A deep breath is what we all have to take. Days, months, years, of planning, scheming, hard work, volunteering, and campaigning come to an end with the selection of our next generation of leaders, who will decide what direction to take our country in the next two to four years. The millions of phone calls come to an end, the campaign signs and literature go in the garbage, and the pundits size up the next generation of elected officials for the next two or four years.

It came to an end rather abruptly by the filling in of a few scantron ballots by a few million voters. The machines at the end of the night, instantly tallied them up, and the results were announced. Some candidates became elected officials, while others will spend the next few months paying off their debts and pondering what wrong. Elections always have a definitive timetable, and they come to an end.

 We now move onto the month of November, the election but a memory. The leaves are gone from the trees, the days are colder, and evenings approach around 4:30 PM. The days are often crisp, but there is always a chance for a quick inch or snow when the weather is right. Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner. But a few more weeks remain before winter fully sets in.