Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Oh, Yeah... I Still Have a Blog

Today, I woke up remembering that I have a blog that has been neglected. Rest assured, my inattention is (mostly) unintentional. Thank goodness this space isn't a small child or animal. My goal over the next few weeks is to actually work on a couple of posts. There are just some things that have been lingering in my mind or that I've wanted to share, but as usual, life has taken on too much of my attention and having an opportunity to simply think for more than a few minutes is rare.
*Image from Etsy... It's a currently available palette knife painting, if you're interested.
Locally, we've also been blessed with an actual, for real, autumn season (I'm not sure I've seen this more than one other time during our near-14 years in Colorado). We've seen no snow - at least not here on the range below the mountains, and even rain has been scarce. It's a strange feeling to experience 80F degree days at the end of October because usually snow begins quite early, and almost always at this juncture we've seen the white powder glistening on our roads and roofs more than once. Snowboarders are off crying in a corner, but I've found it quite enjoyable - and necessary - for some things I've needed to get done outdoors. I'm hoping it hangs on just a bit longer so that I can complete the necessary tasks and then the boarders can have their pow pow

Anyway, I did want to put up a quick request; well, actually, I have two. 

First, I don't care to get political here in this space, but I just want to remind everyone in the U.S. to go and vote this election. I am highly concerned about this one in particular as it has to be one of the most disconcerting I've witnessed in my lifetime, but for those who like to constantly state that "your vote doesn't count," I would just like to say that people have fought hard to have the ability to vote and there are many individuals across the world who would welcome the opportunity to have his/her voice heard in an election. So, take a few minutes to learn about local ballot measures, and certainly take more than a few minutes to learn about the presidential candidates, and then cast your vote.

The second request is also in regard to voting, and this one will really take just a few seconds of your time. In fact, it will take longer to read the paragraphs below this than to offer your vote.

Locally, there is an organization that assists the homeless on our streets. They provide varying sorts of assistance from helping with temporary housing, clothing, and so on. I have a friend who also recently started a program to give bicycles to those on the streets. She gets community members and businesses to donate used mountain bikes or parts and then has other volunteers assemble and tune the bikes. The organization then locates individuals who can use the bikes for transportation and sets them up with lights, locks and so on.

This organization (H.O.P.E. - Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement) is currently in the running to receive a $7,000 grant from First Western Trust. They are in the finalist stage, but they need votes in order to win the grant, and they have some catching up to do in numbers. If you would be so kind as to take a second and click here, you can help them reach their goal of getting some assistance to support their new sheltering service.

You can vote once per day every day until November 10, so if you vote today, you can go back and vote again tomorrow and so on, and you can also help by getting friends and family to take a moment to go and cast a vote for HOPE. It doesn't matter where you are in the world - every vote really does count.
*Image from HOPE. You can vote by clicking here and selecting HOPE
When you arrive on the voting page, it will ask you to enter your name and email address (I have not received any spam from this - I believe it's just to ensure that no one is voting multiple times in a day). Then, just scroll the page and look for HOPE (it's a purple logo, like the one shown above) and mark the box. You may get a pop-up asking for your phone number, but you don't need to enter anything in that box for your vote to count.

I appreciate you taking the time to help this worthwhile organization! I'd also love to hear how autumn riding is going for everyone out there, so, let's chat in the comments when you have time.

6 comments:

  1. It's good to hear from you again. I was an early voter in the presidential election and just cast my ballot for HOPE online. This sounds like a terrific organization.

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    1. You are fantastic, Kendra! Thank you so much!! HOPE is a great organization that does much good, so I am hoping to see their numbers bump up over the next few days.

      It's amazing how quickly time gets away from me. We've been painting the exterior of the house (the longest project to date, I must say... and it's drug out for several months), and thankfully the weather has remained pleasant so we are holding out hope to actually finish over the next couple of weeks. We have quickly learned why people pay others to do this sort of task (it's challenging when time is not plentiful). :)

      Hope all is well for you and yours and hope to get some posting done so no one thinks I've disappeared. :)

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    2. I know what you mean about time getting away from you and house projects. My spouse and I just moved from a lovely bungalow in a nice neighborhood in the University district to a condo in a high-rise building downtown. We'd lived in that house for 11 years, so we took the opportunity to do a major re-think of our possessions. Time to donate what we don't use and decide what we really want to hold on to. Big change! I'm exhausted! We moved in two weeks ago, and I'm just now coming up for air. We love it down here though.

      Oh, the new building has a bike room in the basement and my commute to work is almost exactly the same distance (12 miles r/t). Whew. I need a nap.

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    3. How exciting! Sam always says he'd like to live in a townhouse or something with less yard work required. I definitely see the appeal (especially in our current situation). Being closer to everything is also a benefit... though I must admit we aren't far from much where we currently live (at least within the city).

      Moving can be such a hassle, but hopefully it is worth it for both of you. I'm not overly organized or fussy in every day life (usually), but moving is one of those things when I find I have to get everything out of boxes and into proper places within a few days or I start to lose it. I think it's partly that I just need new places to start to feel like home and normal, and if everything is in boxes, I can't help but feel transitional.

      It's so awesome that buildings are starting to be constructed with bike storage in mind. I suppose it helps to be located in a city where numbers are likely higher for those on bicycles.

      Congratulations on the move and I hope you find you continue to enjoy your new home!!

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  2. Done! It is so nice of you to help and promote this cause,GE. Great to hear from you too. I missed you ☺ and look forward to your next posts. We too are awaiting the results of your US elections with bated breath. After Brexit here in Britain I must say nothing will surprise me now. It is tempting to retreat into the world I can control ... Bike rides, training plans, lesson plans for work ... But I suppose we must remain engaged and not play the ostrich ��

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    1. Thanks for voting, Stephanie!

      I am really concerned about the elections this year. I am amazed that our country is as closely divided as it seems to be in the polls. To me, there is an obvious choice, but I suppose the opposition feels the same way. I pride myself on being able to see multiple points of view, but this is one of those instances for which I struggle to see the good in the opposition's representative. But, I suppose I shouldn't get into that too much here. :)

      I've read a bit of additional information recently about Brexit and it sounds as though it may be quite a drawn out process for you all, but I hope that ultimately it is a good decision for everyone and helps strengthen rather than divide people. It's such a big decision! I can see the pros and cons of both sides, but it's also a situation that I can only read about and don't have to experience personally, so I'm sure it feels much like our elections here do to those in the UK.

      I hope you're getting in some good rides though and enjoying the season! :)

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