The following amazing visit with daughter-in-law and our granddaughter took place a year ago last August..  They came to our place for a visit, while our son ended up on an extended out-of-town assignment for work.   And since we had lots of time together, we did some basic sightseeing here on the Delmarva.

Cambridge is a picturesque town on the Choptank River, with lots of old houses and churches, a replica of the Choptank River Lighthouse near Sailwinds Park, close to the dock where Liberty Ship John W. Brown (one of two operable Liberty Ships from World War 2) was temporarily berthed for a local event.

We arrived in Cambridge at lunchtime, and everyone was hungry.  So we visited one of the local “non-chain” eateries, for some local fare.  (I was dressed in women’s shorts and a women’s polo, with purse, bare legs,  patent flats, and my usual long hair and nails.  No jewelry.)   Accordingly, we were all addressed as ladies at the eatery.   And no comment about that from wifey or D-I-L

Anyone familiar with Liberty Ships would be proud that a dedicated group of volunteers can keep this relic in good repair, and seaworthy.  It’s beautiful and extremely interesting to visit.  The 3 of us went on board for a while, to see as much as one can see in a short time, with the almost-3-year-old little girl (who by then was definitely needing her nap) in tow…making the total “3-1/2 visitors.”

I’ve been on board the Brown several times previously, including while it was under steam, but took the opportunity to visit the engine room – alone.  Since my last visit, it hasn’t changed, but this time I was treated to a full description of the workings of the triple expansion steam engine by a friendly elderly male volunteer, who addressed me as “Ma’am” a number of times, as did the other on-board docents I had reason to converse with.    It’s probably a good thing that the rest of the time, my 3 companions mostly walked in front of me “taking in all the sights,” not particularly paying attention to what greetings docents had for me.

BTW, both wifey and D-I-L were wearing skorts, a good thing given the number of ship’s steps they had to climb.  I’m liking skorts more and more as time goes on…

Following that, we drove a short distance to Long Wharf in Cambridge, where a faithful replica of the Choptank River Lighthouse is located.   Built in the “screwpile” style of many Chesapeake Bay lighthouses (pilings have a spiral apparatus on the end and are “screwed” into the river bed), it’s a copy of the earlier beacon which guided sailing vessels on the river.   A very interesting structure, even though it’s not the refurbished original.

A marina along US-50 on the northern shore of the Choptank river was formerly home to the old carferry Hampton Roads. From my archives, here is a picture of the remaining decks of the carferry, and yours truly, which I visited back in 2017:

And a picture of what was left of the interior:

Note that autos drove into the covered area (eventually driving out the other end), and passengers went up the steps to decks above which were removed years ago.

I pointed out the carferry’s former location to D-I-L as we passed by on our trip, but that portion of the marina was now empty.  Little did I realize in March of 2017 that only 3 months later, in June of 2017, the decrepit hulk would meet its Waterloo.   It was “scrapped in place” that month.  (I looked on-line when I got back to the house.)   My 2017 visit apparently came “just in the nick of time” to archive pictures of a piece of history.

So sad…

While our guests were here, I had an occasion to visit the doctor’s office – wearing womens’ shorts, a womens’ tank top, bare legs, and patent flats, with my purse, hair and nails.  When I arrived, a man was in line in front of me, waiting to sign in.  And shortly after I arrived, another woman came in and joined the line.  We waited a few minutes for the clerk to put out unused sign-in sheets, then he motioned to let us ladies go ahead, saying “Ladies First!”  

Not wanting to embarrass the man, the lady, or myself, I simply said “Thank you, Sir” in my best femme voice and went ahead, as did the other lady.  Once we all were seated, he was called in first, so there was no chance of him hearing any exclamation of “Mr. _________.”  A new aide eventually called me in, and I requested that in the future he call me by my given name, since “my dad,  Mr. ______ “ passed away years ago.” 

We’ll see if he remembers…

Till next time…

Mandy

Remember the song “The Cheater’ by Bob Kuban and the In-Men from way back in1966? Well, with a slight change in spelling, “Cheater” becomes “Greeter.” And that’s what we have here. “Look out for the Greeter!”

We have our unofficial “greeters” back again.  Daddy, mommy and the baby(ies) all live in the void under the concrete front stoop.  Can’t tell if they are the same greeters we had several years back, but in any event, they are a family of black snakes.  And when they come out and stretch out or coil up in the western sun along our front walk, they can effectively chase off any visitors.  (Or porch pirates!) Which is why we call them our “greeters.”

They defy peaceful reminders to go away…like dropping ice cubes on them from above and scaring them with noise from a shovel.  I’ve considered finding someone to present them with a case of “lead poisoning,” but the noise out on the front street might attract too much attention from nosey neighbors.  Not to mention the danger of an unplanned ricochet popping out from inside the void. And discharging a firearm within city limits might also be a problem! 

A trapper I spoke with says they are unlikely to be “home” when he arrives, and I don’t like paying for a service call where the problem can’t be fixed. Exterminators say they don’t do snakes, but will happily sell me a service plan to kill bugs (a possible source of food for them) around the outside of the house. So I may simply pay a contractor to pump the void full of cement. Our greeters have already been given several “eviction notices!” (There are woods nearby with fallen trees which would make a fine home for them. Just not under my front porch.) They simply haven’t taken the hint…

So when the going gets tough, the tough(er) get going….

Stay healthy…

Mandy

In 2017, I had occasion to wear pretty nails without the wife being around. So I gave the project to the girls at the salon, telling them that it would only need to last two weeks.

They talked for a minute or two, and decided what to do for me. They wanted to surprise me, so I let them do their thing. And though I mostly watched the telly, there was no doubt that what I was getting would need salon help to remove….there was an ultraviolet lamp being used on me.

They told me that my nails could last for 2 to 3 weeks, and they confirmed that they would have to remove them when that time comes. “So enjoy sporting those pretty nails, sweetie!” And I did – Mom (who forgets everything she sees before I hit the door on the way out each time I visit) thought they were pretty. And the staff liked them, too.

When the time (unfortunately) came, my tech at the salon removed them…just in the nick of time to avoid any wifely issues! But I won’t do that again…if the virus shutdown (or some similar event) had happened, there would have likely been an issue! Fancy nails will have to be painted on….

Segue to the current situation: I’ve been in the house for well over a week since the “wear masks” order was given. I ‘ve been to the grocery store, gas station, pharmacy and post office, in subdued red stirrup pants, with black socks and flats, a turtleneck blouse showing under my jacket, and the usual feminine cues. And another day…black capris and flats, with a brown turtleneck.Plus the mask. And I had several strangers and clerks do the “excuse me, Ma’am” bit. Not once did I hear that “dreaded S-word.” The mask works wonders! This could be fun…

Stay healthy!

Mandy

In these dull days of sitting around the house and not going out, it’s nice to review some of the better days. This is a review of my fabulous spring 2017 shakedown run with the antique car, which turned out to be over 200 miles and 6-1/2 hours plus.  The weather was beautiful (sunny, low 60’s), and perfect for traveling.  Plus, Mandy was able to get out and about for a while, in her newest skirt…

First stop was the former PRR station in Laurel, DE – on the ex-PRR line to Cape Charles.  It’s a beautiful little station, and the Laurel Heritage Museum is located inside.   Unfortunately, it wasn’t open…

Has anyone heard of the Transpeninsular Line (a cousin of the Mason-Dixon Line)?  It’s a surveyed line (at approximately 38 degrees 27 minutes north) across the entire Delmarva peninsula, dating back to the mid 1700’s as a result of a land dispute between the Penns (of DE) and the Calverts (of MD.).

The eastern half of this line forms the north-south border between Delaware and Maryland.  That border turns roughly north from the mid-point of the line, following the official southern extension of the Mason-Dixon line , north toward the Twelve-Mile-Circle, both of which together form much of the remainder of Delaware’s perimeter.  That intersection is marked by several stones (inside the iron cage to protect from vandalism) and it also serves as the southern end of the Mason-Dixon Line.  You can see the cage beyond the car’s hood and over my shoulder.   I knew the Transpeninsular Line existed, but not the “mid point” intersection.  Interesting!

Time to move on…   Enroute to my next stop, I passed through the town of Delmar, which is right on the border between Maryland and Delaware.  Literally.  The border (Transpeninsular line) is basically Route 54 (State St.) – right down the middle of town.  If you’re on the Maryland side of the street, it’s only a short trip across the street, to get to Delaware (where there is no sales tax.)  But it’s a small town, with not too many stores to choose from.

Sorry about the moving shadow on the subject in the following picture…it was windy, and I only had the self timer to “take the picture.”   Once you push the button, there’s no way to know where the shadows will be when the shutter clicks.

From there it was a wonderful drive on varying types of country roads, out toward Ragged Point.  The scenery there was gorgeous, as were some of the mansions.  In places, the road was hugging the shoreline, and marshy shoreline scenery such as this appeared in other places:

The end of the road was blocked by a gate, but even so, the scenery in the area was outstanding and well worth the drive.  The picture below was taken at a nearby public marina, where I ate a quick lunch from my cooler…

Now it was time to return to “androgynous mode” – via another cornfield change, not at the marina – for the drive home. 

Later…

Mandy

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my nails filled just before our ill-fated visit to our son’s place in Tennessee. That was in mid-March, and well before Easter. Then the virus got in the way…cancelling our trip and closing all the hair and nail salons…

My fill held up nicely until about the 10th of April, when they were a bit less than 1/4″ past the ends of my fingers, so I used my trusty nail file and did a quick touch-up. ( See prior post dated 4.11) Today I took a critical look at them and decided that they had grown enough to do yet another self-manicure, and try to make them look more professional.

So I pushed back and trimmed some cuticles, filed the ridges out of the new growth, smoothed out joints between new growth and the existing fill, and gave then a couple coats of clear polish. They look a lot better, even if you can still see the color of the fill, which is somewhat visible.

But the growth – wow, that has been quite phenomenal…they’re already at least 1/4″ long, and April isn’t over by a long shot. Maybe paying attention to my nails stimulated their growth? If salons are told to remain closed all.through May, it’s very possible that they will grow out to perhaps as much as half an inch! The girls at the salon will love them!

Wouldn’t they look so nice with the tips painted white??? Not gonna happen at this point… 😦 If my wife has any comments about the fill color being different from the natural nail, the best suggestion I can offer will be to paint them black, to match my toes.

Will post again as they grow longer!

Mandy

This trip a couple years back, was  to visit our son and family, plus meet some friends for sightseeing.  Our trip south was uneventful.   Well except for a couple things…

With my wife present, I traveled in women’s shorts and a sleeveless tunic, flats (with pantyhose), my necklace, and purse.    (As well as, the ever present pink nails and long hair – of course.)

At a gas/convenience stop in Maryland, my wife went in to use the potty while I filled the car’s gas tank.  She returned and said nothing about anything being amiss.  So I moved the car to a parking place and went in to use the restroom.   Both men’s and women’s rooms were in the same hallway, with the men’s room further down.   Four fat, bearded and mustachioed “stereotypical bubbas” were standing there by the women’s room door, waiting in line for men’s room, which was being cleaned. 

My need to use the restroom was very, very urgent.  Strangely enough, with my purse over my shoulder, I didn’t give it a second thought…   Four pairs of eyes were watching me as I tapped on the women’s room door.  Hearing no answer, I entered.  (Luckily it was a one-holer.)   I used the facilities as a woman, and came out in an appropriate length of time, to find the “bubbas” still waiting in line.   I said to them…”Have a good day, guys.”  Their response:  “You too, Ma’am.”

Though I don’t do something that brazen very often (and specifically avoid it as much as possible), it was rather uneventful…considering that so many things could have gone wrong.   (Like a fight with the “bubbas”, or soaking wet shorts…) 

Back at the car:  “I thought you’d take a lot longer than that, with the line for the men’s room.  Do we need to stop at the next place with a restroom?”    “No, I used the women’s room.”  “Oh.  Well, at least you look the part.”  Then, she changed the subject.

We stopped for lunch enroute – at a Cracker Barrel.  There, we were addressed as “ladies” as we were escorted to seats.  And the same situation existed all through our meal…   Hmmmmm –  I didn’t think I looked all that feminine.   Guess I was wrong!

Among friends, who already know my gender, there is generally no confusion.  During our trip, I did hear a comment from one male friend.  He commented…”I can tell that you don’t work on your antique car yourself.”  I already knew the reason he would offer…so I replied “And why might that be?”   His response: “Those pretty nails wouldn’t survive if you did.”  From there, I led the subject off the nails path and into a discussion of my mechanic, and it never came up again.  (Incidentally, this guy was the same one who joked “Hey, nice skirt” when I had my sweater tied around my waist last year.  (At least he doesn’t pursue that any further.)

A typical traveling outfit:

Guess I look a bit more feminine than I thought….

Mandy

I had to go back to the hardware store, to pick up some fluorescent tubes and some other things for the house, before the weekend. And it turned out to be a fabulous experience. My outfit was black capris, brown turtleneck, and black ballet flats, with all my standard accoutrements. First stop was the hardware store, where the two clerks I spoke with first, and the clerk at the checkout counter all addressed me as “Ma’am” the whole time I was there…

Then it was off to the post office, where a man held the door for me. “Thanks, kind sir.” “you’re welcome, Ma’am!”

Then came a stop at a pharmacy to pick up some spray-on touch up color for my hair, on which the gray has grown out a lot since my last hairdresser appointment in early March. “Thank you, Ma’am!” It actually works fairly well at covering the gray – at least till I wash my hair the next time. For this emergency, it will be fine!

And when I got home, my wife said she forgot to buy something she needed for lunch while she was at the grocery store last time, so I drove back to get it for her. At the meat counter, and again at the check out, I was interpreted as female. It was the best day this girl has experienced in a while!

And it may be the last for another while, given the upcoming requirement to wear a mask everywhere outside the home! (Of course, in my case that mask may just cover a multitude of sins!)

Speaking of masks, some of us are old enough to remember back to the days of the good old western “shoot–em-up shows” on black-and-white television, where folks wearing jackets, gloves and a mask were shot if they got too close to banks. Apparently that’s not an going to be an issue in today’s world, with coronavirus around…LOL!

In the previous post entitled “My Newest Dress,” I mentioned about purchasing a boat neck tunic top along with my new gray dress. One of my readers inquired as to whether I might be able to post a pic of the tunic. Pat, here it is:

i like it…it’s long enough to cover the extra pounds I carry, and very comfortable without a collar. And my wife hasn’t been vocal about a severe dislike. Thus, I hope to be able to wear it out and about very soon. (Though it would help if the weather would get back to “springlike” and without the wind.)

The next day was a bit of a shopping day…as much shopping as one can do nowadays under “stay at home” orders. My outfit was a turtleneck tunic and capris, with my tan flats (too cold for sandals outside.) At the hardware store, a twentysomething female clerk omitted any gender-specific greetings or forms of address. At the grocery store, I was addressed as female. Lastly, at the post office, a man held the door for me…with the appropriate feminine greeting. And the beat goes on.

However, the governor just placed put a “must wear masks in public” edict in place for coronavirus, allegedly with possible fines/imprisonment for violations. This means even less time out and about over the near future.

Spoiler alert: Rant to follow!

My biggest complaint with the governor’s order: I haven’t been able to find proper masks (N95) anywhere, at any price (they used to stock them at the hardware, but no more). And we understand from various sources that the homemade masks we’ve been told to wear (made from bandanas, headscarves or scraps of t-shirt fabric) don’t protect the wearer against getting the virus. So, why even bother, if they don’t protect the wearer? (Well, other than the obvious: to avoid possible fines and/or imprisonment.)

Let’s stop passing this virus around. I’d happily spend reasonable amounts of hard-earned dollars for properly-functioning masks for my wife and myself…if they were available. It’s simply a matter of self preservation!

IMHO, it’s way WAY WAY past time for this President to stop delaying, and straight-out order appropriate companies to change from whatever they make, to producing tons of masks (and/or other related protective equipment.) The Defense Production Act is a very valuable law. During WW II, my father worked at a plant which was forced to convert from making kids’ toys to making tank parts for one of the tanks of that era. It was definitely an essential and badly needed group of products – the existence of which helped us win the war. And back in the day, he told me theirs was definitely not the only facility in the USA which was affected by the DPA.

Since coronavirus vaccines are supposedly still a year or more away…at the very least, GET US MASKS and protective equipment which will actually work! Even more importantly, those products will help protect the police, fire and the health care personnel (think: nurses wearing plastic garbage bags because no surgical gowns are available) who are laying their lives (and those of their families) on the line to protect us!

And I won’t even spend any time discussing the urgent need for more testing. If you want one, you CAN’T just “get it.” Time for that problem to be fixed, as well.

End of rant…sorry. Devil made me do that! I don’t often voice my humble opinion, but I couldn’t help it. Yes, I pray that things will go much better in the coming weeks regarding defeating the virus, and that soon we can get back to something a bit more “normal” than sitting around the house.

In the meantime, wherever you live, please do whatever you possibly can to avoid coming in contact with this virus…it’s incredibly dangerous, particularly for those of us older than 60. There is a lot of work to do with/for/about LGBTQ rights in the future, and I pray that we “collectively” can all be around to do it – together!

BE SAFE – and stay healthy!

Mandy

With some of the wonderful, money-saving coupons in some of the women’s catalogs, it was a great time to buy another gray tank dress to wear around the house with my turtlenecks, and perhaps if the weather gets warmer, with short sleeve tops as well. With “social distancing” likely to be in effect for a while yet, I find myself in dresses all day, every day – except for the very few trips I make to a store for needed supplies.

My only major requirements for a new dress were; light color for summer, ankle length, and most importantly, wanted any new dress to have pockets. Yes, I found one that met my needs!

I had mentioned to my wife that I had a shipment coming, and that didn’t cause any issue. When it arrived, I tried on the dress and she thought it looked just like my other ones, so it was fine with her. And the pockets will be very handy. It’s ankle-length, so it’s a bit longer than my other dresses – great for around the house. But the good news is; it has pockets. Thus it will be perfect to wear out and about on excursions.

While looking through the catalogs, I also noticed a nice-looking boatneck tunic top with half-sleeves (longer than short sleeves but shorter than the typical 3/4 sleeves.) I decided to buy one of those, too, and see if perhaps it might pass muster as one of my everyday blouses…just amped up a bit on femininity, but one more that could be washed with the regular laundry, since I’ve worn it in wifey’s presence,

Surprisingly, the boatneck tunic “flew” initially as well. Its neckline is far more noticeable than I thought it would be, even with my long hair. It’s clearly feminine, and only elicited a comment that she didn’t care for it. I’ve been wearing it in her presence. So the gamble may have paid off – an overtly-feminine blouse for everyday wear!

My new tank dress;

It seems to hang nicely, and highlights my growing breasts, though they’re also plainly visible in my T-shirts and blouses.

Before you ask, No, I’m not on HRT – it’s a side effect of at least one of my meds. I was expecting it to happen, and I’m not complaining! But I wonder who will first suggest that I be professionally fitted and begin wearing brassieres, to support them and prevent them from bouncing as I walk? Never mind the fact that even an A-cup bra will accentuate their projection and give me a rather unmistakeable female bustline…with bra straps noticeable in some of my tops.

I doubt it will be my wife… We’ll see how this progresses as time goes on..

I think this gray dress goes nicely with my sandals and black toe nails… Unfortunately, there are no excursions planned to which I can wear it 😦

Mandy

My new tan ballet flats seem to attract female attention…

Wifey and I were out walking in the nice weather last week. I was wearing a medium purple 3/4 sleeve turtleneck tunic and tan capris. And I chose to wear my new tan flats, to finish getting used to wearing them (barefoot again.)

As we approached two women walking in the other direction (with the required space between ourselves and them), one of them smiled and said “At first I thought you were walking barefoot today!” I replied “No, with the virus, it”s too dangerous.” Then the other lady said, “But those are really cute ballet flats, and it’s a useful color.” “Thanks, Ma’am, and they’re very comfortable.” “What brand are they?” I told it like it is; “Softwalk.” “OK, thanks, I’ll check them out on line. You have a nice day, ladies.” “You, too, ladies!”

Once they were past us and out of earshot, wifey mentioned that she knew one of the ladies and she talked about her for a minute. They plan to get together once the health crisis passes. But she said nothing about my shoes…or outfit.

A block from home, the same type thing happened again, this time with a couple from town but whom we don’t know. The woman said “Love those ballet flats, hon!” “Thanks, Ma’am! Stay Well” And the husband said “You too, ladies!” After they were beyond earshot I said to my wife in passing: “Guess everyone likes my new shoes…:” “Yes, they do…and ballet flats do look pretty, even on my husband.”

Guess it’s a good sign that I’ll be wearing them a lot this summer!

Wonder if anything would have been said if I had been wearing my sandals – with black toe nails showing? May try that, with another walk…first we have to get rid of this awful wind and cold…

Stay well…

Mandy