In & Out

So the cats were all In this morning, but I had to go home to close the door, and when I left the second time they were all Out. Now it is raining and I bet they regret their choice.

When I got to my office this morning and couldn't find my keys I wasn't terribly concerned. But then I started thinking, and hmm, I went out with my bag over my shoulder and both hands full of stuff for the recycling bin. The walk to the bin was long enough to get me thinking of other things, yeah, ok, it's like 10 steps, but I was done with whatever I was thinking before & on to the next thing, so I just continued on to the bus stop.

But, ah, with both hands full, I could not have closed the door.

It would be ok to spend the day at work with the door to the house unlocked, but with it actually wide open, perhaps not.

So I went home after lunch and sure enough the door was open and the cats were in or out or wherever. There's probably a mouse cowering under the fridge now, hiding from Natalie. I took a look at the garden to see if anything had sprouted in the last 5 hours, but no. At the moment I locked the door to go, all the felines were Out. And then it started to rain.

Get used to it.

So the National Assembly just voted in the Marriage for Everyone bill.

People have been protesting against it for weeks now, a small but vocal part of the population. Overall the French are either in favor or don't really care. 

After all, how does the couple over there getting married affect my own marriage (or lack thereof)? That's what I don't get about all the placard-waving about the 'sanctity of marriage', or 'a family = mom + dad = kids'. Neither of those models holds up. The guy who feeds my cats when I'm away thinks gays should be banned from marrying because they might not be good parents. Since when has being a good parent ever been a critereon for having a child?

I'm not going to browbeat these issues now.

I just want to point out that the marriage we're talking about is the contract between two people and the state. It is not, and has never been, about standing in front of the altar and being wedded by God. Religions are still free to pick which pairings they support. The Catholic priests will still be turning same-sex couples away.

No, we're talking taxes, inheritance, visitation rights, power of attorney, employee benefits, bank accounts...

And there is no reason at all why some people should prevent other people from being happy and enjoying the same protections and benefits from the state as they.

Bees

Over the weekend I was thinking of blogging about spring finally being here, and the cherry trees blossoming at last. Saturday there was one open blossom on the main tree. Sunday there was a handful, and by Monday morning the tree was covered. Not saturated, but covered with a light blanket.

Sunday morning I was out admiring the beautiful day and the snow white cherry blossoms, thinking of the delicious fruit to come. Then I noticed - I have bees! Not many, but there weren't many flowers out.
Yea! I've got bees! and I did a little dance.

So Monday when I got home from work I hurried out to see how my favorite fruit was coming along. Plenty more blossoms, as I said, but nary a bee in sight.
So I looked harder.
No bees, not a one!
I did, oddly, have a mosquito. No idea where that came from.
But where are all the bees?
Have they been wiped out by those nasty wasps making their way up the country? Or have they succombed to that mysterious bee illness that's been devastating colonies everywhere? Or did one of the local beekeepers just move his hives over the weekend?
Come back, bees! My garden is utterly free of -cides of all kinds! You are safe here, and welcome.