Happy Pride!

It’s officially Pride weekend in here in beautiful sunny San Diego California!

Given we live in a state with three major cities, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, Pride celebrations are spread out in order to allow celebrants the options to be able to celebrate more than once and not have to choose between. There are also celebrations on other weekends in various smaller, yet just as important, locations such as Long Beach and Palm Springs. Having our many California celebrations over numerous weekends also allows tourists from to catch a Pride celebration while traveling through California if they so desire.

My first ever Pride experience was in Seattle back in 1990. The city where I grew up didn’t have such a thing and my travels through east coast cities back in the 1980s never seemed to coincide with one. I haven’t missed a Pride since that first one in Seattle and my official relocation to the West coast.

For me Pride has so many more meanings that just being gay. Pride is love. Pride is joy. Pride is acceptance. Pride is understanding, forgiving, righteous, brotherhood, sisterhood, humanhood, sexuality, sexual identity, identity, political, non-political, peace, justice, black, white, brown, yellow, red, giving, gratitude, sharing, respect, service, caring…Pride is a place to just simply be yourself. Just be.

A tune from my dance floor days before that first ever Pride celebration surprised me on Sirius XM Studio 54 today. A tune that I had probably not heard since seeing Pamela Stanley perform it live during RSVP Cruise Lines 10th anniversary party in Puerto Vallarta back in 1996, which was probably about the 10th anniversary of the tune itself. A tune that seems perfectly appropriate to kick off another absolutely fabulous Pride 2017 weekend in lovely San Diego.

Happy Pride Y’all!

Remembering

We are a nation of many religions, beliefs, atheists & agnostics. Freedom means the freedom to believe in any or no religions. One is free to choose what and if they believe. Our constitution protects these freedoms.

In remembering those who have served and those we have lost we here at Fearsome Beard believe it is important to respect all beliefs and or lack thereof.

Religions, beliefs and lack thereof are a choice we live, enjoy and practice.

There is ultimately a deeper level to what we are to each other. The level of relationship which transcends these belief practices.

Remember with love, respect and compassion.

Happy Memorial Day to all the Yanks out there. May all our dear readers, no matter where they are, remember someone they loved and lost today and feel the gratitude for the gift.

Festival – Evita!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Y’all!

Now get those toes a tappin’ and bootys a shakin’ to Festival’s1979 Evita!

Side A

…and side B…

Disco music of an era … shirtless sweaty mustached men pulsing on the dance floor.

Happy Valentines Day!

Love,
Fearsome Beard

Simply Grace

Click right HERE and experience the beauty icanhasgrace just shared with us.

(Thank you Doug.)

Christmas Bells

Stumbled upon this after I had finished all my Christmas posts. Brought tears to my eyes. I had this record as a child. No longer remember what happened to it. Now I have it here.

Peace.

Beard of the day

Santa Drag Beard

Santa Real Beard

Santa’s Secret

Santa’s Elves

Santa’s Reindeer Beard

Just Because

Goodwill toward all

Compassion, love, understanding, goodwill and peace.

That’s what Christmas is all about.

…now let’s dance!

Merry Christmas!

Greetings from Fearsome

As is yet another holiday tradition for this sentimental Beard, we send you greetings From Ocean Beach CA right here in San Diego.

This years Beach Christmas tree seems to bend in awe of Fearsome Himself. 😉

May your Christmas Eve be joyous and peaceful!

Put on your Yamaka, here comes Chanukah

This year we mark the first evening of Chanukah by not only lighting the first candle of Fearsome’s menorah at sundown, but also but posting Adam Sandler’s original classic  from 1994 Here Comes Hanukkah. 

Happy Hannukah! May peace, love, light and laughter be yours.

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

…only a hippopotamus will do

Take it away Gayla…

Yet another of Fearsome’s favorite holiday tunes as we continue our traditional posts of the season.

What do you want for Christmas? or Chanukah? or Both? This year they coincide seamlessly.

Festivus, It’s for the Rest of Us

Being it is December 23, a dear reader sent me a message wishing me a Happy Festivus. I appreciate his sincere greetings.

A Happy Festivus to all and to all an enjoyable Airing of Greivences as well as successful Feats of Strength!

Last minute shopping motivational music

In order to help you along into the frenzy of last minute shopping, Fearsome continues his seasonal traditions by presenting Barbra Streisand’s Jingle Bells as lip-synced by Babs Levine…

There, that will get you going!

Wishing you a Drag Queen Christmas

With Champagne and Caviar

…Go ahead, push play, you know you want to, go ahead, do it …and enjoy yet another Fearsome Xmas tradition…

Mom, Winter Solstice and More Tradition

A friend and reader text me earlier to check on mom. He nudged me since I hadn’t written. Mom is doing ok. I say ok because while her drive, outlook and spirit are very much all going for her, her body is becoming frail. As long as her blood pressure can be controlled she shouldn’t have any more small strokes. She will recover in a couple months from the small ones she had. Her health checks out good otherwise but she is dizzy, unsteady and tires easily right now.

Her 85th birthday is in late January and I have already booked the trip out to be there. We are installing a chair lift for her staircase, getting her an “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” button and changing a few things to make life alone in the house she purchased in 1957 a bit safer. She wants to work, she wants to live alone in her house, she wants to drive and she is determined.

I realize her days are limited, as does she. However she has enough means to bring in some help if she needs it. As her son it’s my job to keep an eye out, advise her strongly if necessary and help her achieve her goals for enjoying what time she does have. I’ve asked her if she would move here as I have a first floor bedroom suite she can move into, she says maybe one day.

Happy Solstice to All Y’all! …(pleural for y’all)

On this the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, I am reminded that tomorrow really will be a new day. Tomorrow starts the new cycle. The sun will begin its return. The world will turn yet again. I am given hope. I realize that all of life is a cycle. It is simply the pattern to which we are born. The earth revolves, seasons revolve, our solar system revolves, all life including all plants and animals cycle and all have a time and a place. The universe is one big revolving circle and I am blessed to be a part of it.

The fulfillment of my life has to simply be to do my best to leave here having left something good behind. Nothing is too big or too small, it just has to be good. Just do good, give good, share good and leave good.

My grove of traditional trees from my childhood.

This years Xmas dinner of chosen family at our home is themed “Coming Home”. Last year we weren’t here for our chosen family’s traditional Christmas dinner gathering as we went to be with my mom due to my father’s passing. This year we are back to our home in San Diego. Therefore given the theme all gifts for the white elephant gift exchange are to be from small neighborhood businesses. I chose two natural open growth Nobel Fir trees from our neighborhood nursery to decorate in a style that we fifty somethings remember from the 1960s. They are complete with tinsel icicles and not a single LED light. Yup the 1960s weren’t exactly environmentally friendly. No worries though as I will recycle the trees after properly disposing of the tinsel and the incandescent lights are powered by my solar power system.

One other seasonal tradition of ours I will leave you with on this winter solstice day is Author Feidler and The Boston Pops rendition of Sleigh Ride.

It’s officially winter …Enjoy!

A stolen post…..

So Mark posted this:

Fearsome found it hilarious and I couldn’t resist sharing it here.

‘Tis the season to be elegant!

(no worries our idea of a cocktail these days is still Martinelli’s or ginger beer…)

The gift of community

The best way to support the community you live in is to get out in it and spend your hard earned money right there where you live. Those small store fronts which are the livelihood of many of your community’s members are what makes yor community unique. They make it the place you call home.

I know you are now thinking “What the “F” are you saying Fearsome? You just posted a pic of yourself in front of Home Depot on Black Friday.”

Around here we do get out early on Black Friday as a tradition and hit Home Depot. I give poinsettias to many of my immediate neighbors each year. The poinsettias are always big beautiful 6″ ones that are locally grown right here in San Diego at 99 cents each. We usually will pick up a few other tools or seasonal items as well.

We are kicking off the season the way we always do by getting out in it, spending a buck or two and sharing some smiles.

The Christmas tree is already in the living room and will be decorated this weekend. It is a natural Noble Fir from the local nursery just a few blocks away. Our chosen family Christmas theme this year is “Coming Home” and all gifts are to come from local community small businesses.

We live in a global community made up of small communities. Some of life’s conveniences and necessities will come from big worldly distributors. Many others can and will come from small store fronts of our community. Today is the day to get into our communities and discover just how much we have right here where we live.

Our local business district

 

Guess what we did this morning?

Holy Shmoly! Fearsome in line at 5:30 am outside Home Depot.

Old traditions die hard. It’s not quite as much fun as it was back in the day when all stores waited until Friday morning to open, but it’s still fun.

Gratitude

I am thankful for you, the sun, the stars, the earth and the spark of life that makes this wonder all work.

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” -Henry David Thoreau

These are just a few of our favorite things…

Soft oversized 100% cotton shirts

Puppy kisses

Textures in the landscape

Old houses

Rolling meadows full of bright green grasses

Humming birds

Plane rides

Roses

Art

Eccentic people who aren’t afraid to express their originality

Cuddling

Family

Hirsute gentlemen

Hardwood floors

The color Red

A soft breeze

Train horns

Open minds

Friends

Laughter

Make believe

Freshly baked cake

Baseball

Forests

Butter

A child’s smile

The stars, moon & sun

Peace