Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Election Day

 Our polls opened at 7. Tim and I were up at 6, showered and waiting in line at 6:58. 

(and what a line it was!)

We waited behind a man with a "We the People" coat. A star spangled cap. Here, that is a code. He was a patriot, goddammit, and he was there to vote MAGA. It was interesting. A black girl checking us in gave him a wary side eye. He said something about "America!" to a blue haired 80 year old. She smiled benignly and agreed with him, that this still was America. 

It took us 35 minutes to work through the line, but we got there. We entered our votes on a machine, which printed out our ballot, which we dropped into a locked ballot box on the way out. The line was no shorter when we left than it was when we came in, and you know what? I'm glad for those lines. I think it was beautiful.

When we walked out the door, a woman with informational packets for a democratic candidate stood along the side walk. We smiled at her. "She got our vote," I said. The woman smiled and thanked us. "We understood the assignment." That is code too, and the code was received loud and clear. The three of us smiled at each other. That moment of solidarity was a small one, set against the backdrop of a divided country, but it felt good. 

As we drove home, Tim said, "I wonder what will happen to all those huge tRUMP signs along the highway?" A local business man had paid big money for big signs, and dozens of them are set around the county. He said, "They never come back and take them down."

I said, "No. They don't."

He said, "I'd like to take a razor knife to them tonight, slice them right down the middle, and leave them flapping in the wind for a few days." 

I said, "Seems appropriate." 

Inside, I was a little bit astonished. He's a quiet man, not given to public displays of anything, but it seems as if he's had his fill of that noisy man's flapping mouth too.




32 comments:

  1. We are all waiting with bated breath over here, Debby.

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    1. That's the thing, Jaycee. We are such a selfish nation that I don't even think we see how our political situation affects the world.

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  2. We have done what we can, now we wait.

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    1. Exactly. I was feeling fairly resolute about it this morning. I will admit to some amount of nerves tonight.

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  3. The trick in blogging is to make the ordinary interesting or as interesting as possible because we do tend to live ordinary lives. You do that well. I try my best, but you do it better. You use dialog well too.

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    1. Aw...Thanks, AC. You take prettier pictures than I do, however.

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  4. Replies
    1. It was a huge turnout everywhere. I hope it makes a difference.

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  5. Thankyou for voting.. I've just posted my vote for the election of our local councillors.
    Fingers crossed all round!

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    1. I'm trying to be sensible, but honestly, this is anxiety producing.

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  6. I hope you are an happy bunny tomorrow Debby.

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  7. I still can't understand why all men haven't gotten their fill of that thing. I voted early but family members reporting back have waited for an hour or so in lines. That's not bad at all. But now we wait. So far I've cleaned my kitchen countertops, what else will I get up to... It's heartening for me to know we have friends all over the world hoping right along with us. May the best woman win!

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    Replies
    1. Would that my anxiousness translated to something productive.

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  8. Replies
    1. I had to buy oreos. I just needed something perfectly awful for me.

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  9. Tim is my kinda guy. I would help him.

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    1. He surprised me. He's not one to get his dander up, not usually.

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  10. Now we can but wait, good to know you got your vote in. I expect there would be quite a few round the world that would tear those signs down.

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    1. I will never understand why this election is even close.

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  11. I feel as if I am in purgatory right now.

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    1. Probably because Florida went red. I am not watching the election stuff tonight.

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  12. I like your description, the noisy man's flapping mouth. Good luck.

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    1. Thanks Andrew. It was an oreo night with a glass of cold milk. I can return to the diet tomorrow. Tonight, I needed the comfort that only a milk dunked oreo could provide.

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  13. It feels like the country has to be put back together .

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    1. Hopefully it CAN be put back together again.

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  14. Go Tim! And thank you both for voting.. im nervous, bu a teeeny bit hopeful🤞🏻xo, Rigmor

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    1. He rarely gets that riled. Truly. This was a very out of character thing for him. He's just well and truly sick of it all.

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  15. I worked at our local precinct today. The vote was 3-1 maga. So disappointed.

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    1. Your experience as a poll watcher sounds positively gruesome. I'm sorry you had such a terrible day. I hope that when you wake up tomorrow, the day will look much brighter.

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  16. People in Florida have lost their minds. Never would I set foot there.

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    1. Horrible! I said the same thing to someone from Texas yesterday though. She said, "I don't blame you."

      But it is too early to start clutching our pearls.

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I'm glad you're here!

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