Monday

We took Toby downtown after lunch to tire him out a bit before his training this afternoon. When we got close to Salty Paws, the doggie ice cream store, Toby went crazy trying to get inside.

He pulled.

I pulled.

He turned around and refused to go with me.

I had to drag him and bribe him with treats.

Todays' flowers from our yard.

Stag-horn fern over the hydrangeas

John rode with Toby in the backseat on the way to training. On his previous car trip, Toby chewed through harness number 4. John had to supervise with harness number 5. 

There were only two dogs at training today, so we got lots of attention. Toby did pretty well, even though the trainer said we cheat sometimes. 

The trainer thinks we're entertaining.

Our food chopper came today.

I installed it and reassembled the dishwasher. We rode our bikes to pick up our Chinese take out food for dinner. John said to wait until after dinner to test the fix. That was probably a good idea because the wash cycle went smoothly, but the drain cycle didn't. There was the same clicking noise from last time. At the end of the cycle, there was (clean) standing water in the bottom. Further research indicates that I can blow out the drain hose to see if it's stopped up or replace the pump. However, pumps run anywhere from $150- $300. Since we will soon be replacing the entire dishwasher when we renovate, it's not worth it.  Oh well. I tried, and I did fix some things but without investing too much money, I'll blow out the hose and see if that might be the problem, but the clicking sound makes me think it's the pump and/or impeller. John's friend who used to sell insurance says a faulty dishwasher won't affect getting coverage.

We rode our bikes out to the causeway this morning and walked. It was hot, but the 10 mph breeze felt good. It was an easy walk today.

We passed a peloton of Pinellas sheriff deputies training on their bicycles on our walk.

John gave my mom and dad and my sister a gay pride flag to celebrate gay pride month (June). 

The flag says, "Love is love."

My sister's flag at her house.

When we first moved to Dunedin, there was a straight couple in our neighborhood that put out a pride flag for the month of June. It meant so much to us when we saw it. We felt welcomed and safe.

For many gay folks in our generation, we grew up afraid, lonely, and depressed because we knew we weren't like everybody else, and that the only way to survive childhood was to repress ourselves. It was not only shameful to be out, but it was also dangerous. Many of us learned how to fit in the straight world, but at the cost of our mental health. Unfortunately, we internalized the homophobia we saw all around us. 

In 1952, the American Psychological Association labeled homosexuality a mental disorder. It wasn't until 1973 that the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistics Manual) removed homosexuality from the manual of disorders. I was 13 years old. It took me another 13 years to accept that I was gay.

The gay pride flag represents the struggle that all gay men, lesbians, and transgender folk have been through. The struggle is all about self-respect and overcoming fear and prejudice. 

I appreciate my family standing in solidarity with me and John and all the other queer folks. There will be some kid in every neighborhood who will notice the flag and feel the support and gain some courage to be themselves. 

I wish my 61 year old self could tell my 13 year old self that I would one day be okay. Your parents and sister will embrace you and support your choice to live authentically. You will be able to work and be out with your colleagues who will love you just as you are. You will find someone to love. You will even get married to him and stay married for 30 years or more. You will have at least three dogs whom you both will love and cherish. You will not be afraid, or alone. And, you will be happy.

Miles walked: 9.6

Miles biked: 9.33