Novelista

Fall at my front door Today starts my favorite time of year.  Days are cooler.  The trees begin their multicolored foliage exhibition. I love the brisk smell of drying leaves.  Hearing the crackle of a bonfire.  Seeing the mountains form an expansive patchwork quilt of reds, oranges and yellows. My boots and sweaters beg to be worn.  Soups, stews and chili entice savoring.  The couch lures with a throw and a good book. This time of year makes my senses come alive.  I am a romantic hopelessly in love with the world around me.  Autumn brings a magical romance to every aspect of life.

The conventions are over. All the confetti has been swept off the convention floor. Politicians are racing to the booths. Each wants your vote, but for whom do you electronically tick the box? Will it be for the donkey, the elephant, or someone else entirely? As a country, we are at a crossroads. We have the choice to continue down our path of inevitable self-destruction or charge ahead differently than the status quo. Manufacturing has moved beyond our borders. Our institutions are in shambles. Our government spends much more than it could ever take to cover its debts. The national debt has surpassed 16 trillion dollars. More and more Americans have fallen into the arms of an ever expanding government dole. Friday morning, the Labor Department released the new jobs numbers for the month of August. 8.1 percent unemployment means that for 43 consecutive months the unemployment rate has been over 8 percent. Full employment is typically 3 to 4 percent. Almost 400,000 pe