Family – Blog From A Hermit Dot Com

Global Warming Humming

March 4, 2010

Global warming (anthropogenic or otherwise) is a hard sell to anyone who’s freezing his butt off fighting the hardest winter he can remember. And though repackaging global warming as climate change is probably a wise move, it’s just human nature to let broader perspectives and scientific conjectures rest completely while coping with the immediacy of “what’s happening to me right now.” (If you haven’t seen Stephen Colbert’s recent comedy sketch about this, I highly recommend it. I particularly liked Colbert’s professor of peekaboo-ology.)

Climate change is almost a non-term here in Western Washington where the weather is so variable year to year, climate change seems almost normal. Unlike the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, we’ve just had our warmest winter on record. Last winter we had our taste of the ice age.

But in spite of recent controversies which expose some extremely-careless or just-plain-bad science, there’s some good science behind global warming, too. Weather extremes are integral to the theory, so discounting the whole idea because your butt’s cold today is definitely throwing the baby out with the bath water.

On the other hand, there’s some very smart people countering the theory and some very good science behind their counter claims. Ironically, the very reason we find global warming so hard to believe when our butts are cold mirrors the reason why global warming has rational skeptics. It really is difficult for us humans (including scientists) to stand far enough back from our tiny little lives to get accurate, objective perceptions. From a geological perspective, the global warming theory itself is just a report on what’s happening right now. Several decades of climate statistics do not necessarily make an arguable trend. Well, obviously it is arguable, but that’s not the same as provable.

But it’s the furor of this discourse that deserves applause. It means awareness of environmental degradation (whatever the cause) has whole-heartedly entered our public consciousness. A recent New York Times article pointed out that therapists are even seeing a trend in environmental issues as a significant cause for family discord. And as much I hate to see families in stress, the environmental dialog matters; and the things that matter most to us should be discussed (and sometimes argued about) in our homes. An integral environmental consciousness – public and private – represents true progress.

I have warmist leanings. There’s much more to the theory than whether you should be driving a Prius or a Hummer. But selling global warming as yet another variety of armageddonism is counterproductive and unnecessary. Extremes always create backlash. Most of the noise between warmists and their skeptics is not about whether humans are negatively impacting the environment, it’s about how, what’s the timeline and what’s the fix.

Anyone completely devoid of environmental awareness at this point is either under-educated, living in impoverished desperation, or choosing to remain intentionally blind. Lack of education and impoverished desperation are both forgivable, and illiteracy and poverty must be addressed as part a holistic environmental dialog. But intentional blindness, whether motivated by greed or just laziness, is no excuse at all.

But that’s another human foible, isn’t it – it often takes the noise of controversy to force our eyes open. It’s called awakening.

“When people generally are aware of a problem, it can be said to have entered the public consciousness. When people get on their hind legs and holler, the problem has not only entered the public consciousness — it has also become a part of the public conscience. At that point, things in our democracy begin to hum.”

- Hubert Humphrey

By Trish | Posted in Education, Family, Hermit's Rants, Nature, Psychology, Science, Weather | Tagged AGW, climate change, global warming controversy, Hubert Humphrey quotations, Pacific Northwest weather and climate, Psychology, Stephen Colbert | Comments (0)

Looking for a Blue Tarzan

February 13, 2010

I wanted to see Avatar again before I drew any definitive conclusions. Griz and I have been sci-fi fans forever, but Griz periodically dozed off during our second viewing (he’d only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before). And although I stayed awake, I have to admit I was more restless and impatient than I anticipated. The 3D shock-and-awe just didn’t compensate for the thin plot and dialog on the second run. I was more irritated by the noise and violence.

Still – I’m glad I saw it again. The visual artistry is worth a second take. I noticed a lot visually that I missed the first time and I look forward to a sequel.

After all, it’s not as if James Cameron doesn’t warn us about the simplicity of his parable. If the stereotypical characters don’t jump out at you early on, by the time you hear the word “unobtainium,” you should have a clue. James Cameron’s forte has always been special effects. An old story with a new look works for him (and apparently his audience). Everyone who saw Titanic knew the outcome before they entered the theater.

I suspect James Cameron has great fun making movies, and I think he wants his audiences to have fun, too. Nothing wrong with that. Giving the Nav’i elongated canine teeth is such a clear ploy for today’s vampire popularity that it’s laughable. He probably threw in many of Avatar’s other cliches and plot deficits just for fun, too (perhaps to see if we’d notice). Cameron’s close enough to my age that I’m sure he saw the same old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies on TV that I did as a youngster. In Avatar, the only thing missing when the deus-ex-machina beasties stampede in to save the Nav’i is this:

And from what I’ve read, it seems most people (including reviewers) come away from Avatar with the message they took into the theater beforehand. The rejecters reject the same things they always reject, the admirers admire the same things they always admire. Appreciating good art is like that – the best art offers each of us an intimate subjective experience. With Avatar, gamers get a techie game, spiritual seekers get transcendence (although some devout reject Avatar altogether as promoting paganism), environmentalists get ecological connectivity, pessimists get to feel depressed because Earth isn’t as sublime as Pandora, optimists get to hope Earth is becoming Pandora. Lots of good guys and bad guys to go around – with cross-overs and a paradox or two.

Here’s what I walked into the theater with: I am fortunate enough to live in an area where Earth’s vibrant glory is readily accessible and visually competes damn well with anything you can create digitally. This, of course, keeps me fairly optimistic about life in general and our environmental direction in particular. Though not religious – spiritually, I lean toward nonduality.

Here’s the message I took out of the theater: The Nav’i R Us. We are rejecting our small, violent selves and becoming something larger. We are connected to all life, but life itself is a school and there are often mortal risks associated with learning to make the important connections. Ultimately, caring and connectivity will prevail and we’ll choose to banish our small, violent selves.

But the best thing about Avatar is this: popular movies are a reflection of our cultural consciousness. Even if the ideas are presented in elemental terms to reach the masses, ticket sales in response to Avatar’s themes of environmental responsibility and global connectivity represent very positive trends.

I had fun, too.

By Trish | Posted in Art, Family, Movies, Nature, Philosophy, Spirituality, Television | Tagged Avatar motion picture, James Cameron movies, Johnny Weissmuller, Nav'i R Us, Tarzan | Comments (0)

It’s Not Just Curiosity – It’s Courage

February 8, 2010

Think about it. You really do have to admire cats for their courage. Their diminutive size alone makes their cultivation of human alliances fairly courageous. Their tolerance of human stupidity is endearing.

Our formerly feral cats seem very smart. I don’t know whether their innate intelligence helped them survive in the wild, or if surviving in the wild enhanced their intelligence. I do know neither of them would be stupid enough to leave smelly things exposed in bear country like this brave cat’s humans did:

It took some time after Dodge adopted us before she became comfortable sitting in my lap. She was initially very nervous in front of the television, though she eventually realized my television viewing often created lap opportunities for her.

During her first year with us, I started watching a nature program while petting her. The nature program was about black bears with some very clear footage of a black bear walking toward the camera. When Dodge noticed the television bear, she stood in my lap and growled. As she continued to watch, she first moved to the chair arm and then to the floor beside the chair. She alternated focusing on the bear and looking at my face while vocalizing short bursts of alarm to make sure I’d also noticed the bear.

She could not smell the bear, of course, so she was uncertain, but she was clearly familiar with the visual configuration of a black bear. Was this instinctual? Or had she dealt with bears during her forest life? We’ve speculated that may be what happened to the rest of her litter. (When Dodge first arrived at our house, Dart was her only remaining kitten.)

But whatever the reason, it was obvious Dodge wanted nothing to do with bears. Even so, she stayed by my side, coaxing, until she convinced me to leave with her. How stupid was I anyway?

At that point in our relationship, Dodge still identified outdoors as the safest haven from any perceived threat, so per her wishes, I let her out onto the deck. (If you’re thinking she only coaxed me out of the chair so she could get outside – she also had a cat door she could have used.)

I followed her outside and the first thing she did was walk furtively to the north end of the deck where she peeked carefully around the corner of the house, so she could see the opposite corner (which the television backs up to). She was apparently checking to see if the bear was still out there. Perhaps her understanding of broadcast vs. live bears was limited, but her accurate spatial orientation between the inside and the outside of the house surprised me. So did her loyalty and courage.

By Trish | Posted in Cats, Family, Nature, Wildlife | Tagged cat and black bear, cats and courage | Comments (4)

Tree Power Down: Timber!

January 31, 2010

In spite of my love of big trees, I can’t really categorize myself as a fanatical tree-hugger. I’m not one of those people who rejects all logging. Logging is a big business here in Washington State. I’ve lived in and around the timber industry most of my life. Family history alone has given me some logger tolerance.

Uncles worked for Weyerhaeuser and although I grew up in Seattle, my father bought a 40-acre stand of timber when I was in second-grade. Dad’s shift schedule with the Seattle Fire Department allowed for many days at The Acres, as we called it. Over the years, Dad logged enough timber from the property to pay for it several times over. When I was growing up, many weekends and most school holidays were spent in those woods. Here’s an old photo of Dad, my sister and me with a load ready for the mill. I’m the short one. (I don’t get to say that very often.) (And don’t worry, as children, we were never actually allowed anywhere near active logging operations.)

Dad and Mom moved to The Acres after Dad’s retirement from the fire department. I actually helped Dad fell a couple of big trees at The Acres the spring of the year he died (of leukemia). I cherish the time I spent with him in the woods during his last year. He was still harvesting a tree here and there at the age of 82. He was lucky to be where he wanted, doing what he loved, almost to the end. And, in spite of all the trees removed from The Acres over the years, much of it was still forested when we sold the property…. Balance.

The personal little patch of forest I share with Griz is bounded on two sides by a thousand-acre, well-managed tree farm. There are few days when I don’t see fully-loaded log trucks on the road. But even with all those logs on the way to the mill, visible or expansive clear-cuts are a rare site. Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources and the timber industry itself do a pretty fair job now of managing the timber harvest and preventing blatant environmental abuse. As with all resource management – balance is the key. Not even private land owners are allowed to fall more than several trees a year without a permit now. Replant criteria and watershed protections are strictly enforced, too.

Yes, there are still abuses around the edges. Timber theft occurs – it’s one reason we have a locking gate and security system. There are independents who complain about and circumvent every regulation. But things have monumentally improved (perhaps thanks to those fanatical tree-huggers). The environmental rape that occurred as little as 50 years ago (and which extended back 100+ years before that here) is, fortunately, rapidly becoming just a sad memory.

If you’ve ever walked through a clear-cut area (or tried to) as I have, you’d understand that it really is impossible to clear-cut without creating devastation and tragic habitat destruction. But in the loggers’ defense, I understand why clear-cutting is (at least in some areas) the only economically feasible approach. Just getting logging equipment into the forest and moving big logs out once the trees are down creates a significant amount of devastation. Once you’re there, taking everything and finishing the destruction as rapidly as possible makes some sense. But carefully monitoring and restricting how many acres can be clear cut at a time is important – habitat preservation within a certain range of the cut is critical for recovery of refugee species after the timber harvest. Rapid replanting and environmental regeneration benefits everyone, including the timber industry.

Having an innate fascination with all things tool, Griz watches the History Channel’s Axmen periodically. Perhaps, it’s because I only see those sections of the show that Griz calls to my attention, or perhaps it’s the way the show is edited in general; but in my opinion, the show should be subtitled “the world’s stupidest loggers.” And I don’t mean to diminish the risks loggers face moving all that weight around in unpredictable conditions (which Axmen actually emphasizes very clearly or perhaps over-emphasizes for dramatic effect). (Logging consistently comes in statistically as the most dangerous [fatalities per capita] profession over fishermen and firefighters.) But I have to file TV logging right up there with other “reality-TV” FUBARs – another sad example where selling the video is probably more profitable than the activity itself. And just like the other “reality” stars, there seems no shortage of loggers willing to voluntarily make fools of themselves for a few extra bucks.

But one thing you definitely won’t see on Axmen is reverence for the trees. Trying to give commercial loggers the benefit of the doubt, I suppose it’s almost impossible to work that hard and fast trying to turn a profit and still have time (or any inclination) for reverence – for anything – let alone for each tree that falls.

I, on the other hand, have only been involved in the felling of a few trees. I have always participated in single tree projects – diseased trees, leaners that were threatening buildings, that kind of thing. I’m sure the commercial loggers would consider it almost recreational cutting - arborist type work. I wasn’t even the cutter – I was a cable puller or wedge driver, maybe a choker setter after the fact. But each case for me demanded a certain reverence. It was always obvious from beginning to end that there was a death involved. The death of the big old tree was always the final outcome.

There’s a distinctive sequence in the planned death of a big old tree. There’s the long clear droning of the chainsaw as the cuts are made; sometimes there’s the driving of wedges to create the final imbalance; and then there’s the moment when the tree gives in. There’s an agonizing stillness, almost imperceptible cracking noises at first, then slightly louder cracks – a noticeable shudder when the tipping point is reached. As the tree finally topples there’s a groaning sound – almost a death sigh – sometimes the echo of branches breaking (the death tree’s and any collateral damage), then the earth shakes with a distinctive thud when the big tree hits the ground.

This is the one opportunity James Cameron missed with Avatar. He should have depicted a quieter cutting of the big old tree. Rather than all that fire power, the stroke of a laser and then the awesome and devastating impact of a more true-to-life tree death would have been more dramatic. He could have even had the tree fall toward the audience in terrifying 3D. But perhaps, James Cameron has never really watched a big tree die.

I browsed YouTube for a video of what I’m talking about. This is the closest I could find:

Uh-oh. I feel my logger tolerance waning as I write.

Here’s the thing: The death of a big, old tree is a tragic, awesome and memorable event. At the very least, appropriate reverence should be required every single time.

By Trish | Posted in Family, Home, Nature, Personal History, Philosophy | Tagged Avatar motion picture, Axmen, big tree deaths, logging, tree reverence, Washington State logging | Comments (3)

Blogopause with Aside of Cat Blogging

January 19, 2010

Where’d she go?
I realize it’s been almost three weeks since I posted. That probably shouldn’t bother me or anyone else at this point; though I do wish I hadn’t read all those best-blogging-practices articles before I started this blog. “Three posts per week plus three comments per week on other blogs” always sticks in my [...]

Loving, Liking, & Living With: The Vista from the Long Haul

December 16, 2009

Michelle Obama, to Oprah on The Christmas at the White House special (via psychobabble):
“I think we have a wonderful marriage. I love my husband. He’s my best friend. But I always like to talk honestly about it because I think about other young couples who think there are no struggles to get here. And there [...]

Solitude, SHOULD & The Hermit Uncertainty Principle

November 22, 2009

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I admit it. One of my attractions to solitude is the free pass it provides – a free pass from should. When you live in solitude, no one cares if you’re naked or nocturnal – as long as you’re self-supporting (sometimes tough in solitude) and not bothering anyone (extremely easy in solitude). Why would anyone [...]

Life on the Cusp: The Well-Balanced Maniac

October 25, 2009

According to one friend, my October Balance post was a clear expression of my astrological sign: Libra. Well – perhaps. Personally, I file astrology under occasional Libra fun, entertainment – and maybe an attractive piece of jewelry. I’ve never had my chart done, I rarely invest more than a passing thought or occasional glance at my horoscope; but today, for some reason, I decided to do a little follow-up research on a comment from my youth (by a hopeful suitor). After all, the vast annals of Astrology.com are just a few clicks away now.

My birthday means my sun sign is not simply Libra. Having been born near the change date from one sun sign to the next, I’m actually a Libra-Scorpio Cusp. According to my suitor (way back then): “Libra-Scorpio Cusps are well-balanced sex maniacs.”

My reply: “If one is going to be a sex maniac, it’s probably best to be well-balanced about it.” Whether this fellow and I further explored this interesting label is none of your business, and whatever happened was billions of years ago anyway.

My online research today was a quick check to see if there is any astrological basis at all for the sex-maniac comment. (I’ve long been aware of the Libran balance part of the equation.) Here’s Astrology.com’s initial paragraph about Libra-Scorpio Cusps:

Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac; Scorpio is the eighth. After Libra’s intellectual exploration of other people, Scorpio’s interest is in discovering other people’s emotions and how they respond to the world around them. Scorpio is the sign of sex and death, the beginning and ending, and they explore these ideas from an emotional standpoint. Libra/Scorpios strive to create balance and harmony between self and other through investigation and probing. They are often strongly intuitive and penetrating. They have a need to be liked.

So since Scorpio is the sign of sex and death, and Libra goes for balance and harmony, there is some astrological legitimacy to my date’s synopsis. Of course, I might be a well-balanced death maniac – but that was less relevant to my date’s objective. No, I do not remember what his astrological sign was, so who knows if we were astrologically compatible – which probably didn’t really matter to either of us. I also don’t remember his name – take that little nugget of information off to wherever you wish.

Like most healthy human beings, there was a phase of my youth in which hormones and curiosity combined to rank sex quite high on the motivational priority scale of my life. I don’t think I was ever particularly maniacal in its pursuit, though. I think my sexual philosophy was then and is still quite well-balanced:

Best when pursued within the context of a caring emotional bond, though not without its merits as an emotional-bond initiator and cultivator.
Enjoy fully (both physically and emotionally). Sex is a celebration of life. If you aren’t incorporating a fair amout of smiling and laughing (well, at least giggling) into the exchange, you may be taking sex (and possibly life) too seriously.
Not worth risking your life over.

I don’t think I’ve ever been particularly maniacal about anything really: not sex, death, money, love, politics. I lean toward the well-balanced side of the cusp – which is undoubtedly astrologically verified by the fact that my birthday’s on the Libra side of the cusp not the Scorpio.

Astrology.com”s “need to be liked” sentence seems a little off. Sure, I like to be liked, but I think my love of solitude takes me at least one rung down from NEED.

Ah-hah! Maybe I’m maniacal about solitude?

Nah – I’m even a balanced hybrid in the hermit arena.

My wanderings into astrology today confirmed that the descriptions are general enough to apply to (and flatter) almost anyone who’s curious enough to follow the path – a worthy choice for an hour’s entertainment. I am not passing judgment on those who are serious astrology buffs. I realize there is much more to the whole deal than simple sun signs and birthdays. If that’s where your interest takes you – go for it.

An interesting curiosity surfaced though: one of the most astrologically compatible mates for a Libra-Scorpio cusp is a Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp.

Coincidentally, my true-love, Griz, is a Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp. How about that? Worth a ponder…

“In the magical universe, there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen.” – William S. Burroughs

By Trish | Posted in Art, Family, Friends, Hermit's Rants, Humor, Spirituality | Tagged astrology, Libra-Scorpio cusp, non-believer ponders astrology, well-balanced maniac | Comments (0)

The Reminder: If You Could Comprehend the Physics…You’d Probably Wet Your Pants

October 16, 2009

On my routine shipping run into Stanwood this afternoon, I missed mortal injury or death by a few millimeters plus the seemingly disconnected, minor decisions of several other drivers. It’s one of those situations where if you could comprehend the physics while you’re participating and watching, you’d probably wet your pants. But what actually happens is you watch with only enough time to groan “OMG” and then it’s all over. You and everyone else has escaped unharmed, and you drive away in sort of a daze.

While you’re driving on, you think about what happened – the near miss and all the circumstances that led up to it – the hazardous speed of a dump truck driver, the carelessness of a pick-up driver on his way home from work, the fortunate carefulness of a guy pulling a loaded, four-horse trailer, and the untimely coincidence of your own presence behind the horses. It’s one of those things that changes your attitude for the rest of the day. You feel more alive because you are alive - full of gratitude that, this time, the sequence played out in your favor.

Decision No. 1: Me without my DRIVER ON. At the first intersection after leaving home, I could have pulled out in front of Horse-Trailer-Guy. There was really enough room, but even though I was on a non-congested rural road, I knew I didn’t have my driver together yet. It’s one of the hazards of frequently traversing uncongested rural roads - you can go for a long time without thinking very hard about driving. Most of the time, doing so poses no hazard to you or anyone else. I’m not a pushy driver, generally, though I can press it when I have to. But when I know the driver hasn’t kicked in yet, I’m more cautious. So today, I let Horse-Trailer-Guy go by before I pulled onto to the next, slightly busier road behind him.

And as soon as Horse-Trailer-Guy went by, I admonished myself for not getting in front of him. He moves horses around here all the time. He’s undoubtedly a very good mover of horses – he’s cautious and slow around corners and at stops. He gives the horses time to adjust to the motion. But it’s a pain in the butt to follow him to Stanwood with no way to get around. I was settling in to being stuck behind him for the whole trip as we approached the intersection of our “reminder.”

The intersection of our close call was where Old Highway 99 meets 300th Street NW. Old Highway 99 parallels Interstate 5 in this area and the intersection of our near demise is really an awkward, though staggered, five-point junction, with a mom & pop convenience store/gas station on one corner. There are no Stop signs on Hwy 99, but speed limits through this awkward junction are reduced from 50 to 35 mph. Horse-Trailer-Guy and I were moving north on Highway 99 where we would both turn left just before the gas station. Because we had just turned onto Hwy 99 from one of the other five points, our speed was less than 25 mph.

Decision No. 2: Dump-Truck-Guy was hauling ass southbound on Hwy 99 at what I assess at more than 60 mph (with absolutely no slowing for the junction). His was an empty side-dumper, double tractor trailer. It was almost 4 p.m, Friday afternoon. DumpTruckCrunch Dump-Truck-Guy was either on his way back to the barn because he had plans for Friday night, maybe he needed to make it to his son’s football game – or he was trying to get one more load in before the end of the day. He should have been on I-5 if he wanted to haul ass, but he must have thought he could bypass the state patrol, or take a shortcut on 99. He may not have been familiar with this slow-down junction, or (like so many of us on these low volume rural highways), he just wasn’t concentrating on his driving.

Decision No. 3: Pick-Up Truck Guy was pulling out after just buying his beer and cigarettes at the convenience store. I think he was in “Friday afternoon, now-the-fun-begins, I’m-almost-home-and-the-driving-is-easy” mode. Pick-Up-Truck-Guy didn’t have a clear sight up Highway 99 or he just didn’t look at all (because, after all, we were on uncongested, quiet rural highways), but (whatever) he decided to pull out from the left into the path of the oncoming dump truck.

Decsion No. 4: Horse Trailer Guy had a clear view of the impending disaster (which I did not initially because my vision was obstructed by the horse trailer). Fortunately for us all – fast-thinking, Horse-Trailer-Guy pulled his rig toward the right just in time so the fast-moving dump-truck barreling down on us could swerve across the line to narrowly avoid colliding with the front end of the pick-up. It is also fortunate that Pick-Up-Truck-Guy got stopped partially into the lane and, thus, didn’t T-bone or get T-boned; and Dump-Truck Guy maintained control of his empty trailers in the swerve, even though it looked like they were heeled over on one set of wheels. If Pick-Up-Truck-Guy did not soil himself when the wall of tractor/trailers barreled through his view out the windshield, he should have.

I was far enough behind the horse trailer that the dump truck was back in his own lane by the time he whizzed by me, but because of my alignment, I think I’m the only one who had a clear sight of what a near miss this was – there were mere inches between the tractor-trailer and the pick-up. And blink…

We all went merrily on our ways – although I did notice Pick-Up-Truck-Guy pulled back into the convenience store parking lot – possibly to tidy up a bit.

As I faithfully (and with no desire to pass) followed Horse-Trailer-Guy the rest of the way into Stanwood, I contemplated what would have happened if the pick-up had even slightly tapped the empty dump trailers going at that velocity. Not only would the pick-up have spun or rolled to who knows where, but the trailers would undoubtedly have launched or slid right into me and the horses. That thought put a lump in my gut for the rest of my drive.

Just a routine trip into town on a Friday afternoon. Of course, being the thinker that I am, I spent the rest of my errand-running sojourn working on the profound themes: the fragility of life, the criticality of timing, fate vs free will and the proverbial WHEW! And, yes, I did have a glass of riesling when I got home this evening.

I’d like to report that I came home more compassionate and loving with absolute gratitude for all the joys of my life – and there was fair amount of that. But during one phase this evening, when the adrenaline had worn off, I actually got a little bitchy – sniping at Griz for not helping with the salad and inappropriately critiquing a poker move he was explaining. It was weird really – an irresistible compulsion to have my say about the inconsequential. The close call had not only enlivened my joie de vivre; but in so pointedly reminding me of my helplessness against the fates, it had stimulated some regressive need to resolve or control small matters close at hand.

Post traumatic stress? Hardly – because there was hardly any trauma really. But it was a tiny opportunity to imagine with compassion how difficult it must surely be for those who face real life-and-death situations daily, day-in and day-out, month-in and month-out – soldiers, rescuers, police officers – or just innocent citizens where war, disaster, or “police actions” rule their lives.

And don’t worry about Griz and me. We’re at that fortunate part of our relationship where any disagreement – even a little irrational, emotion-based bitchiness (by either of us) – is something we recover from rapidly. In fifteen minutes, we were laughing again. It’s all Dump-Truck-Guy’s fault, anyway.

By Trish | Posted in Family, Hermit's Rants, Home, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged fate, near miss, rural driving hazards | Comments (0)

Ration of Solitude: Sorry, My Cell Phone’s Been Sleeping In

September 12, 2009

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Griz and I have had mobile phones since the days when they were big and clunky. They’re an invaluable tool, no doubt about it – especially for a household with disparate careers, pressing family commitments and frequently a lot of highway miles surrounding it all. Modern-day schedule juggling – a phase from which Griz and [...]