Clare County Review & Marion Press

Pat’s Bits and Pieces: Election Slows Down Everything

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Where is this year going? Until six weeks ago, that would have been my headline for this week’s column.
The midterm election, November 8, is just two weeks from Tuesday.
I hate to rush time, especially at my age, but I can hardly wait.
Not because the holidays are just around the corner either. I haven’t even thought about the holidays yet…
But because I am completely over all of the political ads on the television…constantly. Just hoping all that mudslinging (and there has been plenty of it) will be over is making the time leading up to the big day drag.
Normally, about this time I am complaining about how fast the months fly by, particularly in the summertime. Wasn’t it just June?
I don’t know where the time goes, but it sure goes! October will be over in ten more days, and the November election (UGH) in eight days after that.
Once we are done with it, time will be speeding along I know and I guess Thanksgiving isn’t very far away after all, just a month from Monday. You know what that means – the Christmas Season is almost upon us again.
Sometimes I can’t remember what year it is, let alone the month or the day of the week…
Not only am I still operating on “summer” time, I am truly dreading the arrival of that nasty white stuff, which showed up in the form of flurries already this week. It is sure to be here on the ground again right after the next holiday at least. You know that’s true, look at the way the weather has changed just in the past week. Warm changed to cold and now we are going to have 60s again this weekend.
Then you better look out!
If you really want time to slow back down, you just have to wait until the holidays are over. Then it will seem like a year before spring is here again.
All that beautiful sunny weather we had for the first half of October lulled us – or me at least – into thinking it might stay that way a little longer. I keep forgetting we live in Michigan…
It may have been rainy, a little snowy, cold and damp outside, but you have to admit the fall color this year has been glorious! We went down to Gun Lake near Wayland over the weekend for a visit with Jack’s brother Brent and his wife, and my BFF Cathy. (She spoils us whenever we come)
Anyway, the whole trip – down and back—was most of those Michigan hardwoods all in bloom. What incredible colors we saw on the whole trip! It has to be one of the very best falls for color in years.
Unfortunately, it never lasts long enough. Another week and all of those beautiful leaves will be on the ground and the trees will be bare again.
Meanwhile I have been so busy with articles this week, I haven’t had time to think of much else or get outside to complain about the cold either.
Thank goodness for computers. I would hate to be doing this the old way – with a typewriter, and lots of “white-out.”
Computers are pretty neat actually – when they work the way they should.
Of course I can’t hold a candle to the kids and grandkids when it comes to knowing what I am doing with them. I can write and save my articles and I know how to download my pictures and send everything to the office with the email.
That is about the total of my expertise.
Unfortunately if something doesn’t work right, usually I can’t even begin to figure out why. I just call Jack, one of the kids – or a grandchild or our handy dandy computer guy Wayne to come and fix it for me. On Thursdays, Liz is my life saver when it comes to making the program work right.

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