So very sad.

I am very much a tree person. In Fairbanks, there's not really shade trees. There's birch, alder, cottonwood, white spruce, and black spruce. All of those grow up instead of out, so the effect is many skinny trees all hanging out. In addition, the fall season is approximately one week long, so the trees just turn yellow and then shed their leaves. If they're lucky, they do it before the first big snow hits.

So, when I came to Minnesota, the thing that made me the happiest about my new home was the amazing, huge, overarching trees and the colors those would turn in the fall. One of my favorite sights was standing at the top of the hill in St. Peter looking towards the river, and seeing the entire valley aflame with these wonderful trees all orange and red and gorgeous. One of my favorite things about the Cities is how many trees there are in the city proper. We have parks, we have random green spaces, we have trees in between the sidewalks and street.

Why am I sad then? This is why: Minnesota is losing its shade trees. Dutch Elm disease is rampaging through the Cities, and old, stately trees are coming down. Orange spraypaint on a tree trunk can make me tear up at this point. I know it needs to happen, we have to get the infestation under control, but it seems so unfair. Especially since it seems that global warming is playing a major part in the growth of the beetle population, much like it is in the spruce stands in Alaska. One of the saddest sights I've seen is acres and acres of dead grey spruces, all leaning against each other as if needing each other's strength.

I know it's part of the ecosystem and cycle of life. It's still a heartbreaking sight.

Hey, US Voters!!

Are you registered to vote?

Are you sure?

Here's why I ask.

Apparently there are groups out there who buy copies of the voter registration rolls, then send in new registrations for registered voters giving them a new address. It's really a more sophisticated version of the whole thing with the felony lists in Florida in the last election - however, people aren't being REMOVED from the voting rolls, and hence there's no red flag being raised. After all, people DO move and send in change of address, so there's no reason for them to suspect voter fraud. And there's really no way to trace this, so there's really no way to detect this. But in effect what it means is voters are removed from the rolls - after all, if you're unknowingly registered in another precinct, how can you vote at yours? I was lucky...I have the job flexibility and transportation to go down to the election board and find out the problems, but I'm betting a lot of the other people with the same problems don't. And there are a lot - at my precinct, during the period we were at the polls, which was pretty slow, there were only about five or six people in and out, including us. And of those, me and one other guy found ourselves off the rolls, and one woman said she'd had the same thing happen to her during the 2000 presidential election and had to spend the entire day down at the election board.

I've asked my local election board, and they say that there's been no such complaints with them. However, given the current political climate, I think that being incredibly pro-active about your right to vote is a good way to go. So, call and check. Make sure you're eligible and registered properly.

And hey, if you're a recently naturalized citizen? Make sure that you are registered in the party you actually want to be in.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Dario Cruz has lived in the United States for 16 years, but just became a citizen last week as he and about 200 other immigrants were naturalized.

Dario Cruz takes citizenship oath at the University of North Florida last week.

One of the things he had always wanted to was register to vote, but when he was offered the chance to do that right outside the ceremony, he knew something wasn't right -- the place on the form where you're asked to choose Democrat, Republican or independent was already filled out.

"It's like one side," Cruz said. "You don't get to choose."

According to Cruz and his family, every form was checked off Republican.

Thursday.

My haul from the farmer's market today includes the first batch of apples (so teeny!), chives, basil, tomatoes, blueberries, gouda, and green beans. All grown (or made) in Minnesota or Wisconsin (the berries always come from Bayfield. It's A Thing). Yummy. It's the first week for the blueberries and the apples, and the first week that the tomatoes are actually tomato-like. I've already eaten my way through the pint of blueberries. I think I'll make a couple foccace tonight - one with basil and chives, and the other with basil, chives, and tomatoes.

There's an interesting dynamic at work in the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, especially in the downtown one. A couple vendors bring in produce from all over, so you can get pluots and oranges and bananas and other non-native produce at the Market. This upsets some of the local farmers, so now everyone who sells Minnesota-grown produce has a bright pink sign stating that fact. (This isn't an issue with the St. Paul market, because Minnesota-grown is a requirement to sell there.) Since I buy most of my non-MN produce at my co-op, I'm more than happy to stick to the local-grown stuff. That is the whole point of the market, as far as I'm concerned.


Speaking of Market, I went to karaoke last night after rehearsal, and am exhausted today as a consequence. Still, had fun. I need to remember that while singing "Express Yourself" is fun, it needs to be the last song I sing, because it rips the hell out of my vocal cords. Or, you know, I could actually learn how to sing. Nah, too easy.


Tried running last night. The knees felt fine, but the top of my foot/front of my ankle hurt so much that I had to give up after a half-mile. This is starting to worry me. My hope is that the pain is connected to the adjustments my legs & knees are having to make, and that it will go away by this weekend. I'm doing the golf ball massage thing and the ankle rotating stretches at my desk, and will ice and elevate when I get home.


Slow day at the office. Don't want to be here. Want to be at home, sleeping.