Election is finally over

November trail

Well, the election of our president for the next four years was called yesterday, Saturday, November 7. A day for the history books, after five days of counting almost 150 million ballots. The counting is still continuing, but it became evident that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would become the next executive leaders of our country, and the race was called when he crossed the threshold of 270 electoral votes.

Last night I watched the celebratory speeches by both of them, and was pleased to see that in that huge crowd of people, everybody was wearing masks, even if social distancing was impossible. The speeches were fine, not too long, but I just wished that Biden had not shouted into the mic the whole time. I had to turn the volume way down, but otherwise I enjoyed it all. 

When they started the fireworks, I was again amazed at the ones that spell out words, so of course I went online to find out how it's done. It turns out that these are special things called "lanceworks." Each lance is hand pressed and filled to burn for approximately sixty seconds. Zambelli Fireworks website explains:

If you have ever seen a name or company logo produced by pyrotechnics, it is called a “set-piece.” Nearly any logo, word, sentence/phrase, or other design can be created using fireworks known as “lances.” Lances are pencil-sized miniature flares that are mounted on wooden frames designed to the exact specifications of a word or logo.

Anyway, now the hard work begins in the transition period before January 20 next year. I am very worried about how the coronavirus has been spreading around the country, and pleased to hear that Biden is setting up a task force right away. Hopefully that might nudge our current president to take some immediate steps to contain the pandemic. But in any event, we cannot return to any semblance of normal life until the virus is under control. I'm just glad I am able to find places to exercise and keep my strength and stamina up during the coming weeks and months. Not to mention my mental health.

What else is on my mind this fine November day? I had a lovely walk last Thursday around the Lake Padden horse trails (which is where I took the picture above) and enjoyed the dry weather, even if the recent rains had made for some very muddy patches. Then yesterday, when I went out for a short walk with my regular Saturday walking friends, it began to rain. A lot, it turned out, and I was totally unprepared since it was not supposed to rain at all. My down jacket got soaked, and when I returned home, I learned that in the northern part of the city, where I live, it had not rained at all! From now on, I'm going to carry rain gear in my car, just in case. I'm not sure whether it would have helped yesterday, though, since we were at least a mile into the walk when it began to rain. Oh well, I didn't melt, even if it wasn't pleasant to be so unprepared.

Yesterday I began to watch the seven-part miniseries, "The Queen's Gambit," on Netflix. By the time I had finished the first one, I was hooked, and even had dreams based on that episode. Kelly Lawler, on USA Today, had this in her review:

Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, "Queen's" follows the rise of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (a stunning Anya Taylor-Joy), a Kentucky orphan in the 1960s who learns the game from a janitor (Bill Camp) in her orphanage's basement. As a teen, she makes her way onto the international chess circuit, traveling the globe and handily beating men twice her age. She also spends that time battling addiction, a much harder fight for Beth than any chess match. 

 If you watched it, or intend to, I'd like to know what you think of it. I still have six episodes before I'm finished, but it's definitely a good place to take any thoughts of my current world into another sphere. I'll probably get the book after I'm finished with the series, since that's my usual pattern when I'm not quite ready to let go of a good diversion.

I've never played chess, but my father tried once, long ago, to interest Norma Jean, my sister, and me in learning it. I suspect he had visions of us becoming prodigies, but he was definitely not the best teacher. He had no patience with our inability to understand the intricacies of the game, much less how to move the pieces! Instead, he had two terrified young girls trembling at the thought of what piece to move next.  We really wanted to make him happy, but this was not the way to do it. I think we both now have a bit of an aversion to the game. We stuck to checkers after our disgrace with chess. Today, I can smile at the memory. 

Well, that's about it for now. I cannot seem to think of anything else that's currently on my mind. (That may change as I re-read what I've written here, but I don't think so.) Keeping myself and my dear partner healthy, both physically and mentally, is the big challenge in my life right now. I know I am not alone in this, either. 

The tea is gone, my dear one is still sleeping, and the day is beckoning. I'm meeting my friends Lily and John for breakfast in a little more than an hour from now, so I'll be finishing this and hoping I'll be more inspired next week. I do hope you find some enjoyment yourself during this coming period, and if you have any tips, please don't hesitate to pass them along. Until then, be well and don't forget to count your blessings. You are definitely one of mine.