Moon Dance
I met a man who said he was half Cherokee and half Scottish. He looked like Errol Flynn, and I told him so. He told me his dad looked just like Errol Flynn and was a killer, and I believed him. We were strangers, but of course we knew people in common. Doesn’t matter where I am on this planet, I know someone who knows someone. My tattoo artist is famous and my skin is a canvas of his Mona Lisas, and Errol recognized his work.
I come to the desert to wash my spirit clean, recharging on the sun and the moon and the stars. I also recharge on the energy of people.
I met a fourth Jack in 48 hours, and that’s got to mean something.
I don’t gamble but if I did, I’d go to Vegas.
Instead, I’ve been taking photos of Joshua Trees by moonlight. There’s a wonderful hack when visiting Joshua Tree National Park… the gate remains open after closing so you can drive around getting photos of the iconic succulents silhouetted by sunset.
I have a story running in Byline Supplement on Monday — a pastiche of things I’ve written about, an ode to things I love — a tragic love story about dying things — and I needed to wash my spirit clean.
I can’t seem to do that in the Big City, where the light pollution gets in my eyes.
I need stars — infinite stars.
And quails, lots of quails.
Coyotes, jackrabbits, and roadrunners — an endless array.
When I reconnect with the earth, I am able to begin the fight refreshed.
Dance With Me
Tonight, it’s a fabulous night for a moondance.
The bar band is singing Van Morrison, and I’m typing while dancing, enjoying the music, while forcibly not thinking about what happened to Van.
I just got a tattoo of a Joshua Tree bathed in moonlight, and I can’t stop staring at it. It’s so beautiful. You can see a Saguaro off the distance.
Sham Rocks
There’s a framed dollar bill on the wall of the Shamrock Social Club — the Sunset Strip tattoo shop owned by veteran inkslinger Mark Mahoney.
It reads, ‘Sham Rocks! xoxo, Heidi.’
Never in the history of Hollywood has a writer ever beaten out actors, athletes, musicians, all varieties of celebrities, to receive such an honor, to be gifted the first tattoo when Mahoney opened his doors. All I wanted was a butterfly on the nape of my neck, and for that, I paid one dollar bill.
Mark Mahoney — Irish proud and a tattoo artist of world renown — gave me the honor — a writer.
That meant something.
As I listen to the band at the Joshua Tree Saloon perform Los Lobos, I think of trees by moonlight, and how I can’t wait to witness the next sunrise.
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Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you prefer making subsidizing donations via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated. If you wish to gift a membership, you can do so by donating to the ko-fi or venmo accounts, and indicate it’s for a gift, or do so here.
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All paid members receive invites to our ‘Speakeasy’ zoom salons, and weekly wellness checkins, Bette’s Happy Hour. Our next ‘Speakeasy’ zoom salon is August 27, at 1:30 pm PT, with Monique Camarra — register here — and our next Happy Hour is Tuesday, August 29, at noon PT.
Also, a private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous@gmail.com. 🥹
“We just have to see that the battle for democracy is broader. It's deeper.”—David Pepper
“I need people to see they're on the frontline. Wherever you live, if you’re doing this work, you are the frontline.”—David Pepper
“The message should be a fair deal… fairness everywhere.”—Martin Sheil
💘
“I say a silent prayer of thanksgiving as I walk upon the earth.”-Audrey Peterman.
“May the viral hope for truth and humanity wash away the chaos of these years.”-S.C., Bette community member
“Something Sacred never dies in almost all of us, who can hear the invitation of Truth…”-words from a Bette Dangerous community member
“Non-violent protest is a life-affirming activity as it seeks to promote a more humane society.”-Ellen Zucker
“Nothing but blue skies from now on…”-Irving Berlin
💘
(Another sunrise for Audrey xo)
(Joshua Tree by moonlight)
(A tattoo that cost a dollar)
