The Texas Caucus Ruckus

This post comes late in the day as I've been trying to recover from last night while still getting in a little bit of homeschool. Call it caucus exhaustion.

Last night our precinct caucus took until 2 AM and was conducted for the most part, outdoors. Unbelievable right? And yet this story was repeated across the state. Our precinct polling place is a small polling place (maybe 800 square feet) that is used for 8 different precincts. When we arrived earlier in the day to vote in the Primary, we stood in line for about an hour or so, something we expected. But we were astonished at the small size of the building. Having just moved to this area recently, this was our first time voting here. So it was with some trepidation that we returned at 7 PM for the caucus.

For those who are unfamiliar with the caucus process in Texas, you must return to your polling place after the Primary has closed in order to sign in under your candidate of choice. Once everyone from that precinct has signed in, delegates are elected to be sent on to the County and then the State Convention where final delegates are chosen for the National Convention. One third of the total delegates from Texas are determined in this process. Each precinct has a specific number of delegates based on the size of the precinct, and the candidates are assigned delegates based on the percentage of supporters that return to caucus. There are lots of regulations governing this process along with how many delegates are assigned to any given precinct. You can read more about these rules here.

The caucus is supposed to start at 7:15, or as soon as the last voter in line for the Primary at 7:00 has cast their ballot. In our case, the last ballot was cast shortly before 10 PM causing everyone who had returned for the caucus to wait. Outside. In the mud. As temperatures dropped from the mid 50s down to the upper 30s, this was a test of resolve for many. In our area, there were a lot of Obama supporters; I would guess well over a thousand people. We had a much smaller group of Hillary Clinton supporters, but we were all determined to stick it out. As the night wore on, many Obama supporters gave up and went home. I'm sure the TAKS test being today was a factor for some who have kids. We knew that the more of them that went home, the higher the percentage of delegates we would have. In the end, only a couple of us left.

When the Primary voting was close to being done, we were grouped by precinct. Ours, number 2031, was told to meet "over there by the streetlight." Others were told to meet "in that parking lot," or "by that building." We waited here for more than an hour while the papers required (the 'packet') for the caucus were being prepared: essentially the list of everyone who voted in the Primary for that precinct. When this was close to being ready, we were called to come get into two 'lines' depending on whether we were 'Today Voters' or 'Early Voters.' This was at around 11 PM. After maybe another hour, we were able to actually start signing in. At this point, we had about 150 people left from our precinct. Two other precincts were about the same size as us, and we were allowed to caucus before them. The other precincts were much smaller and had gone before. Just after 1 AM, the last voter signed in. With only around 40 people remaining, it was time to choose delegates. What had started out as *guesstimating* 200 Obama supporters to our 22 became just over 120 to 22. That's a jump from 10% to nearly 20%. We had gained an extra delegate by sticking it out. In the end, myself and my husband were nominated as alternate delegates; we chose additional alternates in case we were assigned additional delegates after the audit by the precinct judge. It was 2 AM: time to go home.

Now for the fun part: the "irregularities." Or, why our caucus rolls are being audited by the precinct judge. Early on, after we had been allowed to line up, a shouting match broke out about how to follow the rules. We called the police at this point to request assistance, just in case. Keep in mind that it was cold, there are no restaurants within walking distance, and no public restroom. Before we received our 'packet,' there was discussion about just signing our names and votes on notebook paper, rather than waiting for the official voting documents, so everyone could go home. Apparently the two other large precincts were doing just that after contacting the Obama campaign and being told that this is what the precincts should do, and that they (Obama's people) would make sure it would be counted. Our precinct was discussing this, loudly and with much opposition, when our 'packet' finally came out, making the discussion moot. Another instance occurred which required my husband to run and get the police from his post on the corner. Apparently, people that were not from our precinct were signing in on our rolls. All while our Hillary supporting precinct chair was away from the table for a moment. Highly illegal. The people at the table, all Obama supporters, were a little more diligent after this. After everyone had signed in, questions were raised, to much shouting, as to how well the voters were checked to verify that they had voted in the Primary. Because you can't caucus if you haven't voted. This issue was not resolved last night, hence the selection of additional alternates for Hillary. Watching the news today, I've seen reports of multiple "irregularities" committed by Obama supporters all over the state. Knowing what our neighbor precincts were being told by the campaign, I wonder how many of these "irregularities" were carried out on instructions from Obama's people.

All in all it was a highly educational experience for us; we were literally living history. And it was interesting enough to draw at least two news crews to our polling place. We'll count it as our son's 'Civics' requirement. He was a real trooper, and I should thank the fellow Hillary supporter who let him use the bathroom at her house down the street. It was also exciting for my daughter, currently enrolled in college government. She kept us updated regularly via phone about the results as more precincts reported results. Every time my phone would ring, our group would gather round with bated breath. The excitement built as Hillary pulled from a little bit behind to ahead by more and more throughout the night. As other supporters said repeatedly last night, "Hillary, you go girl!"

Vermont Goodness

This week I've experienced the ultimate in cheese toastiness, and I thought I should share.

It all started when I visited Vermont last summer with my BFF and her fam for her birthday. We did the whirlwind tour of the state by doing as many factory tours as we could fit into two days. Of course souvenirs were picked up along the way, including some Sage cheese from Sugarbush Farm (which didn't make it home with me - but I was able to order it from them online) and a French Herb bread mix from King Arthur flour.

Which leads me to this week. Being a champion procrastinator, I still had not made the bread or eaten the cheese. While the cheese was safe inside its wax coating, the bread mix was due to expire in the middle of March. So I sprung into action. The bread was easy enough to mix, and I even remembered to put my rings back on my fingers after kneading. It turned out deliciously; even my picky pickerton son loved it. Then the cheese was opened with much fanfare, butter was smeared on top of a slice of bread, two slices of cheese were put on top of the butter, and all of the above was placed under the broiler for just the right amount of time. Ooey gooey scrumptiousness. If I'd been smart I would have taken a picture to post. Alas, I'm a loser. You'll just have to trust me then.

In case you're wondering, other wonderful places visited were the Simon Pearce blown glass factory, Green Mountain coffee, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and, of course, Ben and Jerry's.

Hillary for President

Texans, vote for Hillary at the March 4 Primary. Don't forget to COME BACK at 7:00 for the Precinct Convention process where the actual delegates are chosen. Otherwise you may be represented by someone who supports a candidate that you don't.

Check out these sites for inspiration:

HillaryClinton.com

Hillary Speaks for Me
(This is where I originally saw a slightly different version of the above video. The (presumably) first version actually has some good things in it about NLP and mind control. Who's bamboozling who?)

Obama is 'Just Words.' His 'inspiring' speeches contain no substance. His feel-good catch phrases are merely hypnotizing the people. Hillary has the long-term experience, and she knows how to make decisions and get things done. She backs up her statements with REAL plans. See ya at the Primary.

Jericho Returns

We've just finished watching the triumphant return of Jericho on CBS. We waited anxiously all day for the moment to arrive. My son even did his math lesson first thing without a fuss in order to get it out of the way in case other school subjects ran long today (they didn't.)

The episode was very satisfying, tying up the last episode of the first season and introducing new issues that we're sure to discuss in the coming week. We especially liked the scene early on in which one of the deputies is eating peanuts in deference to the fan campaign to bring the show back from the dead. Thanks CBS!

Freedom and Justice?

Just a quick thought about a news story this week...

I was just watching Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on my local PBS station, and they reported on President Bush's recent trip to the Middle East. They said, " When he visited Saudi Arabia, he emphasized religious commonalities and said monotheistic faith is the root of freedom and justice."

Here's a news story discussing it as well, which includes the rest of the statement that monotheistic faith is the root of freedom, justice and representative government.

So that means polytheism is the root of serfdom, injustice and despotism, right? I guess the Greek democracy, the Roman Republic, and the atheistic philosophies of the Enlightenment, on which our government is based, didn't make it into Mr. Bush's public education. And neither did the French revolution with it's revolt against the despotic government and its reliance on the Catholic Church for its authority. Clearly "No Child Left Behind" was inspired by personal experience.

At least I live in a country where I can express my opinions without fear of reprisal (for now.)

Only one year left...

Coke Cake

Having just checked Cygknit's blog, I found something that saddened me: an obliterated Coke Cake recipe. This is a terrible tragedy! So I did some digging through my cookbooks on the counter...


Nope, not here...

Maybe in the boxes that are hidden in the back of the pantry...


Yep! Here it is. In my mother's handwriting no less...


So for good measure, I'll also include the Snickerdoodle recipe in her hand. When I make these now, I use ALL butter, rather than shortening, and I double the amount of cinnamon and sugar (last ingredient.)



Snickerdoodle recipe is courtesy of Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, the book held in the highest esteem at my childhood home.


Hope y'all enjoy!

Dreams of New Beginnings

All of my dreams last night had a theme: birth. I have been having pregnancy and birth related dreams sporadically for the past few weeks. Symbolically associated with new beginnings, I felt that these dreams indicated I was on the right track again with my business plan. For those who don't know me, I have been in the planning stages of an online metaphysical store for about three years now. I have the domain, the appropriate registrations with the government, and even a closet full of great merchandise, but no working website. A lot of our indecision lies in the choice between starting small or saving up lots of money and starting big. We have vacillated between these ideas endlessly.

Choice #1: Start with an online all-in-one hosting package that offers simple templates for a monthly fee.
Choice #2: Pay a programmer to design the whole website with all of the features we want, exactly how we want.
Choice #3: Wait until we are living in a place that makes us happy (not Texas) and start with a brick & mortar location.
Choice #4: Go ahead and open a brick & mortar location in Texas now, along with a simple website, and then move the business when we move.

After a few dreams of myself being pregnant and giving birth, I made a decision to go with choice #1. This after we had been settled on #2 for quite some time (which had resulted in nearly no action being taken.) While I am anxious to have a physical location where I can interact in person with people and provide services such as seminars and discussion groups, I have finally realized that Rome was not built in a day. To quote an insightful friend, I need to Start Where I Am, Use What I Have, and Do What I Can.

We are once again actively researching hosting sites, and my husband is actively working on one of his pet projects, making ambient music. Keyword here is ACTIVE. We have been passive and (mostly) patient for too long.

Which must have led to my all night dreaming of births and babies. The weirdest one involved me taking a carton of eggs out of the case at a grocery store and feeling movement inside. When I opened it, the eggs started hatching. Another had me carrying a basket (womb metaphor) of mouse babies to a woman who had just given birth. I held the baby for her while she took the basket. According to one of my more far-out dream interpretation books, accepting a baby represents accepting a new birth in the initiation process of your higher self. So we're off to a new beginning!

Trick or Treat

Delayed Daylight Savings had an unexpected benefit after all. Every Halloween we frantically try and fail to finish eating dinner before trick-or-treat time at sundown around 6:30. This evening, however, found me finishing dinner preparations at 6:30, as per usual, with a little panic - until I realized it was not getting dark. We were actually able to finish eating before the first ring of the doorbell. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though.

Something interesting happened this year. My son forgot it was Halloween today. We didn't discuss costume options prior to this afternoon, after he remembered (he saw someone dressed up at the store.) So at the last minute he threw on his (homemade) cloak and pointy wizard hat, grabbed his (real) wand, and away we went. We made it through our entire neighborhood in just one hour. Only about thirty percent of our neighbors had on their front porch lights. I guess that's to be expected here in the Bible Belt. One house even had a sign advertisement in the front yard for their church party. Yuck. The participating neighbors were very generous with the candy; we ended up with two full buckets (a pumpkin and a cauldron) out of a fairly small number of houses.

A cold front is apparently coming through either tonight or tomorrow as we observe the change into the darkest part of the year. Another turning of the wheel.