Resolved

I still suffer from the same affliction that I alluded to in my last entry.......from November. I think of things to write but by the time I get home my energy has flagged or I want to play something. The result nothing happens.

Today hope springs eternal. The weather was warm enough that I was able to go close to Lookout Pass today. The snowline was a bit low to go all the the up. I hiked for about 4 miles. DIdn't pick p all that much elevation though. Maybe a couple hundred feet is all. About 3/4 off the road was a fence. A well maintained one at that. I'm not sure what if anything is being kept out or in. The occasional antelope and deer won't be barred (and no I didn't see either of them playing today). I see sheep herder trailers out there a fair amount but never any sheep. The place has been cow-bombed in spots though.

Anyway, I walked the fence line for a while. After about another mile or so I came across about a half dozen wild horses. This is in itself is not so remarkable. We have a large population of them in the West Deserts. Seeing them this far east was new though.

Afterwards I found my self singing an old Arlo Guthrie tune. A staple of 'patriotic' people and events everywhere. The only trouble is we were only taught three of the final verses as kids. As adults we choose to ignore facts. Most folks only know this one tune by Arlo Guthrie. If they knew more than this then the last two verses wouldn't come as a surprise.

As I was walking
I saw a sign there
And that sign said
No Trespassing
But on the other side
It didn't say nothing
Now that sign was made for you and me.


In the squares of the city
In the shadow of a steeple
Near the relief (this term needs updating I suppose) office
I see my people
And some are grumbling
And some are wondering
If this land's still made for you and me

I wonder myself at times. I lack confidence in the organism that is government. I have long maintained that government service should be something akin to jury duty. Let me tell you about my neighbor Mike. We all probably know a guy just like him. Mike has never done anything that most folks would consider extraordinary or possessing the qualities of greatness. All he and his wife have done is raised their family according to their own terms. Every one of his kids turned out good. He watches out for others, while still minding his own business. He works hard and tirelessly. And Mike is a really smart guy. So why isn't he in elected office? You'd have to ask him to be sure. I suspect that Mike is like me though in this regard. He has no stomach for double-talk, back room dealing, or cozying up to scum-bags to get elected. He would rather do his job well and focus on his job the whole time. No worries about raising money, appealing to demographics, or re-election. Just hard work.

Trust me on this one. He would make a good public official. He would do his six-year stint (one year to learn, four years of performance, one year to train a successor) and then happily go back to doing his thing. I think elections used to be just such a thing. In some smaller communities it might still be. How to bring it back? I dunno.