Yes, it does. Here it is, the middle of September and my mind is still in August. All we need is a week or two of chilly nights and the leaves will begin to turn those lovely autumn shades of color. We're walking in the park every day, except for Sunday, and we're already seeing the signs that summer is fleeing. I'll soon have to accept it.
We will be out in the park early this morning and getting in our daily 4 miles of fast walking. We're in the 16 minute/mile range now and the goal is 15 minute/miles. Well, it's my goal and not necessarily the goal of my LSW. We'll have to work that out somehow. I definitely want to be walking faster and longer now. We've talked about my LSW bringing a book to read so that I can take another half hour to racewalk a few more miles. The fall racing season is coming up and I am tempted to see how I can do in a 5k race. Besides, my t-shirt collection has remained static for the past two years and it's time to add some fresh color to it.
We went to see my favorite surgeon the other day and he has cut me loose. He doesn't need to see me again. He told me that he didn't know if I could race again but I am free to try so I might as well. I'm thinking, at my age, 70, I have a good chance of picking up a medal for placing first in my age group and that has to be a great psychological lift. On the physical side, he told me that I will have to take some nerve pain meds for the rest of my life. Still, that's better than the alternative. His final words for me were 'Stay away from doctors!'
Today is my favorite day of the week, as after our walk I will spend three hours at the Art Center. Our painting group has taken on the painting of a newspaper vending machine. The local 'Alternative Press' has given 10 of these metal boxes to local artists and we will decorate them as we are moved. They will then be coated with a good sealer and placed around the downtown area. We're a group of nine artists and we have one box to paint. Only two of us do much work with acrylics and the rest are watercolorists. It looks like acrylics are the best option for the boxes so this is going to require some serious give and take on everyone's part if we're going to come up with a finished piece we can all love.
Later; the walk went well and so did the painting. I managed to spray a good coat of primer on the newspaper box and divided the painting surface into 16 separate 'canvases'. Now for some inspiration.
On a different subject altogether; politics. I find it hard to comment on that subject during these waning days before the fall election. The crazies seem to have taken over all discourse and I fear for our country. Their cries of 'taking our country back!' probably disturb me the most, as if I and others didn't have some valid claim for our citizenship. We do and it's our country as well. We're all Americans, for better or worse…unfortunately.
Labor Day is here once again and the Sacramento River is a mess. Well, not all of it, just some parts of it. The annual Labor Day float is still in progress and it looks like it will take a lot of effort to clean it up. We drove across the bridge this morning and noted that there were still close to a hundred cars parked around the boat ramp area. And trash. Amazing. It's as if the revelers were determined to leave all evidence of their party right there on the ground. See? This is how much fun we had! And in the river. I wonder how many beer cans litter the river bottom?
But I digress; some of my favorite blogs reminded me of a post I had been thinking about. The post where I tell you about my union background and how my union job as a carpenter gave our young family the ability to be a productive member of society. We bought a house. A car. Our children had a mother that was able to enjoy their young lives and didn't have to drop the kids off at a day care center. That same union ensured that I received a pension and now I can still be a productive member, though older, of society. We're not on welfare and it's because the union made sure that I was paid the contracted wage and that all my contracted benefits were paid. Yes, 'contracted'; the union and the contractors signed a contract. And with that contract, the contractors were assured of high quality labor and we were assured a living wage. Why do low wage 'Red State' voters not see that it would be in their best interest to support unions?
The last company I worked for was the nation's largest specialty subcontractor and we employed the largest number of union carpenters in the nation. Why weren't we a non-union firm? We were big enough to do it. The union could never have stopped us. But we didn't because we were highly successful and that was because of our skilled labor force.
But who remembers what Labor Day is all about? Not many. I think that some, no, a lot of Republicans would refuse to take the day off if they only knew of the history leading up to this important holiday.
Now that I'm safely ensconced within the seventh decade of my life I guess I can look around and see if anything has changed. Nope. It's all the same. The idiots still outnumber the intellectuals about 4 to 1. How else do you explain Glenn Beck, Jan Brewer, Sharon Angle, Sarah Quittypants, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, John McGrumpy, Rushbo, et al? Yes, I left a lot of names out of that list but you know who they are.
Here's the question; do I need to get all exercised about these dimwits? At the end of the day, they are still idiots and I'm simply furious…if I allow them to do that to me. I need to learn to walk away more often.
Let me talk about the President; our President. Yes, I'm constantly miffed at him. But that's only because of my personality Type; INFP. You see, this Type believes that what you say or infer is very important, otherwise, you wouldn't have said it. An Introvert thinks long and hard before uttering a word because it's understood that words are a reflection of their very soul! But…an Extrovert talks simply to fill the silence. Most politicians are Extroverts. Duh!
I got off track there. Back to the President. Despite my perpetual state of 'miff', I can't think of a better President since F.D.R. As a nation we would be toast if we didn't have President Obama. I wish I could be as positive about the Democratic Congress and Senate. Not one has risen to the occasion. But…on the other hand, with an electorate that demands noise, smoke and mirrors from its representatives, what else can we expect. We elect them because they are low class and so we shouldn't be surprised at how they behave.
Oh, oh. I'm getting exercised. Time to do some painting.
