Confessions of an Election Worker: ‘I spent it on sock yarn’ Part 2

This is what I tweeted the Friday before Thanksgiving.  Had I known then that the back of my head was going to make national news, I would have packed a hairbrush along with my coffee and knitting to take to the Wisconsin Center.  Two days prior, the Trump Campaign had wired $3 million to recount the vote … Continue reading Confessions of an Election Worker: ‘I spent it on sock yarn’ Part 2

Civilization on the endangered list: a brief meditation

What a ride! Collective whiplash is everywhere and trying to slow it down only does so much. We careen along, shedding whatever we can to lighten our emotional loads as we’re continously hit more and harder. It’s exhausting.   The police shoot a man in the back seven times in front of his children, which becomes … Continue reading Civilization on the endangered list: a brief meditation

Anger tinged with hope: a WI election story from the bottom of the hill

For Wisconsin voters, shit didn’t just get real this past week. It rolled downhill, thanks to the cabal of legislators and judges who insisted the April 7 election run in business-as-usual fashion - in the midst of a pandemic. That meant registered voters who hadn’t receieved absentee ballots in time to return them postmarked by … Continue reading Anger tinged with hope: a WI election story from the bottom of the hill

Voter suppression & COVID-19: too good an opportunity for WI legislators to pass up

On Tuesday, Election Day here in Wisconsin, I’m going spend the day counting ballots. Last week, the call went out for volunteers, and I figured it was something I could do. We’re going to be working in an 80,000 square-foot space; social distancing will be enforced. Masks and gloves will be  provided.  Today, the front page … Continue reading Voter suppression & COVID-19: too good an opportunity for WI legislators to pass up

Pandemic musings from a virtual reference librarian

There’s a lot of noise out here right now, as everyone screams silently from wherever they’re holed up.  Sweetheart and I are holed up at home and beyond grateful. Our jobs haven’t been dramatically affected. Having previously weathered extended periods of under- and unemployment, we fully understand and appreciate how lucky we are. The last … Continue reading Pandemic musings from a virtual reference librarian

Long-dead hypochondriac & sports fan’s life lessons on managing COVID-19

The night our father went missing, my sister hung out in her bedroom, reading “The Boys of Summer” by Roger Kahn. Dad had given her the book, and she figured reading it might help bring him home.  That was 46 years ago (or will be, this coming Saturday). This morning, in an email, she told … Continue reading Long-dead hypochondriac & sports fan’s life lessons on managing COVID-19