War. Why?

 This is one heck of a time to return to my blog. 

Just as I was allowing myself to think things in the world were getting better, with the downward trend of Covid and the politics beginning to bite those who put those politics above our collective well-being,  we are watching a brutal and senseless war.

If there was ever a time to think new generations of leadership are called for, it should be now. Especially in this country where those who hold the most power are my age or older.  I'd like to think I'm still pretty able and that my mind is relatively intact.  That being said, I still find myself wondering why I opened the pantry or where I left my car keys. I am rash enough to know that if I had ever had the mental acuity to run a country, I no longer do.  Nor do those who are currently in power. I'm sorry, but there comes a time when one should gracefully retire from the headiness of power and go enjoy your grandkids. Of course, it's not the nature of such a beast.

Then we look at Mr. Putin.  He's 69, so he's getting up there.  It seems he's living in a different age.  War is abhorrent to most of the world. Especially a shooting war such as he has now undertaken in Ukraine.  There are so many more sophisticated ways to bend wills this day and age other than to destroy an entire population who wanted no part of it to begin with.

So where are we in this conflict?  Granted, there is a lot I don't know, but it would appear we're sitting on the sideline while the rest of the world is making an effort to stop this bloodshed before it worsens. Where once we would be leading, we're not even following.  At least not with much vigor.

There are exceptions to the youth as leadership rules of course.  Justin Trudeau is a good example of this. I see the same fault lines with the far left progressives in this country who aren't even old enough to be president dictating much of the narrative.

I don't know how much this concerns friends who are my peers.  I don't really discuss it.  I try to spend my time pursuing things that make me happy.  Slobbers and his stories.  Photography. The simple things I enjoy that make life worth living. Then I turn on the news and there is nothing but doom and gloom of one type or another. Our own border issues, rampaging drug issues, inflation, and the unnecessary causes of it. It's depressing, to say the least.

I had hoped shooting wars were pretty much a thing of the past after our dismally conducted departure from Afghanistan, but of course, I was wrong. There will always be those who think the sword is mightier than the pen. 

I for one, however, will always choose the pen. Until I'm canceled. With a bit of luck, if that should happen, I hope it's by a power mightier than social media.

I'm Still Alive and Kicking

Hello again!  It's been a while.  It seems time just passes me by and I've lost all concept of it. The illustration reminds me of me after I've watched the evening news. So much redundancy! And so grim.

I wonder if we will ever get back to normal. To be frank, I'm glad to see we ordinary citizens getting the courage to fight back to the ridiculous mandates we've been enduring for over two years now. Everyone from parents to truck drivers. The people who make the country work.

I've been lucky to have an activity that helps me lose myself when I feel depression rearing its ugly head.  It may be the best tonic in the world - writing stories for kids! 

It's fun and I love my characters. It's fun leading them into new adventures where they learn to think for themselves and often surprise the heck out of the adults who surround them. Of course, it helps to have a couple of Saint Bernards around to help them.

It's time now to finish this up, leave the office until morning, and fix dinner.  With an ear on the news and a finger on the remote mute button. 

I'm going to try to get back to this blog.  I know, I know. I've said that before, but I mean it. It helps purge the toxins within me.

From Slobbers and his Friends

 

It's Not Quite Christmas!

 Busy is what you make it!  Here we are, only a couple of weeks away from Christmas.  In this age of COVID, I can't believe how full life has been and how fast it's moving.  Of course at my age, it's really only a crawl.

Anyway, Slobbers and I put together a slide show for our friends on social media and we thought we'd share it with you.

Gift Books for Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2021

 A little levity from Slobbers to begin this post. Slobbers, my saving grace.

It has been quite a couple of years, hasn't it? Is the end in sight? Sometimes I think maybe, then again, I think not.  Never-the-less, I've always tried to be a glass half full person.

As is true every year, there are things to be thankful for if nothing more than looking into your yard and seeing the birds hop around searching for seed or your kids playing with your dog. Normalcy, as it once was. For this I am thankful.

What I rue is the chaos that still reigns. The divisiveness that begets unrest and violence. The political philosophies and agendas that strive for power for a few and a bitter pill for the remainder.

It is so foreign to the America in which I grew up and I miss that America - terribly. The America I live in today is taking its toll.  I'm old and for a very long time I never felt so.  I do now. I've had two years of what could have been vibrant life, denied.  Not by a virus but by those who would use it as a weapon of convenience. I find it hard not to resent them. I do resent them.

My level of patience is very low. I'm tired. I ache mentally and physically. I look at the table and there sits that glass. There is liquid in it to the half way point.  Is it half full or half empty? I look out my kitchen door. Quail are scurrying across the yard. Little House Finches are splashing around the edge of the pond. A pair of Great Horned Owls are getting their zzzzz's in a willow.

I look back at the glass.  It is half full.  No doubt about it. And for that I am thankful.