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Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard

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November 5, 2008 by: Renee Wilkinson

Exhale…

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I’ve been pretty quiet about the presidential election on here. Partly because I want to keep it sort of, kind of gardening-related-ish here, but I would say mostly because I have been a huge ball of nerves worrying that Obama wouldn’t win. After being disappointed with the last two elections, I was just too afraid to let myself get excited or hopeful again. This knot has been resting in my stomach, growing, the closer and closer we got to the election.

We gathered with friends and started watching the coverage at 4:00 pm Pacific Time, since the polls began to close at 7:00 EST. When Pennsylvania was announced I began to get hopeful, but restrained still. When they called Ohio, I finally let myself get excited – and there was no turning back from that point. The toasting began. The tears were streaming down my face through his whole speech. I thought McCain was very dignified with his concession speech, despite the crowd’s booing. Really didn’t hear any booing from Obama’s crowd when he spoke kindly of McCain… ahem.

The evening completely ran away from there. We decided going out to karaoke for Obama would be a really good way to celebrate. It pains me a little to recall my awful singing, but at the same time most of us were wasted enough to not really recall a whole lot of anything. Other than jubilation and hope.

I can’t wait for tomorrow when I wake up, not hungover, and let it all sink in: this is real. I know Obama is human and I won’t agree with every choice he makes. But this is the first time in too long I have felt hope in America and the direction we are going. And I truly believe we made the right choice in a leader to take guide us there. I am so proud of our country today.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Cece Dove says

    November 7, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    Thank you for sharing your experience with us. What an incredible moment in our nation’s history! My thoughts are with the President-Elect as he prepares to take on an enormous burden. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work fixing this country!

    GOBAMA!

  2. 2

    Nancy Miller says

    November 8, 2008 at 6:01 am

    I was struck by how we both, garden blogs, had to comment on Obama !!! He is so inpiring. Also, I was inspired to blog by another artist/gardener/animal lover/farm woman near you in Portland. http://apiferafarm.blogspot.com/ Check them out if you do not already know them.

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It’s not about doing it all—it’s about doing what you can, when you can.
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Hey there, new friends! I’m Renee, a modern home Hey there, new friends! I’m Renee, a modern homesteader living in Portland, Oregon—raising chickens, veggies, and three awesome kids on our little slice of urban heaven.

I'm carrying on generations of knowledge to grow my own food, live more sustainably, and teach my family the value of getting our hands dirty (in the best way). Here, I share the real ups and downs of homesteading—think garden wins, chicken shenanigans, DIY projects, and everyday lessons from the land.

Fun fact: I'm a tango dancer and a landscape architect. Both are useful in the garden 💃🏽 

I’d love to get to know you—drop a comment and tell me where you’re from and what you’re growing (plants, dreams, chickens… anything counts)!

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