Is it just me? Did I wake up last Wednesday morning to a different America? Time will tell, but there is a palpable feeling of hope in the air, and I know that isn't just me. It seems fitting that the weather on November 4th was spectacularly clear and warm. Fall colors practically screamed and although many of the trees were beyond peak color there were still others that seem to have held on for this very special day.

I have voted in every election since 1970 with the exception of a couple of primary elections that were mostly local in nature and with one local exception I can not remember one where the results left me feeling as satisfied as this one did. I almost felt smug. I have yet to remove the Obama 08 yard sign from my front lawn. I guess I will do that today, a week is long enough to gloat. I have been on the winning side in many of the elections since 1970, after all, I was a Republican, in a Republican state. Formerly the reddest of the red, but today showing there is blue blood in our veins.

As if to remind us that real challenges lie ahead the weather since Tuesday slid into something decidedly more winter like and real for November. Wind and some rain cruelly stripped most of the remaining leaves and cold and clouds have moved in. We have been slapped in the face by winter, a shock that brings us back to reality. Much like our excitement about the election....whoa....reality sets in. This is just a first step....there is still a long, long way to go and the challenges the new administration faces are huge.

Many of us recognize some very basic need for change in the way things work in Washington, but will we be able to maintain the resolve to make those needed changes. Will we even be able to agree on what those changes should be. I hope our country has not become so polarized that we are unable to work for the good of all.