Sweet!

Lookit that! My friend Kit gave me an award, bless her pea-pickin' little heart! All I ever gave her was...umm...hey, Kit...have I ever given you anything? Yeah, I can't remember, either. I think there may have been some asparagus handed off in the past...

Anyway.

Thanks, Kit - you're an inspiring, artistic, sister-type friend, and I adore sharing hours and child-rearing with you. It's nice to know you care.

So there seem to be rules to these things, and according to the site I backtracked to, I should name five people who embody this award. What I'm wondering is, do they have to be people in the Blue Nowhere? Or can I name folks outside of Blogopolis and this strange electronic world? I'm thinking I may have to limit myself to bloggers, or it's a little self-defeating - the award would never get passed along!

So, who to name, who to name?

I'm going to cheat a little and name my Mum...unless you are part of may daily life, you have no idea what she means to me, to my son, and to our well being. She is an artist (especially with copper jewelry!), got me involved with the gallery and the sometimes outrageous, often hilarious group of women there. Knowing that she raised two kids, largely alone, has helped me wrap my mind around being a somewhat single mum - only I'll have her, and my amazing community of friends to help me find my feet, and she had...umm...yeah...

Next I'll name my friend Gypsy. Her son and mine are like brothers - they try to kill each other on a regular basis, someone always ends up in tears when they play, and they constantly want to know when they'll be together again. She's beautiful, intelligent, and has an opinion. She writes, too, quite beautifully, and she's always ready to lend an ear, a thoughtful response (whether she thinks you'll like what she has to say or not), and hard liquor as needed. Except the hard liquor part.

Third is Susan. I've never met her in real life, but I hope to remedy that one day. I read her blog like it's oxygen and I'm out of breath. She's also e-mailed me kind, supportive messages of late, for which I am grateful. Susan has had a few bobbles in her personal life and handled them far better than I believe I would have, and often with grace and humor (you have too, Susan, so hush!). She's clever and funny, a deadly combination, and I'm right fond of her.

Then there's MereCat. Another one I've not met in person. She keeps dodging my offers of a free kitten, but I like her anyway. She's raising twins. Twins! And she doesn't want a kitten? How odd. I am envious of her current yard project, but not of the disasters that led up to the project to begin with. Another funny, charming, disarmingly honest woman, and did I mention the twins? I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Suzy Soro springs to mind next. Her blog isn't always funny, but that's on purpose...comedians don't have to be "on" all the time! She is a funny, intelligent, well written woman who takes the time to respond to her readers and let us in on the fun of living in Hollywood, land of the deeply weird. I haven't met Suzy IRL, either (hey, look, I used an Internetz abbreviation back there!)(Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?), and likely won't unless her tour bus breaks down outside Casa de Crazy in Redneck Central, which could totally happen! Umm...or not.

And last, but not least, is Rachel. Yes, yes, I know, this makes six...but I cannot leave her out of a list that is meant to name people who embody art, inspiration, friendship, sisterhood, sharing, and caring. Rachel writes poetry, and thoughtful, thought-provoking posts on her blog. She is creative in her home life, and with her beautiful children. She inspires me, when she points out the iniquities between humans and our animal brethren and sithren (yes, I made that word up...you'll survive), how we impact our environment, and how to make a difference in our daily lives. She's been a friend in the truest sense of the word for years. We've never clapped eyes on each other, but we've been through each other's rough times, offered virtual shoulders to cry on, offered to don shit-kicking boots and head to each other's distant home to teach someone a lesson, and made each other laugh, cry, and feel loved and supported across the miles. If she doesn't embody what this award is about, I don't know anyone who does.

Y'all, I know a lot of clever, funny, artistic, creative, inspiring, caring, kind, give-you-the-last-olive-in-the-jar type people, on and off line. People who e-mail when you're down and offer sympathy, empathy, and humor to help you up again. People who offer a place to sleep and a meal when you're in town. People who care, deeply, for this peculiar community I call Blogopolis in the world of the Blue Nowhere. I couldn't choose everyone, but if you know someone who deserves to be recognized, pass this award along!

Thanks again, Kit - you totally deserve to be on the list too, only I figure that's just be redundant.