November Here We Come!

 After a very hot summer, we are now experiencing our best weather. The mornings are cool, sometimes even brisk, but by the afternoon a lighter change of clothes is needed. And so far, it has been sunny, which is such a positive factor for me. As I write we are getting wind from Zeta and possibly thunderstorms in the afternoon. 

We are creeping closer and closer to the election and my friends and I feel like the guy to the left! I have moments of optimism when I see the number of people voting, but then something slithers in and I panic! I have waited until this week to vote, waiting for the lines to go down. Even so, someone just posted online that it took them 2 hours this morning at my nearest location. I took Reyna with me and it took 1-1/2 hours. Thank goodness it was overcast with a little breeze, so it wasn't too bad.

In addition to taking Reyna to vote, I got my cleaning lady's niece registered and printed out a sample ballot for her. I also requested a mail-in ballot for Nancy, the lady that Reyna looks after. I've also signed up to take people to the polls if they need a ride, something I've signed up for before but never been called upon to do. Our last effort, due to repugs stealing every sign we put out, will be to hold signs on major routes of those going to and from work. We did it yesterday and will do it again on Friday and Monday. Some of you may remember that we did this 4 years ago for the same reason, but this year the response has been different. Many more people showed up to hold signs and this year we have received many more honks, waves, thumbs-up, and smiles, as well as the usual thumbs down and birds....but we know what to expect from them. In any case, that will keep me busy through Monday, and then it is a matter of getting through election night, and however long it takes beyond that! I'm hoping we find some relief and hope when it is all over.

 

Everybody is Zooming and Liberal Ladies is no exception. Our speaker at our October meeting was Jaime Harrison who is running against Lindsey Graham. He was outstanding. He spoke for about 15-20 minutes and then answered questions.....yes, he actually answered them rather than dancing around. It was very refreshing. It just so happened that he surprised us by dropping into our Executive Committee and Precinct Leaders meeting that night. That same day he was on Morning Joe and the Reidout with Joy Reid.  I guess that is campaigning during the pandemic. Our November speaker is going to be Chris Matthews, formerly of MSNBC fame! It will be on Nov. 11 and he will give us an election analysis. Of course, I'm still wondering what got him booted so suddenly. I doubt that will be mentioned. In any case, he was a coup for our program planners and that will be a hard act to follow.

Funny Story: This is my new neighbor, the adorable Felix, whom I described last time. You can see for yourself how cute he is. His white hair is long and scruffy and his black hair is short and close, so he really does look like he has a white mane. The remainder of his body that you can't see is black punctuated by a white tip on his tail. He really is handsome! One day I was on my way out the back gate to Kroger when I saw Mark and Felix walking. I rolled down my window and mentioned tha they were a long way from home. Mark said they were just exploring. I also told him that Felix had gotten a mention in my blog and I'd like a photo sometime. When I got home, Mark brought his card over and said he'd like to check out the blog. As much as I talk about politics on here, I thought this could be a make or break it time with my new neighbors! So I emailed a short note with the blog link saying that I hoped my politics would not be off-putting and that my blog was for friends who knew my leanings. Sure thing, I ran into them the next day on their morning walk and Mark said that when he read my note he thought, "Oh, no! Is that nice lady a republican"? He said he was so relieved when he read my blog and found that I am liberal. I told him about our efforts to identify and unify liberals in the Crescent. From where we were standing, I could point out a few close neighbors who are Democrats. He said that the neighbors were all "very nice" but even so, he wondered if they were "his people". Our encounter certainly made me feel better and I hope it did the same for Mark, Maria, and Felix, too.

I am happy to report that Rosie seems to be feeling better - her ears and tail are up, she plays with her toys more, and she comes to me more often for attention. She is definitely enjoying the cooler weather and has decided to explore the other side of the street and a nearby street that we have never gone down in all these years! And, of course, she loves meeting the new doggies in the neighborhood and EVERYONE she meets. I'm trying to be careful with the leash not to pull her, but she sometimes pulls against it. She definitely has a mind of her own and will pull the leash to get her way. I'm not sure what to do about that, but I do try to control the things I can!!  

She got on the rug to play and fell asleep!