In the Books . . . .

Why get a knife when a deer can do the job!

Another Halloween is in the books, and from what I can see on Facebook and from our own personal experience, this year's version (as in the past) was much more of treat than a trick.  

I guess a bit of a trick may have entered the picture in that the the trick-or-treaters braved nonstop, miserable rain to make their annual stops.

Bill and I were happy about that.  We thoroughly enjoy our annual visits from the neighborhood youngsters.

Unlike some folks in town who jot down on a pad how many show up for their goodies, we use our fingers----on one hand. 

I can't remember too many two-handed Halloweens over the years---if at all.  

Last night was a three-finger variety, plus one.  

Larissa's mom Leslie never takes anything from the candy bowl, but she still accompanies her daughter to each of the homes.  I think her motive these days involves the opportunity to throw in a little visiting. 

Last night, we thought Larissa was gonna be our only visitor, but, by golly, Shawn and his buddy Maddox showed up just about the time we'd switched off the front-porch light. 

And, they outdid themselves this year with their "morphsuits."  You can go to www.morphsuits.com if you want to do your shopping for next year. 

As always, the kids were polite and a delight. 

So, now Bill has a good supply of mini candy bars to feed on for the next few days.  Seems like that left over Halloween candy never lasts long around this house. 

Yesterday marked another significant happening for the books:  as of 4 p.m. on a day where it never stopped raining, Spokane weather officials recorded the wettest month ever since the beginning of official weather records in 1881.  

And, that was not just October . . . 'twas ALL the months!

Bill and I figure that if Spokane had a record, Sandpoint certainly topped it.  We almost always have much more rain than the folks in Spokane, so we'll be interested to see how our local record for October and the other months ended up.

I found it interesting to read that yesterday's totals topped the previous record for October, set in 1947, the year I was born.

I also know that 1948 was the year of a historical flood in Sandpoint, so I'm thinking that must have been a miserable winter around these parts.

Worse yet, I'm hoping that comparison does not signal a harbinger of what we can expect with this year's winter.  

At least, now, we know for a fact that it has not just been in our minds that we've seen more than our share of rain.  

And, it hasn't stopped with this morning's change of the calendar.  

So, here we are starting another November in the penultimate Tuesday before the election.  

I think we may be talking another record on this one; at least, I can attest that it's a personal worst:  the worst ever that I can remember in my adult life. 

Enthusiasm doesn't even enter the picture, except to have it over.  

Disgust is at an all-time high. The sleaze, the fear mongering, the hateful and mean-spirited approaches, from the top down; the extreme lack of any inspiration whatsoever----almost every aspect of it makes me want to vomit. 

Sure doesn't come close to the perspective of idealism we were all fed and which we all digested in civics class. 

The most sinful and disturbing aspect of all this is the billions of dollars spent to make us all feel so bad about our nation.  What a waste of money that could be spent for the true needs of the country!

On a positive note, I'll say it again and again and again.  What we see as the potential leadership in this country can never hold a candle to the positive difference individual Americans make in our lives countless times every day.

As we wearily wade through this year's worrisome election process loaded with outlandish and warped perceptions, we can always count on numerous little pick-me-ups experienced each day, thanks to well-meaning and good people who truly make this nation tick. 

Sometimes it's hard in the midst of political years to remember that the good guys and gals are out there, but they are, and they'll be there virtually every day, long past all the promises and nastiness of election-year rhetoric 

Happily, they're out there doing genuinely good works in numbers far exceeding my "two-hand/finger" calculation of the annual Lovestead trick-or-treaters.

Happy Tuesday.  GO, CUBS!  GO AWAY, RAIN!