Timelies all!

Health~ma for your kid, Gris.

Ugh. Got woken up at 4 and 5:15 this morning by a yowling cat, got up at 7 to medicate said cat, and was rousted out of bed at 7:15 by Mr. S. Why does this child, who has difficulty getting up on school days, decide to get up early on the weekend? (I know, because 5 year old, that's why.)

And since it is my mom’s birthday, I am reminded that it is also the anniversary of the October Revolution which seems oddly appropriate

The NPR reporters sound so happy.

OTOH, county of my birth, DAMN IT HOW COULD YOU

(Jim asks if I am really that surprised. No - angry, but not surprised.)

You made me check my county of birth, Oneida county in NY. 65% for the orange blight. At least NYC and other pockets of the state overwhelmed them. When I was a kid it was a solid Democratic area. My city predominately Italian/Catholic and loving Kennedy as president. (First one I remember) Don't know what happened. I left when I was a teenager.

Current day my county is blue, in a red state. DH is making noises about moving.

Yeah, Laura, when I left in '82 Greene County was firmly Democratic. This year 71% voted for the Cheeto Vulgarian, and everyone Republican downticket.

Your DH is not the only one; a dear friend of mine still in Utah is actively soliciting opinions on potential new homes, as she and her spouse are in the same sitch: Salt Lake County is generally blue, and the rest of the state is very very red.

Can you imagine what Georgia is going to be like the next few months? Every single second of airtime political ads, the phone calls, texts, door knocking. There is going to be so much money thrown at these runoffs. Yikes.

I got my swim in before Eta hits us. Supposed to get 6-1/2 inches of rain the next few days. While swimming I could hear horns beeping and cheers. So happy for all of us.

Laura, rural Western NY is such a weird place. My birth county, Livingston, was 62% Trump. While I am absolutely appalled by their politics, I think they too should fight for the popular vote over the electoral college. But also, who the heck flies confederate flags in the north!!! I guess we do. And my grandpa was truly Archie Bunker and his kids (my mom and Uncles) were Meathead so it is an interesting existence.

Also Oneida, you have really great cutlery!

So, this morning I gave an elderly friend a ride to the grocery store, and as she got in I switched the radio from regular NPR to jazz NPR because we both love jazz and I'd been hovering over the news nonstop every waking moment for the last million years and what's going to happen in 10 minutes? Nothing; bring on the Brubeck.

And then, at the grocery store, my phone started pinging. And pinging. And pinging. And my friend had to open up the seat on her walker and catch her breath and get teary and regain control and go back to the groceries, except every few feet we'd stop and look at each other with cans of beans or yogurt cups or whatnot in our hands and say, "It's real! It really happened!"

And when we headed back out to the car, people were just cruising up and down Market Street blasting their horns and waving and shouting for joy. And I saw an entire family on the corner of Waller & Fillmore, waving and ringing cowbells and drinking champagne at 9:30, all except a teeny girl in pink footie PJs hopping up and down waving an American flag.