Another Day Gone By

Me on the left; my long ago friend Rhoda on the right.

After work today I took the bus back to the Maplewood Park n Ride. Which reminds me of an old board game I used to play when I was a kid called Park and Shop. I didn't go into the mall and shop, though. I drove to Lifetime Fitness. First ten laps around the track, then 5 miles of stationary biking. Ten laps swimming while watching ten lords leaping. That was a sight to behold...

All that took longer to do than it does for me to tell you about it. I should elaborate. Let's see, how about this...I pinned my political pin to my bathing suit and gingerly stepped into the water. It was not warm. It wasn't exactly cold, but I like my pool temperature to be very warm.

I started getting comments about my pin almost right away. One old man said, "You must be a very ardent supporter." (Mister, you have no idea...)  A young lady told me my pin would get rusty. Then a middle-aged woman swam up and demanded to know why I wasn't wearing a Marty Seifert pin. She showed me hers. It was pinned to her backside.

An elderly couple paddled up to join the conversation. "Oh, Mark Dayton," they murmured approvingly. The middle-aged woman glared. A senior floating nearby said, "I was so mad when the department store closed. I thought it would be there forever."

"When I have lunch at the River Room, I still write my check to Dayton's River Room and they accept it just fine," I offered.

"I miss having a new Santa Bear every year," one woman said sadly. Her head drooped. I gave her my pin and she perked right up.

"I miss the Christmas display they had every year," gushed another. "It was always so elaborate."

"Say," said a third. "Do you suppose if I vote for the young Dayton he would open the store back up?"

I explained that the young Dayton was now the elderly statesman and the solid voice of experience and wisdom. "Oh, what a shame," she said. "I remember the young whippersnapper when he was State Auditor. Time sure goes by fast."

"Time is the simplest thing," I quoted from a book by Clifford D. Simak.

"Time has come today," she flung back, referring to an old song by the Chambers Brothers.

"Time to go," I quipped. "Have a great evening.

I relaxed in the steam room, showered, dressed and got in my car. Out with one cd and in with another. Toby Keith this time. It was either him or Glenn Miller. One of my favorite songs of all time is In the Mood.

Driving home on icy roads is always fun. Slip sliding around. When I arrived, into the underground heated parking I went. Stopped on first floor to get my mail. Voices from the community room. Oh, that's right, this was Thursday. Ladies' night in the party room. I was late for the hen party but now I was in.

They all asked me how the Caucus was. I asked them where they had been, as they had all promised to come. Didn't want to go out in the cold. I explained what happened and how I was now my precinct chair for the next two years. "Oh, you poor thing," they said.

The next thing I knew, five of these senior ladies were talking about how you can't trust politicians and how they never listen to the people or keep their campaign promises. "I'm sick of the whole lot of them," said one.

My feathers got ruffled. After all, these are my candidates they're talking about. I said, "This year it's different. This year we have some great candidates." They weren't buying it. I had to go down the list and explain the good points of each DFL candidate. Good thing Toastmasters taught me to think on my feet. And we have this Tall Tales speech contest coming up...

I quit while I was ahead and came upstairs to hug my whiny cat. At least she didn't bark tonight. Sometimes she thinks she's a dog.

My campaign pin supply is almost gone. Time to replenish. Soon everyone will be wearing one. It'll be a movement. Just like Alice's Restaurant.

I'm going to bed happy. I lost 22 pounds and engaged in my favorite pastime of writing.