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Episode 80: Fundraising, Food Finds, and Frightening Headlines

We’re back with a new episode, and this week we’re diving into a little bit of everything, from our ongoing support of Lambda Legal, to a delicious neighborhood discovery, and yes… some eyebrow-raising political developments.

First up, we’re so excited to share more about our fundraising efforts leading up to the Bon Foster Gala on May 9th. It’s such an important cause, and we’re grateful to everyone who has supported our campaign so far. There’s still time to contribute, and if you’d like to donate to our page, we’d be so thankful! Every bit helps in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. And for more information on the cases that Lambda is working on, check out their website.

On a lighter note, we recently tried a new restaurant near our house, and, wow, it did not disappoint. We probably never would have found it if not for our local Facebook group, which has turned out to be a surprisingly great resource for everything from food recs to local happenings. If you’re not already in one for your town, we definitely recommend checking it out to see if one exists. It’s a great way to meet new people and stay connected to what’s going on around you, especially if you are new to the area.

Of course, no week goes by without a bit of chaos in the political sphere. We touch on RFK Jr.’s troubling remarks about autism, and the incredibly concerning news that Dr. Oz is now heading Medicare and Medicaid. Yes… really. 

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed sometimes, but talking through it together helps.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you don’t have support or you feel alone and alienated by what’s happening in today’s world, you’re always welcome to send us a direct message on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave). We are happy to chat with you! 

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram.

Until next time, stay kind, stay informed, and take care of yourselves.

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Episode 79: Parenthood

We begin this week’s episode with a reminder that we are raising money for Lambda Legal’s critical work in defending the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV. As Lambda Legal’s CEO Kevin Jennings often says, this is our “What did you do during the War” moment, and we hope everyone rises to the occasion. 

For more information on Lambda Legal’s work and their recent successes against the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law, check out their website. If you’d like to help, you can buy tickets to the Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration here, or donate any amount on our fundraising page.

We then turn to the main topic of this week’s episode, which is parenthood. Specifically, we talk about understanding the assignment, as the kids say — which is to support your children and love them unconditionally no matter who they are or what they do. It’s pretty simple, really, but a lot of parents don’t get it. From accepting your kids’ identity and orientation, to vaccinating your kids for their good and the good of the community, to learning how to cede control when it’s necessary for your kids’ welfare, that’s the job you signed up for and that’s what you’re required to do.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you don’t have support or you feel alone and alienated by what’s happening in today’s world, you’re always welcome to send us a direct message on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave). We are happy to chat with you! 

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram.

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Episode 78: Fundraising for Lambda Legal

In this episode of In The Shadow of the Evening Trees, we talk about our fundraising efforts for Lambda Legal and the Midwest Region’s annual Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, which takes place on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Art Institute of Chicago. You can buy tickets to the event here, or donate any amount on our fundraising page.    

The money raised helps with legal costs for the LGBTQ+ Community.  This cause is personal for our family. As parents of a transgender daughter, we care deeply about ensuring that everyone—no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation—has the right to live freely, safely, and with dignity.

If you’re able, we would be so grateful for your support. No donation is too small to make a difference.

We also discuss a recent news story about an unnamed trans fencer who’s opponent would not fence them because they were transgender. This also brought up that sports in general there are MANY people who are born with certain abilities that help them excel at sports, and being transgender, or cisgender – the playing field is never equal and mindset also plays a big role in how people can be successful in their various sport.  

We hope you enjoy this episode and want to remind you that if you feel alone about what is going on in todays world and don’t have support – you are welcome to send us a direct message on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave). We are happy to chat with you! 

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram.

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Episode 77: Celebrating With Tequila, Part 2

On this week’s episode, we continue our conversation about our recent trip to Cozumel to celebrate our 30th anniversary, and we talk about challenging yourself to do new things. Jennifer talks about going snorkeling for the first time, and, in particular, snorkeling in open water.

We also talk about striking the right balance between scheduling enough things to do to keep a vacation interesting but not over-scheduling it so that you don’t have time to relax. We’ve gotten pretty good at this.

And, finally, we get to the part you’ve all been waiting for: Jennifer launching her career as an international karaoke sensation. You don’t want to miss this!

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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Episode 76: Celebrating with Tequila

We’re back after a two week hiatus, one of which we spent celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in Cozumel, Mexico. On this episode, we talk about that trip, from making a rookie mistake (you might be able to guess what it was!) to snorkeling, off-roading, tequila tasting, and hanging out with (or trying to avoid) midwestern rednecks! 

Yes, midwestern rednecks are a thing. 

But it was a great trip, and there’s a lot more in this episode, so please listen to the end. And join us next week when we talk about Jenn’s budding career as an international karaoke star.

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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Episode 75: Who Do You Think You Are?!

Last week on our joint Instagram page, we solicited questions from our followers, and this week, we endeavor to answer some of those questions. With our 30th wedding anniversary approaching, we talk about our relationship and why we think it’s lasted so long, our health and fitness routine, our different tastes in music, why we actually enjoy doing things together, and our favorite teachers, among other things. We also talk about why Steve Garvey is history’s greatest monster, but you’ll have to listen all the way to the end for that.

And along the way, our other cat, Waffle, interrupts the show. But, sadly, she does not make a guest appearance, being the shier of the two. 

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon.

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Episode 74: Yes, We’re Still Bitter

This week’s episode starts off nicely enough. We talk about gearing up for our upcoming 30th anniversary trip, the improving weather after a week of extreme cold, and getting together with some old friends.

And then it all goes down hill.

First, we address an inaccurate comment on one of our posts — no, a majority of Americans did not, in fact, vote for Donald Trump. He didn’t even win a majority of the votes cast, and a good 90 million eligible voters stayed home. 

Then, of course, we have to address Trump and Musk taking a wrecking ball to America, their illegal “budget cuts” — not really budget cuts; more like illegally diverting money our elected representatives allocated to government programs — and the downside of our decades long obsession with STEM. 

And we have a lot more to say about all that!

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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Episode 73: Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration

What do you do when the world has gone mad and American democracy seems to be collapsing right in front of you? One thing you can do is to find the thing that matters most to you and dedicate yourself to that cause. It might be diversity, equity and inclusion. It might be climate change. It might be economic justice. But find that one thing and focus your efforts and your energy on it, because no one of us can solve all the world’s problems.

That’s why we continue to be involved in Lambda Legal, one of the country’s oldest and most successful LGBTQIA+ civil rights and advocacy groups. For 51 years, Lambda Legal has fought for and secured the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV, and they are more dedicated to that fight than ever before.

So, as we discuss on this week’s episode, we ask you to join us for (or, at the very least, contribute to) Lambda Legal Midwest Region’s major annual event: the Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, which takes place on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central time at the Art Institute of Chicago. You can buy tickets for the event here, or, if you’re not able to make it, you can donate here. We’ve got our tickets, and we hope to see you there!

There’s more to this week’s episode, too, including other ways to maintain your sanity in these crazy times, our Valentine’s celebration, and ways to stay connected with friends and family, which is incredibly important right now.

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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Episode 72: Understanding Our Transgender Friends and Family

Inspired, in part, by the new Amazon Prime series Clean Slate starring George Wallace, Laverne Cox, and Telma Hopkins, we take a different approach to this week’s show: We talk directly to those of you who may be confused about transgender people, who are both increasingly visible and increasingly under attack these days. We understand that many of you — many of us — grew up without learning or being taught accurate information about sex, gender, and sexual identity, and so many of us labor under misconceptions about our transgender friends, family members, and neighbors. But that can change if we approach these subjects in good faith, with an open mind, and an acceptance of our shared humanity.

So, with that in mind, we consider some common questions that we think many people are unclear about:

  • What does it mean to be transgender?
  • According to science, aren’t there only two genders and two sexes? For some background information that may be helpful, please read this Scientific American article. 
  • Isn’t this a “new” thing? How come I never heard of transgender people before?
  • Hasn’t the number of kids identifying as transgender exploded in recent years? Aren’t adults “indoctrinating” them?
  • What about kids getting gender affirming care? Isn’t that dangerous and won’t they regret permanent or life-altering treatment? This article in Mother Jones provides some useful statistical information. 
  • Isn’t it unfair to allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’/women’s sports?

Please listen to our answers to these questions. We think they may help people are confused and don’t know what to think. And, if you are interested, please watch this interview with George Wallace an Telma Hopkins on Clean Slate.

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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Episode 71: The Upheaval Continues

Someday, we may be able to post an episode without talking about the madness of the Trump Administration. But today is not that day. Because the second week was even worse than the first.

In this episode, we talk about the blitzkrieg of executive orders coming from the White House, from their attempts to stop spending money that Congress already appropriated to their assault on government employees and their psychotic obsession with “DEI.” 

We talk about the real-world impacts of Trump’s drunken road-rage of a presidency so far, including his attacks on accessibility, gutting federal agencies, turning over confidential private information to Elon Musk and his gang of hackers, and an old favorite … tariffs that are almost certainly going to raise prices and crash the economy.

On the topic of accessibility and inclusion, we spoke about Jennifer’s former employer designing a locker room for everyone.

And then there’s that “blatantly unconstitutional” executive order on birthright citizenship …

Finally, we end the show with some thoughts about DEI and how it functions in the real world. Hint: it’s about economic justice as much as anything else.

In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).

We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon. 

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