Day 19.288: Exile #2's Sunday Column #566

Exile #2 writes...

With just over a week until the midterms, our media and our mailboxes have been inundated with ads for the upcoming elections. We have received summaries of our voting record along with the encouragement to vote again. We have had flyers and visitors to the doorstep. The younger exiles have received particular attention, and even some handwritten notes, but today, friends from our nature group handed round perhaps my favorite piece of election merch so far. Penzeys Spices, doing its part for the Democratic Party, have been distributing spice mixes with the exhortation to “season liberally”. Each packet comes with a little lesson in civics and the potential to create something delicious. Who wouldn’t vote for that?

Day 19.152: Civic duties

On Tuesday, four of us voted in the Maine primary elections. 

Today, I did the last of the duties relating to the Honda Civic that Exile #4 was driving last week by sending the title to the insurance company in acceptance of the total loss settlement. Meanwhile, today is Exile #4’s birthday and they have been doing a lot of adulting. Moving into their first apartment, starting a new job (today was day 4) and buying a car to replace the aforementioned write-off. Quite the start to a new season of life. Happy Birthday!

Day 18.297: Civic duty

After work today, I went to get E5N1 from his last class for the day in Portland so we could go and vote together - his first time. He was a little disappointed not to get a sticker, but Exile #3 got one earlier in the day when she and Exile #2 went to do their part. Exile #4 voted by mail-in ballot - a practice that was in contention today thanks to a referendum question. It was not a major election by any means, but exercising our civic duty to vote seems very important these days whatever the issues on the ballot. 

Day 17.361: Exile #2's Sunday Column #507

Exile #2 writes...

One of the things we first noticed when we arrived in the US was the ubiquity of the US flag. It is flown at every school and public building, over sports fields, and many private homes. You can even find one at our local supermarket.

As a consequence, you are constantly reminded when they are being flown at half staff, such as they are now and will be until January 28th, to honor Jimmy Carter.

I don’t remember much about Jimmy Carter’s presidency. I was really too young, but his face was one of the first US faces I knew, and in recent times I have been impressed by the way he has continued to work for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, and globally towards the eradication of diseases, and the promotion of democracy and women’s rights - an inspiring figure.

Day 17.300: Civic duty done

And now we wait to see what will unfold.

Day 17.298: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #498

Exile #2 writes...

We woke to frost on the grass and temperatures below freezing. It was something of a jolt to the system after a couple of bizarrely summer-like days last week. But it put us in the mood to grab brunch at a cozy gluten free cafe on the home from church and while we were there, we booked some movie tickets for the week to come - more specifically for Tuesday night, when we will need all the distraction we can get.

At time of posting: just above freezing

Day 13.363: Bluer skies?

Does anyone else feel like they are in a constant state of whiplash?

I'm looking forward to bluer skies and calmer days ahead. Maybe I'll even allow myself a little hope for a more just and equitable future.

Day 13.362: Snow, hope and dismay

Snow from the sky, hope from Georgia, dismay from D.C.

It's been quite a day.

Day 13.303: Exile #2's Sunday Column #321

Exile #2 writes...

Exile #1 was mowing the lawn when the election was called for Joe Biden on Saturday. It may not have been one of those earth shattering events that you are destined to always remember but it was momentous enough for me to dash outside with the iPad. Local TV was full of clips of car parades and outdoor celebrations, and for once, the news featured smiling people.

We had perhaps the first decent night’s sleep in a week and then went out with a spring in our step this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather. There’s a long road ahead but a little celebration felt good.

Day 13.302: Phew

It certainly felt good to get out of the house for a low-tide walk on the beach this morning. Amazingly it was about 70 °F - definitely unexpected at this time of year.

But that is nothing to the sense of relief we had an hour or so after we got back.

Day 13.300: Peaceful

...not me, obviously. I'm a bag of nerves watching the election play out but this view of the ocean from back in September qualifies:

Day 13.299: Fall(ing down tired)

Let's just say I didn't get the best night's sleep last night and leave it at that and look at some pictures of trees and berries from a week and a half ago (many many more trees have dropped their leaves since then):

Day 13.298: We voted...

...and now we wait to see what the country has decided.

Day 13.289: Exile #2's Sunday Column #319

Exile #2 writes...

Despite the more pressing issues at hand, the last six months have been somewhat dominated by the fact we live in a swing state. I couldn’t possibly estimate the number of phone calls we‘ve ignored. It’s been harder to ignore the tidal wave of targeted advertising online, or the doorstep visitors but on the whole we’ve been sending them away happy. Perhaps the most extraordinary thing has been the daily flotsam of attack ads arriving in the mail. I started saving them a week or so ago and they’ve become an impressive stack.

My favorite piece was a personal voting record review that Exile #1, Exile #3 and I received. We were evidently found wanting and given a “needs improvement” status.

Little do they know!

Day 13.275: Exile #2's Sunday Column #317

Exile #2 writes...

One of the reasons Exile #3 was home this weekend was so that she could exercise her constitutional rights and vote! We had applied for absentee ballots (what with one thing and another), and she opted to have hers sent here in case campus shut down. After lunch, the three of us sat down at the dining room table and dutifully colored in our lozenges. We signed our envelopes with what we hoped were representative signatures, sealed them (without licking the envelope!) then popped to the drop box at City Hall.

We weren’t the only ones, even though Election Day is more than three weeks away. Hopefully that is an indication of voter enthusiasm. We should soon be able to check online to see if our ballots have been accepted . Then we wait.

Day 13.252: Things I wish I had a photo of...

If I had picture of our newly sealed driveway, or our afternoon spent sanding the deck or even Exile #2's RBG mug (RIP) I could probably spin a blog post around it, but all I have is this rock:

Day 13.184: Exile #2's Sunday Column #304

Exile #2 writes...

It’s been too darn hot today! We stayed in for much of the time because venturing outside resulted in us instantly becoming a sweaty mess. I did go out long enough to tend to our zucchini (courgette) monsters, duct taping off some squash bug eggs. They’re very pretty, like bright drops of copper but I gather they are less pleasing after that.

The zucchini look like they are sizing up to feed us some more this week, so feel free to pass along your favorite recipes!

Exile #3’s dance teacher popped round in the afternoon, to pick up the DVDs that Exile #1 has made of the dance show. We declined the gift she had brought, which sounds rude I know but it was, you’ve guessed it, more zucchini!

Those of us who are sufficiently old rounded out the day by filling out our postal ballots for this week’s local elections. It was actually kind of nice to be able to talk it through together rather that scribbling secretively in a booth, and it was good practice for November, which is the one we are really waiting for, of course.

Day 13.176: Second Fourth

Our second Fourth of July as US citizens included some more video editing, some cornhole, some grilling of burgers and drinking of American beer and - at the end of the day - the watching of...

which was every bit as spectacular as its billing suggested.

Day 12.299: We voted!

Exile #2 and I voted today. It was a small off-off-year election but we had a say in the election of our mayor and helped decide some statewide referendum questions.

Next time will be a bigger deal and Exile #3 will be able to join us at the polls but for now, we are happy to have done our part.

Day 12.075: Another music video

This one involved getting permission to use some images of works by the artist who partially inspired the lyrics: