What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

It Takes A Village

In the next big town over there was recently an ordinance put into place that promised that all people were to be treated equally and fairly.  ALL people.  Sounds like a great thing,  Right?  Kind of like putting a big WELCOME mat at the city limit sign  - "You are welcome here!"  Come on in!

But it got SO ugly.  People misunderstood it.  People put a negative spin on it.  Businesses refused to follow the ordinance.  People thought it meant SO many things that it did not.  I do not live in that town, but I shop there and spend most of my money and time there.  Plus, it is literally one mile from my front door.  It was brought to a re-vote and it the majority (52% to 48%) voted to repeal the ordinance.  So, the welcome mat is gone.  There is a bad taste in people's mouth.  It was supposed to be such a good thing.  It really was like a token anyway - shouldn't everyone be welcome everywhere anyway?  I think it will be rewritten and passed someday soon.  I hope so.  

I was actually thinking of all the things going on in the world and that ordinance and how much hate and intolerance there is towards SO many people.  Democrats vs. Republicans, Gay vs. Straight, Religion vs. Atheist, Police vs. Men, Men vs. Police and so, so much more.  I have had to un-friend so many Facebook friends and family.  I don't want to hear their hate on any level.  I've been writing this blog for fifteen years.  Am I Republican or Democrat?  Catholic or Baptist?  Do I believe in God?  Do I tolerate homosexuality or do I abominate it?  I doubt anyone knows the answers to those questions because I don't air it here or on Facebook.  I do hope you know I am all about YOU being YOU - treating others as you would like to be treated and behaving like you want to be remembered. Just be good people, OKAY?  (For the record, I am not particularly political, religious or gay.  HA HA.  Had to throw a little humor in there.)  

So, let's see how my Christmas village works into all this chatter.  

Churches of all sorts and all denominations coexisting.  

This big pink Church is one of my favorites.  I lusted (can you lust for a church?) over it at Target many years ago, but it was not needed or in the budget.  But, there was one waiting for me after Christmas at 75% off, so it was mine.  The day I found the little Preacher was a happy one for me.  I added in the giant old Shiny Brite as the moon this year.  Here comes Santa - he doesn't care about gay, straight, Democrat, republican or Baptist - he just wants you to be what?  That's right - just be GOOD.  



That little house in the middle is in the best location ever.  Right in between a Krispy Kreme and a ChickfilA.  And yes, that is a giant chicken headed towards ChickfilA.  (I know there were problems with ChickfilA and misunderstandings and hurtful words too.  But, this one is just pretend and there is no hate there.)


It's a happy place.  All are welcome here.  Come on in!

I know this post is all over in topics.  I don't get political or anything like that, but there is just so much HATE and stupidity in the world today.  Just play nice and be good.  OKAY?  

*Stepping of my tiny soapbox now.......:)

**Lara was a huge supporter of the ordinance.  She used intelligence and politeness to convey her feelings and make her point.  :)

14 comments:

  1. I am not on Facebook for a lot of reasons, this issue being the biggest. I read the blogs to see what all of my vintage loving friends are up to and what they've been finding, not what their views are on political issues. I have unfollowed quite a few blogs that I used to love back in the day because the authors veered off track way too many times. Maybe I agreed with them or maybe I disagreed with them. But that's not the point. I hear so much right wing, left wing, gay, straight talk throughout the day in my normal life that the blogs are my escape.

    Thank you for saying what so many of us are thinking. Oh and that giant pink house? Yes, I would like to live there. Think it's big enough :-)

    Erica

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  2. I'm tired of it too.

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  3. Sad times when an ordinance has to remind us to be fair....sadder still when it fails. I'm with ya on your feelings here and Erica's comment too that blogs are a nice ESCAPE for all the talktalktalktalk.
    Your Christmas village is lovely and I bet it's inhabitants instinctively know to play nice and be fair. :) I'd live there!

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  4. I'm with Erica - thanks for saying what a lot of us bloggers/facebookers are thinking. I stay away from all that jazz in my fb/blog too, because they're supposed to be for fun! Even on my personal facebook I stay away from it... not because I don't have opinions, but because not everyone needs to hear everything you think. I too have unfriended/unfollowed friends, family, facebook pages, and blogs due to this. Why can't we all just get along?

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  5. First of all I love your village and each year it is awesome to see. Second, yay for all you said. Just be nice folks! I don't do politics or religion or hate on my blog or FB. Love is what we need and tolerance and acceptance. OK, I'm stepping off your tiny soap box now also.
    hugs,
    Linda

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  6. Here here, keep it out of blogging. I go to blogging to get away from all that. I just want to see a bunch of vintage stuff. I calms me:)

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  7. I love your blog (and some others), because they are an escape from all the yucky in the world! Thanks for keeping it that way! Merry Christmas!

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  8. I couldn't have said it better. I rarely ever use my fb and my blog is my happy place. IG has become that "happy" place too. Life isn't pretty, but it's fun to see everyone's pretty vintage filled worlds. PS. Love your sweet little village. So many special little details.

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  9. That big pink church is the best and I bet everyone is welcome without having to piut an ordinance in place. Great post, I totally agree!!

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  10. I would love you even if you were political, religious or gay. None of that stuff matters though, it is your honesty,humor and generosity that make me love ya. WInk!

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  11. who needs a ordinance to be fair? You can't teach common sense or make an ordinance and force people to do it has to come from your heart. Oh boy it sounds like a line from the Grinch. I do not care about any of that, I care how you treat others. The golden rule applies always.
    Cathy

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  12. momsav8:39 PM

    This is a great post! Women should rule the world!

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  13. I see my Santa flying over the pink church!!! Hey, I've unfriended some of my FAMILY on fb. Don't know where they got their overly zealous views on every little thing. Wonder if they know that I unfriended them? Could be interested at the Christmas party :)

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  14. Sad to think the town actually NEEDED an ordinance to be kind and fair to all. It should just be a "given"... I'm with the rest here - I come to Facebook and my favorite blogs (this being my very fav) to relax and enjoy... Thanks for being my "go-to" fun place. Love your villages and especially the pink church with the large pink moon! You have such imagination....

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