Thursday has arrived, the week is half gone. Now, if only the heat was gone as well…but it is cooler this morning, a good sign that perhaps, the weather pattern is changing. I certainly hope so; I’m getting tired of writing about it.
Where does this preoccupation with the weather come from? It’s certainly an interest that spans across all borders and cultural groups. We all talk about it and it’s usually the first subject we talk about when we meet with one another. Yet we live in a society where it usually doesn’t mean much; we have the technology to make the weather unimportant. Hot? Turn up the AC. We can create and maintain almost any climate we want. Yet we still complain about the weather.
Yesterday was a travel day for us as we went to Roseville for my visit with the dentist. And while we were there we had a chance to visit Roseville Gourmet, our favorite Roseville restaurant. A late (and great) lunch was more than sufficient for us and so we didn’t even bother with dinner. These hot summer days make dieting pretty easy!
And while we were in Roseville, we couldn’t help but notice the construction. The volume of construction should indicate a healthy economy. Both hospitals have major additions underway and there are new homes and shopping centers being built, all of the way from Yuba City to Roseville. And traffic. Did I mention the traffic? Sure, we’re from the country now and the volume of traffic and the rude drivers simply amaze us. Plus, all of the tricked out (large) cars with $$$ in accessories. A gasoline price crisis in Roseville? Not!
It amazes me Steve to see Roseville after a nearly year long absence. It makes me embarrased in a way after having lived in an area with so much poverty (hidden by beautiful scenic views). People have cars here that are worth more than homes in Maine. There seems to be a lack of acknowledgement of how the world really is and instead this drive to capitalize.
ReplyDeleteAt the lake fishing the other day I couldn't help but think of Homers "Odyssey" and of the lotus eaters. When will this illusion of insulation and security end? Do the people paying 600 dollars for a purse at the mall even pay a second to think of the men and women dying in Iraq? What about the Aids crisis in Africa or the poverty in the South and inner cities.
Woe to us Americans, greater nations have faced judgement.