A pandemic is still part of our lives, and at this point in time, it’s worse than ever all over the country, all over the world. I still stay home and have had no social life except with folks who come and work for me, like Todd my yard man, and chatting with my neighbors. I go out early in the week to run errands and try to do most of them in one trip. Later in the week, I make my early morning grocery run.

I do see folks briefly—some from other parts of Oregon and from other states—when I am on duty as the clerk behind the counter at Backstreet Gallery a few times a month since July and just these last three weekends as a docent on duty at the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum. It has just recently reopened.

At each location, everyone is required to wear a mask and at the gallery to use hand sanitizer as they enter. There are also vinyl separators between me and visitors as long as I stay at the counter. I use the sanitizer a lot and spray the counter between customers. And we encourage social distancing. If more than 10 are inside at the gallery, I’m to shut the door and not let anyone else in until someone leaves. The Gallery and Museum are the riskiest activities I engage in, but I enjoy the social interaction of conversing with the customers and visitors. I seem to crave it, after being home alone so much.

Change of subject. No matter how positive I tried to be when I looked at my newly spray-painted brass cranes and duck, they looked like they had been dipped in mud—not the brass look they had before. I should have gone to TrueValue where I had bought the original paint instead of getting something similar when I was doing my grocery shopping. So last  week, I took my can of left-over spray paint from five years ago to TrueValue, and got the exact same paint and redid them this past weekend. Now they have the wonderful brass look they had before, and I’m a happy camper.

Monday

This week, election week, I’ll be a happy camper if Biden wins. I have friends and acquaintances who will be happy only if Trump wins. I have tried arguing various points, but mostly we’ve agreed to disagree. That way, we remain friends.

I firmly believe that Trump is a threat to our country, has handled the pandemic badly, and is a man of very questionable character. I find it hard to believe that anyone would vote for him. But others feel equally strong for him.

I have a sign in my yard for Biden/Harris and within 100 feet is a sign for Trump. I’ll keep it there until I know who wins.

ELECTION DAY

It’s a gray day with wind and rain expected later. Don’t know if that’s an omen or not! I plan to get stuff done this morning, soak in the walk-in tub this afternoon to de-stress before turning on the TV at 6 p.m. to watch PBS election coverage. Whew! This day has finally arrived! I sooooo hope Biden is ahead when the day ends.

Well, the rain began early, I didn’t soak in the tub, and Biden wasn’t ahead when the day ended. I discovered that election coverage began on the radio at 4 p.m. and made the mistake of tuning in. I was glued to the radio instead of soaking in the tub. I can’t just sit and listen, so I started on my T-shirt project while I listened.

This may sound crazy, but I love the messages on four T-shirts that I have but dislike the way they fit. They are too big, too long, and the sleeves too short. Soooo . . . I figured that I could cut off three inches and hem them. Then I could use the excess fabric to lengthen the sleeves. I will also take in the sides. Since I no longer have a sewing machine, it will take forever to make these alterations by hand. But it gives me something to do while I listen to the election coverage. I’m a Type A; I can’t just sit! Today I figured out exactly how I would do it and got one shirt cut, pinned, and ready to sew.

At 6 p.m., I switched to TV and watched PBS’s election coverage, while fixing and eating dinner. I watched until after Biden spoke shortly after 9:30. He was confident and said that the vote counting was continuing as it should because of all the additional mail-in voters due to Covid. He said that It was okay that there was not a decision reached on election day. And to be patient.

It was not a slam-dunk for either one. Although, Biden had more electoral votes when I turned off the TV shortly before 10 p.m., it seemed as though all the battleground states were still going for Trump. But the early votes still needed to be counted, so the suspense continues.

In the middle of the night, I awoke and turned on the radio and heard Trump declaring himself the winner, even though all the votes have not been counted. Thought i was dreaming, before I realized it could be a real life nightmare!

Wednesday

It’s a cliff hanger between Biden and Trump. The counting continues, so I’ll check in again tonight. Nearly every candidate or measure I voted for was winning. It was DeFazio and Merkely on the national level, and in Oregon, challenger Shamia Fagan for Secretary of State and incumbent Ellen Rosenbloom for Attorney General both won.  And all four measures seem to be passing. I was also pleased to hear that nearly all bond measures for schools and libraries mostly in the Willamette Valley seemed to be ahead.

During the evening, I listened to an hour of election update on NPR and felt better. Biden was within six of reaching 270 for the Electoral College!!! Any of the states left—Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, or Nevada––will put him over. But, of course, Trump is pulling out all stops, filing lawsuit after lawsuit in all the battleground states that now have Biden ahead. Even while the count is continuing, he has declared himself winner and is bashing the election process––totally unacceptable but not surprising. So the saga continues.

As to the T-shirts, I got one finished and another ready to sew.

Thursday

The same states are still a toss-up. And now Arizona, which had been called as going for Biden, is now trending toward Trump. Biden continues to tell everyone to be patient as the vote counting continues, and Trump continues to file lawsuits and bash the voting process. One is behaving presidential, and it’s not the President. Should know more tomorrow.

Today I finished two shirts, and two are ready to sew. Will finish the last two tomorrow or this weekend for sure. Sure glad I had something to work on while listening to the election coverage.  

Friday

The good news is that Biden is now ahead in Pennsylvania and ever so slightly in Georgia too. The bad news is that Trump is spewing ever more lies, no doubt, setting himself up to be the victim—not the loser. By Friday afternoon, there’s no decision, but it seems more and more likely that Biden will prevail. I sure hope so. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster week! Hang on everyone; the ride isn’t over!