I have not been avoiding the sewing machine. Not exactly.

I take it out. I stare at it. I pace in front of it. Then I walk by it. I pick up something else. Then I come back to it. Stare it down. And continue the cycle again. It was a question of “What to sew” and “How to sew” and I could hear the ghost of my bag-nighty with vulcan sleeves calling, mocking, jesting.

So I went cruising on the internet. I thought, If only I could find something easy… And google again solved my problems.

Voila! Easy Breezy Wrap Pants.

Thank you Laupre for posting your tutorial.

Oh now don’t think that mine look perfect or really anything close to what is posted there. I have crooked seams, uneven legs (though not grossly so) and imperfections throughout. But they fit! They are actually wearable. By Pender standards that is.

They are super comfy and I think I may just make myself a second pair.

Later.

I watched “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” last night, as a prescreening because I managed to get the movie to the film group on Pender Island. It will be showing September 19th.

This is a very inspiration movie about Liberian women who were tired of the war, they stood up for their rights and the rights of their children, and through a non-violent protest, ended the civil war in Liberia and got a woman voted in a democratic government.

It’s funny because back in June I remember having a discussing with Theresa and Ivan about how a woman is the emotional barometer in a family. A woman has a great influence on the emotional health or “un-health” of her family. Her moods directly affect the rest of the family to a greater extent, I would argue, than the rest of her family members. She has the ability to generate emotional awareness, emotional health, and peace within her family circle. I realize that to generalize is dangerous as the mother is not always the emotional instigator. But excuse my generalization. I think it’s an important responsibility that women must be made aware of.

This movie takes this concept to a whole new level for me. It said as women we have a responsibility not only to our families, but to our communities, to our regions, to our countries. The movie had footage of the rebel soldiers giving their guns to the women protesting for peace. They said “These women are our mothers. We trust their words and respect their pleas for peace.”

Women, we are society’s mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters. What is our responsibility?

I went for a girl’s weekend this weekend. What I expected was:

- Food, lots of food

-Singing/Dancing/Boogying

-Swimming and tanning time

-Laughing until my stomach hurt

-Quotable lines to last us a few years

-Some tears -learning tears.

Check, Check and Check. It was a great weekend. I need the women I have in my life. And I’m very lucky to have such good ladies who encourage me, accept me, attempt at understanding me, and are excited for me as we embark on life’s adventure.

I find that women contain so much strength. Women, we are so strong! We can do so much! We can handle so much. I’m so impressed. We are superwomen, we hold our families together, strengthen each other and remind ourselves of what really matters in life; love, health and relationship. We remind each other of what doesn’t matter as much; preoccupation with physical beauty, expectations of ourselves (unhealthy ones) to accomplish and succeed and that complaining never gets us very far.

I’ve mentioned to a few people around me lately that I’ve been finding that women have the opportunity to be the barometer in their families or relationships. We have the power to influence the emotional status around us, we can eminate positively or negatively. Often I’ve seen a woman’s emotional instability tear apart families. It reiterates the fact that my own emotional health is so important. My moods affect Marc and have great power to influence those around me. It is selfish to think that if I’m grumpy, I do so only for myself. I have observed that women have the power to bring emotional stability and health to families if they are so employed. We women yield such incredible power.

Yes I realize that men also have this power but women seem to be naturally so much more inclined toward emotional recognition or volatile explosions. We wield our manipulation, our nagging, our passive-aggressive avoidance, we throw out our pout, or cock an eyebrow to bend those we love to our will. It makes me so aware of my tone, my expressions. It also makes me aware to take inventory on my own emotional health and what I am putting out there. Am I being positive with Marc? With others I run into?

Have you had good estro-time lately? I feel refreshed, enlightened, aware and armed again from my boost in Estrogen.

We are getting ready to go on holidays and what do I spend my time doing?

Plucking eyebrows.

Shaving legs.

Preening.

Like my new kitty cat.

Gum boots are good enough for Pender but perhaps not for the rest of the wide wide world.