by James Glaser
November 12, 2004

It was quite the week and all I can say about the election is that I am glad it is over. I do hope next time the Democrats put up a candidate who is a Democrat and not a Republican wannabe. I at least want a choice.

My whole life America has been in war, or just out of one, or just going into one. I want someone to run for President who desires peace and will work to achieve it.

After the election I had to head down to the Twin cities for my daughters wedding. Actually I went down early Friday morning and got there just in time for rush hour. Of course being the true Minnesotan, I knew there wouldn't be a rush hour on this particular Friday, because the next day was the start of the Deer Hunting Season and tens of thousands of hunters would be taking off on Friday to drive north. I was right, and there was no traffic going into town.

To tell the truth, I had no idea there wouldn't be any traffic, I just lucked out.

I got to Whitney's house right on time and was ready to go have breakfast and pick up the wedding flowers. Whitney however was not ready at all. The night before had been her bachelorette party and she wasn't feeling all that good. Her husband to be, Justin, went out too, but he decided a hangover the day before the wedding wasn't a good idea.

Justin and I had a great breakfast and we even got to eat Whit's too as she wasn't that hungry after all. The flower shop smelled great and they were running around getting all their orders done. Whitney choose Calla Lilies. They look something like a Jack-in- the- pulpit. They were in several colors.

I took them back home and the two of them put together the flowers the way they wanted and I went to Saint Paul and had lunch with my Daughter Nikky. Maybe I don't like the cities because I eat so much when I am down there, but they have all these new places to try.

In the afternoon I headed out to the Como Park Conservatory for the wedding rehearsal and by that time Whitney was back to herself. She took charge and said, "You do this and you do that" and everything went smoothly. I guess she does have some of her mother in her.

Friday night I stayed at my mom's house which is the same house I lived in growing up. In fact at night, the light from the bathroom shines a triangle of light on my old bedroom wall just like when I was a kid. I sleep real sound there.

Saturday I was up early to have breakfast with Nikky and my son Garrett and his new wife, Lucci. Garrett doesn't have an old wife. We drove to the other side of Minneapolis and ate at a Cuban Café. I think it is kind of like fishing, you always have to go to the other side of the lake to start even though there are good spots on the way. We drove by at least a hundred places to eat, before we got to where we ate. It was good and I never had plantains and black beans on my eggs before.

On the way home we dropped Lucci off at her Aunts house for her sisters wedding shower. This is like a wedding year. I wanted to look at her yard because I had seen it in a wedding photo at breakfast. The lady is a Master Gardener and her yard looked great with a nice pool and stream she made. I think her husband and children had to work real hard to make her vision of the perfect garden become reality. Whoever did it, it was great and what I walked away with, was her idea of using 6x6 pig panels for her fence. It looked great and was fine for climbing plants.

Whitney told me I had to be at the wedding by 4:30 and I was. I was the only one there at that time and I waited for a long time before I saw anyone I knew. The wedding was in the North Garden of the Conservatory and it was filled with lilies and the first ones I saw were Lady Slippers which are not lilies, but orchids. They must have been forced to have this time of year. There was a fountain and a pond with fish.

I walked Whit down the aisle all the time thinking that she was way too young to get married. Even now when I think of her she seems 13. Charmaine always thought of her as 17. Either way she seemed too young to me. She is 23. Well, we walked down the aisle to the sound of a Dinah Washington song played on the cello. It sounded perfect. The minister asked. "Who gives this woman for marriage" and I said that I did, her father, but I felt sad. Everyone says you are losing a daughter, but gaining a son. I don't know if that is a fair trade.

Everything went perfect and Whitney looked beautiful and she seemed so happy and I was happy for her too. I really wish that Charmaine could have been there with me. She would have cried happy tears.

Coming home Sunday night the Northern Lights were spectacular. In fact, they were so interesting I had to pull the truck off of the highway, as I couldn't watch the sky and the road too. When I got home I sat in a chair on the deck and watch the whole sky shimmer in green, blue, and red. The colors were moving around and changing and this went on for hours.

I have to wonder what people hundreds of years ago thought of the Aurora Borealis light show. It must have seemed like a sign from God ... for me it still is.