Tilden Park, Berkeley, California
November 11th, 2018
Minolta
"Come little leaves," said the Wind one day, "come to the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold; for summer is past, and the days grow old."
~George Cooper
I photographed this little leaf on November 11th, 2008. I think it might have been what sparked my interest in starting this yearly project. I love doing it very much, and it has become as important to me as Halloween and Thanksgiving are! After autumn closes the door for another year, I will still be searching for leaves as far into the other seasons as they go. So, as you might have guessed, I have a hard time letting go of things I care about, even leaves. LOL.
It's only 29 days until the midterm elections. Less than a month. It seems like things could be a slam dunk, but I can't let myself go there. I knew there was every potential for Donald Trump to win the 2016 election, but I put it away, out of my head, because who could take him seriously? He had no experience in politics, so who in their right mind, would vote for him to become the most powerful person in the world?
Well, as it turns out, I guess there are enough people in America willing to have brain surgery done on them, by whoever gives the best pitch, rather than which doctor has the most experience. So, if you happen to be a janitor, but you think you'd be just nifty at brain surgery, rest assured there will be someone who will let you do it, because you're different than any other surgeon they had ever met before!
My stomach is in knots. It's not like we will see any peace if democrats manage to take back either the house or the senate, or both. We will have to continue to endure Trump's abuse, and daily barrage of nasty attacks. We will continue to be trolled by he cowardly little anonymous cultists, and it might get even worse than it had ever before. He's scared of the Mueller investigation, and he should be! Mueller is more than capable, and that's already been proven by multiple indictments, and those who agreed to testify on condition of being immunity from prosecution.
But if we lose, we will still be beaten, and stepped on, because winning has never been enough for him. He can't just be gracious, he has to be smug, and nasty, and cruel, like it's his lifeblood, like it's what keeps him alive. It's not enough to just breathe air like the rest of us do, he has to beat, demean and abuse people if he wins too. The pain he inflicts won't stop either way the midterms go.
Sometimes I think I will never know another day of peace again.
Ever.
And I'm just sad, all the time now, except when I am photographing the beauty of autumn leaves, because I know they have nothing to do with him.
Nothing.
Don't get me wrong the depression fluxes in severity, but it never really stops. So, is this how the rest of my life will be? Not one day without psychological abuse? Am I really going into my old age, with this reality? Will I ever go a day again, without hearing the name Trump? Or feeling the pain of the decisions he has already made, like the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court?
The leaf at the top of this post, was photographed exactly one week after the 2008 Presidential election. I was so much happier then. Even if John McCain had won, I wouldn't have been the happiest person in the world, but I wouldn't have been depressed to the point that I am right now. Sarah Palin, as vice president, would have been annoying, occasionally funny, really absurd, but she wouldn't make me worry about being hit with a nuclear missile.
Well, probably not, anyway.
#19 Leaf Of The Day
October 10th 2018
Stockton, California
~Mood: Sad
~Me :)
