A fresh new week

 

This time of year, you can't trust bright sunshine to give you a hint of the temperature.  This photo was taken on Saturday the 12th of November.  I think it was in the 20's (F) when I took it.  Brrr.  

But it will get colder as the season progresses.

I am feeling blessed by the dry roads in the forecast this week, as I have that whole "jury duty" thing, which is uncertain.  If I get put on an actual jury, I might have to be driving downtown more than just today.

Then we have Rubia's surgery, which is still scheduled for Wednesday.  If I get put on a longer-term jury, I might have to shuffle that, but probably not.  Over next weekend, I'll be on cat duty for my sister who is going to be in Kansas with her daughter's family.  So it's a dance of a week.  Reminds me of my pre-retirement days!

It reminded me of that even more as those "things that happen" had to be dealt with "before work".  In the case of this morning, that included trying to open my new bottle of eye drops.  Are they fixing those caps on tighter at the factory these days, or is it me?  I ended up having to go down to the junk drawer and get the pliers to twist it off.  It also included figuring out how to replace the batteries in my digital "no touch" thermometer.  Some of these things it's hard to figure out how to open the battery compartment!  Anyway, I declare victory over both challenges.

I drove down with plenty of time to spare.  No matter what else, I'm still my father's daughter.  Through the metal detectors, up the elevator to the "public lounge" where we were to report, with 25 minutes to spare.

Started checking out the others in this pool.  A good mix, mostly white, but not all.  Some had brought laptops and were working away.  Just about everybody had their faces in their phone screens. I set my phone to "do not disturb" as judges get grumpy if your phone interrupts.  This is known.

Eventually, the bailiff called us out in a specific order to be seated.  I was in seat #18.  There were 40 in the immediate pool, but probably another dozen to be replacements if any got excused "for cause".  The judge introduced himself and the nature of the case (criminal) and the charges.  He said a case of this nature would probably take "about a week" to try.  The head started spinning about what all I might have to shuffle if I needed to be at the courthouse from 9 - 5 every day for a week.  He asked folks if they had commitments that would make it hard for them to serve during that week.  Two gents who were to be pallbearers at funerals in the next few days were excused.

Then there were the usual questions about who knows whom, and the questions about whether that relationship would influence their doing the job as a juror.  One of them went to high school with the judge.  Another had done some business with one of the defense attorneys.  A couple of the jurors knew each other.  None of these things resulted in excusing anyone..

Then things got into the specifics of the case and personal experiences that might influence one's mindset.  Both sets of attorneys had their chance.  The prosecutor went first.  A couple of the prospective jurors admitted that they did not think they could be impartial given the nature of the charges... "this is not the job for me" said one man.  He also got excused, but I think the woman was allowed to remain.

After a break, the defense attorney asked her own questions.  The main focus was the ability of jurors to be able to presume innocence on the part of the accused, and put the state's case, essentially to the test of "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt".  There were a couple of jurors who admitted it was hard, given the preliminary questions we'd been asked, to presume from the get-go that the accused was innocent.  But that was all talked around, and in the end, "if that's what the law says I have to say" resulted in no one else being excused for cause.

Neither of the attorneys asked me a single follow up question.  

There was about 15 - 20 minutes of back and forth passing of a clipboard, while the attorneys on both sides exercised their peremptory dismissals.  This was done silently, with the bailiff passing that clipboard back and forth.  At the end of all that, the clipboard went back to the judge, and the bailiff read the names of the jurors who would stay to hear the case.

My name was not among them.  Those of us not chosen were dismissed with a "verification of attendance at court" for employers.  For those with a passing interest in how things are done in this neck of the woods, by the end of next week, I will be 70, and at 70, you can simply say you don't want to serve as a juror and it's an automatic approved excuse.  I would have served my best had they chosen me, but I did not make the cut, and in a way, I have to say I am relieved.

At about 1:30 p.m., I was pulling on my gloves and heading out into the dancing snow flurries (tiny flakes, wetting the sidewalks, but not sticking).  It essentially is the same commute home from the courthouse as it used to be from work.  The snacks I packed got consumed at home as lunch.

Tomorrow, I will be able to work out with my trainer, and I get to enforce fasting on both cats to ensure that Rubia fasts before her surgery on Wednesday.  On Friday, I will have no conflicts to worry about while dealing with my sister's kitties and the one cat's medications.  

Life goes on.  Life is Good.  Spark on!

🔥💖✨