Goodbye to The Sign Wars

The election is finally over. The robocalls have stopped. No more text messages asking for money. No more reminders to get out and vote. The campaigns were successful. There was a record turnout. Now, we can all go back to using our smartphones for things that truly matter. Like googling the name of that actress who appeared in the movie you saw ten years ago. Or checking the take-out menu of your favorite Chinese restaurant. I’ll have the chicken lo mein and the barbeque spareribs. Or looking up the meaning of that odd word you spotted the other day. Taradiddle. No, I’m not going to tell you what it means. You’ll have to google it.

Cable News

I swear (hand in the air) “not” to watch any more cable news. At our house, I’d been jumping back and forth between the three majors giving myself emotional whiplash. That is now over. Instead,  my time on the sofa will be spent in intellectual pursuits. I will read a good book. Hello Doris Kearns Goodwin. I will toy with The New York Times crossword puzzle. Why is it so darn hard? Gosh, I love that puzzle. I will nap. After all, isn’t that what the sofa is really for? Based on my experience, I nap best sitting up straight, head drooped forward like a ten-pound bowling ball. Painful? You bet. But it still qualifies as a nap as long as your eyes are closed.

The Signs Are Gone

Heading into the election, our neighborhood went rogue. We too participated. Block by block, political signs popped up. Not on every lawn, but in selective pockets of the neighborhood. And slowly, we learned the political leanings of our neighbors. And for what purpose?  I’ve never voted for a candidate based on a sign planted on anyone’s lawn. If knowledge is power, this kind of knowledge is powerfully alarming. Because no time in our history has an election been more contentious. Except perhaps Kennedy/Nixon. Nixon/McGovern. Bush/Gore. Hmm. Come to think of it, history is littered with examples of contentious races. To be political is inherently contentious. To be American is inherently political. Good for us. We get choices. You’ve got to love being an American.

And Now, A Little Something Extra

I’ve been quietly working on my next novel Boca by Moonlight which should be available June 2021. George, a widower in his sixties, struggles to come to grips with a new life in Boca Raton. If you’ve ever lost a parent or your parent has remarried, this book is for you.  If you wonder how mature men navigate being widowers, you’ll enjoy reading about George and his friends, Herbie, and Benny. They’re bound to steal your heart.