My wife has been after me to keep this blog up, but since I've been reading about blogs on Google+, I realize that I don't really know what I'm doing.  It's put me off adding another post. But I know that some others have been reading it, so I'll just have to work out my blogging problems as I go.

My main concern is that I haven't created why I'm blogging.  I was thinking of this as an online diary, mainly for myself, but something that others in my situation might find helpful.  Now I realize I ought to have a definite point of view to anchor my posts, something people will look for when they come here to read what I've written.

As a library person, I've been following a couple of blogs and I think I'm starting to understand what it's about.  One that I read almost daily is The Clerk Manifesto.  I like it a lot because I'm living a similar work life, and can really appreciate the postings.  I recognize the situations and people described.  The posts can make me laugh or shake my head - but I do connect.  I could go that way.

There are so many things I could focus on.  I titled this "View from the trailer park," just thinking it was a little clever and catchy.  Thinking about what I mean by that, I realize I could go almost anywhere: class divide, financial divide [not the same thing!], non-urban, communities, lots of things.

Then there is my marriage.  As two women "married" in Oregon who recieved a death threat when we announced our domestic partnership in my hometown paper, I might have something to write about.  We still feel the "eye darts" when walking hand-in-hand in local grocery parking lots.  We have become adept at seeing the startled looks out of the corners of our eyes.  We like to think we engender conversations something like, "Martha!  You'll never guess what I saw in the parking lot of Safeway!  The Lesbians!"  This could be something people might be interested in following.

Or I could write about what it's like to be married to someone 17 years younger than myself.  And since I'm 63, this could be, and is, an important component in our relationship.  Interesting, but probably not enough to continue writing about.

Politics and religion are always interesting to people, no matter what they say.  Both my wife and I are faithful people - we go to church almost every Sunday, with my wife also attending a second service at another denomination.  We are politically liberal and try to put both our politics and religion to use in the service of humanity.  We've staffed the temporary shelter in our community, helped out at Community Meals multiple times, and my wife shows up in front of the post office with signs when she feels so moved.  We have followed the Bradley/Chelsea Manning case, Wikileaks, Snowden, and other such news by daily views of Democracy Now, The Majority Report, and The Young Turks.  My wife is in the comment streams of the last two and I'm proud of her voice in those venues.  She has made a difference there,

But probably what will end up being the major focus will be dealing with my wife's mental issues.  We are struggling to find a way to have a life that offers her some sort of fulfillment and satisfaction.  As with many, she has multiple diagnoses: attachment disorder, sensory integration disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline ADHD, and extreme social anxiety.  Yesterday, she received her denial from Social Security for disability status.  It hit her hard, even though she had expected it.  I let her cry, because I knew she would no matter what I did.  Then I checked the web and called a disability law office to get the ball rolling.  The name I searched was someone who had helped friends get disability, but he has since retired.  Now, there are two women running the office, one of whom was a mental health therapist before she became a lawyer.  My wife is feeling somewhat better about it, but it's still going to be a long haul.

That's about all for now.  I have to get ready to go to town for my therapist appointment [I'm no dummy - I need my own mental health help to keep on an even keel!].

So the view from the trailer park is about many things, for now.  I'll keep working on determining what my view really is.  You will probably be along for the journey, as I know that Peter Elbow is right - writing is thinking.  And I'll be thinking a lot on these posts.

Keep reading!