For my recent birthday, spouse B made pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling, which were very yummy!
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/10/07/one-liner-wednesday-i-have-a-spider-in-my-kitchen-part-2/
Vote for Democracy #60
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Dropping off our ballots at the election office was a breeze.
We had filled out our absentee ballots at home and followed all the instructions for signing, dating, sealing the inner and outer envelopes. We were also lucky that our ballots this cycle were relatively short with no propositions.
The two hardest parts were finding a parking place in the vicinity of the County Office Building and having to go through metal detector and pocketbook check, which I had forgotten would be part of the deal.
At the Election Office, a friendly clerk was happy to take our ballot envelopes. She opened the outer envelopes and verified our signatures with the voter rolls. We were happy that she did this because it meant there wouldn’t be any problems with having our votes counted.
We asked when they would be tallied because New York State laws used to be that all absentee ballots were held for more than a week after election day before being counted. Because of the pandemic, a lot of laws had changed, so we weren’t sure what would happen now. She told us that they opened the accumulated absentee ballots on Tuesdays and Fridays. This allows them to mark the received ballots in the system so that no one can show up at the polls on election day pretending to be us. They can begin counting the ballots on election day, so our votes will be part of the tallies reported after the polls close. We were happy that they would be part of the count on the day, especially because a couple of our races will probably be close. The more absentee ballots arriving early, the less likely that we’ll have to wait an extended time for results.
This is the first time in ages that we have voted by absentee ballot, but my surgery date will have us out of state for not only election day but also the early in-person voting dates. (We were grateful that we finally have early in-person voting in New York, which was a silver lining of the 2020 vote during the pandemic.)
So, another reminder for US citizens to check and make sure you are registered and have accurate information on the polling/ballot policies that apply to your home precinct. Make your plan and vote! It’s very important to make your voice heard. It takes all of us to make democracy work effectively.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “breeze.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/10/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-3-2026/
I’m excited because my absentee ballot arrived today so I can fill it out and bring it to the Elections Office before I have to go out of town for my surgery.
This reminder to US citizens to make and follow through on their plan to vote is brought to you in conjunction with Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/30/one-liner-wednesday-i-have-a-spider-in-my-kitchen/
Wishing the Smith College campus community – and Smtih alums everywhere – a joyous Mountain Day!
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/23/one-liner-wednesday-its-cold-already/
I don’t like having AI butting in with suggestions while I’m typing and I really don’t want to waste the energy it takes to run it, so I disable it as much as possible.
I disabled Gemini from my main Gmail inbox. A casualty of that is that I also lost spell check.
Mind you, spell check was there long before AI started butting in, but now it appears that you can only have spell check if Gemini is turned on.
While I try my best, I’m afraid that some typos have snuck into my emails.
I hope that people forgive them in exchange for my authentic voice, unaltered by AI.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “typo.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/18/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-september-19-2026/
A memorial organ recital in memory of Jonathan Biggers, featuring his former students, will be Saturday, September 19 at 4 PM at United Presbyterian Church of Binghamton, sponsored by the church and the Binghamton Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
This bonus One-Liner Wednesday brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/16/one-liner-wednesday-facts-few-and-far-between/
Binghamton area folks are cordially invited to a fun and FREE community sing-along on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 2 PM at the Phelps Mansion Museum, offered by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton as a kick-off to their ’26-’27 season celebrating American music!
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/16/one-liner-wednesday-facts-few-and-far-between/
Vote for Democracy #59
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Today is National Voter Registration Day in the United States. The United States does not have the greatest participation in elections, so it’s good to have a day to focus on this.
Some things you can do today:
Registration: If you are not registered, it’s a great day to do it! The National Voter Registration Day site has a page which links you to the proper procedure to register in your state or to update a registration if you’ve had a name or address change. You can also check out your local election office. When searching, look for web addresses that end in .gov. Do NOT visit VoteSafe! It is a scam that will take and sell your information and will not give you accurate voting information.
Plan to Vote: If you are registered and have checked to make sure that your registration is accurate, make a plan to vote. Depending on your state, you may receive or request a ballot be sent through the mail which can then be filled out and mailed back or dropped off at an election office, dropbox, or polling place. You might have in-person early voting in a centralized location in the days or weeks leading up to election day. You might want to vote in person at your precinct’s polling place on Election Day, which is Tuesday, November 3 in 2026. For in-person voting, whether early or on Election Day, double-check on your polling location and hours.
For example, I know that I will be out of the state on Election Day, so I have already put in a request with my county’s election office to have a ballot mailed to me. I plan to fill it out, carefully following all the instructions, and bring it in person to the election office before I leave town. If I’m not well enough to bring it in person, I will put it in the mail but weeks early to avoid possible mail slowdowns.
Community Outreach: Encourage others to register and/or make their own plans to vote. See if you can help at a registration drive. Let people know that voting is important for our democracy. Offer help to anyone who might have a barrier to voting, such as a need for transportation, computer help searching for official election information, caregiving responsibilities, etc.
In many other democracies, registration is automatic and voting is mandatory. The United States makes things much more complicated and our participation rate bears that out. For our democracy to function better, we need to hear from everyone through our free speech rights and from citizens through their votes in local, state, and national races and referenda.
Please share your experiences with registering and voting in the United States or in democracies throughout the world in the comments here and/or at whatever opportunity presents itself. Let’s make our voices heard!
WordPress helpfully reminded me that Top of JC’s Mind was born 13 years ago yesterday.
It doesn’t seem quite possible that I’ve kept the blog going that long, despite an avalanche of personal and world churn.
My thanks to everyone who has read or commented over this time, especially those who are helping buoy me in my current health/brain challenges.
I can’t guarantee another 13 years but I can hope for it…
The reason I haven’t been posting much lately is that I am getting ready to have surgery for Chiari malformation in late October. There is a lot to do to get prepared, including a bunch of tests, which, along with the rest of my medical team visits has been taking up a lot of time and my limited brainpower.
I also was trying to keep some fraction of my volunteering and online advocacy going but now push has come to shove, as they say, and I am setting almost everything aside for now to concentrate on my health. I need to rest more and not tax my already over-taxed brain.
My poor brain has been spending the last 2 1/2 years without the right amount of cerebrospinal fluid and my symptoms seem to be intensifying a bit, so I need to acknowledge that. I knew I’d need to be on a long hiatus after the surgery, so I’m practicing now.
That being said, there are a few commitments that I plan to keep, the Boiler House Poets Collective residency at the Studios at MASS MoCA and the sing-along hosted by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton. I may not be much help for either of them but it’s important for me to be there.
I’m giving myself permission to stop trying to keep up with all the causes that I usually do, so I’m up-to-date to do comments or letters to elected officials and government agencies or just contribute to conversation. I will try to read just my favorite writers and columns. I need to get used to deleting things without opening them.
Ironically, I may post here a bit more during the weeks remaining before surgery. If there is less to keep up with, I might be able to reserve some time and brainpower to post.
If I don’t manage it, you’ll know the reason.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “reason.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/09/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-september-12-2026/
