Before I start, here is a picture for Songbird . . . our little Dogwood finally graced us with a few blooms this week. We’ve had her for quite a few years and these are her first. It was a small showing, but we are thrilled just the same. Especially considering the long cold winter.

Today I drove from the county considered a “Suburb of Chicago” deep into the “Rural White Counties” of Indiana. At least that’s the way they are summing up the Hoosier state on CNN right now. It was really a beautiful drive down to the location of my conference. Just South of Indy there were Redbuds and Dogwoods galore. In fact I’ve never seen so many in one place as there were in Paoli. I’m going to sneak out of this conference and try to get some pictures before I head home. This picture is somewhere between Bloomington and French Lick. I was taken by the deep gold color of the field, although this picture does not do it justice.

The polls closed in my end of the state an hour after they closed down here and within minutes they were spinning the numbers. I’m holed up in the hotel room watching the results of what has been a very exciting month in our state. Willi and I tried to beat the lines at the local church by voting early on Saturday, but as fate would have it, the electricity was out at the government center. Indiana moved to computerized voting machines last year, so no vote. We left an hour early this morning so that we could vote on the way to work. By 6:20 a.m. there were already two rows of chairs filled with voters waiting their turn. This probably sounds pretty hokey, but I get such a thrill out of voting. And pushing that button today seemed more important than it ever has for me.

I got kind of choked up (don’t laugh) as we walked to our cars. Willi asked if I was thinking of my mother. She used to work the polls. Because we live in the same precinct as I grew up, we have over the years seen some of my mother’s friends working the polls still. I can always tell if they knew my mother because they call me by my full name, as only people do who knew me as I was growing up. Actually I wasn’t thinking of my mom so much, but it was a chuckle to think that she probably wouldn’t be too happy with me, once again, as I picked up that little card with the “D” on it.

Doesn’t this hallway remind you of Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”? This whole place does. Glad it isn’t snowing here. Anyway, I’m listening to Senator Obama give his speech in North Carolina. He just congratulated Hillary Clinton on her win in Indiana. In the mean time, CNN says it’s too close to call, and her lead has just gotten a little smaller, now 4%. I wonder if he counted us out too soon, with only 76% of the vote counted. Our little county is still colored white on the big map in the newsroom. I wonder what the heck is going on there, that the votes still have not been counted. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter how you spin the numbers. I think he will be our candidate. And as exciting as it has been to have a part in this decision, I’m glad it’s just about over.

So, tomorrow this Primary Election will be history and I will spend the day soaking up rules and numbers of the business I am trying to learn. And plan my escape out into the sunshine. Ah, there is a heaven…
Posted in Celebrations, Green Things, Head South | 9 Comments »







We have some good news this evening! An ultrasound confirmed today that our mother-to-be is doing well, and baby is, too. The due date is September 14th-ish, as Sarah puts it.




