A Banner Day!

I've been so busy tweeting that it's been days since I posted to my blog. But today cannot be confined to 140 characters, or to an entry on Facebook.

This afternoon, in spite of missing Robbie Hummel, Purdue advanced to the Sweet 16. This really shouldn't be too much of a surprise, since Purdue was seeded higher than both opponents. But yet, sports wiseacres who decided that Purdue was all Robbie Hummel, called them underdogs. Neither win was a walk in the park, but then, anyone who goes to the Big Dance should be a tough opponent. Besides, no one else is like Duke, who always gets to play close to home, and gets the easy early games. No, Purdue won against worthy opponents who just weren't as good. It is the right place for the team that ranked #4 through most of the season, and won its first 16 games.

Then, tonight, in an historic vote, the House passed a health care bill that President Obama will sign into law tomorrow. Immediately Americans will no longer be held hostage by the insurance companies. It is not right that in a time when people are making hard decisions about how to spend their incomes, and defer seeking medical care because of cost and an inability to pay, that insurance companies are posting big profits while denying claims for people who pay them for the coverage.

There is a hue and cry from the right, but it all boils down to power. The right wants the power, and will resist anything that they can't control. Personally, I'm sick of politics. Good health should not be a political decision. Doctors should not have insurance clerks telling them which tests they can or cannot run. Americans should not have to see a doctor based, not on who will give them the best care, but on who their insurance company will pay. No realistic alternative has been offered. The bill that passed is full of ideas from both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans even took to opposing traditional Republican ideas, just to oppose the bill.

Tonight is a huge victory, something that should have been done years ago. Just ask people how long they've had to negotiate with insurance companies, and you get the idea.

100 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt first introduced the idea of health care reform. 40 years ago, Ted Kennedy started fighting for it. Tonight, in spite of opposition that was primarily based in special interest influence, Teddy and Ted are smiling down in satisfaction.

Friday Night

It's Friday evening, and the kids are occupied with Mario on the Wii, the dog has taken over the bed, and outside it is raining.

Today we registered the boat with the state, and paid the user tax (like a sales tax on an out-of-state purchase when you don't pay sales tax in that state) so we could get the title and registration, along with the required stickers.

College football season starts tomorrow; Purdue plays Toledo and will hopefully win the game. Although no one is expecting Purdue to burst out in the first year under Coach Hope, there is always a possibility that they will have a great season -- Purdue went to a bowl game following a dismal year in their first year under Coach Tiller; Minnesota went to a bowl game their first year under Coach Holtz. Precedent!

The Betsy-Tacy high school books are being reissued, and I'm very excited! Each book contains two volumes, and the covers are using the original Vera Neville artwork. (See the covers and read what the editor in charge has to say about them on her blog.) They were my favorite books growing up, and I reread them often, even more than the Little House books and the Louisa Mae Alcott books. I readily confess that, as an adult, I have continued to reread them. Maud Hart Lovelace's fine writing and attention to historic accuracy, along with her focus on family dynamics, gives the books an authenticity that lasts.

I read the books to my own girls when they were small, and they went on to read them on their own. (When my older daughter realized she could read independently, it was Betsy-Tacy she chose to tackle, rereading the first chapter for two weeks until she could read it smoothly.) These days I often hear one or the other of them say, "That is just like what happened to Betsy!" or "Didn't (fill in here) happen in one of the Betsy Tacy books, Mom?" In October I will be buying the new editions. As often as we reread them, we can never have too many copies.

The kids have gone up to bed, and it is quiet in the kitchen except for the soft patter of rain outside and the tick of the clock over the doorway. Another Friday night draws to a close.