It's Over! We Won!

Well, we kept up our political efforts to the very end. Lynn, David, and I held signs on Bluffton Parkway the afternoon before election day. The weather had turned cold and by the end of it, we had numb hands and ears. On election day, I did a shift of phone banking for Jaime Harrison. At that point, I called it quits! It was then only a matter of waiting.

One positive result of organizing in our neighborhood is that you get to meet more neighbors. As Rosie and I take our walks, we are frequently stopped by liberal neighbors wanting to talk politics – that includes walkers, runners, cyclists, and folks in cars. Last week, one man pulled over and said how anxious he was about the whole thing. What would we do if trump wins again? What if he pulls some shenanigan on election night? Yikes! On election day morning, he called and said, “We’re going to win this thing! I feel it in my gut”. I was glad he was feeling better and said I was calmer than I expected. Then he thanked me for all we had done, which was totally unexpected and very much appreciated. It made my day, which I told him. Even with our sign-holding, we were cheered on with yells, applause, honks – one young woman tooted at us while holding her own Jaime Harrison sign! One man, while stopped by a light, rolled down his window and thanked us. Another said, “It isn’t often that you see Democrats in the wild in SC”. That made me laugh and I assured him there were more of us here than he might think. I love moments like that and they made our time and effort worthwhile.

With the little bit I have done, I’ve made connections to various groups – Precinct leaders, Democrat clubs, candidates, etc. One that I’ve really enjoyed is being included in the texting group called the Bluffton Roadside Crew. This is a group of much younger people who have hung door hangers, posted signs, taken in signs at night, replaced signs, etc. I have done a minimal part but I have certainly enjoyed their texting chatter. They are very dedicated, knowledgeable, and hard-working. They really have restored my faith in young people and educated me in their outlook, parlance, and references. It was fun!

Ana

Another uplifting moment was when I received this photo from Ana, whom I helped register to vote. She was so happy to be able to vote and I’m glad she thought of me when she did!

Then Wednesday, the day after the election, arrived. In addition to Joe Biden not looking good at that point, Democrats got slaughtered in SC. Jaime Harrison lost to Graham. Joe Cunningham lost his seat and all of our local candidates lost! It was a nightmare! That was pretty much rock bottom, especially after how hard we worked. Then, by Thursday morning we realized that all was not so bleak for Biden and it was a matter of waiting it out. As his numbers climbed, I could literally, physically feel the tension and stress leaving my body. 

As if the tension of the election were not enough, Tippy and I had scheduled our next Africa Zoom class for November 5! What were we thinking? Then Friday was my day to host our Pandemic Pals. My fridge was bare and I didn’t even have time to cook! I lived off Amy’s soup for two days. For our social gathering, I took the easy way out and ordered food from Truffles which was probably better than anything I could have done anyway!

Saturday was to be a quiet day at home and I was finally going to have time to cook. Then suddenly midmorning, Biden was declared president!! The phone started ringing, emails and texts coming in…..locally, as well as from the UK, Spain, France, and Thailand! There was one glass of wine left in a bottle from the night before, so I poured it to celebrate as I cooked. Pauline texted first and suggested it must be wine-o’clock! A photo followed! 

Lynn hosted the Pandemic Pals for an impromptu celebration. It was one of the few times we kept the TV on just to see the joyous people in the streets. Seeing the people celebrating in the streets – diverse, jubilant, peaceful – was so heartwarming. You talk about a schizophrenic nation? It has been like night and day and makes me wonder why some people would prefer the night? I think it may have to do with their general worldview (positive or negative) and I’m not sure how to change that. At least we will have a reprieve from the negativity. What a relief!

It was all so inspiring that I wore my 4^th of July shirt this morning when I walked Rosie. It had just rained and it felt like a crisp, new day, literally and figuratively. Hope springs eternal!

What will I do now that the election is over and I'm not compelled to focus on politics all the time? 

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!

Moving Toward the Election!

I forgot to tell you about our conversation on the way home from the GOP protest shown in my last entry. David and I road together and on the way home, David said he was going to have to decompress when he got home. Needless to say, I agreed, and simultaneously we both said…..and take a hot shower!! After walking Rosie, that is just what I did. And I took an OTC sleeping med to be sure I would sleep. It took a while to get all of that hatefulness out of my head.

I wanted to tell you about a new gadget. My Fitbit (don’t laugh!) died and I was looking at a Samsung watch that would sync with my phone ($150+) which price-wise was comparable to the Fitbit that only lasted a year. Anyway, I got on Amazon and found one that sounded good. I bought it and set it up and it’s great. In addition to having an easily readable face (except in bright sun and I don’t think there are any that show up well), it counts steps/ mileage/calories burned, it tracks sleep, and it records heartbeat. It also notifies me of incoming cell calls and texts, as well as reminding me of tasks on my calendar. If I have been sitting too long, it will remind me to move my body – sometimes I listen, other times I don’t! It is also easy and fast to charge and holds the charge for a week. I love it…..and it costs $25!! It s such a fun product and seems to do everything a Fitbit or Apple watch would do….and I wondered how their sales were doing. It is not a famous brand name and it is amazing how we are so influenced by brand names.

On Saturday (10/3), I volunteered to "speed canvass” an area of Bluffton. Needless to say, we were not knocking on doors and talking to people due to COVID. We had a very nice door hanger and we just split up into teams of 2 and covered a community (The Farm). There were six of us and I was the oldest by far, with the others literally being 1/3 my age. Even so, they were very welcoming and helpful. Justin drew the short straw (joking) and became my partner and he was great. I had met him at the infamous protest we did when Lindsey Graham didn’t show up at the opening of the GOP headquarters, so we did have that connection. Each team covered about 150 homes in about a little over an hour. On that day I did 13,000+ steps, and very few of them were made once I got home! It is definitely something I will do again, probably next Saturday!

On that note, I have to say that our newly formed Bluffton Democratic Club and county groups have done a great job of getting out the word/vote. No one wants to make phone calls (and people don’t answer anyway!), but we have done lots of postcards, door hangers, texting, etc. I actually think it may be more effective than phone calls when all is said and done. I hope all of our hard work pays off!! On Sunday I did about 115 postcards to send to likely Dems in the Crescent. Lynn and Chris did some GOTV postcards for people who have not voted in some time. We are all doing our bit!

Politics aside for a moment, we have lots of new dogs (9) on our street – if Rhonda T were still here, she would never get any work done!! The new neighbors directly across the street have Felix, a totally adorable and friendly rescue. He has a black body with a real white mane and a white tip on his tail. Up from him is Enzo, some type of bulldog and cute as a button. One new family has four dogs and I had not met them because one is aggressive and whenever she (the mom) sees another dog approaching, she crosses the street. On Sunday I was taking Rosie for her walk by their house and 6 people come out the front door. Well, Rosie is pulling at the leash, whining, wagging her whole back end, etc. to cross the street and say hello – and she won’t move along with her walk. The new neighbor sees her and walks across the yard to see her. I loosen the leash and Rosie runs to her….as Rosie does, and before I know it, Rosie is surrounded by 6 adults cooing over her! This is life with Rosie. The next time we passed, the couple was working in the yard and called to her by name! She is the most spoiled dog in the neighborhood and it isn’t all my fault!!

Speaking of Rosie, she had gone quite some time without a shivery episode, but she has had two fairly recently. The second one was at 6 AM so there was no immediate activity involved. She was against my back and I thought I felt her shivering and when I checked, she was. Needless to say, it is unsettling to both of us and I hope they do not become more frequent.

Last Wednesday (9/30), I don’t remember what politically horrendous thing had happened (another day, another drama!), but I received a phone message from David about it and decided to take Rosie to Drinking Liberally to cheer David. When I arrived, I told them I had the therapy dog! Normally, that would be fertile ground for Rosie with everyone sitting around to pet her. Well, we meet on the porch of a community building and the porch was raised. It was unsettling for her and she didn’t want to walk around and work the crowd as she usually does, so she wound up sitting in my lap or in David’s. A few people succumbed to her cuteness and came over and petted her. Even so, I left early and gave her a good walk around the park before coming home.

As you know, Lynn, Tom, and I are organizing/informing the Dems in the Crescent and we have passed along via email any Democrat events that are happening in the county. Yesterday was the Blue Bash, which was an assembly at Eagles Field followed by a car parade through Bluffton. I had participated in one earlier and it was lots of fun. Well, yesterday was dark and rainy, which discourage a lot of people......but my partner in crime/Resista Sista Tippy attended with me.  Joe Cunningham, our Congressman, was there as were most of our local candidates. When it was time for the car parade, the sun came out, we put the top down on Tippy's car, and I held a huge Biden/Harris flag as we drove through old town Bluffton. We were really encouraged by the honks of support we received along the way. We aren't easily identifiable in any of these photos, but you can get a feel for it here:

 https://www.facebook.com/BlufftonDC/photos/pcb.381993223178018/381991556511518/

Okay! Just to prove that I'm not always politics all the time, I'm going to share our daily walk in our neighborhood. I don't often take my phone on our morning walk, but I wanted to get this photo of my neighbor's Halloween decorations. To me, the sign was the perfect touch! This was her third machination of her two human and two canine skeletons! The first time they were fishing. The second time they were bicycling! This time they look like they are just having a keg party! At this point, I'm expecting something new tomorrow!

Can you see this tiny, baby squirrel? The first day that I took my phone to take a photo of the revolving Halloween scene, Rosie decided not to go that way! So, we walked up the street across from me. As Rosie is sniffing everything, I noticed this tiny squirrel on the pavement. I touched it and it was alive, but it wasn't moving much. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to draw Rosie's attention to it, I just left it there. In the meantime, as we finished our walk, two cars passed by and I'm fearing it will be run over! Finally, we get back to it and it had not been run over. So, I picked it up and placeed it near a tree where we had seen an adult squirrel. I have read that they often take in orphan squirrels, and I hope that is the case. When we came by the second time, he had unfurled his tail and he responded to touch, but I couldn't figure out what happened. He was not under a tree, so if he fell out of a tree, he was moving in unsafe territory....and maybe the road, the cars, etc. had stunned him. In any case, I hope he is okay. I have a history with squirrels. My father ran a rural general store. There was always a lot of logging going on and sometime the loggers would bring baby squirrels to the store and we would raise them, feeding them with baby-doll bottles! My father even made a cage on our porch for them. One of the times I got into big trouble was when I opened the cage, let them out on the porch, and they chewed up our wooden porch furniture!!! Mama and Daddy were not happy with me!! That baby squirrel brought back heartwarming memories and I hope he survives.

Never a Dull Moment!

I’m trying something new to see if this post can be less boring than the last one! I really should have waited to make the last entry because I was definitely in a blah mood and found it difficult to put thoughts together as I would have liked. Anyway, we will see if you notice a difference…..or if life has just become blah!

First off, I'll share my political T-shirt collection. The Black Voter’s Matter was given to me by Tamika when we got the Black Voters Matter bus to come to town and to other parts of the county before the pandemic struck. It is very large so I use it as a nightshirt, and I often wonder what a neighbor would think if they came to my door in the middle of the night (or anytime after I walk Rosie!) and see the shirt! In any case, I am glad I was able to help with the voter issue and I just learned yesterday that they will be coming back to the county in October for a major event targeting young people. The VOTE shirt I ordered to make a statement and I have worn it in the neighborhood a few times, receiving no comments! The first one I ordered was too small so I gave it to my “Resista Sista” Tippy and ordered a larger one for me! The third one is a result of a comment on something of Facebook. I don't remember the post but my comment was, “Looking for the T-shirt.” Deborah B responded by asking that I let her know when I found a good T-shirt. The next day she texted to ask what I thought of this one. How could I not like it when she went to all that trouble? This, too, is large (or more long than large) and will be a nightshirt at some point.

This is a Rosie story that I forgot to tell you…..and I know you’re wanting to hear more Rosie stories! One morning we’re out on our walk and I meet a neighbor whom I often run into. She asked if I knew who lived in the yellow house because she had just seen an armadillo go around to their back yard. I did know them (Norma and Kurt) so I rang their bell to tell them. They were aware there were two in their yard and were okay with it – my kind of people! Anyway, we just stepped inside the door for this exchange but Norma wasn’t visible. Well, Rosie did her half-bark, half-howl, which she had not done there before. We stopped for only a minute and were off again. Then, a few days later when we are passing their house, Rosie goes as far up their driveway as the leash will allow. Usually, I just stand and wait for her to decide that we aren’t going for a visit. Well, this time she just sat down looking longingly at their front door!! I tempted, cajoled, threatened, but nothing helped. Finally, I thought I’d just let her walk to the door and when no one answers, she would give up and go home. She does her little whine and suddenly the door opens. It’s Kurt who asked if I rang the doorbell. I say “no” and explain the situation and showed him the photo. He had a hearty laugh and said,’ Well, I’m sitting here with my coffee thinking that my stomach is growling…..then I realize the sound is coming from the door”. Sure enough, Norma is in the bedroom and Rosie doesn’t see her. She does her howl thing again. Norma calls her and she goes tearing to her. After that, all is well. I think she just wanted to check on Norma. What a silly (spoiled) girl!

Along with the political angst, I’ve been dealing with little fires around the house.

Ø  My icemaker had to be replaced and it wasn’t covered but my home warranty. Finding anyone locally was not productive, so I contacted GE online. Hundreds of dollars later, it was replaced and all seemed well. The next morning, the well in the door of the fridge was full of water and the rug in front of the fridge was soaking wet. Figuring out how to get the same guy to come and look at it was not easy. Eventually, he was able to work me in the next day and this time replaced the valve. I probably didn’t even need the icemaker replaced, but that’s how it turned out! $$$

Ø  Something has happened to my mailbox. I don’t know if it was hit by something or if there is rot. The arm on which the mailbox sits is pulling away from the post. My newly found handyman was able to patch it up and extend its life for a while longer. $$

Ø  My car was due for a service that required brake pads, shock absorbers, etc. $$$$ Anyway, it's done.

Over Labor Day weekend, I did some baking as a thank-you to neighbors. Some have loaned me jigsaw puzzles, my next-door neighbor mows a little strip of my yard that is missed by the yard workers and the golf course, others have invited me over or just been very tolerant of Rosie and me! I had gotten two delicious recipes from Chris (Toblerone Shortbread and Carmelites) that are so rich I would only make when I could give most of it away! I baked on Sunday and delivered them on Monday. I totally enjoyed the whole process and it was an unexpected surprise for them. We sometimes forget how a small gesture can make someone’s day.

While I was doing my baking, five neighbors dropped by to pick up postcards to write to voters on behalf of candidates running for office in  SC. This is part of the Crescent organizing that Lynn and I have been doing. We ran a little contest to name our group and we are now the Crescent Blue Wave. In our small neighborhood of 400 homes, we have identified 50+ liberals and we keep adding new people. I think everyone feels happy to know they are not alone in the neighborhood. If the pandemic is ever over, it will be fun to get together socially. For local readers, there are community groups in most areas of HHI and Bluffton. If you haven't found yours, let me know and I'll try to help.

This past Sunday the Beaufort Country GOP opened their headquarters and Lindsey Graham was to speak. The Bluffton Democratic Club thought it a good opportunity to remind Lindsey what he had said (and reneged on) about installing another Supreme Court judge in an election year. There was little time to prepare and when the event began there were only 5 of us with signs. Eventually, our group grew to about 14 - 15. To be honest, I didn't think their group was as large as I would have expected, but boy were they nasty! We were at the back of the crowd - with masks and socially distanced, neither of which made a difference to them, Behind us were two policemen and you can believe I knew them in my sight at all times!

Here is a link to local WJCL coverage. Sorry, there is an ad in the beginning.

https://www.wjcl.com/article/beaufort-county-republican-party-campaign-rally-met-by-peaceful-protesters/34090598#

What the news clip did NOT show. 

I wasn't holding my sign backward! The other side said Lying Leningrad Lindsey.

 

 Finally, a link to a Letter to the Editor again stating that we were peaceful.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZfriFl8jLxP7CGOpjnCe6jzgzIvjrxh5/view?usp=sharing

That was a frightening experience. There were several times I was aware that I was shaking! You wonder what makes these people so angry that they behave this way. It was like some kind of bullying frenzy!  WJCL was there filming and they didn't mind at all that their behavior was being filmed. At least now we have been informed to whom this country belongs - old, white men!  This should tell you why we feel this November election is probably the most important in my lifetime. Four more years of this and there won't be enough pieces to pick up and patch together. It's a very sad and anxiety-producing time.

I'm taking this weekend off but next weekend I plan to do speed canvassing for the Bluffton Dem Club. We won't actually be knocking on doors and talking to people but rather leaving printed materials on their doorknob or in the door jam. I figure with a mask (and I think they provide face shields) and hand sanitizer, it will be safe. Needless to say, I will be glad when this is over and just hope we can regain some semblance of sanity and humanity.

Dog Days of Summer (lethargy, inactivity, and indolence)

It's been almost a month since I last posted and I don't know where the time has gone. It seems to be passing quickly even though I'm not busy with anything. Some groups have started meeting via Zoom and while that adds activities to the calendar, they take less time than usual with not having to get dressed, driving to and from, etc. For that reason, I really like them though I do miss seeing the groups in person.

Yes, our pandemic group continues, and Tippy and I get together regularly. The last time the weather cooperated and we had a nice lunch at Ruan Thai (Thai-ed one on, as we say!) The dining room is closed but they have set up tables outside under a tree and on this day it was overcast, cooler, and breezy. While there were people picking up carry-outs, there was only one other couple dining outside and they were at the opposite end from us. 

Rhonda C. also came out for dinner recently and Rosie went berzerk! It had been a long time since Rhonda had been over and she stayed with Rosie for one of our Africa trips. I swear that Rosie recognized her car! She always carries on at the door, but this time it was louder and prolonged. Then when Rhonda got inside, Rosie had a running fit. It was a fun evening and while we ate dinner, I put Rosie's bed beside Rhonda's chair and she was perfectly happy.

Here is Rosie contemplating her ball! When she gets on the rug like this and wags her tail, she wants to play. Before I can get to her, she will flip up and run to her toy basket (in background) to select the toy of the day. Sadly, she had a shivery episode on Monday after our morning walk. I'm not aware that we did anything out of the ordinary, but as I was sitting on the couch, she lay down between my feet, which is unlike her. That's when I realized she was shivering. I then just comforted her until it was over and she was very low key for the rest of the day. That is always so unsettling for me and I'm sure it's even worse for her.

This past week I've been working on the Liberal Ladies newsletter. Though I enjoy doing it and it's great to work with the ladies on the steering committee, it is one of several obligations I'll be cutting back. I've done the newsletter for 2 years so it's time for someone else to take over. The pandemic has shown me that for someone who is a homebody, I was really overextended. I'm hoping the election will provide relief for all of us and we can move forward with less anxiety overall. 

Of course, we political wonks continue to do our best between now and November. I did these 50 GOTV (Get Out the Vote) cards. Luckily, I figured out how to print labels from the list of names I was given, so that saved some time, which I used to write a more informed message (listing Biden/Harris, Jaime Harrison, Joe Cunningham, and all local Dems. - leaving nothing to guesswork!) It took a while but I was happy to help. Lynn and I continue to organize our Crescent Democrats and we've identified 48 already. We try to keep them informed of events and volunteer 

opportunities....and several have volunteered to do postcards. It will be great when we can actually get together socially and get to know one another.

I would be interested in what you folks abroad are hearing about everything going on here and what you think about it. You have to know that these last days leading to the election are tense ones for us. My personal feeling is that a lot of damage can be done between now and the election (whenever it is decided!). Even if trump loses, he can do more damage between November and January. And if the wins, there won't be enough left after four more years to recognize. It feels like a now or never situation and I hope people will vote with the wellbeing of our country in mind. What a mess!

I'm sorry this is dull and boring but that's life during quarantine! I know that kids in the UK are back at school this week, while we can't seem to do what is required for that! While you are getting back to some semblance of normalcy, those of us here with concerns about our health are hunkered down and the rest think it's a hoax. We could be here for a while.

I will leave you with something funny. Tom of our pandemic group has taken to Tic Toc and keeps finding these funny talking dog videos and sending them to me. Below is the one that had me laughing out loud.

I hope this finds everyone safe and well! 

Love to all.

2020 Just Keeps on Giving!

As if there hasn't been enough to deal with this year, let's just throw in a hurricane! Early on it looked like we were in Isaias's direct path; however, it was downgraded to a tropical storm and began veering, ever so slightly, east. While we have had a few very bad storms since I've been here, we are in a tiny "notch" that seems to give us a little protection. We took all of the usual precautions but as it turned out, they were unnecessary. The morning it was to hit, it was a bit cooler and very still. Late morning brought some steady rain. It remained overcast and we received several more rain showers - and that was it! No excessive rain and no wind! One enjoyable side effect was that this morning was cool (74-75) and tolerable. We all enjoyed that!

As you know, since the pandemic I have been ordering some of my groceries for pickup. Whenever I place an order, I indicate that they may substitute if something isn't available (and they notify me online). This order did not indicate that there were any substitutions. I had ordered Rosie a small (12-16 0z) log of Pet Fresh food. As I'm unpacking the groceries. I discover a 6-pound roll!! If it had been 6.5 pounds, it would literally have been half of the bodyweight!! My first thought was to check my bill, which didn't seem excessive. As I looked closer, they had discounted me the difference between the small roll and the large one!! Even so, Rosie could never work her way through all of that, and the texture changes when frozen. So, I kept 1.5 pounds for Rosie and split the rest among her boyfriends - Max, Festus, and Buster. Of course, her favorite boyfriend Bogey would have been at the top of the list were it not for his restricted diet. I took a photo of the huge roll, but it never dawned on me until much later that I should have put it beside Rosie and taken a photo......so, I made this one!!

Chris and Bogey. He's a good boy!

 

After my 2 week quarantine, the Pandemic Pals got together again at my place. It was great to see everyone and we had a lot of catching up to do. You can see from the photo how comfortable Bogey has also gotten. Unfortunately, I missed the best shot! We were having a bite to eat when Bogey ran over to Lynn, his mom, and edged toward her plate. Lynn scolded him and he ran right over to Chris and put his paw on her arm! It was just priceless!😄

Lynn and I have been busy with Liberal Ladies' things and as "community organizers' in the Crescent. The Liberal Summit has an initiative for democrats (liberal, open-minded folks) to organize within gated communities in order to be able to disseminate information and get candidates into private house parties. Lynn and I organized a Zoom meeting with Nathan Campbell who is running against Tom Davis for the SC Senate. What you may not know is that when I first moved here, Republicans ran unopposed. Over the years we have gotten more and more Democrats willing to run, especially young people. It will be a heavy lift for Nathan to win but he can at least make Tom work for his position.

In the midst of all of this, John Lewis died. Of course, I was glued to the TV for his service in Atlanta (3 real, civil, intelligent, compassionate Presidents spoke!), but I was also touched by the whole journey to his final resting place, for all of the places he, one last time, stopped and honored. It was an emotional time.....and with life as strained as it is, events like this become more emotional. I guess losing great heroes of our lifetime exposes our own vulnerability, our own desire to make this world a better place before we are gone. Few can compete with John Lewis in that respect. I wasn't at the original March on Washington when the greats spoke, but I was at the 50th anniversary. Thank you, Jim and Anthony, for making it possible.

If that isn't enough, my TV died! It was actually like my remote died. I could turn on the TV but nothing happened after that. Finally, I got online with a Sony person and he walked me through the solution. I had to reset to factory setting and start all over again! Once I reinstalled all of the apps I like, I realized that my Fire Stick would not work. At that point, I gave up for the day. The next morning I set that up again....and I hope that never happens again!!

Last weekend I read Mary Trump's book, Too Much is Never Enough. The Trump family really seems to take the fun out of dysfunctional. After seeing him for 3 years, I can't say I was surprised by anything, but when you see how they related to each other, you can begin to understand (but not excuse) why he is like he is. When Jonathan Swan asked him the question about John Lewis, had you turned off the sound, I could have told you what he was going to say. He is a damaged human being who were he not the leader of a major nation, should be given our pity, compassion, and care. Unfortunately, his dysfunctionality is damaging our nation...... I just hope we are able to survive him.

With so much chaos in the world, I'd like to leave you with this photo from my friends Rhonda and Bryan who have recently moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bryan manages a golf course and took this beautiful, soothing photo of a sunrise. I just love it....and I love their experience of discovering New Mexico. I've driven through a couple of times and I really found it unique and charming....and very different from most of the US. Saudi friends will be interested that Albuquerque is abbreviated ABQ! What do you think of when you see that? Anyway, enjoy this lovely photograph. Thank you, Bryan and Rhonda.