Yesterday, voters across the United States yanked our democracy back from the Temu Toddler and showed what we CAN be when we realize that what we had was on life-support.
Yesterday, we showed our neighbors around the globe that we cared. That what the US was turning into was NOT the will of the majority. We told a billionaire that he could take his cash and shove it where the sun don't shine. We told career politicians that we hoped they had a happy retirement. And we told those few in power that their time was up - they are now legitimately lame ducks and there's a new sheriff in town.
Yeah, I know, that was a bad jumble of metaphors, but I'm still reeling a bit. To be totally honest, I've been weepy all day, in the "happy" sense. Because I had an overwhelming feeling of dread leading up to yesterday, and now, there's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. And I feel like it's NOT an oncoming freight train.
Look, I know that cornered rats are at their most dangerous when they're feeling threatened. I know that this is not the be-all and end-all of our struggle. And I know that there's going to be a lot of crap before we see the full sunlight after the mess at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is completely cleaned up. And we're gonna need a LOT of sage, people.
I was an election judge, and I had the key to the polling place, so I was there at 4:45 a.m., which meant I got up at 3:45-ish - otherwise known as "the butt crack of dawn," and honestly, I didn't sleep much the entire night, worrying about getting up in time...you know how that goes!
We got set up, with a new-ish crew of judges, and we settled in for what we hoped would be a peaceful day. There were rumors. And we'd gotten some specific training: how to verify a signature and compare it to what was on the touchpad, how to de-escalate, and how to handle poll watchers, especially what they can and cannot do. It was a bit unnerving, and having been an election judge for around 30 years? I had to say -- this one worried me. I wasn't sleeping well in the days leading up to yesterday.
I didn't get home from the polls till nearly 9 p.m. So that's what? Somewhere around a 17-hour day? It doesn't get easier. And to be honest, I had a "bad food day," which I haven't had in a long time. More on that later...
You don't know who to believe, you know? You don't know if the fears are over-blown. Hey, ICE was in our area as late as last week -- and we have a sizeable immigrant population. And most of us who are election judges are, shall we say, "mature." We weren't sure what would happen during the day, and that does set you on high alert. Yes, we're a small town and easy to overlook. But that doesn't make the feelings any less valid.
The Day Itself...
I had my backpack prepped. I had a novel, my snacks, my phones, all the supplies I thought I might need (including some larger black markers in case we needed them, extra pens, lip balm, emergency migraine meds, etc.). I even packed knitting (wait - there's a story...).
The day before, I'd baked my Molasses Oatmeal Banana bread. Burned my finger in the oven when the potholder slipped, so that was fun. I made a "dump dish" for lunch, got everything on my list organized.
The "Dump Dish" was surprisingly easy and really good: Boil up some udon noodles (or noodles of your choice), and while that's working chop up carrots, celery, shred a bit of cabbage, chop some spring onions and finely dice a sweet potato. We had pork loin the other night, so I took a couple of those slices and shredded them, adding to the dish. Saute that in a pan till the sweet potato is tender, with whatever spice blend you want. I used Penzey's Tsar Dust, with a bit of salt and pepper, and some Sunny Spain, which is their blend of lemon + pepper. I added a couple tablespoons of chili sauce, and stirred it together. Drain the noodles and rinse them, then plop all of it in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate it till you want to eat it, and you can eat it warm or cold.
You can also add a marinade to the veggies if you want. I was able to heat that in the microwave in the morning and then toss it in a small thermos container so it would keep warm till I had a lunch break.
We had a steady day. There was time for me to break into the new novel, which was probably a bad choice, seeing as it was a murder mystery that was a really slow-starting story. Not the best when you need a distraction. It was even a real book, not my Kindle! We all knew our stations, and were able to rotate according to the rules. Our favorite Field Tech was on board, which is always nice!
Our Favorite Field Tech told us that we "blew past" our results from LAST Midterms. We figured as much, seeing as how steady the voter turn-out was. We're a small precinct. If we crack 350 voters, it's usually only in a presidential year. For the consolidated elections (the local politicos, library and school issues, etc.), the turn-out is...dismal. Which is a whole other chapter in the novel, because LOCAL is where the crap starts. LOCAL is where your vote can really count and directly affect YOU.
Not that your vote doesn't count. Obviously, look at last night. Votes CLEARLY count. It's just that when you vote on a school referendum, a library board, a city council - those things directly and immediately affect you. What we voted for yesterday WILL affect all of us, eventually. Either way, vote. In every election.
We had one poll-watcher, and a number of folks going in and out of the polling place on business (it's a church hall). Saw a lot of friends who I hadn't seen in a bit, had some nice conversations.
Had some random guy come by and ask about voting numbers, so we just kind of gave him the overview.
The day actually kind of flew by, inasmuch as one can when it's that long. My job also included driving the supplies back to the Clerk's Office (one judge from each party does this, so I had a car-mate).
Anyway -- I got home, let people know that I was home safely, read another chapter in the book I was reading (not the murder mystery, I have a "fluffy novel" I read before bed), and I hit the hay.
Hard. I mean, I slept like a log. I guess I needed it.
The Knitting...
Can I whack out two hats before Xmas? Let me be more detailed... Can I whack out two hats, for adult males, on size 5 needles using a sport-weight yarn, before Xmas?
When the hats require a cast-on of 128 stitches? Um. Well.
We're gonna try.
The hats are the Purl Soho Ribbed Hat, and the yarn is their Ochre, 2 balls per hat. All in 2x2 ribbing, and y'all know how much I adore ribbing. /snark/
I had a "brainstorm." Yeah, scare-quotes for a reason. I thought, "Self, you have all these cast-on stitches and the pattern says to rib the whole hat for about 8 inches or so. How about we do the first round as a simple knit, like you do for socks, so that you have a 'foundation' for the ribbing?" My Self said, "Wow, that sounds like a genius idea! Let's do that."
So I got about 3 rows in and I noticed...it wasn't working. The ribbing wasn't...ribbing.
Of course it wasn't. It was that row of plain knit. So. On Election Day. I frogged the entire thing. Thankfully, I was only 3 rows in. Today, I started it over, and without that stupid "foundation," yeah the ribbing is a pain.
Ribbing is ALWAYS a pain. But the whole hat looks a lot better now. I've got about 8 or 10 rows, and it's looking "hat-ish" and the cast-on edge looks like it's going to fit the recipient nicely, and not be a flared-out mess. No pictures yet; probably next time. I'll also give you more Nerdy Notes on the pattern and yarn. Like I said, I'm trying to get this done before I need to hit the bed.
The Bad Food Day...
I am an emotional eater. Being on the meds, I was getting better, and I'm at my goal weight, so things are working out nicely.
Except for yesterday. I made a number of really bad food choices. And my stomach went into rebellion.
Yes, the bad food day showed up on the scale. No, I am not really beating myself up. Well, maybe just a little. But I'm not tossing my hands in the air and declaring "FAILURE!!" I've come too far and learned too much. And honestly, I feel too good to give it up and go back to Before I Lost the Equivalent of a Bale of Hay...
It's just one bad day. I'm back on track, sort of, today. I got a good amount of steps in, I'm going to be heading to bed shortly (trying to get to bed a bit earlier, but we'll see how that goes). And I hydrated pretty well today, considering.
It's one day. Things happen. Moving on.
Random Picture...
This out from the studio one night this past summer. I love to see the sky when the sun is starting to set and see what the clouds are up to.
