Mixing Work and Play: A Day in the Life of Recall WI

the soaring of an eagle on opening day cleared the air, 

like a smudgestick,  

for the arrival of the protectors of democracy

the presence of a bear cub, 

between the house and the barn 

reminded me of the future generations -the two leggeds and four leggeds that we are committed to honor

and swimming with the turtles and the frogs and the fish, 

a playful end to the journey of defending justice

the evening sounds of the frogs, coyotes and a wolf resonated deeply in thy soul, 

like a lullaby,

reassuring of the earth's natural ways

a vacation to recall report:

it was lovely to have friends join us up in the north woods,

Bill arrived and helped in many ways, getting the paddle boat out to the middle of the lake to be anchored and used as a raft, trudging through the hot streets of Rhinelander. He also was the provider of enough sloppy joes to feed an army and put his bid in to be chief cook next time.

Tony and Jason, the brethren of Ivy's offspring, arrived from Hansen's district. They shared reflections from the campaign trail, the connections that made a difference and the disappointment in  the law where different organizations such as the Democratic party and the 'We are Wisconsin' group can't coordinate their get out the vote 'GOTV" campaign 

I loved seeing them paddling naked butt to the swim 'raft', it was one of the greatest symbols of peace for me -these men who have faced such primal challenges at one time and now not simply working on the same side but choosing to work side by side, that image I will always keep goes right up there with  a photo I have of Mandela shaking hands with children upon his release (children he would have never met had his life sentence remained intact). 

Tony did not miss a beat to keep the mission going when encountering a GOTV snafu: 'lets make signs he said'! -and now the county is decorated with home made Holperin signs (and the Holperin office is happy!). Jason, after realizing that his job as 'sign making supervisor' was moot cleaned up the kitchen before the second wave of 'recall vacationers' arrived.

Tom and Sue came in the evening to share music and good food and a keg of beer, returning to help with sign creation.

Bob and Bill, from Tomahawk, shared their zest for the country living, taking a refreshing dip in the lake and playing guitar by the campfire.

Mickey had mowed trails for hikers or mountain bikers, gathered wood for the fire and helped with the signs. He later took his 80 year old mama, Muggs,  to install the signs - she took such delight in all her family and friends that had 'ordered' one, and the visiting of friends that came with the work.

Deborah got out of the car from her drive up to the northwoods and wanted to start knocking on doors. It turned out it was a good idea because we were able to quit earlier the next day. We ended our GOTV with ice cream, swimming or a nap. 

Tuesday we joined the Wisconsin Citizens for Election Protection (WCEP) and headed to Peshtigo on election day where Deborah connected with the chief inspector and nurtured a healthy relationship so that when Mickey and I arrived all we had to do was record numbers and take photo's. Our ever reverent sister Deborah got teary eyed as we left the polls that night thinking of the good folks in Peshtigo.

Donna wanted to stay for the month! Unlike many other places around the state the folks in Tomahawk it seemed folks were open to discussion, even when they identified themselves as republican they seem to want to process what has been going on, we have several self proclaimed republicans voting democrat for the recalls. Not only did Donna revel in the GOTV experience but also the qualities of the community, spending extra time in a nursing home where a man and his huge dog lived... Donna too joined WCEP and went to the town of Marinette with Carol where they worked until midnight. It was a good thing that we stopped at a lake and picnicked along the way between Tomahawk and Marinette county, our goal of mixing play with work for social justice was balanced.

Carol brought decadent foods for us to savor in the evening, yum yum! 

She too got out of the car and wanted to do something, she did her usual thing of hiking around and loving the earth. Upon reflection I was glad we had such a nice time having a picnic at the lake because proportionately her time was greatly spent on the WCEP. 

We had several more local visitors throughout the weekend. One highlight was MIckeys cousin, who is on the town chair for Bradley. He had heard that we were helping out and wants to collaborate. For next month he's got phone banking opportunities for those who don't like trudging around in the heat... as well as helping with our GOTV door to door turf's. In addition to that he has put a call out to send in opinion editorials (op-eds) for the little, local papers up here. I think brief statements are important and time efficient. It appears that there simply aren't enough of them submitted so almost anything goes. If you are interested in writing something that will help folks vote democrat next month please let me know and I will either give you the connections or submit it for you.