" Duncan". We got him almost one year ago after my first betta boy, " Argo" expired suddenly. His names comes from the his bright red crown tail: it reminds me of the chasuble that our bishop wears.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: Ms Mamie Hixon

Today's " she-ro" isn't world-famous. As a matter of fact, I doubt that too many people outside of the Pensacola metropolitan Statistical Area's writing/literature community even know her name. She, however, is the only literature professor at UWF whose works have affected me in a positive way.

Ms Hixon teaches at the University of West Florida's English & World Languages department.  In addition to teaching, she also oversees the writing laboratory at UWF.

I met Ms Hixon when I was a student in her class . I needed an American Literature elective & there was room in her "Black Women Writers" course.

Her pedology involves asking students to analyze the selected works of literature themselves, rather than to produce " research papers" full of analysis' from other { mostly dead , white men} people . To me, this is the way literature SHOULD be taught. I never understood the reasoning behind making students regurgitate

I also love how Ms Hixon dresses. She is the only woman I know who can pull off the muumuu & still remain professional.

Ms Hixon & I agreed to disagree regarding the fact  that there are *other* American minorities that are worthy of an academic discipline. Her main focus is on the plight of African-Americans throughout the history of the United States{ a plight that is very real to me, for personal as well as academic reasons} I admire Ms Hixon's zest for her heritage.

Teachers of English rock my world!

#ThisIsWhatAFemnistLookLike:Amelia Earhart

I've always been fascinated by the mechanics of flight. My autism makes flying on commercial airlines very challenging, but the mechanics of flying machines  hold my attention.

Today's " she-ro" is Amelia Earhart. Ms Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean .

She valued independence & although married, referred to her relationship with George Putnam as " a partnership with dual controls".

n 1937 Ms Earhart disappeared . No proof of her death or survival of a crash has been found to this day, although many theories abound on the Internet & among flight enthusiasts.



Source: http://www.ameliaearhart.com

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike : St Teresa of Avila.

Today's " she-ro" lived a long time ago.

St Teresa of Avila, born in Spain in 1515 and died on October of 1582. The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion & the Lutheran Churches all recognize her in their Calendar of Saints.

Teresa is known as an earl reformer of the Church. Along wit St John Of The Cross, she was active in the reform of monasteries throughout Europe. She was also a prolific writer & an esteemed Christian mystic.

Along with St Catherine of Seina, Teresa of Avila is one of only two women who are considered Doctors of the Church. St Teresa is known as the patron saint of: headache suffers & Spanish Catholic writers. Her feast day is celebrated on October 15.

Source: http://www.catholic.org

Teresa of Avila, unlike many of the female saints of long ago, was not martyred. She is also proof that one person can make a huge difference in reforming and/or restructuring the institutional Church. the Church needs people who are willing to step out & call the institution out when it becomes errant.  the Body of Christ is a living Body &should grow and change--- as do all living entities.

Amen.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike : Lisa Bloom

Through the miracle that is Facebook technology,I've had the pleasure of getting to " know" TV commenter, lawyer & author Lisa Bloom on a slightly more personal level.  I have not yet met her in person, but  wnt to do so! Although I am a carnivore, if Lisa Bloom came to town & we could have lunch together I would totally eat at Pensacola's only vegan eatery!

I first became aware of Ms Bloom from her work as a CNN legal analyst. She isn't afraid to state her legal analysis & does not always tout " conventional wisdom" in her legal analysis.

She has written two books, both of which I own & have read.

Her first book , _Think_ discusses the " dumbing down" of American girls & women & ho this phenomena has and will be detrimental to society. In the second part of this tome, Ms Bloom offers some great suggestion as to help girls  and women reclaim our brainpower.

The second book, _Swagger_ focuses on the " thug culture" that surrounds us and how THIS is detrimental to society. Again, she suggests way that we can combat this thug culture and teach boys and young men how to BE men.

Brava, Ms Bloom. Brava.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: ++Katharine Jefferts-Schori

 

In late May of 2009 I had the pleasure to met Katharine Jefferts-Schori, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church a  Mass in Pensacola shortly after my confirmation into the Church. She is the first woman in history to led a part of the Anglican Communion.

Yes, that experience was *THAT* awesome and one that I will not forget.

Bishop Katharine {as she wishes to be addressed} is a " second-career"clergy person with a Doctorate in Oceanography. She is also an accomplished pilot & author of several books{ all of which I have bought & read.]

It is true that some people in the Church do not admire our Presiding Bishop nd he style of leadership.Some event think that women have no place in the episcopate. :O(  This saddens me, but one of the lessons I've gleaned from reading Bishop Kathrine's books is that there is room in the Church for EVERYONE.  On of my favorite quotes by my Presiding Bishop speaks to this thought.

"Look for the blessing in the person that drives your crazy."

It is hard for me to follow this simple advice, especially when faced with people who subscribe to bigotry  & {sometimes} downright hatred for those who are different from the majority of people.  Narrow-minded people " drive me crazy" but I need to remember that all of us have life stories that contribute to our worldview . Reading all of Bishop Katharine's book has brought me to a better understanding of how I should treat those whose opinions differ greatly from mine.  She's also taught me , via her books} to open my heart more towards actively participating in world mission.

There is "room at the Table" for all of us. Amen.

#ThisIsWhatAFeministLooksLike: Christiane Amanpour

March is known as Womens' History Month, so all month I'll honor famous { and maybe not-so-famous-women} who have made an impact on my growth & development. There are several women who have affected my growth as a person & they deserved to be honored.

Today I honor Christiane Amanpour of CNN & ABC News fame.

I remember following Ms Amanpour's career since she joined CNN back when it only showed repeating newsreels every hafhour{ or something like that} When I was a child in the 1980's I remember thinking how cool it would be to report from war zones around the world as she did. Actually, I still wish I could travel to war zones to report back to an international news readership/viewership such as CNN/Time.

I didn't , however, really take note of Ms Amanpour's work until the Bosnian crisis. I still have vivid memories of Ms Amanpour challenging President Clinton regarding the situation in Bosnia ad admiring her "chutzpah" in how she handled questioning the President.



I still make a point to watch all her in-depth work as well as her assignments in far-off places.