Month: November 2020

Stinky Surprise – Day 729

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments

Stinky Surprise

Everybody chime in with me: “If it’s not one thing…” Yeah. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. And we actually encountered a handful of circumstances today that would fit that bill, the latest (but a mere 90 minutes or so ago) was a most stinky surprise.

You can guess what happened. We were watching an episode of one of our latest distractions (Patriot, a quirky and unpredictable series on Amazon Prime), when Spartacus woke up and asked to go out. Karl did his bidding and opened the kitchen door, whereupon Spartacus took off like a shot.

Now, we routinely try to make sure there aren’t critters hanging around the yard when we let Spart out, but sometimes we forget to check. He’s had a couple of encounters with opossums, raccoons, and deer – but it’s been a while since he’s encountered a stinky surprise. (Thank goodness, I might add.)

But alas…

Good Boy

I could tell Karl sensed trouble was ahead just by the tone of his voice as he called out to Spartacus. When I jumped up and joined Karl, calling to him, I saw that he was trotting up toward the house like a good boy. While seeming a bit reticent, like maybe he knew he might’ve done something he knew he regretted but wasn’t quite sure, he entered the kitchen and headed toward his water bowl.

The skunk stink wafted into the kitchen like PigPen’s cloud of dust as he passed by me. But his fur wasn’t ruffled, and he didn’t have the same ‘look’ about him as the last time he got skunked. Clearly, he’d been in the vicinity of a spooked skunk. But had he been nailed? It looked like he’d endured a ‘near miss.’

I’ve had to deal with these circumstances before, so I knew if he was the victim of a direct hit, I’d have to run out to the grocery or drug store for a couple of bottles of hydrogen peroxide. Sadly, because this isn’t our first rodeo (with Sheila too – she was no angel in her younger years), I knew the remedy of bathing in tomato juice is ineffective. Nope, I had direct experience with this recipe, and I know it works.

Slightly (But Enough!) Stinky Boy – Photo: L. Weikel

Tangential Hit

We quickly herded Spart back outside onto the porch. Walking out the door, it was as if we were walking into a cloud. Precious was on the porch, looking totally freaked out, and Cletus was nowhere to be found. I got down on my hands and knees and put my nose right up to Spart’s fur (a dangerous undertaking, believe me). It wasn’t him; or at least it wasn’t a direct hit. It almost seemed as if he may have walked through the spray after the fact. I did notice his mouth seemed to be watering a bit, but sniffing his head and neck, it didn’t seem to be giving off any greater amount of stink than anywhere else.

The mouth watering worried me, though. While I was glad that at least it wasn’t in his eyes, it did look like he might’ve gotten a mouthful. Ack! The last time he got majorly nailed by a skunk, his entire face, including his eyes, nose and mouth had been drenched. And his stench had been so powerful at that time that I’d nearly passed out while trying to clean him up.

The Remedy

While utterly and disconcertingly smelly, I still don’t think he sustained a direct hit. Although I will confess, I mixed up some of the remedy* (baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a little bit of shampoo) and washed his face and mouth, and even down his back. Sadly, and somewhat inexplicably, I can still smell it.

Whether it was a direct or tangential hit, the skunk definitely made its presence known. And of course me being me, I am compelled to consider the potential message it was bringing. Skunk is all about reputation – having self-confidence in your own abilities and gifts and realizing that your ‘reputation precedes you.’ Perhaps we might benefit from reflecting on how our self-esteem is holding up?

Whatever. If it’s not one thing…

*Note! You need to be careful mixing these items; it can be dangerous. You should also wear gloves. I learned that the hard way.

Sassy – Photo: National Geographic

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Stillness – Day 728

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Photo: L. Weikel

Stillness

I’ve been sitting here contemplating what I might write about this evening and the word ‘stillness’ keeps popping into my head.

I know I could use some stillness in my life. Perhaps even more than simply ‘in my life,’ I could use some stillness in my thoughts and emotions.

The past week has been a blur. And actually, when I think about what I was doing and thinking a week ago, it almost feels as though I’m remembering another year, another season at the very least. Of course, part of that feeling could be attributable to the unseasonably balmy weather we’ve been enjoying here in eastern Pennsylvania over the past four days or so.

When I think back a week ago, it was cold and rainy outside. All the leaves were getting whipped off the trees. Indeed, exactly one week ago, wild winds took out our electricity for several hours and I was forced to write my post on my phone.

Top of the Coaster

It turns out that our evening of lost electricity was just our little car reaching the top of the roller coaster. The slow tick – tick – tick – that comes with climbing to the crest suddenly gave way. Momentum whisked me forward – from seeing Kamala Harris in Bethlehem to working as an election official for just shy of 17 hours, from holding myself in rigid anticipation with the rest of the country and world to attending rallies encouraging all votes be counted – I’m only just now starting to catch my breath.

This past week most definitely felt like a rollercoaster ride. You know, how it seems to take forever to reach that very first, usually highest, peak, but then once you do, everything seems to blow past you in a blur?

And now, tomorrow, we’re going to begin settling back into a new routine. And yes, to me, it feels like our forward momentum is a bit of a paradox. Maybe that’s why I’m craving a chance to snatch some stillness for myself. I yearn to make sense of where we are before we’re dragged into the next whip-around or stomach-dropping plunge.

Need For Care

Part of my yearning for stillness is a sense that we need to take particularly good care of ourselves right now. In the frenzy of the election and its aftermath, unless we were directly dealing with someone sick from Covid-19, the existence of the pandemic may have receded into the background of our minds. Not that we didn’t continue to wear masks and exercise social distancing; I know I, and those around me, did. But we may not have been actively contemplating dealing with the illness up close and personal.

If we’ve managed to be so lucky, hopefully we’ll continue to keep it at bay in our lives. I was shocked to learn today that the rate of infection climbed in the past week to the point where it’s predicted that by the end of next week, we’ll be gaining one million additional positive cases per week. (There’s that roller coaster again.)

That’s mind-boggling. And definitely not great when you realize that deaths are on the rise as well.

Settle Back – Be Still

So in the midst of settling back into a new routine, I urge us all to prioritize our health. It’s essential that we care for ourselves and each other. A lot of people came into more contact with others than usual this past week, from interaction at our polling places, to participation in rallies, to attending gatherings of solace or celebration.

It’s time now to engage in stillness. Stop. Take stock. Step back. Breathe deep. Maybe make an extra effort to keep ourselves as separate from each other as we can. We need to to make sure we’re not infected – so we don’t hurt the ones we love.

The numbers they’re projecting aren’t really numbers at all. They’re people. They’re our neighbors, our friends.

We need to do our best to make sure they’re not us.

Photo: L. Weikel

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Inflection Point – Day 727

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Inflection Point

Listening to President-Elect Joe Biden’s speech this evening, one of the phrases he used to describe this moment was ‘inflection point.’ While I had a basic grasp of what he meant when he used this term, I nevertheless felt the urge to look it up.

Dictionary.com set forth four main definitions, with the second definition having six sub-headings. I wasn’t expecting that many options. However, it was the fourth entry that described the situation most accurately:

  1. Mathematics. a change of curvature from convex to concave or vice versa.

When I read that definition, I ‘saw’ and understood.

Imagine a Contact

Imagine a ‘hard’ contact lens, a concave surface, face down on a table. The election of Donald Trump four years ago essentially had us, as a country, ski boarding down the curvature of that contact lens toward an untimely and devastating crash landing into the table.

Suddenly, however, through the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we’ve reached an inflection point. This is where the concave shape of our trajectory changes completely. The contact flips so that it is convex, tilting upward.

Now, instead of barreling toward a future that has us destined for a metaphorical face-plant and certain death, we’re heading upward. And not just any old ‘upward.’ No, where we’re headed, the sky’s the limit.

It’s a new day. All of us can dream new dreams – but especially, our little girls. Our country reached an inflection point and the trajectory of our journey has changed.

We – they – can set their sights where there are no limits. We – they – can reach for the stars.

Stars Above – Photo: L. Weikel

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Interspecies Sharing – Day 726

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Setting an Example – Photo: L. Weikel

Nope. I’m not going to write about what we’ve all been thinking about practically non-stop since Tuesday, the topic that’s been at the front of all of our minds. Instead, I’m going to report on the activity near my birdfeeders. Because, well, you know; I witnessed some interspecies sharing earlier today, and I thought we could use the inspiration.

(But in case you’re wondering, yes, I still stand by my unofficial declaration yesterday. If we were dealing with any other person as the incumbent, we wouldn’t be tiptoeing around calling this election. While understandable, it’s nevertheless aggravating that so many obviously feel the need to go out of their way to placate the sensibilities of the president before every last bit is securely locked down. It’s ridiculous.)

But I said I wasn’t going to go there, so I won’t.

We’re All Getting Along

Or at least it looks like they’re all getting along – and setting a great example for us humans. Who else would think a squirrel would hang out with a flock of House Sparrows and a Red-bellied Woodpecker, all basically breakfasting together; sharing a meal, breaking seed?

Yeah, me neither. But everyone was peaceably gathered in the yard, at the feeders, both yesterday and today, with only a few of the sparrows acting out and getting up into each other’s grill.

I’m hoping the sparrows don’t stay too long. They’re plowing through the black oil sunflower seeds as fast as Karl eats peanut M&Ms. And don’t get me wrong: a sparrow here and there is certainly welcome. But I start drawing the line when upwards of 20 and 30 at a time start lining up on the branches, (im)patiently waiting for me to retreat to the porch so they can commence their gorging.

The Watchers and Semi-silent Judgers – Photo: L. Weikel

Indiscriminate Consumption

While this heading could easily be a reference returning to my (lack of) appropriate coping skills as I await the election results, it’s actually a continuation of my distracted musings on the visitors at my feeders. As can be seen, these creatures not only line up on the branches, slightly creepily eyeing me up and willing me to retreat from the feeders. They also swarm under said feeders, gobbling up the seeds on the ground and squabbling amongst themselves for the best of the kill – I mean hull – once they feel neither I nor an occasionally renegade Cletus is a threat.

They don’t care whether they consume the seeds from feeders or off the ground. All the care about is feeding their faces.

There’s probably a lesson to be learned here from our feathered and furry friends. Maybe it’s how they’re focusing on enjoying what they’re eating and appreciating the abundance, rather than judging each other for their taste, or lack thereof, or perhaps most importantly, they’re not worrying that by sharing their bounty someone will get less than their share or have to go without.

Each to their needs, and nobody gets hurt – or even feels bad.

Hmm.

House Sparrows Gorging – Photo: L. Weikel

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Pennsylvania Delivers – Day 725

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Photo: L. Weikel

Pennsylvania Delivers

I’m sitting here on the couch, alternately falling asleep from sheer nervous exhaustion, then suddenly waking to hear yet another update on the count of the votes across the country. It would appear (from MSNBC’s uber-number-cruncher Steve Kornacki) that between the time I post this and when I wake up tomorrow morning, there’s an extremely high probability that Pennsylvania delivers the presidency to Joe Biden.

I have to say, the prospect of this is particularly sweet given DT’s sneering disparagement of Pennsylvania in general, and Philadelphia in particular.

There’s his stunningly tone deaf admission-against-interest statement when he campaigned in Erie (was that only last week?) basically admitting that he wouldn’t have been back visiting Erie if he hadn’t felt desperate.

And of course, his recent infamous statement, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia.” Hmm. I’m thinking there just might be some poetic justice coming DT’s way, courtesy of Pennsylvania.

Big Question

The question I’m facing now is whether or not I should try to stay awake to watch the call in real time. Yeah, I’m that confident. Why? Because it’s all down to the mail-in ballots. And the mail-in ballots have been yielding vastly greater numbers of votes for Biden uniformly, throughout the state. (Why? Because most people who believe in science and the contagiousness of Covid-19 and decided to be smart and vote by mail are Democrats. They also didn’t believe DT’s scare tactics about mail-in voting.)

It’s almost as if he shot himself in the foot by making all the bogus claims about mail-in voting. His scare tactics caused the vast majority of his supporters to vote in person, which then gave him a false sense of superiority and confidence on the evening of the election.

The results of the election have been blurred by the obfuscations of the current occupant of the White House. But tonight, and tomorrow, my sense is that everything is going to become crystal clear to all of us, including him.

But, as always, we must count every vote.

Photo: L. Weikel

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Count Every Vote – Day 724

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Sign in Bucks County, PA – Photo: L. Weikel

Count Every Vote

I want to believe in the integrity of our fellow citizens. I want our citizens and the world to believe in our system. So it goes without saying: I want Pennsylvania and every state to count every vote.

I want to remain hopeful. I’ll admit it: I’m an idealist. Particularly as an attorney, I’ve believed in the principles upon which our country was founded. I’ve also been proud to be part of the system that was developed to implement those principles.

Crisis Brewing

This afternoon, Karl and I bucked our weariness from working the election at our polling place yesterday and attended a rally in Doylestown. The premise was simple: every vote should be counted. This is a fundamental precept of our society. We’re all supposed to have a stake in this country.

Feeling the sunshine warm upon my face, it was heartening to realize that there are young people and older folks – and lots in between – who still care enough to come together to unify around a single purpose as important as the voice of the electorate.

There was a collective hiss from the crowd when it was announced that Eric Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi had gathered in Philadelphia  – just as we were gathered where we were – to announce their filing of a lawsuit on behalf of DT to essentially stop counting valid ballots of Pennsylvania citizens who cast their ballots by mail. Talk about irony.

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again: working collectively to stand up to power is thrilling and inspiring. The practice of walking our talk brings the entire process home and pulls it into your heart and soul.

Photo: L. Weikel

It’s Not Over

While we may need a day or two to recuperate from the sheer physicality of the past few days (weeks, and months), including loss of sleep, it’s important to remember that we need to follow through on our beliefs.

We need to figure out a whole bunch of things, not least being how we’re going to take what’s been exposed by the election of DT and figure out what his obvious appeal is revealing. It’s shocking, I think, to most of us that so many were so willing to re-elect him.

I only hope they did not succeed. But we really won’t know that until every vote is counted.

Count Every Vote Rally – Photo: L. Weikel

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Picture Trumps Words – Day 723

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Picture Trumps Words

Yes…I know; an ironic choice of words. But the main reason I chose this title is because I need to allow myself to do, be, and enjoy precisely what Precious is emulating in this photo. Especially tonight. And especially throughout the rest of this week.

I don’t dare allow myself to write anything even remotely pensive. Nor do I have any desire to write anything self-reflective.

Rather, I am so exhausted I can hardly keep my eyes open.

So I’m going to ‘listen’ to Precious and visit the Dreamtime.

One Thing

We knew it would take patience to receive the final count in a number of states. I’ve been awake for 20 hours straight, dealing with more people at one time than I’ve dealt with since the primary back in June.

I need to sleep. That’s about the best commentary on this evening that I can muster. I refuse to succumb to despair before I sleep.

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Eve of Our Future – Day 722

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Rainbow Selfie – with Kamala at our backs – Photo: L. Weikel

Eve of Our Future

Well, we’re finally here. The time to stand up and be counted, to let ourselves and the world know where we’re headed, has arrived. We’re here. We’ve arrived at the eve of our future.

What will that future look like? I don’t need to tell you. We all know the consequences – some of them immediate – of the choices we’ll be making tomorrow.

We either repudiate what’s been done in our name over the past four years (regardless of how well our portfolios or 401(k)s may have done – that is, if we’re lucky enough to have either) or we don’t. We either show the world 2016 was an aberration, a ‘black swan event,’ or we don’t. We either take a stand against some of the most barbaric, egregious policies and behaviors of any government, much less our own – or we don’t. We either commit to being a global partner and leader in addressing climate change, or we make it worse.

I could go on.

Justice, Integrity, Truth, and Respect

These are the qualities on the ballot tomorrow. And while we yearn to have these values restored within the White House, I sense there’s an even deeper craving for these values to be declared far and wide – and modeled everywhere – as qualities inherent in the way Americans treat each other.

What do we have to lose if we don’t vote, or if vote to retain the current president? E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. He has declared his intentions. Are we listening? There are precious few who will benefit, while vast swaths of our country fall into abject misery.

Love, Compassion, and the Power of Diversity

I believe in us. I believe in our dignity and devotion to higher ideals than the value of the stock market or the country of our origin. I believe that deep down, all of us yearn to be treated with love and compassion. I believe in the wisdom of our forebears who succinctly espoused the greatest strength of our nation: e pluribus unum. “Out of many, one.”

Kamala Harris – Photo: L. Weikel

Rare Treat

As you’ve adroitly surmised from the accompanying photos, Karl and I were invited to an event today featuring vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Taking in the entire milieu as we waited for Representative Wild, Senator Casey, and others to arrive and speak, I will admit to feeling an overflow of emotion. Not wild abandon. Not screaming passion.; but a wellspring of hope and yearning for aspirational governance.

Speaker after speaker, from activists to representatives, spoke with conviction, yes. Each spoke with passion, a sense of commitment to change, and a demand for inclusion and diversity. But there was one thing not a single one of them brought to the table: cynicism.

Kamala Harris – 2 November 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Kamala Harris

I’ve paid attention to our politics. I knew from her resume and the interviews and debates I watched that Kamala Harris is a strong candidate. But there’s something extra you feel when you experience candidates up close and personal. It’s hard to define, but you feel their energy, perhaps a bit more of their essence.

And I couldn’t help but feel we were getting a chance to truly view the Eve of our future.

It’s time.

Photo: L. Weikel

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Mercury Retrograde – Day 721

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Dinner – Grateful for a gas stove! Photo: L. Weikel

Man, I sure can tell Mercury Retrograde is having its way with me this evening.

If this post looks weird (not solely due to its probable lack of any photos), it’s because a couple of factors are coming together to create a whirlpool of irritating hurdles to fulfilling my 1111 Devotion.

First of all, our electricity has been out for at least three hours or so.

Second of all, although I have written and posted before via my WordPress app on my phone (namely over the recent wedding weekend), my iPhone spontaneously installed an upgraded operating system the other day and totally changed a BUNCH of things. (This occurrence in and of itself almost yielded a rant-post.) But no…tonight I discover this “update,” “upgrade,” or whatever you want to call it actually wiped out some of my apps! And of course – you know it – WordPress is one of them.

Perils of Rural Living

Most of us are spoiled. We pick up our phones and no matter where we are, we expect reasonable cell service. It may not be wi-fi fast, but it’s usually half decent. Well, not if you live in the country. I often have to go to a room on the top floor of the house to get good enough reception not to randomly drop a call (although reception still may go in and out). Sitting here at this moment beside my fireplace, for instance, I have one damn bar of LTE service. UGH.

You can imagine, then, the length of time it took to download the WordPress app back down from the cloud. Frankly, I’m amazed it’s actually back on my phone in time for me to write this.

So here I am, looking at this ‘version’ of WordPress, and I swear to you, IT LOOKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE SET UP I USED A MERE THREE WEEKS AGO. What is UP with this!? I want to scream. I feel like I’m being forced to reinvent the wheel (in my head) every time I try to get something accomplished.

And just…WHO KNOWS if I’m going to have enough oomph in my cell service (miracle of miracles, I DO have some decent battery life left in my phone) to upload a photo or two? And as an aside? I have no idea how to add a photo to this post – because of the completely different set-up. Ermagod.

A Reprieve For You

Probably the most fortunate beneficiaries of my electronic-related aggravation are you, my wonderful, caring, patient, stressed-out readers. Just think: at least you were spared a missive from me referencing anything remotely related to ONLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN OUR LIFETIMES the day after tomorrow.

Oops.

Have a great election eve, my friends. And yes, I am including my readers from afar, because let’s face it: this election has world-wide ramifications. We Americans better not screw this up a second time. I fear there won’t be any more opportunities for a ‘do-over’ if we let this slip through our fingers.

P.S.: All I can say is, I’m sure glad this loss of electricity didn’t occur the day after tomorrow…what with our electronic machines and everything. (OMG.)

Lucky I Love Candles – Photo: L. Weikel

Pumpkin Array – Day 720

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Pumpkin Array – Photo: L. Weikel

Pumpkin Array

What a wonderful lineup of gourd-gutting creativity! Behold the 2020 Blue Moon Halloween Pumpkin Array.

I’d like to be chattier tonight but it’s not in the cards. Upon reflection, I have to laugh at that statement. Not only am I not feeling conversational, I’m not picking any cards for us, either.

But that’s at least partially because I feel we got a lot to chew on with last night’s cards. I did not get a chance to sit quietly and engage in any reflection today, so I’m hoping to find some time tomorrow. You know…we have that whole extra hour to indulge in.

Headlines

There are new stories and reports of clashes between supporters of the two presidential candidates, as well as some rather horrific descriptions of people marching in solidarity to the polls in North Carolina, only to be met by pepper spray and arrests.

Hang on, I have to check my calendar. What year is this?

The tension everywhere is palpable. I’ve actually had to remind myself several times today to just disengage from my thoughts, look up at the sky, the clouds, the sunset, the moon, and just breathe.

It helped. So I remind you, too. Look up. Breathe deep. Smile.

31 October 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

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