(no subject)

Well, I have to say that by and large I'm very pleased with the election results. There are a couple things I'm disappointed about in California specifically, but as far as the Democrats taking both the House and the Senate, and Rumsfeld resigning, I say WOO HOO and it's ABOUT TIME! Now that they have some power, they can't make the same excuses. Now protection for endangered species might not be completely dismantled. Now we have a tiny chance to do something about global warming. Oh, I know, I'm as cynical as many of the people reading this. But just for a few days, I want to enjoy this feeling of hope and optimism. It's been so long.

Grandma Christine

My step-grandmother died on Tuesday. She had been sick for a while, with Alzheimer's disease, and didn't really recognize anyone anymore. Just recently she'd finally gone to a nursing home, and then was admitted to the hospital with an infection; she slowly slipped away over the past few days and died peacefully. I hope to write a remembrance post about her sometime soon.

We already had a trip to Idaho planned; we were going to go celebrate my step-grandfather's 97th birthday. So the timing is good, although we'll not be celebrating as much as helping him mourn I think. They were married almost 68 years. I really feel sad for him. He took care of her all by himself until just a few months ago, because he wanted to--he felt it was his duty. He sent away housekeepers, nurses, home health aides... He just wanted to do it himself. For better or for worse. He must be terribly lonely now.