Silencing the Solstice Sadness

 The scent drifted past my nose and made me look up from my grocery list to see where it originated. I first glimpsed a flowing skirt and working my way up its length with my eyes to a white laced tank top/bustier and finally what had to be the head and face of an angel. Without realizing it the electric cart I was riding through the grocery store turned and followed the vision before me. Even now I have no conscious memory of directing the mechanical conveyance to take any path under my command. It just seemed to be directing itself as to the path of travel.

The divine vision before me was wearing the flowing skirt that had a V shaped slit in the front revealing a pair of long deliciously well-shaped muscular legs. Her arms swung freely as she walked. The upper left arm held a heart shaped tattoo with an arrow through it and initials on either side of the shaft. Her hands were delicate with manicured and artistically sculpted nails. She turned her head and her face was exquisitely elegant with amazingly bright hazel/blue eyes. For some reason she smiled, revealing the most perfect set of brilliant white teeth. Long golden blond straight hair to the waist completed what had to be a hallucination. Never in my entire senior citizen aged life, either live or in picture, had I ever beheld anything more beautiful. My old heart began beating faster and I forced the cart to cease following her. I had no wish to keep following the wingless angel thinking it might test the effectiveness of my heart medication if she happened to look or smile at me.

I continued on my appointed shopping duties only to find that every aisle I turned down held the object of what was a growing obsession. Each time I got close I turned my head and pulled something off the shelf to demonstrate that I was, indeed, shopping. The pasta aisle turned into the canned food aisle which forced me to buy tomato sauce for the pasta. Coffee and creamer came next, followed by sweetener and various spices because it was on the same aisle. Cold cuts and cheese slices inspired a trip for mustard, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and ketchup. (I got home later and discover that the last four bottles were but duplicates of items I already possessed) It is impossible to make a sandwich without bread which also meant bagels, English muffins, and a couple of boxes of Ding Dongs. Then came the dairy aisle for cream cheese, and Greek yogurt because, well why not? Dairy also meant French onion dip which meant the chip aisle was next. Looking down at the pasta made me go shop for gravy which sent me to the meat section for meatballs, Italian Sausage, chicken legs and pork chops.

Each stop coinciding with yet another chance encounter with the Gift from God in a peach print skirt and low cut top.

I found myself reading the ingredients on the back of a package of Thai noodle mix and looking at a basket full of food I had never intended to buy. I looked at the list I brought with me which read; freeze pops, Kool Aid, blueberry muffins, and denture adhesive. None of those items were in the basket. I consciously forced myself to get the first three items on my list and make a strategic retreat to get the denture adhesive. The adhesive was on the other side of the Walmart Superstore I was in. It was a good bet that the angel would not be shopping there and I could be set free from my farcical fixation. I rode the ¼ mile to the other side of the store and was making my choice when I was once more hit in the nostrils with the ambrosia scent that began the whole shopping predicament. I looked up and discovered the largest muscle bound man in a wife beater t-shirt, a piercing in his nose, and a short cropped spiked haircut. He smiled at me revealing a gold tooth with a star in the middle. There was a matching star tattooed under his right eye. He stepped out of way revealing the vision standing squarely  in front of me and said; “Get a good look you old baboon faced bastard!”  She raised the front of her skirt high enough to reveal that there were no undergarments beneath the skirt. She stalked off and the large muscle that was with her smiled and gave me the universal one fingered salute.

Worst part of the day? I had to hire a kid to come unload the 80 pounds of groceries I was too embarrassed to put back.

The Fragile Folly of Funlightenment

“So I did the math…U.S. citizens comprise 4.25% of the world populations, yet we have almost 26% of all COVID-19 cases... and a little over 25% of the deaths.”

I read this little gem the other day and it hit a nerve with me. Statistics are funny things. Sometimes they are accurate and useful. Sometimes they are not accurate and universally accepted as Gospel. Sometimes they serve a purpose and actually help in a situation. Other times they are bald faced lies directed at the majority of people who blindly believe them and create the most egregious of depravities and immoralities. (Reference the current Republican leadership of this country…if the word leadership is used loosely) Yet the worst thing that can be said in conjunction with any statistic is “What’s your source.”

Once asked the narrative mutates into a mish mash nonsensical diatribe of who is reputable and who is the “Man behind the curtain” and need not to be paid any attention. This, naturally, is an age old defense against the veracity of any opinion, idea, thought, or desire which is contrary to whatever kind of tripe one might be peddling.

Being a well read and educated man; I find statistics to be an aggravation at best. Thanks to the acumen of a number of college professors I have the near ability to discern truth from tripe where it comes to numbers and what they mean. The opening numbers of this piece are dreadfully accurate. Whether anyone believes them or not is of no concern to me. I believe them and all else in opposition may embrace the south end of this north bound overly verbose writer. I will simply leave the earnestness of my belief in this set of numerals where they sit while reminding the reader of both my personality and the reality of the dubious area of statistical endeavors.

The first three hundred words of this piece were what, in my brain, had to be written in order to get to the crux of the opinion I am about to share. It is apparent that we live in fraught and immensely perilous times. I woke up one day and while surfing the social media one day to find out that a good buddy of mine had died from COVID -19. He could not get in to see a doctor to even get diagnosed. That was months ago. Another bit of wisdom is some doctor stating that America might see as many as 100,000 new cases a month going into winter with no cure of vaccine in sight. A friend of mine spent two months in a rehab hospital unable to see his family for fear of this virus. Then I read that with my breathing problems that it may be dangerous to wear a mask. Is that the truth? Is any of it true or is all of it true? Caveat Emptor!

Meanwhile, politicians are calling for the country to reopen. Amusement parks are planning to get some piece of a summer trade. Bar owners are suing the Texas governor for closing down all bars. People are demanding their constitutional right to not wear masks. Politicians are either holding or planning on holding election rallies placing hundreds or thousands of people in small areas where social distancing would be impossible. Having fun is apparently more important than not dying.

My own Congressman is amongst those railing against the restraints. He is also suffering from Covid 19, much to the distress of his family who is staunchly in agreement with the precautions detailed in fighting this disease. When your own family is willing to give interviews in opposition to your beliefs, perhaps you need a refresher course or two on the finer points of the science classes most Americans were required to take while attending school. Most of which seem have been ignored or forgotten in the face of political posturing. But, then again, we live in a country where millions believe that the earth is only 8-10000 years old. This is the same country that has an estimated 6,400,000 folks who believe that the earth is flat. Again with the statistics…repeat – Caveat Emptor.

The damnable numbers keep coming and keep being ignored. To date there are 4.9 million cases in America with 160,000 confirmed deaths. April 1, 2020 it was 184,770 cases with 3,746 deaths. This figures to be 26 times as many cases and 42 times the deaths IN FOUR MONTHS IN THE UNITED STATES!!!! The greatest country in the world and we are COMMITING GENOCIDE ON OUR OWN CITIZENS!!!!!!

Yet still we seek respite in such things as concerts, sports games, religious activities, and a system of government that has habitually lied to and committed crimes against the population without regard to anyone or anything out of fear of not getting the baboon faced bastard at the head of the table reelected. IT IS EVERY ONE IN America’s fault because we have allowed it to happen and get worse. SHAME ON EVERY ONE OF US!!!!

There is an old belief amongst the environmental and scientific community that the earth, Mother Nature if you will, has the ability to correct the problems of this beautiful planet. Science has shown that there have been five distinct Extinction Level Events on earth. The meteor the dinosaurs experienced was not the first. The Great Flood that has been mythologized and discovered to be scientifically true. Religious texts speak of war and pestilence destroying the population. Global warming which everyone believes except the adherents of the Good Grand Temple of the Orange Baboon might be the precursor to the next major catastrophe. AND WE ARE LETTING IT HAPPEN!

 The frustrating part of this dilemma is that we have the ability to do something about this problem. The rest of the world has adjusted/evolved and is, as such, not is as much danger as America.  The Babooninator claims it will just go away like the bubonic plague went away. The bubonic plague still exists and reoccurs from time to time. It is not as devastating as earlier time’s because it is treated with a tried and true method. Quarantine.

Every plague has one thing in common. Containment is tied, universally, to the separation of people who are sick from those who are not. This has been working for hundreds of years and there is no reason to change other than the fact that movie theaters, baseball games, casino’s, and presidential elections have proponents out there hawking their wares with fervor and apathy as to the effect of ignoring tried and true methods of containment. Making money and having a good time seems to be more important. To that, all I have to say is:

Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum