Upcoming....

Tomorrow is Hallowe'en in the Christian world - or All Hallows Eve(ning).   We have three metal owls with witches' hats and bat buddies on our balcony, plus a giant spider web (with purple lights on the strands) and a huge orange spider on it, five holographic bats with green eyes, and two strands of black and orange cobwebs that have silver and black spiders crawling up them.  We have four jack-o-lantern orange and black bells, and a green, purple, and black spider, hanging from the wreath holder.  We have a very large pumpkin outside the door, too.    We have a large bag of candy that Beatrice chose to hand out to anyone who comes to our door.  No one came last year.  Our friend Valerie might bring her daughter by, and Sonia might bring her grandsons over - so we're "kind of" expecting 4 to 6 small children to ring the bell tomorrow night.  
    And a client's daughter decided she needs to go out and party with her boy friend rather than stay at home and hand out candy tomorrow night, so while Bea stays home, I'll be two miles away with a dog, a young puppy, and two cats.  I'll probably take some candy over there, as I know there are usually 20 to 150 kids going through that neighborhood.  I'd much rather read quietly than have to answer the bell after calming down the dog and puppy!
   Tuesday is All Saints Day, and Wednesday is All Souls Day - or the Day of the Dead (again, in the Christian world).....   My rent is due on Thursday.
    Friday and Saturday are the 2017 Breeders Cup Horse races, held this year at Del Mar Racetrack - where the turf meets the surf.   Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner this year, was expected to run in the Classic on Saturday, but has been scratched due to swelling in one ankle.  Several other horses that were thought to be running this year have been retired - but California Chrome looks to run in the Classic again this year, and his owners have announced that he might continue his racing career next year, as well.
    Next Tuesday, 8 November, is the national election day in the United States of America.  There are seats in our Senate and Congress that will be on the ballot; seats for state representatives; judge approvals; amendments to state, county, and city laws; voting on taxes to be used for specific purposes; and, of course, the really important question for the world at large - who will be elected President of the United States?  Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald John Trump?  Or will one of the other 20 parties win?  Or a write-in candidate?  It's pretty sure that either the Republicans or the Democrats will have the most votes, and not the others - but....   It's still making me very nervous.
    I voted, and I know my ballot has been accepted and counted.  Beatrice starts working for the Boulder County Elections Office on Tuesday, as a temporary information assistant.  She'll be employed six, possibly eight days, answering voters' questions regarding this years ballot - when and where they can turn it in, or where to go to vote, verifying that a ballot was sent, etc....   I've volunteered for one day of getting handed ballots for collection next Monday, at one of the drive-up locations.   'Twill be interesting, I'm sure!