HoundBlog

Today was South Carolina’s Republican Primary election and, as I’ve done since I turned 18, I went to do my honor and duty and voted for the person I thought should be our next President of the United States.

Turnout was light but steady in a drizzling rain with temps hovering around 40º while I was at the polling place. For most people, the process took less than a minute as the poll workers checked you off the book, you signed the register, were shown a machine and cast your ballot.

It took longer for me (and will for Ken when he goes later today) because, for the second time in a row, we are not on the register.

Two years ago, we received new voter registration cards in the mail moving us from the polling place we’d been going to that was just a mile or so away to the one nearly 10 miles away in Due West. I called Abbeville County voter registration office about it and was told that after the 2000 census, it was determined that our street was in the Due West precinct rather than Donalds. No one else on the street has been moved – only us.

When we went to vote in the election right after this, it really came as no surprise that we weren’t on the register. It was an aggravation, but we voted and went on our merry way.

Today, when I went, I fully expected to finally be on the register, but still was not (neither is Ken) nor are we on the one for Donalds (both precincts are voting at the same polling place this time, so it was easy to check them both).  So, once again, I had to wait while they called the VRO and talked to someone there about the situation, then fill in a paper ballot.

Filling in the paper ballot is truly not the issue I have the most problem with. It’s the not being on the register despite being a registered voter and taxpayer in this county since 1998! It’s the fact that my name and address are on the envelope the ballot went in despite the fact that my vote is supposed to be secret. I have issues and questions about why that is done that way.

I was promised (again) that this situation would be corrected in time for the next election. Pardon me if my scepticism shows.

Well, on with the day. Went to Bath and Body Works in the mall today as someone had sent me a coupon for some stuff. I found this wickedly sexy smelling stuff called Chocolate Amber that I bought and will try out on Ken later this afternoon. I’m hoping he thinks it smells as wonderful as I do, because I bought several products with that scent.

I’m cooking a pork tenderloin in the crock pot for supper tonight. I found this yummy sounding recipe on line and, since I can never follow one exactly, tweaked it a bit to suit me. It calls for onions, apples and mustard. I chopped up an onion and put that in the bottom of the crock pot, then sliced up one Rome apple on top of that and one D’Anjou pear (the recipe calls for two medium apples). I used Spicy Brown Grey Poupon mustard instead of the yellow mustard the recipe calls for and now, after two hours in the pot, the house is smelling really good and my mouth is watering! When you’re ready to serve it, you’re supposed to take the roast out, then take the rest of what’s in the pot, add some water and cornstarch to it to make a sauce to put over the meat when you serve it. I have some baby spinach and grape tomatoes for a salad and I think that will make a wonderful dinner!

Well, I need to get on with mopping ….

Love to all,

Margaret