Coincidence

Another Kinder-Speak moment:

We were looking at the composite birthday chart for both a.m. and p.m. and decided to make a chart of just the a.m. kidlets' birthdays. We had them stand up, month by month, as we made our new graph.

One little girl raised her hand and excitedly told us, "I was born on my birthday!!!"

Oddly enough, I was too.

November Calm

I've been working out--sweating on the elliptical machine and lifting weights.

That's the good news. The bad news is that everything else takes a backseat--blogs, dogs, husbands, dinners, housework.

So, I decided to take a breather and catch up a little on the rest of life. In no particular order:

• I saw Twilight on Friday and loved it. It had enough intensity between Bella and Edward that I've been flash-backing all weekend on all those wonderful moments when I fell in love. The movie theater was reeking of estrogen and it made for a great girls-night-out.
• I recently read The Secret Life of Bees which is one of the best books ever.
• My lawns are both leafless and mowed as close as I could scalp them.
• THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE UP!!! Because November is acting like September; the novelty of hanging lights without a ski cap, gloves and a heavy coat to ward off icy blasts is nice. I'm disciplined enough that I won't turn them on until December 1 though.
• I can't find either green or yellow C-9 bulbs, just clear. WTF?!
• Kharma is going great in pre-agility, although she'd do better if I'd spend time with her. I hope to video some of our class.
• I finished reading The Audacity of Hope (twice). I'm currently reading Dreams from My Father.
• Netflix delivered the first three episodes of The Tudors, in time for a enjoyable three-hour marathon on Saturday evening.
• The planning for Thanksgiving Dinner has begun. Pooh gets the good stuffing this year, courtesy of the Queen Mother, and I can't talk the family's newest cook into making us some off allrecipes.com. Is it illegal to have turkey without dressing?
• I've been tagged for a meme of crazy eights, but it'll have to wait until I have more than a second to spare.
• Mama Mia! is the first thing on my Christmas list, followed by a new blade for my rotary cutter.
• School ends too late and sunset comes too early, so I've been doing my best to get up early and take the doggitys for a morning romp in the pasture. I don't know if it would be easier to get up if I hit the sheets earlier.
• There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Or is that just me?

Yippee-Ki-Yay-Ki-Oh!

Introducing my Cowgirl Pillowcase--

--'cause I'm a cowgirl at heart and have been since I was three years old. The Queen Mother made me a leatherette vest with fringe and conchos. I'd ride my palomino stick-horse around the yard pretending I was Dale Evans riding through the hills. (Yes, I know she rode a buckskin named Buttermilk, but I idolized Trigger.)

I also had a cute little skirt and eventually a holster with an ivory-handled toy six gun. I thought Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger were way cooler than Superman, but on their best day they just couldn't compete with cowgirl fashion.

Now I have to decide which of these cowgirl beauties is the real me.

This is Red. She's very girl-next-door but with those skin-tight jeans you have to wonder just how wholesome she is. She gets top marks for coordinating her gloves and boots.
Sue has a thing for fringe. Don't let her prim looks fool you; there's a reason she's pursing her scarlet lips. I like her color sense--are those boots ostrich?

Hmmm...I've been known to wear a neckerchief like Bunny, but I usually wear my conchos somewhat less strategically placed. And who is she pointing her gun at? And why? She seems more Moonlight Bunny Ranch instead of dude ranch to me.

This is Ingrid. She's a cowgirl wanna-be although she lives in Europe. Someone needs to redesign her skirt--the fringe is great and I love the length, but we need to lose the dirndl vibe.

Patsy and I can both play "Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight" on guitar. Her Stetson is my favorite, but can you explain how she and Ingrid are apparently sharing clothes? No wait, I don't wanna know.


Lucy obviously drinks too much. But she's the best friend imaginable when she's sober. And is there anything really wrong with being a party girl?

Jill is a flirt and very good at getting attention when she wants it. She has great taste in horses.

So who's your inner cowgirl: Red, Sue, Bunny, Ingrid, Patsy, Lucy or Jill?

Smile

That would be me, the one with the huge smile that will not go away.

I spent yesterday evening browsing blogs around the world and came away realizing that the international community was relieved and hopeful that America-the-world-leader was back in the game. The faith that others put in us is inspiring and humbling.

The voting turnout in Nevada was incredible. I was fortunate to be paired with a teenage bundle of enthusiasm as we canvassed on Election Day morning through successive bouts of sun, breeze, rain showers and snow flurries. We only found one person who had NOT voted: she was a hundred-and-one years old and the Obama campaign immediately went into action to find her suitable transportation to her polling place.

The Big Guy (our new name for Erkie-pie) spent forty minutes in line as the polls opened at 7 a.m. and we heard others waited for an hour-and-a-half. We didn't hear about anyone who gave up though. I think voters were either inspired or polarized--either way, everyone felt it was important to cast a ballot.

I calmed my nerves by a) shopping for Christmas fabrics and b) lifting weights at the gym while trying to avoid watching the big-screen TV tracking the early returns. Then the K-dog and I attended our preparation-for-dog-agility class where there are thankfully no news reports. When I finally returned home, I found a red-white-and-blue plateful of Kharma cookies from our neighbors and President-elect Obama (!) giving his acceptance speech. Yeah, I got all misty-eyed.

I just knew he would reach out to his non-supporters and I was not disappointed. I'm hopeful that his actions and policies as president can win the trust of his constituency. I think, I hope, I believe that Barack is the real deal--a born leader who can unite our country.

But what do I know? Hey, I think Harry Reid is okay based on the shallow criterions of appearances at soccer games and smelling yummy when he can apparently be something less than kind at times. Or so I hear.

Kudoes to John McCain as he conceded the election with grace, class and honesty.

Thank God for an end to campaign ads. Now we can all get back to Grey's Anatomy and House, blog about something else than politics, make soup on cold nights, and wonder how we can face another holiday season without gaining an additional thirty pounds.

"Cheers!" she said, still with that silly smile on her face.

Proud

Win or lose on November 4th, I'm proud to be an American. We can agree to disagree. We vote and abide peacefully, if somewhat vociferously, with the outcome. We are not perfect, but we are creating "a more perfect union" each and every time we exercise our privilege in the voting booth.

CNN said that Nevada was the easiest state in which to vote. Thank heavens we are first in something, finally!

Early voting was quick and easy. Unless you left it until the last day and then the lines were forty-five minutes long--as my son found out. He's undecided. Not about which candidate to vote for, but whether to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in line and vote or else drag himself home from work and stand in line with all the other workers.

This is the first time I've gone to hear a candidate speak. It was worth getting up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning. It was worth standing in Peccole Field for three and a half hours to hear him. Our feet were pretty cold but our spirits were warm. Pledging allegiance to a gigantic American flag and listening to a sweet version of our national anthem were inspiring. All around me I heard people say things that I've been thinking for years. Some comments were about what was wrong with our country. But more were about the possibilities that we have begun to sense.

Like many other Boomers, I've been burnt by politicians and the government too many times to count during my voting years. I wasn't prepared to believe that a politician could be idealistic, could be believed, could be trusted. Much to my astonishment, I've been won over. The more I learn, the more I know he's the right man at the right time. He's not perfect, but he's thoughtful, intelligent and calm. More, he strikes a chord that resonates with a positive influence that I can only liken to John Kennedy. He not only makes me believe in him, he makes me believe in our government and in my ability to help change things for the better.

If I'm crying on Wednesday, it won't be because I sat on my rear.

(I just deleted a very long paragraph that began to ooze negativity.)

I've been inspired to campaign, to donate, to help get out the vote. I'm not the only one. Bless everyone who has made phone calls, stood in the cold, walked door to door, manned the early voting locations for long hours, and worked towards a successful outcome. I feel like I'm part of something special.

Win or lose, I cherish this moment when my idealism has resurfaced and my pride in America has never been stronger. As he said at the end of his speech, "God bless the United States of America!"

p.s. Don't believe the derogatory ads about Sen. Harry Reid--he's really a low-key, down-to-earth gentleman from a very small town in southern Nevada and he doesn't deserve to be slandered just because he's a Democrat.