At the polls in Northwood on Tuesday, turnout was better than expected. Which reminds me of the story of the farmer, who, when asked about the spring sap run, said, “It wa’n’t as good as expected, but then we didn’t think it would be.”
This is why Yankees are never disappointed.
I enjoy standing at the polls holding signs and chatting with people, especially the other sign holders. Some stay all day, but two or three hours is about my limit. When I arrived at 5 p.m., the sign holders were looking a little soggy. Evidently there had been a significant thunderstorm. (I was up in Wakefield, 50 miles away, so I missed the thunder boomer, but I detected its after-effects in the way the Republicans huddled under their umbrella, shivering a little.)
The Republicans stand in a cluster. The Democrats stand in a cluster. Sometimes we pass out stuff. I was passing out invitations to the Northwood Democrats fundraiser on Sept. 23, Lake Shore Farm, 7 p.m. It’s called “Lift Your Voices” – and we plan to. We’ve got singers, guitarists, a couple of people running for office – Chaz Proulx and Tom St. Martin – who happen to be singers and guitarists. I’m going to be the emcee. There will be food. I think we’re asking for $5 donations, so we should bring in some dough for the cause.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some Republicans show up for the entertainment. And, of course, the independents will be out in force eating the homemade brownies. My friend Jean Lane makes Republican and Democratic brownies for the women’s club bake sale at the polls. Ask her what the difference is and she’ll say, with a twinkle: “The Democratic brownies have nuts.”
As we all stood in the Town Hall yard, naturally we chatted. The conversation ranged widely, from Vietnam to Iraq and Iran, to the price of oil and Sarah Palin’s ability to field-dress moose. “Who can’t?” I said. We agreed that field dressing a moose wasn’t that big of a deal. We talked about the school superintendent in town getting fired and nobody knows why! Shocking – not that she got fired, but that two days have passed and nobody knows why yet; or if they do, they ain’t saying.
We talked about lipstick and pigs and which politicians show up at outdoor events in January with the wind blowing, and which politicians simply send their kind regards. We talked about a peace march coming through town sometime soon and how that’s going to snarl traffic on Route 4 something wicked. We talked about hearing aids and horsehide boots. Jake, who raises cattle, showed off his horsehide boots. “I’ve had these for 15 years,” he said. “Look at ‘em. Good as new.” Horsehide, he explained, is the only leather that lasts. It’s the only kind that doesn’t rot away when exposed to lots of manure.
At the polls, there’s only one possible response to a statement like that: “They’ll sure come in handy today, Jake.”
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