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.