Not political

     I am not a publicly political person.  No yard signs, no bumper stickers, and I covet that our system gives us the right to vote in secret.  Many times PH doesn't even know how I vote.  But this year there was no doubt how I felt about one candidate and I was very vocal because while I may not know much, I know how people are supposed to act.  I know what civilized behavior is. And having worked in an elementary school I know we don't allow five-year-olds to behave as one of our 70 year old candidates was behaving, and being rewarded for this bad behavior. How do we explain this behavior to our children?  The effect was being felt on playgrounds already. As we got closer to the election I got more nervous and physically ill. 
     But Friend Harry assured me he couldn't get elected.  Our country and our world would be safe from erratic behavior.  He assured me he has never been wrong in calling the winner. Never.

     Every four years Friends Marge and Harry have an election party and this year was the first year I could go because I am not working and PH doesn't have to be up at 6 a.m. anymore.  One year PH went without me so he was familiar with the event.

      And it was an event!  Both political parties were represented equally, everything was thought out,  there was food coming out of our ears,  Marge had crock pots with sloppy joes, meatballs, cocktail weinees, there were dips on the table, all nibbles you could think of.  Everyone brings a dish to share. I brought a slab apple pie (on the left) and a dip that is delicious.  Sweet onion, mayonnaise, swiss cheese, parmesan cheese. Bake.  We were the first ones there so the table wasn't crowded yet with more dips, caramel corn, potato salad, Mexican dips, etc. 

      Harry makes a map, here their son Mike tallies the senate seats up for election, on each state he marks the number of electoral votes allowed that state.  In our system there is a popular vote for a state that the candidate hopes to win and winning that state's vote allows the candidate to claim the number of electoral votes assigned to that state needed to win.  The magic number is 270 electoral votes. The electoral college officially elects the president.  It is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but not the election if the candidate wins states that don't have lots of electoral votes. Gore vs. Bush.  California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Indiana, etc. all have double digit electoral votes so winning them is necessary.

      In the beginning, even though I was a nervous wreck about this night, Harry kept assuring me "Denice, relax, it won't happen!"  

      As each state is won by a candidate someone at the party colors in the state.  Here, Marge and Harry's son BJ colors too many in red.  Too many.
      But as the night went on and more and more red states were being colored in and the numbers were just too high, I couldn't take it anymore.  I couldn't be in a party atmosphere.  I had to process this quietly - or at least with poor PH listening to me rant alone. We left.
     I came home and tried to read, to calm down. I watched the stunned commentators try to understand.  I went to bed and tried to calm my head.  All I could do was pray.  For us.  For the world.