“October 31, 2020”

It’s Saturday.  October 31st.  2020. Can you believe that there are only two months left in this year?  2021 cannot get here soon enough for some, but I’d rather not wish my time away.  I wanna make the most of each day as it comes.

Which brings me to this day.  Today happens to be Halloween.  While this day and it’s related meaning and “celebrations” conjure up mixed feelings for some, it is agreed that Halloween ushers in the commercial element  of the “Holiday Season”.  Thanksgiving about a month away, Christmas less than two.  People starting to shop earlier than ever. 

As a child I wasn’t much into traditional Halloween activities such as Trick or Treating and wearing costumes.  As an adult I have never attended a Halloween party.  Now as far as eating candy, I don’t limit that to Halloween. I eat candy just about ANY day!  So I really never celebrated this day.  However, up until recently, I did have a Halloween tradition. 

Horror movies.  Scary movies.  Yep, from my late teens up until about five years ago, I’d spend the days leading to Halloween watching my favorite scary movies.  I have some friends who did the same.  We reminisce about how some movies literally terrified us and how some simply made us laugh.  While there have been some recent movies that are alright, the classic movies remain my favorites.  Check out “Burnt Offerings” if you have the heart…..ha  ha  ha ha haaaaa ha ha haaaa!

Recently I have not watched horror movies as much.  I hate to admit it, but dare I say that I no longer have the heart for them.  I could watch a scary movie alone in the dark without a thought.  Got to sleep, chill in my basement, walk through the house with no lights.  Didn’t bother me.  Now, let’s just say the movies stick with me longer.  I can’t watch just before bed.  Can’t watch if I wanna hang in my basement.  Maybe it’s old age, not fear…….lol! Even so, it’s nothing like a chilly October night, leaves rustling in the wind, tree branches crackling, odd noises settling throughout the house.  A mysterious thump, bump in the night.  You’re the only one awake.  You and total darkness with just your imagination to comfort you.  Yeah, its Halloween.  And this is your movie…………

“Election 2020”

Glad to say that I had the opportunity to vote early this year. This is the first time that my entire family was eligible to vote and we all went to the polls together. As America is one of the more democratic nations in the world, I feel that voting is not just a human right, not just a privilege, but a CIVIC DUTY. Our democracy depends on it! If not for yourself, please vote for those who cannot.

“An Interesting Observation”

As we all know the election is just weeks away.  The Presidential and Vice Presidential debates are in full swing.  The political pundits and “experts” are all over the networks enlightening us with their abundance of knowledge. As I consider the implications of the election outcome, I think back to 2016.  I recall the big debate about whether a woman would be fit to be President.  I remember that many people were apprehensive about voting for a woman.  Even many women!  People of all races, genders, ages, ethnicities, religions, political affiliations, economic backgrounds and professions questioned having a woman sit in the most powerful office in the world.  And why?

They had many reasons.  Women are too emotional.  Women are too impulsive.  Women are indecisive.  Women are too soft.  Women are vindictive.  Women are jealous.  Women are temperamental.  Women are rash.  Women can’t make tough decisions.  Women are easily influenced by men.  Women are weak.  Women are petty.  Women can’t focus. Women are disinterested.  Interesting…..

Do you see what I see?  Every criticism of a woman as an excuse for her not being a capable President are characteristics of the current President, who is a man.  Lie to me and tell me that (Ronald Mc)Donald Chump is not too emotional, too impulsive, too indecisive, too vindictive, too soft, too jealous, too temperamental, too petty, too easily influenced, too weak and too disinterested.  I know, right?  Donald Chump is everything you don’t want from a woman leader, but yet he is accepted because he is a man.  Interesting……in the community where I come from if a person behaved like Trump we’d say, “Stop acting like a little b-word!”

I am not a political pundit, but I have an opinion. During an interview several years ago, Donald Trump bragged about “grabbing women in the _ _ _ _ _ “. Maybe, just maybe, Trump behaves the way he does because he wishes he had a _ _ _ _ _ so Putin could grab him in his. Just sayin………Trump Enablers Beware!

“The One Time I Hope A Politician Was Lying”

We all want our elected officials to be as honest as possible, right?  I mean, I thought that was the case until 2016…….truth are lies and lies are truth! Who knew?  Anyway, to my point.  Recently while watching a local news station, it was reported that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan cast a write-in vote for President in the upcoming election.  Nothing wrong with that.  His choice.  However, it was reported that he cast his vote for former President Ronald Reagan, who happens to be deceased.  That’s right.  A vote for a deceased person.  My initial thought was disbelief.  Afterwards I thought for a moment.  A sitting Governor, a person whose very purpose relies on votes, would not, could not, waste his singular vote so carelessly, could he?  In the current political climate with the election and voting in America deemed so critical to it’s citizens, why would an elected official be so cavalier with HIS vote? Hard to fathom….Then it hit me!  Politicians are known to lie sometimes, especially when it benefits them personally.  So I think that Governor Hogan may have voted for Biden and is reluctant to reveal this so as not to offend the GOP.  I hope this is true. I hear that he has Presidential aspirations himself.  Whether he voted for Biden or Trump is not the question.  The answer is that hopefully he did not waste his vote while telling Marylanders and all Americans that voting matters.  I hope you lied to us Governor Hogan.  Our democracy depends on it.

“Blank Canvas”

Imagine that you were given a blank piece of paper.  Now imagine that you were given the opportunity to write, draw and/or create the future of your dreams.  HOW will it look?  WHO will you be?  WHAT will you accomplish? WHERE will you be? WHAT will you have? So, WHY are you waiting? WHEN will you start…….

“An Unlikely Centennial Milestone”

Man, I reached a milestone that never in a hundred years I would’ve thought possible.  For those who really know me, you know why I say this.  Don’t laugh!

You see, I have never been a “phone” person. I have owned only three cell phones in my life.  Don’t walk around with my phone attached to my body.  Up until recently I wasn’t into social media like that.  I think I joined Facebook in 2013.  From 2013 until 2020 I had about 60 Facebook friends. I was good because I usually have a handful of close friends in reality.

2020 brought a change for me. I had some friend requests that I did not confirm and those friends let me know about it too.  All in good fun, but they made it known that I should reach out, contact people and stay in touch.  Ok, I agreed.  So, I sent out quite a few friend requests of my own.  Most responded, some didn’t.  And you know what, that’s cool.  Not everyone wants or needs to be “friends”.  I truly get it.  Been there. 

Well, after my friends accepted my requests, I now have 101 Facebook friends.  101!  Who knew?  Never thought that many people would be that interested in my life at this point. You know what though, I’m glad.  I like keeping in touch with everybody.  Love the positive energy created by communicating.  Love the “good news” coming from the respective families. Love the sense of community.

So I wanna give a sincere thanks to my FB family.  Thanks for sharing your stories, your time, you interests, your inspiration. And thanks for letting me share mine.  Now, I wonder if I have 100 more friends out there……