I Did! At 9:45AM this morning, I waited in a line with about 40 other people waiting for my turn to vote and I made new friends, talked to old friends and finally got my turn to cast my vote in a history making election!
My voter Receipt, 4 November 2008
Across the nation in California, my grand-daughter helped make history, too. Hallie voted for the first time in her life today and called me to let me know she had voted! She also told me how she had studied all the propositions and reviewed all the candidates that were running before she cast her vote. How many of us spent that kind of time doing that?
Proposition 8 in California is very controversial. This proposition deals with gay marriage. A “Yes” vote eliminates the rights of gay couples to marry. Hallie voted “No” because she feels it is not up to her to decide what was right for somebody else whether or not she agrees with them. She has stood up to her parents’ views, her youth group views and other friends’ views. I told her I was proud of her for standing her ground on what she believed in.
On November 4th 2008 we all had a chance to be a part of history! My 5th great-grandfather, Joseph Britton, fought for this in the Revolutionary War. My great-great-grandfathers, Jeremiah Mark Carvell and Ephraim Niess fought for it in the Civil War aong with each of my ancestors who served in the military. Because of them I can vote!
Whether or not our candidates win, my granddaughter, on one coast, and I, on the opposite coast, each had a voice in this election!
Halloween is a great time to live in a city! With Halloween falling on Friday this year, our city was even more alive than it usually is, and it’s usually very alive and thriving! On Halloween 2008, neighbors were out and talking, children were excited about getting even more candy and community organizations had special events planned for the evening.
One such event was one held in the Shreiner-Concord Cemetery two blocks from my home. Since there was an article in the morning paper about it, I had to go ~ and of course, Jim agreed to walk on down there with me. The plans for the evening, according to the article, included a slide show on the wall of an adjacent home “educating trick-or-treaters and their parents about Lancaster’s historic burial ground.” There were, of course, treats for the children, as well.
The most famous “occupant” of the cemetery is Thaddeus Stevens, the Congressman and great Abolitionist from Lancaster. Thaddeus Stevens had chosen this place as his final resting spot since it was the only graveyard in the area, that accepted burials without regard to race, creed or color.
The event was held to bring public awareness to plans to bring the cemetery into more of a a community area, refurbishing gravestones and sidewalks around the graveyard. The cemetery has been an Eagle Scout project and more can be read about the plans by clicking on the link . I, of course, had my name added to the list as a volunteer, telling them I would be glad to help with any research necessary for the project!
I will be writing more about this cemetery and the project, as work progresses, on my Graveyard Rabbit Blog. Be sure to check it out.
While walking down to the cemetery, I had to take a picture of a huge witch floating in front of a large home on the way. She was awesome and just a little reminiscent of the witch in “Wicked.”
. . . and of course, no blog about Halloween would be complete without a picture of a ghost. The Ghost of Halloween was our very own Priest, throwing candy to the children from the balcony of his home!
Do I believe in Spirits? Of course I do!
I saw one on Halloween tossing candy to the kids!
