POTPOURRI

  Potpourri is a mixture of things, the items being consistent in purpose, related to each other. Mostly, it refers to mixtures of items which perfume the air, releasing pleasant aromas. Personally, I like potpourri with a eucalyptus scent. Would that we could make a human potpourri that would blend the contributions of the contents and allow us some release and relief from the conflicting 'aroma' producers of the day. From the decade! In fact, I believe that is what America should be, with no group losing its own aroma, even as it blends harmoniously with other contributory scents.

Unfortunately, it appears that we will have to wait and wade through yet more years until we can find the proper potpourri mix. Sigh. Sigh again. 

For the past week or so and continuing, I have been on a sort of vacation as family members have been coming and going. Our time and attention have been on plans, on hugs and kisses from those obliging grandchildren, and preparing for the next batch! This vacation demands great stamina, and we will take our respite after the last batch is gone - or so we thought until we read the latest hurricane watch report and saw, yes, oh no, a yellow 'x', traveling in our direction. It has been so pleasant so far. I guess into each life some rain must fall, true, but must it be in the form of a hurricane? Why not a good old thunderstorm, dumping lots of rain and going away without destroying property and lives.

Worse than that, we are still being told that there are 14-21 storms this season, so what now? One right on the heels of its predecessor?! Oy!!

Mother Nature seems to be playing dangerous games of chicken with us, or is it actually the other way? We challenged it, we ignored the signs, we disregarded the increasing numbers of super storms, droughts, and forest fires. We are now in a position where not only are we emulating Third World countries with our overtaxed and challenged political system, the challenge to our democracy, but we are now going to further borrow from the tragic lives of so many in these poorer, mismanaged countries. We have borrowed their tribalism and now we are going to borrow their lack of enough water, a pure, consistent flow of water. Imagine if the majority of the southwest and California, along with Mexico are out of water. Nothing coming through those pipes. The faucets are useless. Imagine the tactical issues now facing us. How can we provide enough water for the population affected - for drinking, for cleaning, for life itself? I have no answer, but I am sure as shootin' hopin' that someone up there in the rarefied atmosphere of government does have an answer, or at least a hint of one. However, my doubts are stronger than my hopes. Unfortunately. And we had better hurry!

The intrusion of reality into a pleasant vacation world where I had little or no time to peruse daily headlines, let alone read an article thoroughly, the need to think about it, and then commence the further acidic destruction of yet even more ideals, hopes and dreams. Vacations are nice and will resume in a few hours when the next batch arrives. However, this morning's perusal of events is a reminder that real life goes on; we cannot be on vacation forever, or even for too long a time. Particularly in volatile times, which we most assuredly have right now.

So, dead bodies showing up beneath dried up riverbeds and lakes. Dinosaur prints ditto. A heretofore unknown five-mile-wide undersea crater, courtesy of a meteor strike and what, are we all to be down the drain over there? Who knows what awaits us. Treasure ships heretofore undiscovered? Perhaps our own developing treasure of ideas to improve the mess we have made of it all? Never say die is our only path to hope right now.

In addition, we must not forget the political mess we have created for ourselves, the one which disallows for democracy, which twists relations with other countries into multiple Gordian knots. The frightening words out of analysts' mouths and the willfully blind eyes and ears, unthinking minds, of those who still, STILL! refuse to say, to state that there was absolutely no fraud in 2020 and Biden is the legitimate President. Still!!! For how long must this continue? For how long must we tolerate it. One analyst stated that "the Constitution is hanging by a thread" - and caused by his own GOP. We need to reinforce that thread. Personally, and many agree, the best way to fix and affirm that thread, its eternal power, is to indict and convict and imprison Trump. Let him glory in yet another moment of publicity and then shut the door on him and his, for no longer can we tolerate such cupidity and incompetence, such flagrant plans to destroy our democracy and turn our government into an autocratic dynasty.

 No, vacations are great, and looking forward to picking up the next crew for yet another few days. But, like it or not, life and reality do play a role in our lives, and we cannot ignore that fact or ignore it at or own peril.

We're on vacation - for a little while!

Happy thoughts again for today and a few days more. Then - the hurricane watch - both real and possible, in the weather and the world.