Oh Frabjous Day!

Well, I'm just aghast! Not only did Talarico win in Texas, but most other Democrats in contentious races won too. As I write Michigan is still undecided, but it's looking good, and the Dems have control of both the House and the Senate. They should now be able to push back against some of Trump's craziness. Democrats have also been elected governor in Texas and Georgia, among other states. It's a big blue night!

I was afraid to hope it would turn out this well. Now I can exhale! I feel a bit like I did the night Biden got elected in 2020 -- like, finally, the adults are back in the room.

Here's what I don't want to happen: I don't want the Democrats to now become obsessed with vengeful investigations and impeachments. Let's just move forward, and see if we can take action that will make a difference in the daily lives of people across the country and the world. Can we reconstitute our decimated foreign aid? Can we strengthen our NATO alliances and our opposition to Russia in Ukraine? Can we restore investment in alternative energy, and meanwhile soothe tension in the Middle East enough to get that oil flowing again?

On the domestic front, you know what law I'd most like to see passed? I'd like to see a prohibition against federal law enforcement agents -- especially ICE -- wearing face masks (with possible rare exemptions for undercover officers). It seems like a minor thing, but if the authorities are going to detain people on the street as they're going about their daily lives, they should have to show their faces. Masked police are un-American. (Needless to say, I'd also like to see ICE activity scaled back in general.)

Oh, and Ilhan Omar comfortably won in Minnesota with about three-quarters of the vote, despite the relentless smear campaign I mentioned yesterday. Perhaps that was never much in doubt, but I still find it gratifying. Another middle finger to Trump and MAGA.

Just when I had come to doubt the fundamental decency of American voters -- when I'd decided that our country is rife with racism and retrograde, isolationist thinking -- they produce a victory like this. I'm glad people recognize that Trump needs opposition.

In Florida, where I vote, the Democrats lost many of the statewide races. But that's not really a surprise. I'm used to being in the minority there. And let's not overstate the message -- it's typical for opposition parties to do well in midterm elections. But still.

Anyway, that's enough about all of that. This (above) is the bouquet Dave bought me for my birthday. I took it out to the patio to photograph it in daylight. Pretty nice, right? And above that, you can see our Thanksgiving cacti, blooming up a storm. Funny how the blossoms appear mainly on the side of the plants facing the window.

I took a long walk on my own yesterday morning to finish off the podcast I've been listening to. It feels good to get that done. And I somewhat caught up in blogland and on e-mails, although as we all know, this is an unceasingly flowing river!