Here's to 2014~!

Snowshoeing with hangovers...I don't recommend it!  All in all, a lovely New Year's Eve and day.  Hope yours was totally awesome.

Women of a Certain Age Bringing It in NH

New Hampshire has elected an all female legislative delegation

Newly elected Governor Maggie Hassan (D), U.S. Senator Carol Shea Porter (D) and U.S.Representative Anne Kuster (D) join U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D) and U.S. Representative Kelly Ayotte (R) as the first all woman delegation in U.S. history.

They don't call us "First in the Nation" for nothing!

First Day of My Favorite Month

I love the header photograph I've just posted behind my blog title.  It's a gorgeous shot of a Native American sculpture erected on a tiny island on Lake Winnipesaukee, Meredith, NH.  According to a Facebook entry by Edward Phelps Grace III

Glenn Hines of Houlton, Maine and his wife, Diane, crafted the imposing 11,000-pound eight-foot tall replica of the Native American that graces Indian Island in Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee by day’s end.

Local residents and businesses collectively donated some $58,000 to fund the creation of the bronze and another $5,000 to restore the badly eroded island. 

The small island was originally home to a zinc sculpture of an Indian that had been part of a collection owned by local coal magnate Edward H. Clough. Given to the town around 1924, the war-like Indian was dubbed "Chief Chocorua" by the locals.

Pretty glorious, don't you think?

I live in such a beautiful place.

I Voted Today in the "1st in the Nation" NH Primary

I just returned from voting in the New Hampshire Primary.  

"Primary?" you say.  "You're voting in the Republican primary?"

I'm voting in the NH Primary and there is a Democratic ballot.  It's one of 17 states designated "Open Primary" although it is technically a "semi-Open Primary" state for reasons stated below: 

It is not a closed primary, in which votes can be cast in a party primary only by people registered with that party. Undeclared voters — those not registered with any party — can vote in either party primary. However, it does not meet a common definition of an open primary, because people registered as Republican or Democrat on voting day cannot cast ballots in the primary of the other party.^{[1]  Wikipedia}

Reported results thus far from our two smallest precincts who voted 12:01AM this morning.

Dixville Notch, NH  has 9 registered voters. They turn out 100%.

         Barack Obama    3 votes

         Mitt Romney        2 votes

         Jon Huntsman      2 votes

         Newt Gingrich      1 vote                                 

         Ron Paul              1 votes          

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Things to Come

First 2012 Republican Presidential Debate
June 13th 2010 New Hampshire
(AP photo)

You didn't think I'd let the very first Presidential debate go by without some kind of commentary, didya?

Held in our very own little "First in the Nation State" of New Hampshire last night at St. Anselm's College, the debate was moderated by John King who is excellent at keeping the talky talkers on point.  He did not allow diarrhea of the mouth or refusal to answer the question asked.  He was awesome!

Mitt did a good job.  He didn't talk too much and looked the part which is what everyone says about him anyway.  The big surprise to me was Michelle Bachmann.  I heard Joe Scarborough repeat someone else's comment along the lines of "...someone got her off the crazy juice" because she sounded reasonable.

Newt is toast.  Not sure why he showed up.  SNL did a great spoof of him leaving the debate a few weekends back after the moderator asked him, "You don't really want to be here do you?"

No reason to comment on the rest of the herd.  They stayed away from criticizing one another and stuck to a repititve onslaught of  Obama bashing.  It became just so much rhetoric.  

I lasted 45 minutes then turned to a much more interesting HBO movie called "A Matter of Taste" about Chef Paul Liebrandt.

Now that was theatre!   

 

Friday Funnies: Live Free Or Die

As I'm currently living in the "Live Free or Die" state, this seems apropos.

Through Their Eyes

We have just spent an incredible week with a pair of friends we've known since high school. They flew from the warmth of Southern Cal to the frigid cold of New Hampshire to visit. Actually, they lucked out. The weather, hitherto in the single digits, had hit the high twenties/low thirties by the time they arrived and stayed that way their entire visit. My friend from high school is an avid skiier, as is my husband. I no longer ski because I need a knee replacement and his wife doesn't either. Soooo, the menfolk went skiing almost every day and we shopped, read our books, went out to eat, etc. Every night we'd have bottles of nice wine and laugh and feel like we did when we were sixteen, except for our aches and pains. The wine did much to kill the aches and pains however. The most interesting part of their trip came when we'd take a drive and listen to their comments about our part of the world. They loved the cozy quaint towns, the "charming" architecture, the unspoiled beauty of the White Mountains, the lovely old churches, the cool shoppes, etc. My husband and I saw our own world through our friends and it was a, pardon the pun, eye-opener.

We all take for granted the things we have and the beauty we see when we see it every day. I remember when I was young, single and living in San Diego near Mission Bay, I would drive to work each morning along the water and think "I am the luckiest person in the world!" I remember thinking that when I lived in Richmond, Va. and would travel to D.C. on business and pass all the great monuments, federal buildings, memorials, etc. I remember thinking that when my children were small. I remember thinking that when I moved here. I remember telling myself I would never take it for granted. But I do.

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining on the snow and the temperature, though frigid, seemed less daunting and I felt energy I hadn't felt in a long while. I think the visit my friends paid us did that for me. And, boy, am I grateful.

Early Morning on the Wildcat

photo by SKI 9