Chetek Fall Festival ...

was yesterday. It was in the 80s, sunny and nice. The man selling pumpkins and gourds, and the lady with the crocheted hats didn't have so good a day. But everyone else seemed to enjoy the swap of August and September weather patterns.

Nothing beats spring-fed lake swimming in mid-September, in my book.

And tonight, I'm torn, but ... Go Bears!

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Added: RIP public option. Actually, looking down the road a bit, this thing really could turn out to be the death knell for the Democratic party. (Remember when it was ringing before, before the charismatic Senator Obama brought it back from the brink?) And wouldn't that be just like the Dems have been playing the game lately -- looking not at the team score, but trying to pump up their individual stats?

Because imagine how the young people of tomorrow -- plenty already tempted by the promises of a libertarian, independent coalition that owes no allegiance for previous favors -- are going to look upon the burdens foisted upon them when they realize the party of Pro-Choice is really just a collection of those from the upper economic strata (credential professionals who know best of all (despite the team results)) -- taking care to keep in place those governed (the lower ends of the strata who can't even adequately feed themselves, raise their children, or be trusted to make their own choices based on their own traditional values) -- paid for by the shrinking "holding up their own end" middle, who are also growing increasingly resentful of having the country's decisions made for them for generations to come.

That day will come, you can bet on it. And those who are younger today will have stronger voices that will be heard. No matter how much you try to dumb them down, most adults eventually can add and subtract. And no matter how slick the marketing, even the biggest victory tours eventually come to and end and fade off into the yesterday, while today marches on...

Some players put the team before themselves, before individual glory: Walter Payton, say. Plenty don't. If free choice is a touted team value though, you wonder how much some players are willing to compromise away, before they realize they're scoring little points at the expense of giving away the game.