Absentee Voting, Building a Fire, and Other Things

 I did mail my request for an absentee ballot on Friday, unsure if it would be received in time for me to get an absentee ballot in the mail. Well, I got it today, filled it out and mailed it back. Noon on Tuesday is the deadline for it to arrive at the polls. I wonder if I will ever know if it is received. 

The ballot and three envelopes and an instruction sheet came in an envelope. The top of the ballot was folded down and needed to be refolded to go into the inner envelope called "inner secrecy envelope." That envelope had to go into the "affidavit envelope."

I had to sign the back of that one and have it signed by two witnesses or have it notarized. That was a pain. One person never answered the voice mail, the other person was ill and could not come out, the next person's voice mail was full or something. Finally, we got the first person, and it is done! Whew!

While we were at the PO, I bought more "Forever Stamps." I got two sheets of very pretty flowers for me and a sheet of elephants for Tommy. We both still have stamps from before the last time the price went up. So, we are set. We mail few letters, but I hate to need a stamp and have to go in to buy one or more at a higher price. I did not care for the Christmas stamps, so I will check later for those. Last year, some of the stamps were only winter scenes.  I like those. 

I have finished A Dog's Purpose except for 10 pages. My eyes were bothering me, so I just quit. I would still highly recommend this book. So, this was two reading sessions, basically. It is not a short book, 325 pages. Okay, I finished the book. This book is a real tear-jerker. Well, my eyes were wet a lot. 

Here is a story for you: To Build a Fire. Click on the link to read the complete text of the short story by Jack London. It has a dog in it, but it is about building a fire. And, it is only ten pages.

Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut will be my next book to read. Have you guessed I love literature? My son is also an English teacher and both daughters are readers, the youngest teaching reading.  

Right now, 5:30 pm, I am sort of depressed. I have nothing cooked or planned for dinner. I do have sweet potatoes baked and salad fixings. He said the ground beef was some he just took from the freezer, so at least he won't be eating iffy meat. If I had chicken breast, I would be happier right now! 

Okay, I expressed my desire for chicken breast from Publix, saying it was just too dark for us to go out. Well, within three minutes Tommy had convinced me to go. Ha! I did not expect that at all. It was delicious and so was the sweet potato.

An eclipse is happening tonight. So, I suppose I will stay up for that. 

When we went to the PO, we got the pink bag with ads and coupons back in the neighborhood. We will go through those tonight, maybe before I post this. 

When I mentioned my friend having rats, that was six months or more ago, not now. The purpose of mentioning it now was to say I think Extra-Strength Tylenol killed rats. So, no problem with rats at the moment. People gave me advice as to who to call for help. 

We had a record high of 88F today. Right now it is 78 and very pleasant. The temperature can stay right where it is today. By next Monday, the temperature will have dropped 50F degrees. 

Tonight, I had Tommy go into the hall to help me get out some food and other items from the back bedroom. It was a disaster. He can be so helpful or an a$$. Tonight was his a$$ night.  I did all I could, knowing it will wait for me and be here tomorrow. Why does work never abandon me?

He hates me to tell him something he says he knows. Tonight, I muttered words someone on TV had said. I repeated the phrase in astonishment and was not talking to anyone. He asked what I said. I repeated the words. He went into a rage, saying, "I heard that! You don't have to tell me!" It took a lot of arguing for him to know what went on because he just kept yelling at me. Now, my stomach is very upset. 

I think we are both staying up or getting up for the eclipse. How about you?

Did you go to the polls on Tuesday or vote by absentee ballot or another way? Do you buy Forever Stamps?  

Tommy's Birthday, Ballots and Pandemic Halloween

 Have you ever been confused? A month off confused? I know Tommy's birthday is in December. Yet, I keep hurrying to get things for his birthday this next week which is not December.  In the car Saturday, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday--birthday brownies, cupcake, cake and what kind. He said just ice cream. Well, I may make birthday brownies for myself! When I asked him what kind of ice cream, he said "homemade." What kind? Something with fruit in it. No chocolate, I ask myself? Apparently not. I think I will make vanilla to go with my brownies. 

The ice cream freezer makes good ice cream, but not with fruit pieces in it. The fruit is little pieces of rocks and so cold I cannot even taste the fruit. I think I will thaw the gallon of strawberries someone gave me and use that over the ice cream. So, this is early planning. I would never have frozen strawberries in a gallon bag, but I do not mind receiving them! Maybe I can have strawberries on brownie, topped with ice cream or something like that. Or, I can stir in blueberries after the cream is frozen. 

I even ordered one of his small gifts from Amazon so it would definitely be here in time. I have been planning for Dec. 9 for this whole last week! 

We took the box of food to a food store parking lot and offered it to a woman. She told us she had a daughter with five children who needed money. The woman said she only had $30, but would give it to her. She was very appreciative, thanking us over and over. 

We pulled out and I had Tommy go back. I told the woman where we got food today. I suggested maybe her daughter could get some food there. She said her daughter was so busy with five kids in school, so she was not sure she could. I told her that if she would give me her phone number, I would call every week when I had food. She happily gave me her number. 

I have been fretting about whether my ballot arrived and whether it was accepted. Several times each day I have gone to the site to check. Finally, Sunday at 1 am my ballot was registered. It feels like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one. All this unnecessary talk of ballots being held up in the mail and people's ballots not accepted for a multitude of reasons has drained me. 

Halloween night, we had to go get a vital med before Walgreen's closed at 6 pm. I saw a huge pumpkin down a side street and we stopped to gawk on the way back. Then, I wanted to take pictures and had to go home and get my camera. 

One home had the fire pit out front with a roaring fire and three people sitting, waiting. We talked to one guy there.  Lots of people were out and about, all in costume, before 6 pm.

One house had maybe 18 people out front, adults and children, all in costume. A lawn tractor appeared to have dug up skeletons. There were two skeleton dogs chasing a skeleton cat up a tree. Of course, the dogs had the cat treed. I am not sure how they did it, but looking at a window, it appeared we could see inside. There was a skeleton jazz band playing. One skeleton was playing a saxophone. And, a skeleton was swinging in a swing in a tree.  It was a fun looking house. I asked to take pictures and everyone sort of posed for me. 

That ride made the day's end,  a good Halloween for us. Then, we came home and ate the last six Snicker minis. Dinner was great. I had a dinner for one--chicken breast stuffed with cheese and new potatoes. I opened a can of green beans and there was enough for both of us sharing the dinner for one. Halloween 2020 is gone now. It seemed the children and adults were having a good time. I just hope they stayed safe.

The memories of our decorations will remain. Now, I will start on a graveyard for next Halloween. Okay, maybe I will wait until next summer to work on it, just gathering the supplies for now.

Would you describe this 2020 Halloween as a good Halloween memory? If you mailed in your ballot, have you checked to see if it has been accepted?