It never ends.

 I just got off a call with over a thousand other citizens from around the state -

a call to mobilize us AGAIN for canvassing, calling and contributing.

 

Not surprisingly, and not unexpectedly, 

opponents from the forced birth coalition filed a law suit, 

in an attempt to keep the constitutional amendment change 

guaranteeing a woman's right to choose

OFF the ballot in November.

 

Lawsuits in response are already working their way 

up the chain to the MO Supreme Court.

I wish that gave me encouragement;

it does not.

(Not with the way our National Supreme Court functions)

 

But, still, we do what we can.

We show up, 

because someone must.

 

We support others who show up in our place 

when we tire.

 

We balance self care

with standing up for our rights.

 

We stand up 

because some haven't the opportunity, privilege or time

to do it on their own behalf.

 

All lessons learned in the 70's which have stood me in good stead

during a career that was challenging

every day.

Frankly, all lessons I had NO desire to still be needing to tap into

after retirement.

But, that's life ...

it never ends -

until it does.

So, I'm choosing to see the good that also exists,

as transitory as that is too.

A bee in transit
 

Hyacinth runner bean blooms

Sunlight on morning glories

and loved ones that make me smile

and remind me who the struggle is all for 

in the first place.

Leaving a more equitable and just world

for those we love is a definite motivator,

am I right?

9 years of descent

 I've thought about this a lot lately

 - and I'm sure many of you have too -

 but, for me, ever since DJT 

descended the golden escalator at T-rump Tower,

(in 2015)

he has taken the country on a downward trajectory 

filled with

chaos,

lies,

dissembling,

obfuscation,

division,

corruption,

projection,

hatred,

distortion,

and an unrelenting assault on all our senses

about everything I thought I knew and held dear about this country. 

I am NOT some Pollyanna with a dewy eyed vision

of what our country is, or has been;

I am NOT blind to our history of the genocide of indigenous people,

 nor of the enslavement of people stolen from their homelands to labor 

for the accumulation of wealth for others.

 

 I came of age during the 60's and 70's,

with plenty of reminders of how badly or misguided our government can behave

toward not only other countries but our own citizens.

But, for all the ways I believe our country

has room from improvement,

I believe the ideals upon which this country was founded,

are still worth fighting for -

and I believe we can't do that if we're divided and fighting each other.

All that being said, 

the change in atmosphere in the past 3 weeks has been extraordinary.

I feel a renewed sense of hope

and of possibility.

 

When was the last time we heard a candidate say 

they believed in the promise of this country?

 

For that matter, 

when was the last time you saw a candidate laugh and appear joyful?

 

Has DJT ever laughed -

not AT someone else -

but from a sense of gratitude or happiness?

 

I can't even picture it.

It's not in his DNA.

 

I'm choosing in this moment to be hopeful;

to believe that the hellscape DJT created and sustained 

may actually be diminishing;

that my fellow citizens might actually be choosing lightness and a way forward, together.

It's still not entirely clear if that will happen

but, for today, I'm choosing to believe it might.

 

 

 

 

IYKYK

 How it started:How it's going:

Can you feel it?

But it's getting closer every day!

And I will admit,

I stand corrected.

Changing horses in midstream WAS risky

but it was exactly what was needed - 

and it seems to be working out.

Thanks, Joe!

What a difference 3 weeks makes...

I swear there was a palpable difference on my latest trip "Up North".

 

Wisconsin has always had a split of red/blue voters

but I know I saw more Harris signs on farm lawns than I ever saw Biden signs

and there was definitely a lightness in many of the conversations among friends/family.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip -

and not merely because it was 20 degrees cooler than home -

although that was a definite plus.

Exploring rural areas is a favorite past time,

 as is taking in art galleries to see local artists.

I was excited to see an exhibit of native artists at a local library -

wonderfully original and colorful work.

There was a gallery that combined art with gardening - 

and it was glorious.

I'll leave a few more pictures of the week,

even though it will make me miss the area even more.

 Re-entry is always hard; but I'll see my grands tonight,

and I can't do that if I'm in Wisconsin.

 

I certainly hope your summer is full of things that makes your heart sing.

Time

As anyone with grandchildren will tell you, 

it goes too fast.

One minute you're babysitting for an infant

and, just days later,

they're going into 2nd grade

or helping you by picking up sticks from the yard...

now, if I could only get her to cut the grass, trim and spread mulch,

I'll be set.

       For those under 60, let me tell you a secret:

 time goes into hyper-drive as you age.

 

If you listen to any news at all these days, 

issues about age, and our conflicted feelings about it, 

are alive and well. 

 

In fact, I believe, the amount of coverage given to 'aging'

is indicative of a larger societal struggle

revealing how much we generally avoid acknowledging and accepting

certain realities about getting older -

for ourselves and for others.

 

Our current president told us almost 4 years ago 

that his would be a transitional presidency -

anyone else remember that?

He was going to get us out of the chaos and turmoil 

created 24/7 by the Orange Menace 

and steer the nation away from the pandemic and the uncertainty

that was rampant.

And he's done that.

By any economic measure - except perception about inflation -

our economy is ahead of the majority of other countries,

post pandemic

and we're doing very well.

 

The trouble is, somewhere along the line,

the DNC forgot that someone was supposed to come next.

 

I'm certainly not a political operative inside the Beltway

I only obsess and watch MSNBC and the Meidas Network daily

so I,at least, know the players -

and, from what I see,

there is NO indication that a core group of younger progressive Democrats

has been identified, mentored and held up on a consistent National basis,

creating a pool from which to choose our next Presidential candidate.

 

A job, btw, which should have been happening over the last 3 years -

not 2 months prior to the Democratic Convention;

not in an election year when our democracy 

and the constitution, as we know it,

is up for grabs.

Biden had a terrible debate experience of 90";

no argument here.

But the subsequent, very public, hand-wringing and setting our collective hair on fire

that the Dems are engaging in is NOT helpful.

(Perhaps those of us who have testified in court multiple times

as expert witnesses

have more sympathy for flubbed word choices

 and being off our game than most.

I can't tell you the number of times I did my best, 

wasn't totally pleased but thought I passed - 

if I graded myself on a curve -

but, when I got the transcript to review,

was appalled and surprised they hadn't immediately 

sent for a mental health eval team for all the gibberish I was spouting.)

I don't know you guys;

is Biden old?

You bet he is, and getting older by the day -

AS WE ALL ARE.

 

I'm younger than he is and I, sure as hell,

wouldn't want the responsibility of being in charge of the country.

3 years as Senior Warden at our church 

was the height of the responsibility I was willing to take on.

Is he capable of leading our country?

Yes.

How do I know?

Because he's doing it!!

 

And, even if you buy into conspiracy theories 

that it's not him that's running the country,

if it's not him that's making all the decisions, 

at least he's gathered a group of competent, knowledgeable 

public servants around him

that are guiding him in ways that serve us all.

 

 If I was Jill, I'd be begging him to sit this one out;

to take me home to the summer house and watch waves come in and go out

for whatever period of time we have left.

But she knows who she married -

a public servant who wants what's best for the country.

 

Frankly, I'm voting for Joe -

even if he's stuffed and propped in a chair

in a corner.

 Because our democracy is on the line.

 

Fascists are waiting to install a dictator and institute religious law 

that will make The Handmaids Tale look like a vacation spot in the Caribbean.

We have a corrupt Supreme Court

that is reinterpreting the Constitution to meet their ideological ends.

Changing horses in midstream sounds risky and dangerous to me.

Vote for Joe - and get Kamala as our first woman president -

when he dies;

which he will.

I'm good with that;

unless of course, I die first.

Then, good luck to all of you.

Democracy was great while it lasted.