An "American" Day

[Raven]

October 20th, warmest Fall in memory up here in NH. Farmers say they can't remember going this long without a frost. The day is warm and beautiful. Bright blue sky, the trees are muted yellows, sages, golds...not as bright Fall colors as in prior years. The farmers say it's because we had such a hot, dry summer and early Fall.

Today is the famed Keene Pumpkin Festival...thousands of people come to see the thousands of carved pumpkins. Keene is in the Guiness Book of Records for this. We thought we'd unfirl the peace banners at the busiest intersection in Keene today and then head over to a peace vigil in Peterborough to do the same thing. A Washington Post guy doing a story filmed us and interviewed us. People beeped and flashed us the peace sign...other people screamed at us and gave us the finger.

Picture all these aging 60's types holding banners for hours in the wind, complaining about their knees and their backs...that's us. Where are the young people? I think I know where they are...holding down multiple jobs to make ends meet and to try to realize the "American Dream". No time for demonstrations for peace...no time for anything but work to meet that sub-prime mortgage payment every month.

So I'm home now, after six or seven hours of this. The dogs are happy to see me. We go out into the garden and I pick the last green beans of the season and some tomotoes and a few ears of corn that I missed last week. We sit on the front porch, the dogs and me, and I notice that I still have tons of black eyed susans waving in the wind and holly bushes laden with bright red berries. Life is beautiful here...just what I had hoped for when I retired and escaped to this place.

I am feeling very good about it all until I realize that I live in a country whose government is depraved and corrupt, a government that is feared and not respected. A government that denies the climate warming that people close to the land see signs of everyday. A government whose people are tired and despirited and defeated. A government that will probably change in November of 2008 but, sadly, won't be any better.

I would be an understatement to say that these thoughts took the sunshine and the beauty out of this day.

[Jack Bone]

1. Thanx for the post..

I too, at times, have felt the loss of my "Joie de vivre". Then I realize that at least we live in a very interesting time.