Saturday, October 17, 2020

Voting and Planting Trees and The Twilight of Democracy

 



We had temperatures in the 90s most days last week (hot!), but a cool front pushed through on Friday...we look forward to a weekend in the 80s.  








Three excellent reads, all timely, all somewhat bleak: Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum; Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen: A Novel by Sarah Bird; and Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney. 





I've been listening to The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See by Richard Rohr. So far, I've listened to the whole book twice, and I've started it again for the third time. Powerful stuff. 




War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy...85% read

Devotions by Mary Oliver...85% read

How to Draw Your Beautiful Ordinary Life...63% read







Authors Julia Alvarez and Sigrid Nunez spoke at Inprint this week. Two wise women. 





I wrote posts:







We did lots of Texas Master Naturalist work last week. We collected data for the Pollinator Citizen Science Project. We attended the Texas Master Naturalist State Convention, held on WebEx. And we planted trees at the nearby county park. 





1. Mail-in ballots are only allowed in Texas for a few reasons, and masks are not required in the voting booths. I had no other choice; I took a deep breath and got in line and voted in person on the first day of early voting. 

2. My Christian meditation class.

3. Pecans from our backyard.







I'm happy you found your way to the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

  • What was your week like?
  • Read any good books? Tell us about them.
  • What other bookish things did you do? 
  • What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.


My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.


61 comments:

  1. Yay for voting early! I've done mine too. Now we just wait. It looks like a productive week -- well done!

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  2. I got my mail in ballot and filled it out and sent it back in. In our state this year all registered voters were automatically sent a mail in ballot so that made it easy to vote.

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  3. I love the work of both Nunez and Alvarez. Wish I could have heard them. We've been enjoying the delightfully cooler weather the last couple of days and hope it lasts a little longer. I mailed my ballot in as soon as I got it in September. I had requested it back in the spring.

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    1. I have one more year before I can vote by mail. And our cool weather has left here, sadly.

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  4. THANK YOU for voting, even though your state made it a frightening situation and no one could have blamed you for not risking your health. Thanks for the trees too, that will make life better for everyone!

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  5. Anne Applebaum's journalism articles have recently been very pessimistic but believable. I have been thinking about getting her book, but I'm afraid it will be very depressing.

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  6. Your books look really interesting. Our early voting starts next week.

    Hope you have a great week!

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    1. The governor did extend early voting by a week. That's something.

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  7. Oh, wow. I had no idea Texas was being so unreasonable. North Carolina (permanent home and still where we vote) has been bad enough, what with the "rules" for mail-in ballots still being contested and election board officials agreeing to one set of rules and then changing their minds when party officials tell them to. What a mess. 🙄 But my personal FB feed is full of early in-person voters so at least, like you, our voters are still persevering!

    Enjoy your week!

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    1. Oh, and we mailed in our absentee ballots quite a while ago. I tracked them and they were accepted at our county elections office on October 5, so we're good to go! Now to just wait and pray!

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    2. I wonder if we can track our vote online somehow.

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  8. Hi Deb! We had so many Pecans when we still lived in Nelspruit, we used them in the garden and in pot plants and of course for lots of pecanut pies.

    I've seen Cher Ami on someone else's blog with not a good review and it put me off the bog. Although I thought the premise is really good and what a lovely cover. After reading your review, I will have a look a the book again.

    Hope you will have a good week!

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    1. I think you might like Cher Ami, Mareli. A pigeon is one of the main characters. I'd love to see what Elza thinks of it. Lol.

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  9. Glad to hear you voted! To be honest, it always baffles me to hear how small the number of people is that choose to vote. In Belgium you have no choice and actually have to vote.

    Those books look great! I like the title of Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, I'm going to check it out right now!

    Have a great week!

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    1. It appears that 21 million Americans have voted already. That's a wonderful thing, I think.

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  10. Glad to hear that you voted!!! We are finishing up our ballots today and dropping them in the box in the morning. :)

    Your pecans! That is so cool! I would love some sort of nut tree in my yard.

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  11. I voted early, too, and had signed up for ballot tracking online. I already got notified that my ballot was received.

    I like the look of Twilight of Democracy.

    Enjoy your week and your books, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  12. Congratulations on making your voice heard!

    I’m glad you had excellent reading experiences, I look forward to your thoughts on The Naked Now

    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. I love The Naked Now. I am now listening to a second Richard Rohr book.

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  13. Congratulations on voting. And - wow! Listening to the same book for the third time sounds as if it is something profound. And how wonderful to actually have pecan nuts growing in the garden - I love them! Have a great week, Deb.

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    1. The Naked Now is an amazing book. Profound. That's the word.

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  14. I'd probably love that 'Naked Now' book. I hope you enjoy your week.

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  15. I left a comment on your post about Great Second Meals.

    I just shake my head at people not wearing masks. It is mainly not an issue here, people wear them. Oh there are the naysayers who think they shouldn't have to.

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  16. Texas sure doesn't make it easy for people to vote, does it? We voted in Florida this week... turnout is unbelievably high. You've done so well with your slow reading of War and Peace. Can't wait to hear your final thoughts! I recently attended my first virtual author event - a book launch for Ina Garten.

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  17. texas...sounds like florida, except for the mail in ballots. we sent ours in a while ago and i am so glad we could vote by mail. i think everyone, everywhere should be able to. why not? thanks for your ecological work

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    1. I have the feeling our Texans are a good bit like your Floridians.

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  18. Glad you were able to get to vote but it's ridiculous about the mail-in ballots. My state sent ours out this weekend. So we are done here.

    Glad you got some cooler weather for a bit. My friend is right outside of Houston and said she is eating it up!

    Twilight of Democracy is on my nightstand. I need to get to it soon.

    Have a great week!

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    1. I will be eager to hear what you think about Twilight of Democracy.

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  19. Planting trees at a local park sounds like a great idea! I don't understand why so many people resist wearing a mask. It's not that big an inconvenience and could save your life, or someone else's life.

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  20. Our ballots haven't arrived yet, which is worrying with all the post office troubles. But I will give it a day or two more before calling for replacements. Fortunately for us we have drop boxes at every library so we don't have to bother with the post office on its return trip.

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    1. Our governor also decreed that there can only be one drop off box per county. Isn't that sad?

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  21. I feel so fortunate to live in California where every single registered voter got a mail-in ballot this year! I've tracked mine and it has been accepted.

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  22. We requested mail-in ballots but, returned them to Town Hall instead of trusting the mail. Your temps are still pretty hot in Texas, we are having 60's by day and 30s by night although a few low 70s days next week perhaps.

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  23. You've been reading some heavy duty books lately. I'm still gravitating toward lighter reads. I'm just too tired from work these days. I wish we had your weather here. I love the heat but I live in Canada, so our winters are long.

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    1. We rarely get much winter at all. Wish I could switch out a bit of our long summers for your long winters.

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  24. It's terrific you voted! Me too. Cross our fingers. Your pecans look really good. I heard the Cher Ami novel is good so thanks for your review. I hope to get to it sometime. I'm glad you told me about the Inprint author talk ... I think I might listen to the next one with Yaa Gyasi ... I better get reading. enjoy your week.

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    1. This is Inprint's 40th season and they always have the most amazing authors.

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  25. Oh wow nice and warm there. We've cooled right off now that we're in mid October...

    Twilight of democracy looks like an important read, and so timely right now. Hope it was good!

    I have my ballot on my table right now, I need to fill it out and mail it in tomorrow. Or drop it off. We're almost there!

    Pecans! :)

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  26. We can vote by mail too and I am working on the ballots currently with my teenagers!! And reading for the Cybils!

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  27. It snowed Saturday and we still have snow on the ground today. The temperature isn't supposed to get as high as 40 anytime this week. I think I want to move to Texas! Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  28. I haven't read The Naked Now but am a fan of Richard Rohr's writing so will keep this in mind. I love the podcast Another Name for Everything he and another couple put out, they are delightful.

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  29. I voted last week too! Colorado has universal mail-in voting. Our ballots just show up in the mailbox, and we send them back. I love it and wish everyone could vote that way. Have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  30. Mmm pecans, I love them!

    It’s is still warm with you, it’s dipping below freezing here in the mornings and the first snows are appearing on the mountains.

    Have a good week.

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