☕ EVENING Coffee: Arizona Trades Its Dust for a Wave –

November 4, 2026November 4, 2026BenjaminLeave a comment

THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION

This is typically the Morning Coffee Edition. Tonight it is Evening Coffee.

This is so official you can repeat it at the water cooler. Or, you can tell others someone you know, told you it was something no one else knew.

By Benjamin Groff II GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | ©2026
November 2026

Good evening, my fellow coffee drinkers.

The Grand Canyon State has been living up to its Wild West roots. First came the weather. Then came the election. Somewhere between the rain gauge and the ballot box, Arizona apparently decided subtlety was overrated.

Hand holding an Arizona coffee mug overlooking a layered canyon — ^{_{A steaming cup of Arizona coffee overlooks the dramatic layered canyon landscape.}}

Recent storms brought extraordinary rainfall and flooding, prompting emergency declarations and leaving communities facing damage, road closures and recovery work. We needed rain. Some folks received considerably more than they ordered. There ought to be a setting between “desert” and “wring out the welcome mat.” The high country received snow. Amounts that stacked up high enough, you needed snow shoes. If you happened to be in those San Francisco Peaks Mountains north of Flagstaff.

Then Tuesday arrived, and another kind of wave rolled through. Like the water it was blue too! And there was plenty of it. Maybe it had to do with Bob Dillon talking to the Pope. Maybe they were singing “Hurricane.” Over the treatment of migrants in the United States. If so. That could have something to do with what has happened with the blue hurricane which blew through the country. At least in Arizona.

Katie Hobbs won a projected second term as governor, defeating Republican Andy Biggs. Meanwhile, Democrats declared victory in their fight for control of the Arizona Legislature, with early returns putting both chambers within reach. If those leads hold, it will end six decades of Republican control. That is quite a change of scenery, even for a state with a canyon this big. Texas has a new Governor. A Democratic Lady. And a new Senator. A young man that is a Democrat. Texas is now operated by a Democratic Majority State Legislature and Democratic Majority State Senate. The same is true in Arizona.

By Wednesday morning, the reported tally had Hobbs at 55.6 percent to Biggs’ 42.7 percent. Now we’re getting into numbers that sound like football statistics. Somebody gained ground, somebody lost possession, and somebody is going to spend the offseason explaining what happened.

Call it a political tush push. Arizona voters lined up behind the ballot box and moved the pile.

Another interesting part of Arizona’s election is that Katie Hobbs brought a little history along with her victory. Her running mate, former Mesa Mayor John Giles, will become Arizona’s first lieutenant governor. A longtime Republican who became an independent, Giles represents the willingness to reach across political lines that, to me, helps set Hobbs apart.

Hobbs had worked in government long enough to understand that getting things done requires people to work together. You can disagree without pulling one another apart.

Remember five years ago. Hobbs was threatened. Her family was threatened. Her home address was shared on line. Her families information was shared on line. Her life was threatened with bombs. Around the clock police and state law enforcement agencies were assigned to investigate. Don’t forget those years. The sorrowful people doing those things, are still out there and capable of doing it again.

Besides, if you spend the whole game tackling your own teammates, you shouldn’t be surprised when nothing moves down the field.

The results remain unofficial until the election canvass. That is an actual procedural distinction, although having me report them over coffee certainly adds another layer of unofficial. Folks, I’m sitting here in my morning clothes. Nobody has sworn me in.

Still, the early message was hard to miss. In a state accustomed to dust storms, this election brought a substantial Democratic wave.

What elected officials do with that support is the next story. Winning the job gets you through the door. Doing the job is where folks expect you to earn your keep.

For now, pour another cup. Arizona has given us plenty to discuss—and a few of us are still waiting for the yard to dry.

Benjamin Groff

☕ Morning Coffee: The Coffee Still Needs Making

November 4, 2026November 2, 2026Benjamin3 Comments

*At Least On That We Can All Agree . How it is made? We will table for another day.”

By Benjamin Groff II GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | ©2026
November 04, 2026

###

Good morning, folks.

Everyone gather round and pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup, and let’s give the world a few minutes to settle down. Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, Now they look like they are here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday.

Coffee breakroom decorated with VOTE signs, streamers, coffee supplies, and volunteer cleanup notice — **It is over. Go home.**

Suddenly! Folks, the voting is over. The counting and the talking may take a little longer. The talking, I suspect, could outlive several of us.

But this morning, the coffee still expected me to make it.

Otis still has his priorities. Breakfast remains a matter of considerable importance. And somewhere in this house is something I put away so carefully that neither Steve nor I will ever find it again.

There is something reassuring about an ordinary morning.

After weeks of being told everything we ought to fear, resent, or be furious about, I believe we could use one.

I found myself remembering an old eight-track tape my brother used to have. John Wayne was on it, talking over music in that unmistakable voice of his. You didn’t need to see him. You knew who was speaking.

As I remember the story, he comes upon an old man living out in the desert. The sun is beating down, the place looks worn, and life there appears to offer considerably more hardship than comfort.

He asks why the old man doesn’t sell the place and move somewhere easier.

The answer has stayed with me all these years.

Mis Raíces Están Aquí

The old man’s roots were buried there.

When I was younger, I might have thought a moving truck could solve that problem.

These days, I understand him a little better.

A person can look at a place and see dry ground, an old house, and a fence that needs fixing. The person living there might see where his children played. Where somebody he loved planted flowers. Where he worked for years to make a life.

You can put a price on the property. The rest is harder to figure.

I have lived in Arizona for many years now, but there are pieces of Oklahoma that have never loosened their hold on me. Family. Old roads. Horse sales with Dad that lasted long after I thought we ought to have gone home.

Some of those places have changed. Some of the people are gone. Still, I can visit them in my mind without stopping for gas.

Those are roots, too.

And I think about what roots do beneath ground that looks bare. They hold on. With some care, a little rain, and time, they can send up something green again.

Of course, anybody who has worked the land knows you generally have to do more than stand there wishing for a crop.

There is watering to do. Weeds to pull. Something always needs tending.

The same is true around home.

We can call somebody we have been meaning to check on. Ask how they are doing and stay on the telephone long enough to hear the answer. Put something good in the oven. Start deciding who needs a place at the Thanksgiving table.

There are folks facing real worries this morning. I wouldn’t pretend a cup of coffee will settle them. But I can offer a chair and listen for a while.

Soon enough, we will be arguing about how early is too early to put up Christmas lights. Somebody will discover the turkey is still frozen. Steve may have to explain why a perfectly good Christmas decoration needs replacing.

I expect to have questions. But who doesn’t. Have a great day. And don’t worry. If we are lucky, we may have another election someday. Or, maybe we won’t.

Signature of Benjamin Groff along with copyright information and website links.

☕ Morning Coffee: My Spring Is Broken, but the Coffee Still Works

November 3, 2026November 2, 2026BenjaminLeave a comment

If I had a tin cup, my coffee would taste just like it did when I was chasing the bandit Rob, and he was rambling!

November 03, 2026

Good morning, my fellow coffee drinkers.

If you have Election Day off and there is a little nip in the air, I hope you have found somewhere comfortable to enjoy your coffee.

Man holding “RAMBLING BOB SAYS THE ELECTION IS A MESS! DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY!” outside a polling station; signs read “VOTE,” “ELECTION DAY,” “UNSTABLE CLIMATE,” “POLITICS IN TURMOIL,” and “VOTING CONFUSION.” — _{^{He played a game called. Pinochle, whist, and euchre.
Nobody to go his bail. The judge done said that he will pay the fine}}

Somebody suggested adding bay leaves to mine to put a spring in my step. I cannot vouch for that, for right now my spring is broken. With this leg and ankle, I would settle for replacement parts.

Meanwhile, the election machinery seems to be running at full speed. Mine requires a little more coffee.

Across our nation today, good people will be doing good work. Checking registrations, handing out ballots, answering the same questions repeatedly, and helping their neighbors exercise a right that deserves our attention.

They deserve our patience, too.

I expect we will also encounter some ugliness. We usually do. Somebody will mistake being loud for being right. Somebody will forget that the person standing in front of them is a human being.

We can decide how we respond. I hope we give those working at the polls a reason to remember our kindness.

I have strong feelings about this election. You probably do, too. The cost of living, our rights, our freedoms, and the direction of this country are personal matters. They affect what happens in our homes long after the campaign signs come down.

That is why I hope you will vote if you are eligible and have not already done so.

If you are unsure about your registration or polling place, check with your state or local election office. Some states offer same-day registration, but the requirements and locations vary. Start at vote.gov for your state’s official information.

And when you have cast your ballot, give yourself permission to take a breath.

You do not have to spend every remaining hour watching somebody point at a television map. Supper will still need making. The dog will still expect attention. Somebody you love might appreciate hearing your voice discussing something besides the election.

Soon enough, we will have Thanksgiving preparations, Christmas shopping, and the annual discovery that the string of lights worked perfectly when we put it away.

I would like us to have enough energy left to enjoy some of that.

For today, be present. Be heard. Be decent to the people sharing the line with you.

And if those bay leaves actually repair a broken spring, let me know.

Steve would probably appreciate getting me out of this chair.

I had more to say. But. Our Broadcast and standards and practices (S&P) executive suggested I not. So this is where I say, don’t worry how things turn out. All we can do is hear about it tomorrow at this point. There may very well be hope. Then again there may not.

I will leave you folks today with a quick story about the Bandit Bob, who used to steal, gamble and rob. He thought he was the smartest guy in town. But I found out last Monday. That Bob got locked up Sunday, Yep they’ve got him in the jailhouse way downtown.

I told him once or twice. To quit playin’ cards and shootin’ dice.He’s in the jailhouse now.He played a game called poker. He’s in the jailhouse now!

See you guys tomorrow. Be safe!