I was sifting through some photographs of an outing a few years ago. Nothing special, just Robin and I out for a walk in the mountains. Well … that was certainly not well said … every walk in the mountains has something special in it … but my point is that we took something for granted. Walking in the mountains. It’s been two years now that we haven’t been able to do that, because of one of those banes of aging – arthritis.
Back then we considered things like the weather, amount of water to carry, how much food would we need (versus how much food did we want), or which camera to lug along. We never thought about the most basic thing, and that was getting out of the car, lacing up our boots, and putting one foot in front of another. Until one day we couldn’t do it.
I won’t speak for Robin, but it’s been quite my way to take life for granted. Everything will always be the same, everything will always be good, we will always get back safely to where we started. Even when events came along that slapped me upside the head next day I was out there, thinking: “Well, that’ll never happen again.” And then it would happen again.
Insanity of a sort, isn’t it? But it’s been my way and I’m sticking to it.
During these past two years Robin has had both knees replaced and we’re looking forward to renewing our connection to the trails this summer. Out there with our knapsacks on our back and blisters on our feet.
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The Supreme Court waffled on the subject of mifepristone and only put a stay on that errant judge’s ruling, while the appeals play themselves out. It was one more time that I didn’t get my wish.
What I wanted was for them to say:
That is one of the stupidest rulings we’ve ever heard, and we are embarrassed to no end by Judge Kacsmaryk’s legal blunder. Matthew K., you boob, go sit in the corner and ponder what you’ve done. Hand over your judicial robe and put this hat on, if you please.
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To round out more fully what Kacsmaryk’s ruling (if upheld) could lead to, you might want to glance at this article. From the president of the American Medical Association (not a radical group at all).
This could be one of the most brazen attacks on Americans’ health yet.
Jack Resneck M.D., New York Times April 21, 2023.
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This blog has been assailed as only a bit of fluff, and not a place worthy of spending a serious amount of time. That we give no space to the heavier issues of the day. I offer this important dissertation by Jon Stewart as counter-argument. Too often those of us who know what a pizza should be sit quietly by, while others blather about foods that while they are faintly edible are not deserving of that venerable name.
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To pass the time on our road trip Robin and I were listening to a book on tape entitled “The End of Night” by Paul Bogard. Its subject is the pervasiveness of light pollution and how we got to this sorry state. It is quite interesting.
But there was an Aha! moment when the author made the point that “creation is still going on. New planets and new stars are being born all the time”
Call me a fool, but I’d never thought of it that way.
(Wait, I didn’t really mean that you should call me a fool- that was a jest. Honestly… you people.)
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A headline on the CNN website this past Sunday morning read:
Celebrity Cruises Improperly Stored Dead Body In Cruise Ship’s Cooler, Instead Of Morgue, Lawsuit Claims.
I didn’t read the piece, but was caught by the headline itself. I should have read it, because now I am left wondering if there was a proper way to store that dead body in the ship’s cooler.
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Little Home In The Valley 