Show #248

Hello Friends of the Garden,

Sunset from last time in Cambria

This weekend finds me back at the coast. The rain has finally let up for a while (strange to say it like that considering how little rain we've had in years prior). Out on the deck, it's a cool, crisp morning! The drone of the ocean waves in the background feels like some kind of subliminal soothing soundtrack. 

This hasn't changed and hasn't helped
my knee either!

This morning I didn't get up as early as I have been recently. It was 7:30 when I rolled out of the driveway to get a newspaper. In Cambria there are only a handful of places that are open at this time. Not one place in town had their newspapers yet. I marveled to myself at the relaxed pace of this town! Back in Fresno I'm usually retrieving my newspaper from under my car by 5:30 AM! In Cambria the news will get here when it gets here, no hurry!

One of three place to get a newspaper
in the morning in Cambria.

Maybe that's the draw for me. Things happen much slower here. Cambria isn't the only place where things happen slowly. On my first trip to Hawaii (with several after), I discovered "Island Time". Back in North Texas, in the sleepy little town of Denison, every business seems to work around their own schedule and not that of the customers. How in the world will they ever dominate the world's economy with this ambivalence toward their quest for financial superiority!

Some Liberals prefer to be called
progressive, while conservative
still prefer to be called right!

I don't think that these places are worried about their place in the world. They seem more focussed on their place in their own place. Anytime I've been at any coastal place, any where, I've noticed a different mind set. Ecology, conservation, environment are all things that are more prominent issues in any coastal town I've ever visited. I've always been curious as to how this disaggregation occurred. 

Wouldn't we be better if we were
just one color? I know white
supremacists think so!

The recent election map confirms this notion of mine. The map looks like a giant red spot in the middle with a crust of blue around the edge. Of course the separation is not an absolute. Even here at the coast there are plenty of people leaning to the right and left. I imagine there are progressive people in the middle of our country, you just never hear about them. 

Can't we just return to a time when we all agreed with each other, like colonial America before our independence? Well, even then we didn't agree with each other and persecuted one another for their differences. We've been like this for years. Other than the Civil War, it seems the only time we set aside our differences and unite is during wartime. Can you imagine anyone saying something about a person who died in service to our country being liberal or conservative? As if it was no great loss to our nation if it was someone who had a dissenting stance on whatever you or I believe in!

Some claim that the slow demise of the middle-class is at the root of our stagnation. Of course "middle-class" refers to more to income rather than ideology. I believe we have lost our middle in America ideologically. Maybe the word "compromise" should be added to the list of unacceptable words to be used in public. 

Naturally left aligned

I do not see anyway to truly "Make America Great Again" while one half of the country (give or take 3 million) thinks the other half is stupid, uneducated, singleminded, greedy, isolated and incapable of knowing the truth when they see it! No matter what you say, I can't see us being great while we benevolently take care of one half of our country!

The "right" way of thinking!

 

Sorry everybody but, we are all going to have to start by taking one step towards the middle if we are going to "Make America Great Again"!

Here's Show #248! I guess I'm as susceptible as the next guy to being influenced by news and lately there's been plenty! The first hour reflects a little of what was running through my mind, you'll see! One nice first timer in this first hour is Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch. I don't get my head on straight until the second hour when I realize that it's Valentines Day coming up! So, I dive right in with "Gardenerisms" on Valentines, girls, love, and hearts! I end it with sweet World Party tune. Love it!

Man, I feel like I haven't seen either of you much lately Robin and Jerry. I've been working on that second project, "Flower Tome Companion III" a lot. Cool thing is I know you're there, I feel it! Thanks for your love and support!

Thank you kind listeners and readers of this blog! I greatly appreciate your tolerance for my desire to express myself. Believe me, I'm not trying to persuade anyone! I don't know enough myself to feel confident to say I'm truly right or wrong about anything! This is only an opportunity to get closer to understanding my own self!

Peace and love to you all!

Mike