Wow, while we were away in Michigan, on our summer vacation, the oil from the BP spillage magically disappeared. Oil eating microbes arose out of the muck like some crazy munch monsters and yum, yum they ate it up. For real? I'm a little suspicious about the reality of that claim and so are the fisherfolk who make their livelihood off the fruits of the sea having no palate for the taste for chemical dispersant. It feels like a grand scheme by the oily boys who would like us continue swallowing their fossils fuels without missing a gulp, without fear of consequences for our insatiable appetites. It's time to get real. I think a healthy skepticism is beneficial here and an urgency in creating a real infrastructure for alternative energy and conservation. We drove our bio-diesel Sprinter on Interstate 80 half way cross this very lengthy nation, a first time experience for me,and the outstanding landmarks on this horizontal highway where the boarded up small towns connected by miles of power, oil, electric, and water lines extracting what's left of the dwindling resources from this ravaged earth. Besides that, lot's adult bookstores and corn, lots of corn.
The fact is, It was exciting to see bio-diesel and ethanol fuel pumps sprouting up along our nations highways and took advantage of them . We had also committed to replenishing our glass water containers along the way, filling up at truck stops and restaurants which resulted in the purchasing of only one plastic bottle on our entire journey. It's not easy being green but it's possible. and it is certainly incumbent upon our leaders locally and nationally to take a giant step in that direction, they can just follow us. Rolling through Laramine Wyoming we heard news that The Gay marriage ban was overturned by US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. If you recall, Laramie was where a 21 year old, gay man named Matthew Shepherd was viscously beaten and killed and strung up on one of the thousands of snow fences that cut the hillsides. Just because he was gay. It was a solemn sacred moment of justice, to know that the court understood that the homosexual heart is equal to the heterosexual. that decision provides us with a certain measure of security and whittles away at the hate that is the root of that kind of tragedy. I know a lot of us have been praying for diversity and tolerance, and we took that as a really good sign even if it is stalled in the. 9th circuit court of appeals. It's the small omens and that sustain us through the madness and confusion of this life. We're all just looking for relief. It was a relief to spend time on women's only land in the hardwood forest of Hart Michigan.The Michigan Women's Music festival takes place in a self sufficient village built by women every spring for the last 35 years in preparation for the August arrival of about 9000 of us looking to escape the never ending struggle to function happily in a man's world. The Festival, 5 days long, spanning over 593 acres was started in 1976 by a woman named Lisa Vogel who at 19 had the tenacity and focus to provide a safe space for women that would be filled with every imaginable kind of artistic expression, music, theater, comedy, dance, and workshops like Amazon knife and tomahawk throwing, Stilt walking, creative croning, to the Lesbian Tent revival. We were treated to the music of Laura Love, The Indigo Girls, Toshi Regan, Holly Near, Ferron, Mary Gauthier,The Butchies and the list goes on and on. We have hot showers, three delicious meals a day. If you need first aid, you are sent to the womb, if you are upset you go to the oasis, if you want to see women wrestling in chocolate pudding you go to the twilight zone. Children, roam freely because there are infinite mothers' eyes watching over them. We attended the festival with another lesbian couple and four of our teenage daughter's. Here in the "mainstream" we are constantly nagging them about their minuscule fashion choices exposing more of their booties than they cover. We try to explain to them that it's not their clothing that's the problem, it's the fact is that there were over 95.000 reported rapes in the US last year alone. There, Our girls were safe and free to dress appropriately for their pleasure, wicked crazy style and for the weather and considering the humidity, Half naked was all good. It's a simple matter of real security. One that requires no government departments, no police, no surveillance, no weapons. It has something to do with a man free environment. Now this may offend some of you out there, but the fact is that every women and girl on that land for those five days lived fear free that someone would even think of violating her body, let alone do it. Just contemplate that for a moment. Michigan Festival is a microcosm of a better world that actually exists, the difference being that women run it. Women build it, women make the decisions for the benefit of the collective experience. Imagine being able to walk out of your house naked and all the neighbor next door does is smile and wave and say good morning. Imagine losing all your body judgements, comparison with others because you are no longer competing with them you are co-existing with them all contributing in your own special way choosing your right lively hood in voluntary bliss while all your needs are taking care of. It's the kind of place that you might read about in a Ursula Leguin, Or Sally Gearheart novel, but It's for real. I've seen it with my very own eyes and fortunately so have our daughters.
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