Surviving and maybe voting

Argh! I've reached some kind of limit. First thing this morning, I wanted the warmth and compassion of a mother. Me? At my age? Well, that's the inner child who has certainly been pretty quiet while all this hullabaloo of 25 days has happened/

And now I want, desperately, a normal meal. One that doesn't have the work-around things like bottled or boiled water, paper plates so I don't have to wash them...just sit down and enjoy a meal. Sorry, going to get pizza yesterday were we had paper plates, canned sodas, and plastic forks...was just more of the same.

We're adapting! Damn it!

And surviving too!

But maybe I could drive 50 miles and find a restaurant with ice water, and cloth napkins...and a menu of more than 6 items. I'm thinking about it...

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Last Thursday I gladly picked up two more flats of drinkable bottled water by a church in Swannanoa. They also gave me a bucket of cleaning supplies. I could use the bucket (but not the size large rubber gloves!) I'll give away the caustic chemical cleaners.

I was actually looking for the hot free meal which was prepared by the World Central Kitchen, behind a place I'd never been, called the Burnt Pretzel. 

There was a sparsely populated parking lot and I walked from there to a couple of tents from which people were walking with a black take-home container. I walked right up and received chicken chunks and beans and rice, and supposedly potatoes and carrots, and some cut up fruit. I also got a cold bottle of water and ambled over to sit at one of the picnic tables within a little fenced area. 

One bite of the chicken and it's dryness and whatever seasoning was on it meant I chewed for 10 minutes (so it felt.) I tried one of the funny cubes of "potatoes" and it was hard...and I thought maybe they were passing turnips as potatoes, so I spit it out (delicately of course). So I just picked up and went back to the car, thinking a good nuking and adding some barbecue sauce might help things.

But first...

right down the street, as I drove closer to turn onto US 70, there was more flood evidence. 

I tried to slow down and get a photo of the repairs near my apartment in Black Mountain on S. Blue Ridge Rd. where the bridge over the Swannanoa River had washed completely away. As I drove, this is what I could get...

Then I decided to try to vote. A neighbor in the apartments said they'd voted by parking in the handicap voting slot...so I gave it a try. First there was a funeral going on across the street from the library, and the bank on the corner had someone out by its parking lot to keep voters and mourners out. A whole lot of cars had been parked on the street as people walked to either of those venues. 

I parked next to the disabled voting slot, where a big SUV was parked doing the curb-side voting.  I was in the disabled parking slot for voting...but I'd have to park and get in line.

So guess what I did.

Yep, decided I could get behind another 40-50 people later, but I needed to eat something. So home to put some of the food into a bowl and add barbecue sauce, and heat it up. Yum. Noticed I didn't even try the "potatoes."

And Friday...I went back to vote.

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The sobering photo of around my area hit by Hurricane Helene Sept 26/27, 2024

Since I live in NC, I should post about Robinson

 He has become a national focus, as of last Thurs. news I got to hear what the broadcasters warned might offend some.

I've been hearing TV ads by local Democrats for months, which mainly focused on his and his wife's prior nursery endeavor which endangered children.

But then his past interest in porn sites and his quotes became available.

"... the big story today is that Republican North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson frequented porn sites, where between 2008 and 2012 he wrote that he enjoyed watching transgender pornography; referred to himself as a “black NAZI!”; called for reinstating human enslavement and wrote, “I would certainly buy a few”; called the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a “f*cking commie bastard”; wrote that he preferred Adolf Hitler to former president Barack Obama; referred to Black, Jewish, Muslim, and gay people with slurs; said he doesn’t care about abortions (“I don’t care. I just wanna see the sex tape!” he wrote); and recounted that he had secretly watched women in the showers in a public gym as a 14-year-old. Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck of CNN, who broke the story, noted that “CNN is reporting only a small portion of Robinson’s comments on the website given their graphic nature.”

Source: Sept. 19 Letters from an American

He's been our Lieutenant Governor all this time? I've admired our Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has worked with a totally Republican legislature and actually managed to accomplish some good in NC.

So Robinson is running for Governor for the GOP.

The Democratic candidate, Josh Stein, has lots of good achievements under his belt as our present Attorney General. He has been helping the Asheville area citizens deal with a local hospital which was purchased by a profit making corporation with the loss of many of the professionals who gave quality of care as a result.

As Heather Cox Richardson mentioned in her Letters from an American, the poor conservative Republicans are sitting between a rock and a hard place (my metaphor.) The GOP has gerrymandered so many districts (including my own in Buncombe County) that Democrat votes are probably not going to count...the Republicans (if they vote) will take the legislature hands down, and will have a good chance to put Robinson in the Governor's office as well as Trump in the White House.

"After the first story broke, Natalie Allison of Politico broke another: that Robinson was registered on the Ashley Madison website, which caters to married people seeking affairs. 

Robinson is running for governor of North Carolina. He has attacked transgender rights, called for a six-week abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest, mocked survivors of school shootings, and—after identifying a wide range of those he saw as enemies to America and to “conservatives”—told a church audience that “some folks need killing.”

That this scandal dropped on the last possible day Robinson could drop out of the race suggests it was pushed by Republicans themselves because they recognize that Robinson is dragging Trump and other Republican candidates down in North Carolina. But here’s the thing: Republican voters knew who Robinson was, and they chose him anyway. 

Source: Sept. 19 Letters from an American

So we in North Carolina who support Harris for President, and Josh Stein for Governor will vote our hearts out. There are a lot of independent voters, and I sure hope they decide for the Democrats. And may somehow a miracle occur in North Carolina.

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Today's inspiring quote:

History lives in and through our bodies right now, and in every moment.

RESMAA MENAKEM

Aug 18 is anniversary of what?

Equal Rights Amendment Is Valid and Should Be Implemented, Says American Bar Association

 This was the headline for MS Magazine's article published Aug. 15, 2024. 

Dorothy Day with her prison dress. In November 1917, Day went to prison for being one of forty women in front of the White House protesting women's exclusion from the electorate. She's one of the reasons why you can vote, and a reminder that voting shouldn't be taken for granted.

These things were on my Facebook feed in the morning of Aug. 18, and one a memory of a post that I'd shared many times before. Here's what Aug, 18 should be remembered for.

"in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. The first national constitutional amendment had been proposed in Congress in 1878, and in every Congress session after that. Finally, in 1919, it narrowly passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the states to be ratified. Most Southern states opposed the amendment, and on August 18, 1920, it all came down to Tennessee. The pro-amendment faction wore yellow roses in their lapels, and the "anti" faction wore red American Beauty roses. It was a close battle and the state legislature was tied 48 to 48. The decision came down to one vote: that of 24-year-old Harry Burn, the youngest state legislator. He had been expected to vote against it, but he had in his pocket a note from his mother, which read: "Dear Son: Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don't keep them in doubt. I noticed some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the 'rat' in ratification. Your Mother." He voted in favor of the amendment.

The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.

Following that amendment where women's right to vote was legalized, it was found to have

 "...failed to fully enfranchise African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American women. Shortly after the amendment's adoption, Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party began work on the Equal Rights Amendment, which they believed was a necessary additional step towards equality. (Wikipedia)

The MS article in 2024 starts with these words:

At the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago on Aug. 6, the association’s House of Delegates adopted a resolution declaring the Equal Rights Amendment fully ratified as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ABA resolution urged full implementation of the ERA by the legal community and all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The ABA has a membership of 400,000 lawyers.

“This is BIG news,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a leading ERA advocate. “The leading association for legal minds just endorsed our position that the Equal Rights Amendment has satisfied every constitutional requirement and called on the entire legal community to support certifying and publishing the ERA as our 28th Amendment.”

So it's now in the hands of the law makers who are mostly lawyers. The MS article shows the places it has traveled through legal law making chanels. Let's hope when Kamala Harris is elected President, there will be a push to finally see the ERA recognized! 

'Dignity' by artist Dale Lamphere, (50' tall) to honor the women of the Sioux Nation.

 Today's quote:

Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away. -Dorothy Parker, author (22 Aug 1893-1967)

Some outdoor enjoyment

 

Suzanne and I had our quiches outdoors in a sunny spot a few weeks ago.

The Four Sisters Bakery is located behind a popular B&B...and was doing a brisk business on a warm October morning.  Unfortunately my diet usually precludes baked goods that have high fat content...but I did need sustenance!

While waiting in line to early vote, I spied this pretty tree. The bank who owns that property has signs that nobody but bank customers may park there. Those who wanted to vote at the next door library were walking blocks from where they could find parking. And this bank currently has no walk-in customers, just the drive-through window. Thus they won't allow voters to park in an empty lot, on threat of being towed. A small gesture to dissuade voters. It didn't work, as we had more early voting than ever before. Incidentally, the long white buildings across the street belong to a funeral home, which also wouldn't allow parking by voters in their lot.

On a recent walk around the neighborhood.

My friendly violets greet me each morning!

A Facebook post of a waterfall and the fall colors.

My vote and Linville Falls Chapter 3 and Friday tunes

 A note to VOTE!

I did early voting last Tuesday. The line outside the early voting site at our library was spaced well, and moved people right along. There were plexi screens as we talked with the people who had laptops to take our names and then print the appropriate ballots. Yes paper. There were 10 standing booths and 2 sitting ones. And a poll worker went around after each booth was used and sprayed disinfectant to clean it. We put our marked ballots into a big automatic machine, and didn't receive a sticker this year, because the poll worker said it was a hands off voting. Thanks to all the poll workers that are coping with pandemic needs! I have high hopes that Biden-Harris will take North Carolina's electoral votes this time!

Governor Cooper just extended our Stage 3 COVID status due to the recent increase in cases in North Carolina.

Our selfie of the day included a bit of horsing around on the part of Helen...giving me rabbit ears no less. When I shared it to Facebook, lots of people enjoyed our shenanigans. I took off my mask, but Helen thought hers too pretty to remove for a photo. There were only a few people in the crowd not wearing masks, thank goodness.

The viewing area was a bit smaller than 2 years ago...a fence has been put up to keep folks from going closer to the falls for a photo. But one guy climbed over it to get his photos.

In case you're tired of looking at waterfalls...here's a bit of something different!

take a break and listen to 5 minutes of classical guitar music...AnnaVidovic plays Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega

This is what "retired Helen" looks like...wind in her hair, and she closes her eyes when a camera is pointed in her direction! There was also a great spray of mountain water as it splashed over the rocks. Fortunately we could smell it through our masks! So that tells me that particles of exhaled moisture from coughs and sneezes might also pass through our masks. Get that 6 foot distance!

I'm so glad we took this trip on Thursday, while the sun was shining and there were still a few leaves in color on the trees. Sorry if I've posted some of these photos more than once...I tried to cull out ones that were of the same view...not very effectively I'm afraid.

Today's quote:

Every time we talk to someone, there comes back to us a map
 of expectation as to how we should respond...

We share a confusion:
we are often given direction.

We share a pain;
we are often given instruction.

We share a desire;
we are often given a plan.

The power of these unspoken maps should not be underestimated.
For the endless gravities of expectation we move in and out of
govern most of our thinking and summons most of our energy
in denying them or complying with them.

In actuality, underneath all the plans, pressures, and expectations,
underneath all the subtle guidance and nudging, the next step
is truly unknown...

Thus, our spiritual charge is to maintain the wonder of the
singular explorer that each of us is...

The freshest step has always come when we are brave
enough to land at the end of what little we know,
breathing in new air, in reaction to no one, in wonder at
what is...

Mark Nepo

From: The Book of Awakening

Are you going to vote?

About this time I get so tired of seeing the commercials for all the politicians running for office. And about half of them aren't even for offices in my state, because the only local TV station shares info for South Carolina as well as North Carolina.  The other 2 "local" stations broadcast from South Carolina completely, so I only watch national news on them.

I have a mute button to turn off all commercials.

And yet, I have to figure out who to vote for.

Our early voting has started.

And thanks to the Republican gerry-mandering in North Carolina, which has now been declared null and void or illegal, by some courts (supreme?) we have reverted to an earlier set of precincts, so some of our North Carolina and US offices are now in my district again.  For the forum the other night, one candidate said he had just found out he was running in Asheville and he hadn't been, up till that decision.

So I will watch the candidates introduce themselves on the video that my friend took at the forum, and their brief speeches.

And as my friend Linda said (quoting someone else) "Vote for a light post to run against the fool in the white house...it would be an improvement."

But this is a year I certainly won't stay home, thinking my choice doesn't matter.  It really does this time. And half of my choice will be based on who can win. OK, those are just my opinions. Who are you going to vote for?

Here's a humorous YouTube video about "The Day Democracy Died," sung by the Founding Fathers.

"The Butler"

I just came home from seeing the movie "The Butler," about a Black man who worked many years as a butler in The White House.

I was enthralled to see what occurred in my lifetime (and in that of the main character in the movie.)  I will continue to use the term Black for the people of color who now call themselves African Americans, because that is the name used since the civil rights movement originally touched my life.

That was the time when Blacks finally got some rights.  It was such a hard and bitter struggle from the sit-ins and marches and all the abusive legal problems.  But at the end of the movie, by the time 2008 gave us a Black President of the US, so much had been achieved.

I live in North Carolina, and know there are still many racial problems today.

Yet I lived in the times of the movie.  When grandchildren of cotton farmers went to college and became not only protestors, but also members of government.  The immense leadership that is to be found in the minds and hearts of Blacks is just beginning to be appreciated.

This was a second revolution in America.  The one to be free from colonization took place over 200 years ago.

 But the one for all people to finally have the same rights no matter what their color of skin, happened while I was growing up, raising a family, having a career, getting my own college degrees, changing my ideas about life, and being gradually impacted by this huge revolution in our culture.

My children went to public schools alongside Black children.  I worked for equal housing opportunities to integrate neighborhoods in the 60s. But since I was responsible for my children, I didn't march or demonstrate...I feared what would happen to my children if I went to jail.  But I remember a local pub, my favorite place to stop for a drink after work, had a car burned right outside it's doors in the riots of 68.  And that was in Hartford, CT.

I more recently ate my lunches side by side with Black elders here in Black Mountain, NC, at our community center, provided at low cost by the Council on Aging (I think a federal program.)  I also served in St. Augustine FL as a counselor at the time the 2 federally supported nursing homes merged, so the Black nursing home was absorbed into a remodeled one which formerly had housed only whites (1998.)

And women are still treated invisibly in many ways.  We have become the "Butlers" and have always been there, but have not risen beyond our domestic and under-paid status.  There is always a much more obvious and needful cause for which women rally and try to get justice rather than their own.

North Carolina is such a sad state in which to live.  We (____________fill in the affiliation here) people walk around either angry or disgusted or in grief or planning another action to re-obtain our rights.

This last election (on Tues this week) triggered a lot of those feelings for me.

The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, less than 100 years ago.  It became law when 2/3 of the states ratified it in 1920.  Did you know it wasn't for fifty-one more years, until 1971, that North Carolina finally ratified it?

Women need to acknowledge their rights are being abridged, in subtle ways that make it more difficult for them (and others like Blacks) to vote in North Carolina today.

Voting will require picture ID's here in the next election.  And other election restrictions have been put in place that will limit the rights of many people to register and vote.

I continue to speak out for the rights of any underdogs...whether religious, sexual preference, race, or gender.  Remember women are a majority.   But first we have to see that we are oppressed! Remember the frogs that are in the pot of water that is slowly heated to boiling.  They died and didn't even know what was happening.

The early voting is now happening

I VOTED TODAY!

It was easy peasy.
 
Thanks to Katharine (yes spelled that way, and yes her family hails from Tennessee)...who gave me a copy of a sample ballot which looked at non-partisan judge candidates, school board, and so on...listing who had leanings in directions which we share.

Our district of North Carolina has been recently gerrymandered by the NC Republican legislators, with the aim of keeping the Democrats in the Asheville area well under their thumbs.  


We shall see next Wed the results.  I'm quite pleased how many women are voting.