Fairly predictable

Well, various Tribal People have been muttering that the narrow (52% to 48%) defeat of the slot machine initiative is due to racism.  While I have no doubt that at least 4% of any given demographic is racist, I think the cause is more classist than racist -- as noted yesterday, the opposition is based in a galaxy far, far away from Washington County, a galaxy where people have actual, you know, jobs available...

One of the theoretical arguments advanced by CasinosNO! is that gambling doesn't represent "economic development."  Dude, in Washington County a job changing sheets on motel beds counts as economic development.

Rapping tapping tapping

Have a swarm of juncos working the grass and leaves of the side yard this afternoon.  Also, the chickadees seem to think winter is coming -- they are stashing sunflower seeds, as well as eating them.  This leads to . . . alarming . . . sound effects when the little dee-birds fly up and peck at our aluminum storm windows, looking for a sunflower-seed-shaped cavity.