Friday, November 6, 2026

     We can’t stop smiling and laughing as we eat our Pizza lunch together. Four friends who meet frequently, are giddy with joy as we remind ourselves we won the election and life is going to be better after years of deceit and corruption.

     I have an hour wait to pick up my roommate.  I sit in the car listening to the latest Ezra Klein podcast. More excitement and hope.

     I am parked on Cass street, wondering what is it that is off in the neighborhood. It’s the tall electricity poles running up and down each side of the street.  Wires stretched between poles but are not visibly attached to the buildings. Oh, the connecting wires must be underground.

     In the evening, we follow the standoff happening at the Monterey County jail between ICE thugs and a large group of protestors and legal observers. Later we watch a new episode of NORTH TO NORTH, the delightful Canadian series set in a small arctic community. I am intrigued with Tea Obreht’s new book, SUNRISE.

 

Thursday, November 5, 2026

     OK I have celebrated enough now. I reach my limit of news watching. Change is going to happen but it is slow. The election is fast and exciting. Now it is time to assess the damage and start the long term repairs to our country.  No more war, no more tariffs, no more ICE, no more vanity construction projects, no more lies and corruption. Easy to say, hard to do.

     Outside this morning sirens and dogs barking. The sun is warming the day. Still, I am in my winter warm clothes.

     I am continuing with my exercise project. I lie on my bed and go through the leg exercises.  Later I pace on the back deck, back and forth checking out the neighborhood and the high School. I can hear the sounds of amplified announcements but not the actual words. The tomatoes are still growing.

     We watch THE GILDED AGE in the evening.  The only violence is in the words and hurt feelings of the characters. I also am watching MAIGRET, A PBS French detective show in English. Wonderful pictures of Paris. I am not reading so much this week, too much TV news watching. Too much excitement in the elections. We are all waiting to see what the President will do next.

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

     Well, this is exciting, a whole new generation of educated bright young leaders are voted into the house and senate. Watching the nightly news is going to be exciting as they shape a better society for all of us, starting with no more wars, no more tariffs, no more ICE, and food and health care and housing for all of us. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will not be seduced by their new powers.

     Day two, I have restarted doing the physical therapy exercises I learned last year.  I stopped when I was hospitalized with sepsis and too week. Now I am motivated to have stronger legs and pain free knees.

     My roommate and I spend hours watching the election returns on MS NOW. At first lots of talking on screen and then the results start pouring in and we are excited. So much information about the newly elected folks. I begin to feel like I know them and am excited to see how they work together. My roommate loses her local election. She is at peace with the loss. She is grateful to all her friends who supported her.     

 We watch the last episode of my absolutely favorite show SMALL PROPHETS. So strange and wonderful at the same time. I suspect there will be a season two in the future. I start reading SUNRISE by Tea Obreht. Looks good. Maybe the president’s friends in crime will end up in jail or in a foreign country that doesn’t extradite criminals.