We joined our friends at Broken Horn Brewing in McCall on Thursday afternoon. The beer is very good, the patron’s eclectic, and the food truck produces one of the best smash burgers anywhere. Our friends bring their wonderful dog, Maddie, she loves to be petted but is well behaved. The folks sitting behind us on the deck were not pleased at our presence or the dog in their space. It makes no sense, the dog was just cleaning up all of the chips the woman spilled and our group is very amenable. As they got up and left we all agreed, those folks need an attitude adjustment. Why are people so grumpy?
I would have gladly let them know how I feel about the War in Iran, gas prices, the Epstein Files, the current temperature of the Lake water, the next best place to get a beer and burger. Avoiding all eye contact, our neighbors were obviously not interested in any interaction. I wanted to tell them about pursuing life with alacrity. You likely know, it is an attitude that assures everyone of your brisk and cheerful readiness to willingly, positively and enthusiastically communicate. What an opportunity they missed.
I thought of several clever Paraprosdokian lines. Do you recall Rodney Dangerfield, “I can’t get no respect”. His humor was well on exhibit in Caddy Shack as Al Czervik. To Smails; “oh, this is your wife, huh? Hey baby, you must’ve been something before electricity.” From his stand up act you could count on something like “when I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.” Groucho Marx was a master of the witty, sarcastic one liners, “one morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know.” Or the classic, “outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”Ba da boom.
Our friends were willing to assist with this week’s message and I got several good ideas from our interaction. I was handed a sticker that is a smiling Orange POTUS (aka shit goblin) with a hand held out and that obnoxious smile, it says I Did This. The sticker would be appropriately placed next to the diesel price on your favorite gas pump or in a butcher shop on the price per pound. Yes, he did this without any regard for any of us.
We have wonderful grandchildren and the discussion generally includes them. They truly do help keep us young while forcing us to adapt to the world in which they live. So, flush the toilet is a basic non negotiable for the young and old. We seem to have an issue with our grandie’s who go to a new elementary school, the toilets automatically flush. I guess we need to upgrade our commode technology. I probably would try to drive my autonomous vehicle if I had one, or live with the truly strange spell check words that sneak into my texts. The good old days are gone.
Finally, I have been reading about the spread of a specific type of tick in the Southern states. We have our own ticks here in Idaho and Mmma, may she rest in peace, brought them home from our walks. Occasionally, we find one in the house and unfortunately on our clothes or skin. They are creepy and require a good smack to put them to rest. If you had any creature on you for some time afterwards you may experience ‘Formication’—the sensation that you have insects crawling on or worse yet under your skin in spite of there being nothing there. This phenomenon is contagious to anyone who you tell about your encounter.
The current state of our country brings to mind a frightening set of possible outcomes. You really cannot ignore the behaviors we see from so many of our elected and appointed national leaders. The lies, deceptions, and hateful rhetoric cannot ultimately define our great nation. I have been tempted to latibulate- hide away from society or retreat into a safe corner. Please avoid the temptation and get involved.
My neighbor was walking in Ponderosa Park last week and encountered this very rare scene. A mother Moose and her calf swam across Pilgrim Cove and you see them making land fall after that very long swim. The environment and eco system are at risk if we do not come to grips with climate change.
Enjoy the week end. Mike