Election 2012 - "oh, my"

This is where I lived with my husband and first baby in 1976.  We were in the unit on the right.  Lehi has really grown since we lived in this duplex which then sat on a simple street without sidewalks or neighbors.  It was purchased by Glen's father as an investment property.  I drove by it the other day after shopping in Lehi and took this picture.

1976 was a presidential election year and a bicentennial celebration year honoring the formation of The United States of America in 1776.  Jimmy Carter won that year beating Gerald Ford who had been vice president before becoming the president when Nixon resigned over Watergate.  Carter was a one term president.  That was my hope for Obama.

I truly was surprised at the amount of despair I felt as I realized that Mitt Romney would not be our next president last Tuesday evening.  It has been a hard four years.  I was so ready for a change.  I spent a long night tossing and turning.  I really do worry for my grandchildren who will carry the burden of big government and mandates with its inherent loss of freedoms and agency.  California has led the way and I worry that they will be our first bailout, our Greece.

With Carter we entered a phase of run away inflation.  I dreaded my grocery store runs, knowing that prices always went up while the food budget didn't.  Interest rates for home loans were in the double digits.  It was a constant squeeze.  It felt scary.  That is how I feel now.  Scared and worried.

It's interesting to compare the two maps and see the changes in red and blue states in the last 36 years.  Notice how close the popular vote was in both elections.  It seems hardly worth it to vote for president unless you live in one of the swing states with their valuable electoral votes. But I will vote.  I won't squander that right.

How the election shaped up by county in 2012

On this Veteran's Day it is hard to know that generations of men and women have sacrificed to uphold our freedoms and principles.  Now we are told that the culture is changing and we have to change, too.  I know that the world is changing and there will be change, but I also know that a strong country needs strong and committed families who value work and honesty and taking the higher road.

As a Mormon watching a Mormon run for President of the United States, I also felt very much like Daniel C. Peterson who described his feelings here.  He is of my generation and a Mormon and he states it so well.

BEE careful!

 

In Arizona it is now the time to get out in the garden and plant, plant, plant.  The temperature has finally dropped from the triple digits and the 90 something days are fewer.  Before one plants however, the hot summertime over growth and neglect must be trimmed away.  This is what we found while trimming up the bougainvillea.  A birdhouse full of honey bees!

Glen gifted me with this trio of birdhouses for Christmas a few years back.  They have been decorative and fun to have.  No bird has ever expressed interest and we were very surprised to see the bees.  I would have loved to keep them but I could also visualize a grandchild knocking it over.  It is especially worrisome given that we lost a back fence neighbor years ago when he tried to take out the hive that was forming in a corner of his deck cover.  We didn't want to just kill the bees either.  So . . .

Glen called the bee keeping BIL who recommended that we go online and find the local bee keeping association.  We did and a bee keeper showed up after dark (the above picture shows just half of the bees that would have gathered by dark), contained them, and took them to a new home.  Of course there were a few escapees who were still buzzing around but day by day they have dissipated.  To have a hive, you have to have a queen.

So far we have planted out over 150 plants.  Every morning we have been going out and working for a couple of hours.

We decided to try something other than Icelandic poppies in these pots this year.  We purchased 5 different colored New Mexico geraniums from A&P Nursery instead.

This side yard plant out almost did us in yesterday morning.  I can hardly wait for all the future color.  I also did my window box and Glen planted the pots by the lamp post.  Still to go?  The backyard pots and my vegetable garden will be our focus the next couple of days.  My son said that Utah was 42 degrees and that the mountains were covered with snow today.  I really do enjoy the best of two worlds!

I Believe in America, too.

The sign is back out in the planter along the street for the neighborhood to see.  It's been in the garage since the end of the primaries.  Now that Mitt is officially the Republican candidate and there are only 67 days left until the 2012 presidential election, Glen decided it was time for it to reappear.

Did you watch the Republican Convention?  I asked Glen if he watched political conventions when he was a kid.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  Why would you watch conventions when you could be at the beach or out playing baseball?  I have watched many conventions.  I've felt drawn to them since the early 1960's when my age had finally reached the double digits.  I don't know if it coincides with finally having a TV in our home, but TV definitely facilitated my being able to listen and watch.  I remember famous addresses from Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, fighting in the streets in Chicago, Nixon's daughters, Johnson's daughters, the crazy hats, and confetti and balloons. 

I watched almost every minute of the RNC convention this week and I took it straight up.  Translation:  I watched C-Span.  I wanted to watch the convention, not all of the talking heads trying to get their own air time.  I really can think and react for myself, thank you very much!  I found it fascinating as I watched a Mormon become the official candidate for president of the United States.  I wasn't expecting all the programing directly before the convention trying to explain my religion.  It made me wonder about the accuracy of journalistic stories in general as there were so many inaccuracies presented in network stories.  Go here to see official LDS Church statements regarding such inaccuracies.

Here are my thoughts and feelings the day after:

*  When a Mormon stake president from Boston offered the opening prayer I felt like I was listening to General Conference.  It was so comforting.  Isn't it interesting how our religious life has its own rhythms and cadence?

*  Did you notice Ann's eyes darting here and there when all the grand kids came out on stage?   That's exactly what happens to me when with the grand kids somewhere and you want them to be safe and well behaved.

*  Tears and more tears.  Such touching personal stories which needed to be shared so that we know more about the candidate as a man not just a candidate for president.

*  Moments spent getting oneself back in control.  In an interview this morning, Ann stated that her youngest son explained his moment saying that he suddenly felt his grandfather George Romney with him.  Where else would George's spirit be on such an occasion as this?

Yes, I listened to the speeches and heard the political rhetoric but for me it is usually more about the feelings.  I wish that the next 67 days would be more "Mormon Ad" in tone than muckraking and demonizing.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Romney endorsement

This morning the Arizona Republic formally endorsed Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential candidate. Read more here.

The Republic's reasons for doing so pretty much mirror my own. There are more yard signs out in my garage. Come and get them!

Debating in my home town

I was first made aware of the book, "The Real Romney" while listening to this interview on NPR. I knew that hubby, who has been following the Republican Primary race and donating to Romney's cause, would probably enjoy reading it so I left the book on his pillow with an old fashioned valentine card on the day of love. Guess who has been reading it?

I have found it fascinating from Romney's Mormon ancestors' stories, which are much like my own, to his desire to give public service after making millions in the business world. Glen and I followed the Republican Primary race in 2008 as well. It was such a novelty to watch Romney navigate the race as a Mormon and to realize my naivete as a Mormon who has always lived in the West. I hadn't pondered much on how the rest of the country perceived those of my faith.

Now four years later, the United States will tune into the beautiful Mesa Fine Arts Center in downtown Mesa, a town founded by Mormon pioneers in 1878. Is Romney's Mormon faith still an issue? I feel it is but I don't think people are as likely to voice it or talk about it this time around. This Primary race has been a rollercoaster ride. Who knew that Mesa's debate would become such an important part of the ride? So we will be tuning in to CNN at 6:00 PM tomorrow night, but we won't be attending the after party. (Yes - we did receive an invitation :)

Romney's true wealth

In this morning's paper I read an article stating that if Romney does indeed win the presidency, he will be among the wealthiest ever elected president. As I pondered on that, I decided to share the above picture with you. I am sure that Mitt Romney would agree that his true wealth and treasure would be his grandchildren. I was delighted to see his oldest granddaughter standing next to him as he addressed the public last Saturday at the conclusion of the South Carolina primary election.

I have learned that one of life's greatest rewards are the grandchildren that come later in life. As I visit with my age related friends, I find that they agree with me. They, too, find that one of the great joys of life comes from grandparenting. If I had the opportunity to ask, I think that Mitt and Ann Romney would also be on board.

I recently read of a released study by BYU that was not only thought provoking but also reaffirming. Grand parents can and do make a difference according to the years long study. I know that my grandchildren are my joy and my treasure. I enjoy being with them, encouraging them, loving them, and being entertained by them. I am a blessed and happy grandma!

*We received a Christmas card from Mitt with the above picture. What a great reward for sending his campaign a bit of money.