It's not a very big porch, about 15 feet long and 4 feet wide, but it's covered, and has a nice protected corner if it's raining. I spend a LOT of time out here, but I spent a lot of time this summer out on the back deck too.

Arthur is in hog heaven; he always has had a big backyard to run around in, but now he had a big, better backyard, AND a front porch and the HBIC is always hanging out with him, and occasionally throwing sticks and balls. And he has a chocolate Lab puppy (HUGE since we moved in in May) who races up and down the fence with him. He's asleep by my side, as I write.

I am going to go buy new drip pans for my stove, have Indian for lunch, vote early, and come home and organize the metal recycling for a trip tomorrow. Then maybe set up another round of eBay items and try to figure out why I get panicky at finally having several days in a row where I can get things done. Stupid brains.

I just spent over an hour on a conference call with three people who kept talking over each other, and all the while my stoopid cats were wailing and fighting. Now I have to shove down lunch and go to the dentist for a filling, which I hate. I want stickers and lollipops for this. How come adults don't get stickers and lollipops?

Stop fighting, stoopid cats.

I have been waiting for two hours for a call back about an appointment related to yesterday's clusterfuck.

I need to vote today, because I do not want to be part of the ridiculous city of LaVista Hills. We have been having a vicious political fight over forming a city out of what is now an assortment of subdivisions with no historical identity or anything like a city center, unless you count a mall. The people behind it spend a lot of time talking in code words that add up to "let's make a white enclave in a majority-black county." The map of the new city is so poorly drawn that not only does the line go through the middle of a shopping center, it also goes through the middle of a grocery store. One assumes that the county police would respond to crimes in aisle 2 and the city to crimes in aisle 5.

I wasn't too concerned about the local races until I saw that the probably-corrupt former mayor was running for city council. It's nice to have something concrete to vote against.

Ugh, Ginger.

I don't think I have an election this year? I should probably check.

I am definitely disappointed in this Pumpkin Spice sample tea from Adagio. Tastes like nothing much. Subtle, I suppose. Nice to not feel like I need to hurry up and get more, I guess.

Ooh, that reminds me, I should call TJ's and see if they have more pumpkin raviolis. They were out yesterday, but my checker said they should get more today...

I don't think I have an election this year? I should probably check.

Man, Ohio has legal pot (medical and recreational) on the ballot, and I could probably wallpaper our entire house with the amount of Vote Yes On This Issue junk mail we've gotten. There is a LOT of money behind this campaign. All the polls I've seen have the race as too close to call at this point. I hope it passes.

Speaking of TJs raviolis, my son has developed a crack-like attachment to the Mac N Cheezy Rays. Not my cup of tea but I get the appeal for a 10 year old boy.

I spent a half hour trying to get four people in three countries on the same call, and then ended up rescheduling for a half-hour after that. Luckily, the new time actually worked.

The people behind it spend a lot of time talking in code words that add up to "let's make a white enclave in a majority-black county."

Lovely.

Ha, Teppy, I have gotten NO junk mail about the legalize it issue! Clearly [Your Neighborhood] is the nexus of pot-smoking voters in the city.

I can't decide what to vote about the parks levy. I like parks, but they seem to have a corruption problem, and also, this is the mayor's baby and I hate him.