Holiday Shopping Guide

Yup, baby needs a new pair of shoes, but probably isn't going to get one this holiday season. And maybe not even for the next four years. Trouble is that my most favoritist, favoritist tennies are made by New Balance, whose leadership made a strong statement in support of the new president-elect.

Too bad, because these shoes have been happily worn by all human members of this household, carrying us from the hard pavement of Madrid to rocky paths in northern India. Ironically, it's been Chinese consumers, attracted to the "Made in USA" label who have kept open the remaining New England factories producing shoes for New Balance.  I think keeping shoe factories here is great, but there simply has to be a better way.

Shannon Coulter of #GrabYourWallet has made shopping your opinions easier this season. Don't like Trump? Then don't shop at these places which work with the Trumps or carry Trump products. This convenient spreadsheet has all the information, including alternative Trump-free retailers. (And if you just can't wean yourself off fill-in-the-blank, at least email them with your concerns, mkay?)

Now What?

We lost. We all have lost. And all the cute kitty photos are not going to make it right. At least not anytime soon.

It is most disturbing that we - and the rest of the entire world - are stuck. Stuck even though scarcely more than 25 percent of potential voters in America chose this future.

We can be sad. And we can be angry.  Around this house, we are both.

This past week I've kept my brain busy devising numerous ingenious punishments and painful hardships for those supporters of hate and strife. I won't go into too many details (is it really possible to have a giant tornado and a fracking-induced violent earthquake at the same time?), but trust me, in my schemes, that Pharaoh in Exodus got off really easy.

But that is all in my head.

The real question? What to do next that will make a difference. And how to keep sane and of good cheer in the meanwhile.

Many of the issues raised during the election are important. For me, the two that seem most critical are the composition of the Supreme Court and climate change.

I do not feel that I can have much of an impact on the Supreme Court, but I do plan to work very hard over the next few years to try and keep this planet a living planet.

Vote First

Then Relax!

(Or at least try not to chew your knuckles quite so hard.)