Armistice Day…”on this day, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends.”
Somehow this is not something that is celebrated here in the United States. We call it Veterans Day…but there is something meaningful about those words. 11… 11… 11… The Great War Ends.
My making is at a stand still… as is my reading. Nothing new started. Nothing in process finished.
I remember it as October days are always remembered, cloudless, maple-flavored, the air gold and so clean it quivers. — Leif Enger, Peace Like a River
I love October, but this year it was a bit melancholy for me this year. Every year, pre-COVID, we head off to Michigan to spend a glorious chunk of time with my kids. There are trips to Lake Michigan, family meals, lots of laughter as we catch up with the things a phone call/FaceTime does not afford. We always go to the Empire Hops Festival with my son. None of those things happened. But it was still October.
I am going to talk about the differences that this October brought…and those differences were so good!
The first BIG difference was voting on the 10th of the month! This was a new experience for me and I confess, I love early voting and I plan on adding this to my October calendar next year!
I loved the multiple “Halloween” grands images! Pumpkin pants FTW! And what’s not to love about a cowgirl and her very own baby horse! LOL (But, those Dalmations on the 31st!! That one brought lots of tears, because of this:
Sam, Heidi, and Rachel – 3 of the 101 Dalmations!
The final different thing was our spur of the moment decision to head back to Erie at the end of the month. Steve has been trying to use up vacation days, but a day at a time really does not promote any sort of a mental health break. So, since we were not going to participate in handing out candy (or throwing out candy, as our Township determined… yep, stay at least 9′ away and throw candy at the Trick or Treaters) we headed to Erie for 5 glorious days. Things not captured in photos here… the birds. Wow. I saw so many familiar birds, including Pileated Woodpeckers, but we also saw birds I had never seen in the wild before like Bufflehead Ducks and Black-bellied Plovers. The weather was perfect, not warm and a bit rainy AND there were virtually no anywhere! We took Carolyn’s advice and headed to The Cork 1794 and had the most amazing lunch! But, perhaps best of all, we discovered Icing on the Lake and indulged, more than a bit! lol
So even in a month where I did not get to do what I most wanted to do, I did manage to find good things in October!
Every election is determined by the people who show up. — Larry J. Sabato, Pendulum Swing
There was no magic at all in last week’s election, it was simply counting the votes of the people who showed up! (and show up they did!) But I fear we will need some magic to heal the rift in this nation.
There is absolutely something magical about transforming a bit of fiber into yarn. I spent quite a bit of time on Thursday ignoring the news media and instead I focused on plying my singles! I did this while watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. It is was so good! That combination – spinning and watching – was the perfect diversion from the angst of the day! I am happy with the end results, although it needs a bit more twist, which is, thankfully, easily fixed!
It’s not perfect, but I love how it turned out.
The other simply magical thing has been the weather these past few days! Sunny, cloudless skies and mild temps meant that we braved the “world” and sat outside (in NOVEMBER!!) and enjoyed lunch and some beers at Spoonwood Brewing. It was the perfect way to wind down the week (and eating wings is not conducive to doom scrolling on your phone…lol)
The other magical thing of the weekend was this soup!! (I hope the link works…if not, let me know) What an unexpected treat! The rice makes the broth so silky. It is my new favorite Chicken Soup with Rice!
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on. — Thurgood Marshall
Thinking About —
This from the NYTimes. The hardest thing for me is this…58% of white men and 55% of white women voted for Trump. How the eff?
I don’t know how to heal this, how to get over this, or how to fix it and that is the thing that most upsets me.
Grateful For —
Laughter. It is certainly necessary! I found this most brilliant, and yes…the internet remains undefeated!
Live look at the White House bunker where Trump is trying to stop the counting of ballots.
The tenacity of the Black community. Thank goodness, they did not give up! They truly saved this election! I am so proud of Philadelphia, whose wise and wonderful voters just gave Joe a lead of 5,587 votes in PA. (And let’s not forget Detroit either… their final results: Joe Biden, 93.51% and Donald Trump, 5.06%… oh hell yeah!)
BREAKING: Joe Biden has taken the lead in PA by 5,587 votes.
My heart is heavy this morning…yesterday at my local poll in my neighborhood was an eye-opening experience. I have a different view of my neighbors this morning and it makes me so sad. You know that phrase “kill them with kindness”? I am here today to tell you that is highly over-rated. Kindness did not work. Matter-of-fact-ness (i.e. slide your ballot here please) did not work. I have never heard so much hate-filled language. Ever. Nor have I ever been accused of changing votes. I guess there is a first for everything. It was painful.
And this morning, I don’t think any of us can say “this is not who we are” because that is simply not true.
Yesterday, I brought my Pheasant Pullover to the polls, foolishly thinking there might be a minute or two to knit. But today it will be my companion as I hunker down, avoid these insane predictions, and tune out by binging on The Queen’s Gambit.
Ali Smith knocks it out of the park with the final book in her Seasonal series. This book will make you stop and think about so many things. It is timely and I was stunned that quarantine life was included. This book poses so many questions that have lingered over the days since I finished it. These lingering thoughts caused me to raise my rating from 4 to 5-stars. I highly recommend the entire series!
For me, John Boyne is one of the greatest story tellers of our time, and A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom is a masterfully crafted tale! I did not want to put this book down, and practically devoured it in one sitting. I listened to it, and the narrator was excellent. So… how many lives must we live until we get it right? We listen to an unnamed narrator bring us along with him over 2000 years of his lives. From the beginning to the end it is brilliant! And that ending! I loved it. I highly recommend this book!
This letter! Boy, do I wish I had someone say these things to me about a hundred years ago! It is loving, challenging, questioning, thought-provoking, and all women should write them in our hearts! We should affirm them to our daughters, to our friends, to our neighbors, to our significant others.
I highly recommend this brilliant little book!
That’s all I have for today. As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave you link below and thank you!
