Tamarack Cones

Frustrated that both of the doors I commonly have used to access the County Court House are now closed to the public, on Monday I e-mailed the County Clerk and asked which door we should use for the election training she had planned for Wednesday night.  I received no answer.  I checked on-line but could find nothing about a change in access to the County Court House.  Maybe whenever it happened there was something in the paper but I don't recall reading about it.  The training room is just opposite the Sheriff's department and flanked by a substantial parking lot.  It was where we usually parked for training but it was locked.   I drove to the opposite side of the building where jurors park.  That door was open.  I walked back through the building toward the Sheriff's department.  That hall went right past the County Clerk's office.  The county clerk caught me as I passed her office and said she'd arranged for the door by the Sheriff's office to be unlocked from 4:30 until 8 tonight.  So she had received my e-mail - just hadn't replied.   I wasn't in a particularly warm mood and said it would have been nice for her to let me know before this.  She informed me that the door I had entered would be closed at 5 p.m. and I couldn't use it to get back out to my car after the training.   Again, I said it would have been nice to let me know that before hand too.  Maybe, she continued, I should go back and move my car now to the parking lot opposite the Sheriff's department.  Stubbornly, I said I'd leave it where it was.  The meeting started w/ a demonstration of how to use a Narcan nasal dispenser.  The State has a concern that absentee ballots might be returned w/ opioids on them.  (Lovely!)  The rest of the meeting consisted of changes to the election process for next year.  Fortunately, all the changes are in paperwork.  By the end of the training, the County Clerk must have mellowed a bit.   She said if I wanted to walk back w/ her to her office she'd let me out the door I had originally entered.   Told her no.  Actually, I wanted to walk around the side of the building and get a feel for where the sidewalks are, lights, other doors, etc.    Figured even after dark, I had to be somewhat safe w/ that many deputies in the vicinity.