Been a While

I am always writing posts in my head as I obsess on various issues. Sometimes they have a negative or sarcastic quality as I look around me and get frustrated, depressed, annoyed and/or angry at the political, economic and social culture here in the good 'ole US of A. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the beauty and goodness of life and my mental musings reflect this outlook. Currently I am neutral. For the moment.


I missed writing for the entire month of December. I meant to write about the awesome trail race I did at Pere Marquette State Park and about my realization that there is a hole in my psyche that is the result of not running...which is a result of the stand I have taken on not driving unless truly necessary. So I am running again, but not on trails. Boo hoo.

Much of December was spent at home in Idaho Falls. It is a veritable bastion of progressiveness these days. I jest, of course. But progress is being made. Of late there is a Drinking Liberally chapter, the first ever Peace Rally/War Protest, food co-op in the works, Community Pathways Organization(pedestrian advocacy) and a decent selection of organic food at Fred Myers. These offerings are in stark contrast to what was available in 2003, when we arrived in the state. Warms the cockles of my heart.

I just finished Edward Abbey's The Fools Progress. In it his main character makes his way back home to West Virginia to die and on his way passes through the heart of Missouri. He are some of his impressions (written in 1980):

"We roll through the towns, the franchise strips, the Sonic Happy Eating and Radio Shacks and Pizza Huts and Serve-Ur-Self Gas and Good Will Pre-used Cars and the candidly usurious glass-boxy banks with no pretense at anything but money. As usual the most stately dignified house in town has become the "Funeral Home."....Everything that is beautiful decays from neglect; the cheap, false, synthetic transitory structures inspired by greed spread along the highways like mustard weed, like poisin ivy, like the creeping kudzu vine. The vampires of real estate, the leeches of finance, the tapeworms of profit, have fastened themselves to the body of my nation like a host from Hell. No wonder the land, the towns and villages, the old homes and farms and so many of the people wear the worn-out used-up blood-sucked bled-white look. Ill fairs the land. The aliens are here. The body snatchers have arrived."

And this refers to twenty five plus years ago. He should see it today.