It has been a wild week.  The weather has gone from blustery and balmy.  I've done a fair share of forums, television appearances, and door knocks.  Out of all of the crazy moments one really sticks out.  I was at my last forum.  It was at Wabasha-Kellogg High School.  The high school I graduated from in 1990.  The crowd was filled with friends, family, fellow alumni, and former teachers.  As I was about to leave, one of my former teachers, who is still employed by the district talked with me.  This teacher just wanted to say this, "I just want you to know how proud we all are of you."  I still get a little choked up when I think about it.  All my team and I really wanted to do was run a campaign with integrity and dignity.  I am proud of what we have done and how we have done it.  I am deeply touched that people who I respect are proud of what we have done.  With two days left, we will continue to run a campaign that will make people proud. 

Yes, citizens of Goodview, that was me and my brother walking on your streets while the wind was whipping and the snow or whatever kind of precipitation it was fell from the sky.  We walked until we were all wet, our hands were frozen, and at one point my upper lip was frozen.  Why did we do that?  I did it because I am that dedicated to the people of 28B.  I will work so hard for you.  I believe in us and what we can accomplish together.   My brother Jason simply believes in me and what I am trying to do.  He also loves me.  It was an honor to walk with him today.  It was an honor to talk with you today.  Stay warm and dry. Sleep well.

With 17 days left I know what you are all thinking--thank goodness.  We are all running on campaign overload.  You cannot turn on the radio, watch the TV, read the mail, or answer your door without a reminder that we are still in campaign season.  In the last several days, I have heard from many of you who are very tired of the negative ads.  I agree.  Experts say the are effective, but citizens, like myself, find them infuriating.  I often say I am a frustrated optimist, and there is nothing optimistic about negative ads.  Last year, an organization sent out a negative ad on behalf--I was repulsed.  That is not the way I believe campaigns should be run.  Ads should be informative and persuasive not inflammatory.  I hope we all can rise above negative ads and remember that dignity and integrity still have a place in politics.

I feel like I am suffering from flashbacks these days. The economic mess we are in reminds me of the Farm Crisis of the 1980s.  I remember that all too well.  I remember watching the news for reports on how many farms were forclosed that day.  I remember my neighbors losing their farm.  I remember looking for signs that our family was ok and that we would always have our family farm.  That emotional stress was a lot for a 6th grade girl to carry.  I also remember the hard work my entire family put into making our farm work.  I also remember how proud my grandpa was of my dad over his management of the farm.  There is a special dignity in farming.  A tie to the land that few (and fewer these days) people can understand.  I wish my family--no family would have to experience what so many families did during the farm crisis, but I know this.  I am a better woman for it. 

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day.  It was everything a fall day in Minnesota should be.  As I walked neighborhood streets, leaves of gold and red floated down towards my feet.  It seemed like everyone was trying to make the most of this fall day.  I talked with a woman who had picked apples and was about to make three apple pies--homemade crusts and all.   A man had built a dog house and was staining his deck.  Three young men had just gotten home from duck hunting.  A retired couple was working in their garden.  All of these were very normal actions on a great fall Saturday in Minnesota, but it was the undertone that was worrisome.  As everyone went about their normal lives, they all recognized that life is far from normal.  There is a sense of fear.  All to often I hear the word "scared" come from people, but I also hear a profound sense of belief in the people of this country.  We know we can do better.  We know we will get through these difficult economic times if we pull together.  We will need patience and persistence, but by pulling together with our families and neighbors we can work toward a better day and a stronger Minnesota.  This is our great strength--our optimism in the face of adversity.

Ok, I admit it.  I have dropped the ball on my blog.  I have let it slide.  Once school started my already hectic life became so much more hectic.  I wake up every morning at 5:30 to go to work much like my dad did everyday he milked cows.  I grab two sets of clothes--one to wear to school and one to change into for whatever campaign event I am headed to after school.  My breakfast these days amounts to me mixing up some Chocolate Malt-O-Meal (I love it!) that I will heat up at school and eat while I prepare for the day.  I make sure I have all of the materials I need for the day and go over my lesson plans one last time.  I check my email, meet with other teachers and/or adminstrators as necessary, I help students or just listen to them when they need someone to talk to, contact parents, write tests and projects, work on lesson plans for the next day, and any work I did not get done the night before.  Then, I teach Economics and Probability and Statistics to seniors followed by American History to ninth graders.  I love both.  They are such fun classes to teach.  At lunch I finish anything I didn't get done in the morning and start any new grading or planning while I eat a sandwich and apple--my lunches are made for convience and not so much for taste.  Before I leave, I try to get as much planning and grading done as possible.  I am an over-prepared person, and I like to get the students their work back the next day so whatever I cannot get done in school goes home with me.  Once the school day is over, I hop in my car and go somewhere.  It may be a meeting.  It may be a fundraiser.  It may be door knocking.  It may be a combination of events.  I get home, check my mail, do school work, do some campaign work, try to have my life organized for the next day, and then I go to bed.  With this crazy life the blog has not been high on my priority list, but I know this is a great way for people to get to know me.  I will try to better.  I am not sure how just yet, but I will try to do better.  Have great night and sleep well. 

For most of my life the second Sunday of September has been reserved.  It is the day of the St. Felix Fall Festival.  I was baptized at St. Felix, attended elementary school there, and nearly every member of my family has been married and/or buried there.  My family has always believed in giving back, and the Fall Festival is just one of several opportunities we take to do just that.  My dad helps grill chicken.  My mom chairs the serving line.  I help in the kitchen.  I do whatever is needed (mostly, it is whatever my mom needs).  My ultimate responsibility is to make sure the baked potatoes are done.  It was a responsibility I earned years ago after I convinced the kitchen chairperson that after over a decade of cooking at Dumfries Restaurant I understood the fine art of baking potatoes in foil.  It is a day I always look forward to.  It is a day of teamwork and fun.  We laugh a lot.  We get a chance to visit with people we do not see that often.   We get to spend even more time with friends.  There is such a strong sense of community and fellowship there.  I already know where I will be on the second Sunday of September in 2009.  I hope you all have or find a community like St. Felix.

My nephew started first grade today.  He and I experienced very similar emotions.  The first day of school is always exciting.  You get to see old friends and make new ones.  There is the nervousness that comes with new classes and not knowing exactly what to expect.  He noted that there are fewer toys in the first grade room and believes that will mean he will have to work harder than in kindergarten.  I am teaching a combined Economics and Probability and Stats course that I co-created with another teacher.  There aren't any toys in this class either, and we are going to have to work harder to make this as good as we know it can be.  That first day is always physically and emotionally draining.  My poor nephew just curled up on the couch when he got home.  He will get used to his new routine just as we all do.

My favorite part of the beginning of school is that it is filled with promise and hope.  There is such a great sense anticipation.  Over the next several months something good is going to happen to everyone.  We all know it, we just do not know what exactly it is.  We know that when we leave the doors behind us in June we will be better than we were in September.  This is what I love about being a teacher.  Every student has a special gift they will share with others.  Every teacher, administrator, secretary, cook, janitor, para-professional, and nurse has a special gift they will share with students.  In June, we all leave better because of each other.  I am so excited for this year to begin!

Everyday, people share portions of their lives with me.  One area that gets talked about a great deal is health care.   People are worried about access to affordable care.  I heard from a man who just lost his job, and his health insurance for his family was terminated.  His wife has stage 4 terminal cancer, and he wonders how he will pay for her treatments.  I met another family who is basically going without coverage for their family because the father's employer eliminated family coverage.  I've met many people who work just for health coverage.  I talked with several people who are delaying retirement because they cannot afford to pay for health care.  I have talked with many people who have quality health care coverage but are very concerned about those that do not.  This is an important problem for the United States.  We need to work towards a system that provides affordable health care for all.  There is not one right answer to this issue but a great deal of possibilities.  The first thing we have to do is set aside partisan politics, admit that we need to find a solution, and then work towards it together.

It's funny, I have never been much of a parade person.  If I go to one a year, I typically have reached my fill.  I had three parades this weekend alone.  It is a little different vantage point when you are the one being looked at versus the one looking on.   I have gained a new appreciation for parades.  First, I appreciate the supporters that come out and walk with me.  Second, I appreciate the old friends and former students that I see.  Third, I appreciate seeing the new friends I have made.  When you walk the streets of a town and talk to citizens in their homes you gain a better understanding of who they are and what they care about.  People are more similar than we tend to think.  Most of us are worried about the economy and how people on fixed incomes will pay for heat this winter (only Minnesotans would think of January in July) and their health care.  Most are worried about the general direction of the country.  There is a sense of worry but also resilience.  Times will get better, but it will take work and time.  When you walk a parade route and see people sitting in their lawn chairs relaxing it is hard to imagine that is what your neighbors are thinking, but they are.  Now you know what I think about as I travel a parade route.  I think about you, and I hope you will think of me in November as we work for a better day and a better way.