Close to Nowhere
• Did you vote Tuesday, Aug. 27? I did. I think in the 34 years that we’ve lived in Mississippi I’ve only missed maybe two elections. Maybe three? The most recent election I missed I was in the hospital, seriously ill.
No matter how small the election is, it’s important. I am one of those who believe that if you don’t vote, then don’t complain if it’s not satisfactory to you.
I vote at the Laws Hill precinct. Every election, the first person I look for and usually the first person I see is a smiling Levan Miller. Mr. Miller has worked at the voting precinct as long as I can remember.
“I’ve been working here about 40 years,” he said. “I started when Lucy Carpenter came in as circuit clerk. Seems like nobody has the time to do it anymore. I’m lucky, I have an adaptable schedule.”
There are two other very nice ladies who have worked at the precinct a while – nothing like as long as Mr. Miller though.
• Mr. Miller is obviously a neighbor. He’s also the Most Worshipful Patron of the local Masons. The late Elmira Curry frequently mentioned him in her Waterford News column. I miss reading all the community news columns. I miss Elmira and Henderson Milan and Allene Teel, and the Byhalia community column. It seemed like they were friends and I was also neighbors with all their neighbors. I’m so glad that Mary Minor still writes the Potts Camp News. My kids and my granddaughters went to Potts Camp School and I still keep up with the Cardinals.
• While I was in the polling place, another lady came in and collected a bunch of empty bowls. Apparently she’d brought food to the poll workers, which seemed a really nice thing to do. One of the ladies at the table was thanking her and said that it seemed like most people didn’t appreciate the poll workers. I wanted to tell her that I really did, but she was busy so I didn’t interrupt her. But next election I’m going to bake cookies or something and take to them, so they’ll know most people really do appreciate all the poll workers. I especially appreciate the poll workers at Laws Hill as they are all very, very nice and helpful to everyone who comes in.
• While I believe everyone should vote and care about what and who they’re voting for, I also think that politics have become very strange lately, or maybe it’s just that people have become stranger than normal. And both parties, Democrats and Republicans, are equally as mean. I don’t discuss politics anymore, especially on Facebook.
A distant relative posted one of those “memes” about a politician from the other party and “presedent” was spelled wrong. After years of proofreading here at the paper, I can’t help it, I have to at least comment on it. And all I commented on was the misspelling. My distant relative is no longer one of my friends on Facebook. I blocked him. He made a litany of, well really crude remarks, and then told me to go to h***. The anger in some discussions is appalling.
• I don’t know who Mr. Miller and the ladies who work at Laws Hill precinct vote for. I do know they are very, very nice to everyone who comes in to vote. I think we need a lot more Mr. Millers in this ole world.