Clean Air, Sunshine, Dang Me

6/20/2020 & 6/22/2020

Another stepping-stone of our lives is beginning to take shape; we moved (I’ve already written about that), we sold the little sports car mistake (or, as my Momma would say, “I got shed o’ that car!”), and recovered completely by getting another Honda. To drive a Honda is a big help to most thoughts about driving. Hondas really have served us well. In fact, so well that the reverse is also true: being without a Honda brings the surety of wanting a Honda! Well, knowing absolutely nothing about the automobile, and always depending on another person’s discretionary buying powers, we have this used Honda we hope serves us as well as the 5 previously owned one’s we’ve had. We’ll see.

After coming home with the Honda last night it doesn’t really surprise me to awaken with this song as the SIMH this morning: “Falling In and Out of Love”—by Pure Prairie League. Not a giant hit, but very lamentable condition to listen to in Americana sound. Back in 1988, it probably blazed a new style uprising. Better known when they started in the ‘60s as being “Country-Rock” they became more famous for “Amie” and “Bustin’ Out” than for the one in my head, but when it all rolled into the ‘90s, Americana genre is where most of their plays were happening. (I have no idea how their success is continuing. Just a SIMH.)

Somehow we’ve managed to live through another week of our current madness, whether the pandemic, the politics, or the general unrest, we’ve truly gotten through another week, anyway. One of my go-to places to synopsize the days politics and news events is on FOXnews—The Five. The last two days, the lone featured person on their who is an avowed Democrat (and is, seemingly, unashamed of it) a pundit named Juan Williams, has decided to let ‘er rip! Somewhere about last Tuesday, or so, Juan really got pummeled by the young conservatives Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters. He decided to fight back Thursday and Friday, so in his commentary on certain subjects he railed on them. It was, to say the least, pitiful. Mostly,I like Juan; his comments are heartfelt, generally. But these two days he wasn’t commenting, he was angry about what he calls “the big picture.” I hope and pray we’ll not see his big picture come about. Seemed very clear to me it is the thought of another “great divide” in this nation.

6/22/2020 

Social distancing seems to me to be more like scattering or strewing. With hay or straw, you call that “tedding,” and like straw as barn stall cover, I doubt if it really has much affect. I watch it, I participate in it in restaurants, even at church yesterday in Chattanooga, and I wonder about the principle (if it is a principle) and practice of six feet of separation in public. Seems too far-fetched for me, yuk, yuk! Whatever happened to greeting one another with an holy kiss? That would be the biblical thing to do, right? There are some commentary folks who put some of the more aggravating things about the current pandemic into words better than me, so let them rave on about the “new normal.” But, frankly, I’m done with the subject. It will probably remain a major part of conversation around me, but let’s try not to let it dominate good conversation. It doesn’t have to include it.

Walking to work: Now that our move to downtown Fort Payne is 94.7% complete, I’ve found it invigorating to walk to work. It’s only about 5 blocks (4 1/2, actually) and sidewalks almost everywhere. Very comfortable and comforting in a “life-is-good” sort of way. I’ve met a new neighbor, seen who is out working early for the city and lawn care engineers; it’s a very healthy feeling and it’s one of the reasons we made this move. Walk more, mow less = great combination!

This little walk reminds me of “Get your coat and grab your hat, leave your worries on the doorstep, Just direct your feet to the Sunny Side of the Street” and you know what?, all the way from my house to the store is sunny side! Then there’s always “Walking in the sunshine, Sing a little sunshine Song”—I think that was Roger Miller (of “Dang Me, Dang Me, they oughta take a rope and Hang Me” fame.) 

At the store, we now serve coffee, varieties of tea, smoothies, protein shakes, and Kombucha-on-tap! We have all the good stuff. Couple all this with the yum yum goodies from Butter Snob Baking and you’d wonder where the water went! Let me be clear: water will always be our number one product. After all, we make water to be “the way it’s meant to be.” (Great slogan, by the way.)

Once more, my scatter brained approach to the Sunday afternoon bible class recording and re-posting to YouTube was detrimental: I forgot to hit record on the Zoom broadcast, so now, if possible, I have to figure out how to download to  my computer the Facebook presentation, then copy it to the YouTube channel. Sorry I don’t still have an engineer in the next room handling all that stuff. What’s up with forgetting to touch record? It’s just a simple touch; mumble, grumble, mumble, grumble.

Thanks for reading, the Elder