Fall Day Photos

We’ve been able to take some walks during the lovely fall days - I don’t often get to take photos of us having random fun anymore! 

Casting a Ballot in the Year of Covid

Deciding how I was going to cast a ballot in this year's general election was a bit of a conundrum. I voted absentee for the first time in a long time in the spring -- I think since college. I've never needed to vote early, and nor have I wanted to. I like the excitement of voting on Election Day!

But this year is a different beast. The question wasn't whether I would vote early, but how. I leaned toward an absentee ballot for several weeks but never quite sent in the request. I just didn't want to do it. Then came the questions and doubts about absentee ballots, such as the reliability of the post office and whether the Board of Elections would actually receive it. I could drop it off at the board, that's true. But there's something about going in person ...

Early voting it was.

Paul took Monday off of work, so it was the perfect time for me to go. I was up early, so I decided to get there shortly after the board opened at 8 since Paul would be here to make sure the kids logged into school. I arrived at 8:15 a.m.

So did a million others.

Maybe not quite a million, but it felt like it. People were directing traffic, and I had to park in a lot a half a block away. It took about 5 minutes to find a spot and then another 5 minutes or so to walk to the end of the line. It was 8:26.

Did I mention it was raining?

I wore a raincoat and carried an umbrella. No rain boots, which was a big mistake. I thought the rain would keep the lines short, but no dice. Although the line was entirely outdoors, it luckily continued to move -- certainly faster than any line I've been in at Cedar Point! I was in the building faster than I would have predicted.

I had previously read that Franklin County has 150 voting machines set up, and there was a pleasant hum of excitement. Really, the buzz was just as thrilling as a real Election Day vote. Plus I got my sticker.

Vote cast! (But I bet the mailers will still come.)

 

Feeling Low

I've been feeling pretty down lately. Nothing too serious, or at least nothing that's not to be expected in a year such as this. Winter is about to arrive, which means even less of the already-constrained outdoor socializing we've managed throughout the spring and summer. I've ordered even more masks and a big bag of cord locks so they are comfy. We're in this for the long-haul, and sometimes it's hard to smile.

In-person school -- only two days per week, but still -- isn't going to start next week as was previously announced. Now it's scheduled for two weeks later, and the whole thing is surrounded by controversy. I'm tired, I'm frustrated and there's nothing to look forward to. That last part is the worst of all. I'm the type of person who likes to have my next vacation planned before the nearest one is over. That's tough when vacation was cancelled and not even rescheduled. And it's really hitting home that we're not going to get any type of real trip this year.

In a couple of years (earlier, if we're lucky), this will all seem like a blip in time.  I try not to wish for the future too hard, but that's becoming ever more difficult.

 

Online School to Hybrid

Just as we're getting used to this whole at-home schooling thing, everything's about to change.

Apparently in two weeks the kids will be back in school two days per week. This isn't totally unexpected, just a week and a half early. And it's still not totally set in stone, because our school district announced this without the consent of the teachers' union, which is currently working under a memorandum of understanding.

Setting aside any worries about contracting the virus, the hybrid model has both pros and cons. Pros: The kids will be back in the classroom face-to-face with a teacher, even if only for two days each week. They'll see friends. They won't be on a computer five days per week. Cons: On the three days they aren't in school, they likely will have zero teacher interaction and all online assignments.

Zoom school isn't always fun, but it's better that I thought. We've got a schedule, and I think the kids are even learning to recognize kids that they've never previously met. Here's hoping that things continue to be better than expected.