We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
When I was little, we had a candy shop three blocks away. It had newspapers, magazines, cigars and cigarettes, coffee, a soda jerk behind the counter, and two well-used benches outside.
The Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North America:
I am fortunate to know many people with more life competencies that I have. I envy them. I am not talking about talent and talent stacks, but just competencies. Building a stone wall takes competency: Michelangelo had talent.
Here's a beginning ist of life competencies that I see in people, and admire.Trigger Warning: These might be white male competencies:
- Gracious and graceful social amiability - Ability to follow the math and statistics - Ability to handle one's finances reasonably - Ability to handle boats - Ability to handle firearms on the range and in the field - Knowing how to manage gardens of all sorts - How to cook decent meals - How to handle a cranky horse - How to camp in the wilderness - How to keep playing some sport into adulthood - How to handle a chain saw - How to do simple carpentry, and how to paint a house - How to start a fire with wet wood - How to write an essay - How to put out a kitchen fire - How to do CPR - How to use a GPS in the woods - and a compass to navigate - How to drive a stick shift vehicle - sports car or tractor - How to catch fish - How to ride a bike and motorbike - How to play some instrument, even if poorly
Add your own life competencies, or desired competencies, below.
Love that sign. The poison ivy is the credible deterrent.
I react to Poison Ivy, but manageably. Mrs. BD reacts with hives if she gets near it. (Poison Oak is a southeastern US thing and I don't think I have seen it.)
Cape Cod is full of Poison Ivy the second you get off a trail. We found a solution for her. After a hike, wash her legs with Dawn or some other dish detergent. Then use this magic stuff.
Villages in Yankeeland - and surely everywhere in America - know how to have a parade on Memorial Day. All you need are some Boy Scouts and Brownies, some firemen and an antique fire truck, the Volunteer Fire Department Marching Band, and anybody else who feels like joining in.
Including people with their dogs, adorned with flags.
(And yes, in Yankeeland, we are big on Volunteer Fire Departments, and volunteer everything including volunteer Town Meetings as a form of local government.)
What a great country. How fortunate, optimistic, well-intentioned, and patriotic we are!
My IT guy was here this morning. He helped me out with some nagging problems with my machines, but since he also does sound systems for houses I asked him for a solution to my music needs, mainly upstairs.
I have posted about this in the past. He told me that it's simple: A Sonos amp system can do it all. It can feed to my existing speakers (wires), can stream WQXR (Wifi), can handle my CDs (which are important to me), and has portable wifi speakers to move around if I want. He says the rich folk love the sound quality.
I think my ideal is unobtainable. No - my ideal is live music.
I recently took a poll about whether the American Dream is a myth or fact, and whether it's more achievable or less so today.
I know my views aren't the same as most, but I think my take on the American Dream makes it more attainable than ever. The American Dream is whatever you want it to be, and ultimately it's whether or not you're happy with yourself and your life. It's not money, it's not home ownership, it's not success or fame. It may be, if those are things you believe will make you happy. However, if you're happy and you like yourself and your life, then you've achieved the American Dream. In many nations, just surviving is a problem, and in many advanced nations, living your life with limited intereference from elites, politicians, cranks and other non-essentials is impossible. In the US, it's not impossible to go through life while limiting external interference, and focus on your own happiness. (Allow me to clarify - there is always external interference, but how you deal with it and react to it is what enables you to limit its impact on your life.)
So why do a fairly large number of people believe the Dream is no longer achievable, or that it is/was a myth? Why are there so many people who currently feel the Dream is unachievable, or less achievable than when their parents were younger?
As with accumulated sets of china, why not use your real silverware for everyday too? It is pleasantly heavy, lovely, and civilized. Should nice things be only for special holidays?
The youth do not care about china and silverware - or brown furniture either, nor should they. It's not practical. However, life is not all about practical. And we all have scullery maids to polish the silver, don't we?
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I recently took a poll about whether the American Dream is a myth or fact, and whether it's more achievable or less so today.