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On My Mind

This is me… trying to figure out what to write about today.

Here I am at 9:57 pm with no blog post to show for it. I’ve been thinking about what to write all day and while several ideas came to mind, I promptly dismissed them. As a writer, some days are better than others. Today is just not my day.

I tried all of my old tricks to find inspiration. I looked through some magazines and lists of prompts, but nothing spoke to me. I watched the news for a few minutes and since it’s all so depressing, I turned it off. Feeling anxious now about my blog and today’s news, I sat outside with my dog and waited for a topic to magically come to me. My plan was to run inside and turn on my laptop as soon as the mood struck me.

But, it never did.

Finally, I went on Facebook and found the question it asks all of us – what’s on your mind? Well, that I can answer. Here we go:

  • I can’t wait to visit my daughter at college next weekend. We are dropping off her fall sweaters that made no sense to pack back in August. It’s been two months since I’ve seen her. Time to put together a good Fall care package!
  • Our son turns 17 this month. He is so grown up now and finally acting like a total teenager. He has that awesome sense of humor, wry smile, and the messiest room that all reminds me how much I’m going to miss him when he goes away to college. That reminds me – I have to call his SAT tutor tomorrow.
  • Donald Trump is a narcissistic idiot. Did he not get enough love and attention from the doctors and nurses at Walter Reed. Did he need to pull a publicity stunt just to see his fan club? He has COVID for G-d sake! As my sister-in-law brilliantly put it, he’s in a hospital, not a hotel. Whose bright idea was it to risk people’s lives so he could take a joy ride? Where the fuck are the grownups? Just when you thought you’ve seen it all. I’m exasperated. End rant.

Now for the lightning round of random thoughts.

  • I loved Jim Carrey as Joe Biden on SNL last night.
  • I haven’t done a jigsaw puzzle in quite a while. Maybe I’ll start one this week.
  • I finished binge-watching seven seasons of West Wing. What should my next show be?
  • Subscribing to different things gets incredibly expensive. You don’t think about it when you sign up but then it all starts to add it. Time to start canceling some of them starting with Disney Plus. I saw Hamilton. I’m good now.

I think that’s plenty. 10:26 pm and 466 words. Good night!

Fall Frenzy

Today would have been the perfect day for raking leaves, pumpkin picking, or taking a drive to see the leaves on the trees turning different colors. The weather forecast was calling for a high in the mid-60s today with a nice breeze and blue skies. Any outdoor seasonal activity would have sufficed.

But, I didn’t do any of that. Instead, the cooler weather inspired me to purge my kitchen pantry and clean out my bedroom closet. Sure, a walk in the park enjoying the beautiful weather would have been lovely, but my day took a different turn.

I didn’t wake up in an organizing mood, but I was motivated after grabbing a box of cereal and started unloading everything off the shelves. Once the pantry was completely empty, I wiped down the crumbs, threw away the stray almonds and chocolate chips, and replaced all the shelf liners. I had already come this far so before I put everything back, I put the food into categories. I counted out 5 different types of peanut butter, 7 boxes of pasta, and a plethora of marinades. I found empty bins in another cabinet that I repurposed to keep everything contained. The only thing that was missing was a label maker. But still, the end result was worthwhile.

I tackled my bedroom closet next. My original plan was to put the laundry away and replace shorts with sweaters. But then I discovered a bunch of sandals and flip flops on the floor and decided to dive in. I went into my daughter’s closet to find some kind of basket to throw all of the shoes in and realized she had so much room in there for my dressier clothes. I quickly dug up a bin for the shoes and returned to her closet with all of my dresses. I’m certainly not going anywhere fancy anytime soon.  This left me plenty of room to hang up my wrap-around sweaters that are just impossible to fold neatly. I made a small donation pile of clothes and shoes I haven’t worn in over a year. After a clean sweep of the dust bunnies on my floor, my closet was finished.

I wish I took before and after pictures but that never occurs to me until I’m right in the middle of an organization project. So here are the after shots. Not bad, huh?

My pretty pantry.

clothes

Sweater heaven!

clothes

I wonder how this will look a month from now. 😉

What organization projects are you working on? Please share and include before and after shots!

Maybe tomorrow, I’ll buy a pumpkin and go apple picking.

My Voting Plan

I’m a big planner. I like having all of my ducks in a row. I want my i’s dotted and my t’s crossed. I don’t love to leave things to chance.

I had a birth plan when I was pregnant with my kids. I still have the spreadsheets, seating charts, and menus from their b’nai mitzvahs. I pride myself on being organized in everything from our family calendar to job hunting. I know this makes me sound square, but it is how I’m wired.

Up until a few days ago, my voting plan was to wake up at 6:30 a.m., get dressed, grab a cup of coffee, drive to the church that serves as my polling place and cast my vote in person. I didn’t want to mail in my ballot. Not because I believe it won’t be counted. I have great faith and trust in the system. I encouraged — ok, nagged — my college-aged daughter to vote by mail.

Personally, I love to be a part of the day. I want to stand in line with my neighbors, walk in the building, thank the poll workers, sign my name in the book, be with my fellow citizens, and make my choice in public view. There is something to be said about wanting to be seen while performing my patriotic duty.

Ok, I’d like to collect my “I Voted” sticker too.

But then, I had a thought. What if I’m sick that day? What if I wake up with a nasty cold or a stomach bug and have no business standing in line and being around other people?

What if I miss my chance to have my voice heard?!

Frankly, I would be devastated. I’ve voted in just about every election since I turned 18. Voting is a ritual in my family. So much so that I’ve written a few posts about it – here and here. It’s that important to me. And this is not a year to miss. Personally, I can’t take four more years of our current commander in chief. I know I may have to, but it won’t be because I didn’t have a say.

Did I also mention that I live in a swing state? Pennsylvania turned red in 2016 and that was a punch in the gut for me. I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia which is fairly liberal, but there are a lot of rural communities between here and Pittsburgh. We have a good chance of going blue this year, and a thin margin must be prevented at all costs.

So, I bit the bullet and ordered a mail-in ballot. I will proudly do my civic duty from my kitchen table instead of in person. There is too much at stake and in a pandemic, it’s too risky. I don’t want to throw away my shot.

Do you have a plan to vote? If not, you have 32 days to make one. I hope your plans include bringing your kids with you or at least talking to them about the process. No matter what your political leanings may be, the right to vote is something we should take seriously.

FYI: If you want an absentee ballot, visit the Better Know Your Ballot website for details about your state.

 

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