I Voted.

And no, I am not going to tell you who I voted for. As my grandfather always said, "That's between you and God", and I agree with him. What I will say is this: I am glad and proud today to be an American, to be able to get in my little orange car and zip down to the town hall in my tiny town in Western Massachusetts and cast a vote for the person/s I think most able to govern our nation and protect the freedoms I have (like voting, for example). As I stood in line this morning there was no political discussion or dissent. No placards on the sidewalk, no angry people telling me why I should vote for this or that candidate. It was just a fairly large group of townsfolk exercising their right to vote.

This freedom is, sadly, the one we most take for granted, I think. If the projections are right, only 54% of citizens will vote in this election. Fifty-four percent. What does that say about who we are as a people, as a nation? Would only 54% of us claim our tax refunds? I know many are disillusioned in the process. We do not trust the candidates, and they've never really given us good reason to trust them. We think "What difference does it make?" But what we fail to remember in disillusionment and dismay is that we have in us the power to change that. What if 100% of adults in America voted? What if 100% of Americans understood, deep in their hearts as I do, that this "right" we so take for granted wasn't always ours? It hasn't been for that long, you know. In 1870 the right to vote was granted to former slaves and non-whites. 1870. In 1920, women gained the right to vote. That's not even 100 years. Tax evaders gained the right to vote in 1964, and the age of 18 was declared as the official voting age in 1971. What if 100% of Americans went to Project Vote Smart, did their research, and cast a vote for the candidate who's record most closely matched their own political values? What if 100% of Americans put their feet down and said "enough is enough" and demanded true, real, deep, honest change in our current political system? What if?

We, the People. People died to give us the right to say that, and mean it. We, the People. We should all remember, respect, and honor the sacrifice of others by making the choice to vote.

OK, now for some less serious stuff:
Dazee Goes Visiting on HalloweenLove Never EndsDazee guards the slider to the deck, where the birds have been committing hara-kiri all week. If someone knows of a way to deter them from flying into my windows, I would love to know it.Free Birds.Hydrangea. Love these things. They should be brought in and arranged.Hysterical. Love. It Itches. Franklin Habit Rocks.Kumquats. There's now about 16 flowers open on the tree, and it smells like an orange grove in full bloom in here. it makes me very happy.Someone is moving in for winter, I hope. It would be fun to take pictures of him all winter long.Someone else is getting ready for winter, trying to clean up the disaster left by 5 or 6 felled trees. He needs an assistant. I am so busy swatching and knitting and writing. I feel bad. Of course he gets to play with his chainsaw. I think that helps!

I am going to go swatch, and then cast on a moebius.