Glenda
09-27-2008, 07:50 AM
I last visited this site on Sept 13th. I lost power early that morning as Hurricane Ike was slowly making it's way through the Houston area. My power was restored 14 days later on Sept 26th and I'm finally able to run the AC, turn on the lights, watch television and visit Crossdressers.com. As is the case in many big cities, I have neighbors that I'm friendly with but we don't really spend time talking and visiting. Add the fact that I am a crossdresser that is out of the closet. For some reason, I haven't had a lot of neighbors knocking on my door asking me for a cup of sugar. A couple of neighbors do drop by on occasion when they need something, but to most I am a mild curiousity as best.
After the storm passed, everyone was outside surveying the damage to the neighborhood. No one had power and none of us knew what to expect in the way of help from the city, state or federal officials. Everyone had sustained some form of damage from fallen trees or other wind damage. Yards were littered, some streets were impassable, power lines were down, fallen trees had smashed cars and some houses.
Most of my neighbors went back into their houses to wait for the city to start sending crews out to clean up the neighborhood and make necessary repairs. I went ahead and cleaned the major debris out of my yard and helped a neighbor clean her bedroom and bathroom that had been drenched by the rain when a large tree destroyed her roof. After that I took a shower and went to my favorite Ice House (beer joint) which was the only business open within several miles.
The next day, most of the others in my neighborhood decided to start cleaning up the mess themselves rather than wait for it to be done for them. I went out and started helping them as well. Suddenly this strange guy who likes to dress as a woman was meeting neighbors he had seen but never talked to. There are a lot of men who grew up in cities and never learned how to use tools and chain saws. I grew up on a farm. It was obvious that they wanted to clear the trees and branches but were uncomfortable doing so. I offered to operate the chain saw and organized the others to assist in clearing the branches. Suddenly we had an efficient system where the clean-up was progressing very rapidly. Spirits lifted and everyone was joking and laughing as one neighbor after another had their property and our street cleared. While I was helping my neighbors, someone (I don't know who) raked and swept the leaves from my yard and driveway.
The next day (Monday) was not a workday for most of us in Houston. Very few stores or businesses were open. When I woke up, I decided it would be a Glenda day since we had done everything we could to restore some order to the neighborhood. I had a good novel and was just going to read and clean house a little. Throughout the day, about a half dozen neighbors dropped by to offer me lunch or to thank me for my help the day before. Of course, I opened the door as Glenda. It wasn't a real shock for them because they have seen me coming and going for so long, but it was definitely a little different confronting them all as Glenda. Not a single person made any comment about my wig, make-up or how I was dressed. They all treated the situation as if they were having a normal conversation with a neighbor or friend. I was very pleased.
I guess the moral of the story is that if you contribute to your community, you are likely to be accepted for who you are. It seems to be working for me.
After the storm passed, everyone was outside surveying the damage to the neighborhood. No one had power and none of us knew what to expect in the way of help from the city, state or federal officials. Everyone had sustained some form of damage from fallen trees or other wind damage. Yards were littered, some streets were impassable, power lines were down, fallen trees had smashed cars and some houses.
Most of my neighbors went back into their houses to wait for the city to start sending crews out to clean up the neighborhood and make necessary repairs. I went ahead and cleaned the major debris out of my yard and helped a neighbor clean her bedroom and bathroom that had been drenched by the rain when a large tree destroyed her roof. After that I took a shower and went to my favorite Ice House (beer joint) which was the only business open within several miles.
The next day, most of the others in my neighborhood decided to start cleaning up the mess themselves rather than wait for it to be done for them. I went out and started helping them as well. Suddenly this strange guy who likes to dress as a woman was meeting neighbors he had seen but never talked to. There are a lot of men who grew up in cities and never learned how to use tools and chain saws. I grew up on a farm. It was obvious that they wanted to clear the trees and branches but were uncomfortable doing so. I offered to operate the chain saw and organized the others to assist in clearing the branches. Suddenly we had an efficient system where the clean-up was progressing very rapidly. Spirits lifted and everyone was joking and laughing as one neighbor after another had their property and our street cleared. While I was helping my neighbors, someone (I don't know who) raked and swept the leaves from my yard and driveway.
The next day (Monday) was not a workday for most of us in Houston. Very few stores or businesses were open. When I woke up, I decided it would be a Glenda day since we had done everything we could to restore some order to the neighborhood. I had a good novel and was just going to read and clean house a little. Throughout the day, about a half dozen neighbors dropped by to offer me lunch or to thank me for my help the day before. Of course, I opened the door as Glenda. It wasn't a real shock for them because they have seen me coming and going for so long, but it was definitely a little different confronting them all as Glenda. Not a single person made any comment about my wig, make-up or how I was dressed. They all treated the situation as if they were having a normal conversation with a neighbor or friend. I was very pleased.
I guess the moral of the story is that if you contribute to your community, you are likely to be accepted for who you are. It seems to be working for me.