I forgot last night and now the begonias out on the deck that were so pretty and luscious and red all summer -- are toppled over on themselves and quite definitely dead. It wasn't really an early freeze or even a hard one, but then begonias are fleshy.
So are people. Paper says the homeless shelters here are filled in this time-out-of-kilter year of constant surprises.
Most of us are still busy carving pumpkins and hoping for Indian summer. We path over our mallard heavy backyard ponds -- glory in our New England crimson fens peaked with burnt orange and burnished gold of turning leaf and yawning limb.
It is humiliatingly long before winter splays its hoary sleep over this normally self sufficient granite land -- a sad time for begonias and people who have already fallen.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Eyes Have It
As I was sitting here reviewing a recent telephone conversation, I think I found my answer, or at least the required question. The caller had been a polite lady from a local Obama headquarters. I had told her I am still undecided and she had asked if there was any information that would help me decide. I blurted, "Are you old enough to remember the Dukakis moment?" to which she answered, "Oh, you mean the tank?"
No. Of course that was not the moment. The moment was when some reporter or other asked how Dukakis would feel about the death penalty if Kitty had been raped. It was a horrible thought, but it was unscripted and the nation saw clearly into the heart of the man who would have been president. The nation judged that heart too clinical.
It is that kind of ineffable question I need answered about Obama. He is too cool. Is that real or is it a perfect facade to protect his soul and his loved ones from the piranha media? Whichever the answer or whatever the blend of the answer, I hope someone asks him a bone marrow question that makes his eyes flash warm or cold -- before I go into the voting booth.
No. Of course that was not the moment. The moment was when some reporter or other asked how Dukakis would feel about the death penalty if Kitty had been raped. It was a horrible thought, but it was unscripted and the nation saw clearly into the heart of the man who would have been president. The nation judged that heart too clinical.
It is that kind of ineffable question I need answered about Obama. He is too cool. Is that real or is it a perfect facade to protect his soul and his loved ones from the piranha media? Whichever the answer or whatever the blend of the answer, I hope someone asks him a bone marrow question that makes his eyes flash warm or cold -- before I go into the voting booth.
A Gazillion Second Thoughts
So yesterday I had finally sort of settled on Obama but then yet another pollster called and asked thought provoking questions. I was still pondering my wishywashyness when I got an e-mail from my brother bashing Sarah Palin as Minnie Mouse. Is it just because I am female that immediately I felt protective for the poor woman who got lobbed into this totally unfair ping pong media game, or is it just that I have some deeply buried and surely somehow Freudian loyalty to the innate decency of Annette and all the erstwhile Mouseketeers? Hey there, hi there, ho there.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The People's Houses
We had a birthday dinner for my daughter the other night, a perfect time in a battleground state to take a family poll. I am relatively certain that "None of the Above" could handily win our family circle in November.
As it stands though, one person really is voting for a third party, one is voting for McCain and the rest of us are maybe/probably/unless-something-weird-happens planning to vote for Obama. I wonder what the conversational results are around all the other tables this fall.
Funny thing, most of the adults in my family like the VP choices better -- as gaff prone and controversial as they are. Maybe that's because both of them appear more human and familiar, even if sometimes in chalk-on-a-blackboard ways. I just heard that Biden has predicted within the first six months after Obama wins, there will be an international crisis the likes of the Cuban Missle one. I can just see the handlers begging Biden to go take a rest for awhile and frantically praying for laringytis to visit the sonorous one until after election day! You know, as 'duh, I shoulda' never said that in public' as he probably feels, old Joe is probably right. Of course our enemies will test an idealistic tenderfoot, green president. Do we feel safe about that? Hmm...more aptly put is how unsafe do we feel -- and just which enemies and what kind of test? None of us ever wants to see anything resembling another 9/11.
On the other hand, we are in a rather serious economic period. I do believe that McCain did finally notice ... just before he spazzed out and turned every-which-way but toward the middle-class. I think he thinks he addressed the middle-class, but coming from somebody who has that many houses, he just didn't connect. His mindset is in another world. He can't help that, but then neither can we.
My husband and I went back and forth over which candidate and which party to back as we were trying to finish building a small balcony off our dining room before winter sets in. It's a special addition because we did it together and we did it ourselves. If we had several houses, we wouldn't have one central hearth and heart and home for our memories. As for Obama, I can't see a do-it-yourself project co-existing well inside his millionaire perfect world either. No, neither candidate can really address the middle-class.... Isn't that what's at the bottom of so much of our discontent? When have we really ever elected "one of the people?" When have we ever had the opportunity?
As it stands though, one person really is voting for a third party, one is voting for McCain and the rest of us are maybe/probably/unless-something-weird-happens planning to vote for Obama. I wonder what the conversational results are around all the other tables this fall.
Funny thing, most of the adults in my family like the VP choices better -- as gaff prone and controversial as they are. Maybe that's because both of them appear more human and familiar, even if sometimes in chalk-on-a-blackboard ways. I just heard that Biden has predicted within the first six months after Obama wins, there will be an international crisis the likes of the Cuban Missle one. I can just see the handlers begging Biden to go take a rest for awhile and frantically praying for laringytis to visit the sonorous one until after election day! You know, as 'duh, I shoulda' never said that in public' as he probably feels, old Joe is probably right. Of course our enemies will test an idealistic tenderfoot, green president. Do we feel safe about that? Hmm...more aptly put is how unsafe do we feel -- and just which enemies and what kind of test? None of us ever wants to see anything resembling another 9/11.
On the other hand, we are in a rather serious economic period. I do believe that McCain did finally notice ... just before he spazzed out and turned every-which-way but toward the middle-class. I think he thinks he addressed the middle-class, but coming from somebody who has that many houses, he just didn't connect. His mindset is in another world. He can't help that, but then neither can we.
My husband and I went back and forth over which candidate and which party to back as we were trying to finish building a small balcony off our dining room before winter sets in. It's a special addition because we did it together and we did it ourselves. If we had several houses, we wouldn't have one central hearth and heart and home for our memories. As for Obama, I can't see a do-it-yourself project co-existing well inside his millionaire perfect world either. No, neither candidate can really address the middle-class.... Isn't that what's at the bottom of so much of our discontent? When have we really ever elected "one of the people?" When have we ever had the opportunity?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hmmm
Well, I'm no longer a suspect for doing whatever it was I didn't do. That's good, I guess. It seems awfully arbitrary that a person can have a blog and it can just be cut off for no reason and then cut back on with no explanation -- high-handed indeed. Makes me feel abit tentative about all this. I wonder if there is a way to own your own words in a more definitive manner -- like a blog provider that does not have omnipotence... or at least one where you can email to ask why and get a real person to answer you. Anybody have a suggestion?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
So, what kind of game is this?
I don't get it. Yesterday I tried to post and I got this strange notice over my blog that said it was locked. I tried to figure out why and I tried to respond -- couldn't find a real, live person to talk to, though. I doubt that this will post, but thought I'd give it a shot and see what happens...Well, it did post. (I'm using edit.) At least I think it did. Now I keep having to type in word verifications. Does anybody out there know what is going on with this mess?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Breaking News
It's that the DOW is down or the politician that was the least offensive to you just got bombed with an expose, or everything you eat is either going to send you to the hospital immediately for food poisoning or eventually because the latest study negates the previous study that made you change your habits so you could avoid the trans fat and so you decided to eat what is now considered highly carcinogenic in the long run, etc.
And I say don't be stuck in silly-head land. Breathe in that apple crisp air. The sky is still blue and not only that, it's a downright drop-dead miraculously clean slate with just tracings of picture clouds for effect -- lit with that rich slant of autumnal sun. The squirrels are nearly as brisk as the wind and the leaves are fire dancing again. Forget the media for a moment. We are all so blessed. God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.
And I say don't be stuck in silly-head land. Breathe in that apple crisp air. The sky is still blue and not only that, it's a downright drop-dead miraculously clean slate with just tracings of picture clouds for effect -- lit with that rich slant of autumnal sun. The squirrels are nearly as brisk as the wind and the leaves are fire dancing again. Forget the media for a moment. We are all so blessed. God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.
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