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Sometimes it isn’t even safe.

I saw a post at Ace of Spades about women who love feminized men. They are calling them babygirl, and apparently both the young women who are attracted to these guys, and the men themselves consider it a compliment.

Here’s a quote I lifted from the Ace post, which I believe originates from his link to the NY Post.

A man who is “babygirl” comes across as sweet, charming, a bit bashful and seemingly in touch with their feminine side, ready to talk about their feelings or carry a purse to brunch at any point.

It’s exactly what women want and men want to become — the antithesis of toxic macho masculinity.

They are presenting it as “mental health.”

First of all, let me say without sarcasm, beware anything presented these days as mental health, and especially consider the sources. (more…)

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Today is Fat Tuesday, the culmination of the famous season of Mardi Gras.

Debauchery. Bacchanalia. Floats, costumes, beads and masks, and lots of drinking and partying. That’s what we think of when we hear the term Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday.

There is a lot more behind it. Also called Shrove Tuesday, it marks the last day of the liturgical calendar before Lent begins.

After Catholicism spread throughout Europe, many cultures celebrated the final day before Lent began in ways unique to that individual  culture. Eggs, and milk were finished off in one day, giving rise to the term Fat Tuesday. In Poland, such things as lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit were forbidden during Lent, and the beloved  pączki became a special treat for Fat Tuesday. In Detroit they still sell many thousands of them to long lines of people.

Enjoy your Fat Tuesday, and spare a thought to the next forty days. Why not observe Lent, and use the time to more deeply appreciate Christ’s sacrifice and his love for us?

I am sure you’ve seen people on Ash Wednesday with a cross traced on their foreheads. Many churches have Ash Wednesday services, and all are welcome. It’s a thought provoking way to begin your journey, to center and prepare yourself to make changes, to clean out some baggage and make more room for the truly important things.

This is a repeat post. I hope you will join us the next weeks as we look toward Good Friday and the Cross, with the goal of making ourselves a little more able to celebrate on Easter Sunday.

If this post isn’t your cup of tea, find another to comment on. The same goes for the Ash Wednesday post tomorrow, and the Sundays of Lent posts. 

I thought seriously about just trashing the recipe post when the first comment, and three of the first eight, were gripes and snark. Especially after I made a point of letting people know our party is about family, not football. But, I would really enjoy some fun and food recipes, and there are a few people left here who can enjoy these posts, and others who have the class not to ruin things if they aren’t in the mood.

This isn’t sarcasm here. Yes, I am mad. But apparently there is a need for a place to just blow off steam. I may actually do this second post every time I do any other post at all.

If you don’t like football, Taylor Swift, Kansas City or San Fran, or any other thing that puts a bee in your bonnet, here’s your place.

Blow off steam but keep it clean. This is not a place for you to bestow your nastiest vocabulary on us.

And please, consider letting the rest of us enjoy some normal.

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Like a lot of people, I quit watching the Super Bowl some time ago. My oldest son is the only real pro football fan in the family, the rest of us only love college football. So, unless he is here for a visit, we don’t follow pro ball much. My husband stays current on playoff stuff each year  just to be able to talk with (read aggravate) my son.

However, some time ago when I used to always be at work, my husband and youngest son decided to have a small family party and cook one of the leftover turkeys from Christmas in the deep fryer. Back in those days, the two of them cooked everything (I miss those days!) and it was all fried.

We have kept that family party alive, even though only a few of the guys watch the game now. I remember that after I retired I used to watch the commercials, and most of them were fun. Not so much anymore, but this is a recipe post, so, on to the important stuff.

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