Great to be back in the Valley of the Sun after ten days in Massachusetts, where you could really feel the seasons beginning to change, and not for the better. There were actually some snow flurries in the air on early Saturday morning! Back here the change to what they call “Arizona winter” was heralded in by a day of soaking rain, which is always appreciated around here. The days are now firmly in the 80s, the nights dropping down into the low 60s or high 50s. I haven’t had a chance to check my pool yet but I doubt it’s at the 76-degree mark it was when I left here.

Nothing like hanging out with my peeps in Massachusetts to make me realize just how much it is enemy territory politics-wise. The Trump haters may be a loud and obnoxious bunch, but, hey, they don’t call it the “People’s Republic” for nothing. Personally, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I think there are a lot of Trump voters both there and in southern New Hampshire, but they’re keeping their yaps shut and will do the right thing when the enter the voting booth with no one around. And they’ll be the first ones expressing surprise and dismay to their family and friends if Trump were to win. After all, no one likes to be called an idiot, bigot, homophobe, xenophobe, racist or sexist – it’s not worth it. But that’s part and parcel if you’re not a liberal Democrat in Massachusetts. I was surprised to see a number of cars with Trump stickers on them (during my time driving around I counted 22 Trump stickers, 1 Hillary sticker, and 8 Obama-Biden 2012 stickers); they’re really taking chances having their cars vandalized.

Me, I just don’t get it. Trump’s supposed to be the wacko lunatic running, but it’s those tolerant, accepting liberals who are freaking out and vandalizing Trump supporters and stealing Trump signs. Not that I’m surprised: liberals are the most intolerant people on the face of the earth. Makes you wonder what they’re afraid of.

No matter whether it’s Hillary or Donald, one thing is refreshingly clear: in barely over two month’s time we’ll be rid of Barack Obama and his mooching, catty wife. They’re going to have to fumigate the White House from top to bottom, I can tell you that. Those two are a cancer and the sooner they are gone the better.

And boy oh boy, once the election is over it’s going to be a mad scramble to the holidays. I’ve got so much house-cleaning to do ahead of Thanksgiving it’s not funny.

The World Series was as good as it gets this year – congratulations to the Cubs for breaking their own curse. And it was fun watching the Series with my Dad. I’m really proud of him with everything he’s been through this year.

We now enter the “hot stove” season, and I’ve got only one thing to say to the Red Sox. Do not – I repeat, do NOT – tell me I have to look forward to a 2017 with Pablo “Fat Pig” Sandoval as the third base replacement for Travis Shaw. That would really suck.

And it’s hard to believe we’re a little over six weeks away from turning the calendar. Going through my Mom’s illness and passing it’s been a lousy, miserable, sad, and depressing year. Not to mention expensive. And not even the happy pineapple lights on the patio and a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio can permeate the gloom I feel. Life goes on, however, and all you can do is work your way through it. We’ll put the tree up and all that but it’s gonna be one lean Christmas around here. If it were up to me I’d bag the whole thing and bide my time until flipping the calendar and starting anew.

There will be better times ahead, I hope. But for now I’ll just report back in and crank the blog back up.

Election predictions on the next post.