Book Review: "Shoot Like A Girl" by Mary Jennings Hegar

I feel like I have been surrounded by strong determined women all my life. Each one navigating the world on her own terms. This book reminded me of those women. Mary Jennings Hegar’s pursuit of her life’s dream showed me a world that I want my granddaughter to grow up in. One where it shouldn’t matter your gender, one where the “good ole boys” don’t get to call all the shots, one where there is no glass ceiling to her potential, and one where she can be whatever she wants with hard work and determination. For me, the bigger meaning behind Hegar’s book is for men and women to focus on keeping an open mind...how we see the world today, may not be the way we need or should see it tomorrow. Passionate. Supportive. Strong. Determined.

Halloween 2019

Cruella De Vil

Version 2019

This Halloween for the Porter's Halloween Party the theme was villains. Although I have a super cool Cruella De Vil costume that I made many years ago, sadly it is packed away. This is what I had in my closet, minus the Cruella t-shirt. Instant evil doer!! 

Dale said my curls and red lips reminded him of my Grandma Carmen...BONUS!!

Book Review: "The Water Dancer" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

History has a way of changing over time as our collective point-of-view shifts. I wondered if Ta-Nehisi Coates novel would be a true accounting of the Underground Railroad, or would it be a “fantasy blend” like Colson Whitehead’s novel? I was a little apprehensive. What I found was a novel which dealt with history accurately, but at the same time added a supernatural element, Conduction. I think what stood out the most was Hiram Walker’s perspective of his situation; Taskers (slaves), Lows (low non-slave holding whites), and the Quality (slave owners) all situated in the coffin (slavery).The novel shows that the Underground Railroad was more than stations on a route. It was a much more clandestine operation than history had led me to believe that included forging documents to move slaves out of the coffin. I learned that the facade of civilization and culture were meticulously engineered by the Quality. Conduction, the paranormal part of the novel, caught me off guard. The ending left me realizing that there is no happy ever ending for anyone involved...Taskers, Low, or the Quality