October 22nd and our first freeze. Thirty-seven years ago, September 15th was the first freeze date, probable I should say - but in the hollar it could be sooner than that. Impatients zapped along with tomato and pepper plants in the garden; the greens will just get sweeter and a new crop of arugula looks yummy. The blustery nights of the past several days caused such unrelenting banging of the paintings hanging outside on the porch that my little bat was frightened away from his home behind one of the canvases. Frightened or just annoyed. Grand-daughter and I just slept through the ruckus night before last. Of course, keeping up with an inquisitive mentally and physically active three year old is a great sleeping aid. And here she is in Nanee's boots!
I had thought that I would talk about the movie IDES OF MARCH which I saw with Ann, Jane and Kathy Friday; the disillusionment with male politicians because of their promiscuous behavior which sets them up for compromise, blackmail even - and political favors to garner votes. That this is not such a problem in Europe - America seems intent on holding onto its Puritan roots? I am more horrified by the buying of elections, the frightening reach of arch conservatives like Pope in North Carolina. The negative robo calls and ads blatantly deceptive. What is at the heart of the matter is that the public seems unable to question the political ads. That the voters act on promises of no taxes without realizing what the consequences will be. Cut backs in budgets in North Carolina have impacted their excellent education system - it is a travesty! And it is creeping, or should I say galloping, into Virginia. We have only been rescued from the Republican agenda because tho our Governor is Republican, our Senate is still majority Democrat. This election could change that. Very very scary.
The leaves are spectacular this year. Being in the colors on the walk to the river delights me. I would think healing. I had to curtail my walnut raking in the yard as the wind loosens baseball bombs and I have nearly been beamed. Cool wind. It appears that Mr. Lee's clone has beat me to Occupy Wall Street! I'm trying to create a sign for Occupy Blacksburg; nothing so far worth making. Like to see VT stop burning coal. 
Mindless games then and now. Would a kid today know what a yoyo was? Or how to play jacks which in 6th grade my friends and I had refined to an intricate art - throwing the ball up in the air and picking up jacks and catching the ball before it bounced! I recall that the Heath twins were superior players as later they would be excellent tennis and volleyball and basketball players. This yoyo glows in the dark. Eat your heart out!
Good rain this evening, needed rain. Gusts of wind loosening a cacophony of walnuts on the deck, occasionally the tin of the shop roof. They bob in the pond; a boon year. Absolutely the hardest nut I have ever tried to crack.
Thinking of sending a check to the US Treasury in Obama's name; let's lower the deficit in Obama's term! My other notion of this rainy day was a sign to wear if I join Occupy VA Tech on Wednesday - it would call for wearing a cow head and the sign: "am I a person yet?" maybe it would need elaboration, "if a corporation is a person, than why not a cow?"
The joy of the day: eating popcorn with grand-daughter!
la- la- la!!!
I so admire the Occupy Wall Street happening. I keep trying to think of a good spot to find locally to emulate what's going on in NYC and now in several larger cities. I guess I could just stand in my pjs with a sign saying down with CEO compensation in front of my virtual retirement account! I might even travel to Roanoke and pace in front of my brokerage firm; but they are a small firm, not Bank of America. I don't have a debit card. I don't know what the Occupy Wall Street folks have said about the EPA or the Republican effort to castrate most environmental regulations on air and water. But I would like to protest on this subject. Shit, I still want single payer national health insurance - hey 99% are there enough of us out there that this is worth protesting FOR??? I have been guilty of remarking for several years, "hey why aren't we out on the streets about this?" And i am rabid about the attacks on Planned Parenthood, but I doubt Occupy Wall Street wants to go there.
I think it was Samuel Beckett who said, ...to be alone to know what I think I think...but i've probably misquoted. The sentiment though seems pure Beckett. Yet another perfect day, the burning bush getting it on! Baldwin building rock pillars in the creek when Mr. Lee and I walked, we stopped to look for rocks and to chat while the goats ate. Too lovely out to spend time inside, thus I have neglected to work on recruiting poll workers!
I did clean the chicken coop water pan and their nests are filled with grass clippings and cat tail fluff. Oodles more black walnuts picked up and relocated; there seem to be twice as many still on the limbs! I've thrown some on the drive thinking I may be inspired to crack a few this winter - a very difficult endeavor which calls for a tool i don't have, a serious vice, i'd suppose. Fascinating to watch a squirrel deal with a black walnut - what teeth they have!
So much depends of the quality of winter! Whether I will sort through my old piles of papers or begin to scan mother's photos of her sculptures. Whether I will tackle shelling black walnuts in the thick of a snow storm!
If I didn't check the calendar hanging in my kitchen, I wouldn't know that it was Friday; Friday has lost its "fridayness." I don't work outside the house; I've no children to walk to the bus and to be looking forward to this day all week! There remains a sense that Friday begins the weekend - but it starts at dawn - I don't have to wait til happy hour. But I do not start drinking in the mornings; I'm not inclined to drink, except for a glass of wine in the evening while fixing dinner. However, I realize how empty a life can become without some attachment to family, work, or other routine spinning organism or construct - like pet or chickens or nonprofit! And then I have the imagined necessity or aspiration of writing a poem. Duty ebbs and flows with demands. Now I am trying to schedule poll workers to hand out sample ballots on election day - not an easy task to find enuf democrats in my neck of the county with 5 polling places. I'm not very happy with this "job," but I feel it is important to show face on election day - the face of a democrat in a republican/independent/ possible tea party area. Which gets me to Occupy Wall Street now happening all the way to New Orleans and which cheers my heart! I am delighted to join the efforts however discombobulated, virtually; and I keep wondering where locally we can begin displaying a physical presence. I suggested at qigong class a few spots: President of Tech's house or maybe Beamers place - folks whose salaries are hugely disproportionate to those under them (college athletes who are truly abused for naught). But these suggestions weren't seconded; there is a branch of Bank of America in Blacksburg and at the mall there is Well's Fargo and some other big bank branches.
I realize that since grand-daughter began preschool, Nanee has time on her hands! I don't want to fill it impulsively, and I want to hold open the possibility of spending time with little brother. A time to create. And with my house now overflowing with visual art, I have got to limit myself to writing.
