I stayed up late making a wreath for Cameron's front door. Here is a mid-way photo. I am sure when he gets it hung up, he will send me a photo of the amazingness that it turned out to be! I thought we would see him today at the International Lineman's Rodeo, but he had a work event and left before we got there.
Madison and her crew went to another pumpkin patch, and had a day of fun with their friends. I loved the photos - looks like a great day!
Colin was on a 3 man team of Journeymen today competing at the Lineman's Rodeo. We were a little bit late, because the fog was pretty intense. Spencer and her mom, aunt, cousin and little cousins were there. Mallory, Jim, Grace and I also came up - which meant Colin had a great fan section! Cameron came for a while well, but as I mentioned had to leave. Spencer went back to Wichita with her family, so she could take care of Volt, who had surgery and has to be walked on a leash so he doesn't go too crazy and un-do his surgery! No running or jumping for him for a few more weeks!
I liked this photo, where Spencer's little cousins were running around playing in the foreground. They are little cuties! It was nice to see Spencer's family again, and it was a beautiful day to sit outside! Colin's team did fairly well, but he said they were not fast enough to place. I am always impressed that anyone can put some spikes on their boots, a rope around their waist, and climb a pole and then still function to do any type of work. Truly, I appreciate all they do, and once again - say what you will about me, but I love the grid. As in love, love it. Power makes me happy. I like flipping a switch and having instant light, even in the darkest hour of the night. I like having air conditioning and heat. And I love my appliances that make my life easier and less complicated. Grid is good - people who keep the grid up and running are heroes in my book. And I do love our lineman! We are very proud of the work he does, and the life he has been building with Spencer.
One of the competitions is to get a "hurt man" down off a pole. It seems like that might be easy, but you have to make sure the power is cut off, (these are fake lines, but they still have to "cut off power") and then you have to utilize proper knots, proper equipment and attempt CPR after you get them down. It is pretty complicated. And in all honesty, probably not that bad of a thing to practice.
The weather was amazing, the events were cool, the lunch we got from Colin's work was delicious, and I loved sitting outside in the sun, visiting with my people. Amazing time for sure!
On the way home, Jim and Mallory ran a few errands while I attended a No King's day rally in Lawrence. I know that not everyone agrees with my position on some of these issues - but to me it was important to show up today. Lawrence had a lot of protesters. I do not know how to count crowd size, but it was definitely a crowd. I liked the signs, and the people were all very kind, and peaceful, which is good. Why did I feel it was important to protest? At this point, I am feeling that the country is in a dire emergency with our current administration. Every single day seems to hold some new policy, new news that I don't agree with, and some new insanity that I don't feel is in the best interest of me or my family. To me, this is beyond a left vrs right argument. The things I am especially mad about: kidnapping people off the streets and not allowing them due process. (this one is a terrifying big no for me). The president violating court orders, scotus being corrupt, continued violations of the constitution, the Hatch Act, the Emoluments clause, shutting down the government over an argument about whether people have the right to have healthcare, stopping people from having access to food, bankrupting family farms, allowing foreign countries to buy up the land of the bankrupted farmers, cutting the department of education, and finally, the president somehow adding $3.9 billion to his net worth during his 9 (ish) months in office. This is a disgrace. Oh, and I also firmly believe he is in the Epstein files, which is an even bigger disgrace. All of it is unacceptable to me. Human rights are non-negotiable. People in power following the law is non-negotiable. Congress doing its job - non-negotiable. Having checks and balances - non-negotiable. The list is longer, but these are the ones that make me the maddest. I am glad that I went. I am glad that I was one of 7 million people who attended these protests and can be counted among people who can say they stood up for what they believe is right. Will it change anything? I don't know - historically yes, protesting works. But it is often slow change, and I am not a patient person. I will do what I can though, because it is too important to do nothing.
