Vote Like Your Life Depends on It!

Mostly it was the majestic, leathery oaks we admired in their brown-and-burgundy splendor. But the odd maple was still showing off.

My loves, just popping by to remind you to vote tomorrow, and to remind you to remind whomever in your life might need reminding!

I enjoyed an extra-loving piece of popcorn shrimp.

We canvassed in upstate New York over the weekend, talking to people in NY19 about Antonio Delgado, among other things. Folks wanted to talk about how they don't like his rap background--he is somehow a thug who is also a snob, being a Harvard grad and Rhodes Scholar--and we did not say, "Spare us the thin, thin screen over your racism." We listened and tried to understand how politically unseen people felt. A man with a huge and fully toothless smile gently shook Birdy's hand and noted that his wife was also named Birdy. The trees blazed. I drank what was possibly the best glass of beer of my life, given that I do not believe in sifting political work out from the pleasures this short life has to offer. Life is good. (Edited to add: And also terrible and terrorized.)

Bat girl.

Also, I've been writing! In addition to my regular etiquette column, I have a feature in the November Real Simple about being or having a house guest. (I loved writing it). I wrote for diaTribe about low-carb packed lunches. I wrote about Thanksgiving for Family Circle. And I wrote for O Magazine about my love affair with the local public library. Motherwell reran my "It Gets Better" essay. I read Strange Beauty and Lake Success, two very different books, and loved them both.

Soon I'll tell you about the amazing dal I've been making in my InstantPot. In the meantime, vote, get out the vote, love the ones you're with. xo