Pat Taub
Unsettling News Stories
Lately reading the news inserts me into the Beatles song, “I read the news today, oh boy.” One disturbing report after another, the latest is the forced hysterectomies of women in an ICE detention center in Georgia. If it weren’t for brave whistleblower, Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the center, we might never have learned of this unforgivable practice.
Dawn Wooten addressing the press
Another story reminiscent of Nazi Germany was Trump’s recent press conference where he called for a “patriotic education,” or an end to American History that challenges prevailing accounts that whitewash what really happened, like the horrible treatment of Native Americans and Blacks.
Escapist Reading
While I’m too much of a news junkie to stop reading and watching the news entirely, I’m curtailing my news exposure, finding solace in fiction. The other day I leafed through my many books, looking for a good story. I landed on Claire Messud’s “The Emperor’s Children,” which I hadn’t read. It might have been a gift or something I bought and tucked away. It’s an absorbing read and will fill my weekend.
Fall in Maine
Autumn colors are filling in as the leaves change to red and orange, while mum plants and pumpkins are banked outside grocery stories and roadside markets. I love the fall but this year it’s a harbinger to a COVID isolated winter–not a happy prospect! That said, fall brings the opportunity to curl up in front of my fireplace with a good book and a cup of tea.
Soup Season
Another aspect of fall I love is making soup. A favorite recipe I’ve used for years is Ina Garten’s squash soup. Yesterday I thought I might make a lobster stew, but after visiting the fish market, I was dismayed to learn that lobster is $48 a pound! As much as I want to support Maine lobstermen, it looks like a cheaper fish is called for!
Voting
With all the brouhaha over absentee ballots, I’ve decided to vote in person. While I’m part of the older population, I plan to be at the polls when they open, hopefully minimizing my crowd contact. I want my vote to be counted right away, not adding to the absentee pile that Trump is already discounting.
