A New Season

It's a time of change in the intensity of working for democracy, and in the frequency of these Postcards

Little bright purple asters with yellow centers are blooming and so is the goldenrod. (Over the summer I’ve tried to pull out the ragweed.) Raspberry canes are turning yellow. The deep green of the oaks is warming into orange. The tops of the wild blueberries have been turning red for several weeks, lacy flames above the yellowing leaves below.

A lone swallowtail floats past my window.

In the ditches along the mountain side of Highway 276 you can see the low, stout yellow-fringed orchis blooming with a bright orange that delights every time. We tried growing two of these plants in our garden one year but they were out of their element and disappeared. Nowadays I’m looking for the deep purple ironweed, too, on the drive into town.

Nature all around is saying, “Welcome to change.”

Goldenrod is not ragweed!

Election season is upon us, this year with more urgency than many of us have ever known. Even young people sense that basic human values are at risk this year, and are talking about things they’ve taken for granted all their lives, like women’s rights.

I believe that most Americans are good at heart, and are ok with sharing the earth with people who look or love differently from themselves. But I’m not sure they’re aware of how much their vote is worth, or of the power it has to protect their family’s well-being.

So the time is here to devote as much time as I can to getting out the vote in our county for Democratic candidates. They are the only ones right now who care about defending American democracy, all the way from our county courthouse to Congress.

The lovely common aster.

“Now is the time for all good Dems to come to the aid of their party.”

So now I’m going to put on my Democratic hat (or t-shirt) to sign up for as many things as I can, things like making phone calls, staffing Headquarters, addressing postcards, working at the polls. The time for stepping up to get out the vote is now, and I believe it’s worth my time.

My energy (at this age) and my time (at any age) are limited. So starting with next week and for the next few months, you’ll be receiving fewer Postcards posts. I plan to publish at least one a week, on no particular day of the week. This way I can strive for quality if not quantity.

Fresh potatoes drying, on the way to the kitchen and to friends and family.

As always I look forward to your Comments; they are your postcards to all of us. We are united in making the most of our world for the most of us, celebrating health and the good strong spirit.

See you soon at Headquarters, and here at Postcards sometime next week,

Deda

The windows where I once saw a turtle on the wall and now look for goldfinches. There’s lots to do!

All photos are by Deda Edney