ice cold sunshine final conclusion

It became apparent to everyone that this crisis was not going away quietly,  like it did the times before.  The stores were boarded up after their inventories were exhausted, the words “NOTHING ELSE LEFT TO STEAL” was painted on the ply board covering. Trucking industry refused to deliver because of the skyrocketing price of fuel and the lack of security.  In the first few days, semi-trucks were being hijacked all over the country. Fuel truck drivers were being forced to the side of the road and the drivers executed. It simply was not safe to haul anything, even with a police escort, starving people would resort to anything to find food.  The internet and cell phones fell first, followed in quick secession by the electric power, natural gas and water. And even though martial law had been declared, it wasn’t long until the soldiers assigned to protect order, decided to protect for themselves.  They became the looters, the hoarders, and well armed roving bands of warlords, gathering people in the night to use as slaves. It was like using wolves to guard the hen-house.

Three weeks out, the most beautiful cities became Mad Max’s worst nightmare.  Yes three weeks out, I would say that our digital world was in its death throes.  Before we abandon the cities,  I traded my sequestered neighbor’s Dalmatians  for a pickup trailer and mule.  I not sure if they wanted the dogs for breeding or for food, but I needed the mule and trailer to try to get out of the city. Something called a pandemic,  had swept through right after the shit hit the fan.  Killed a bunch of people, many of them were killed just trying to get to the hospital, being mistaken for looters. Saw most of these tragedies first hand, the others were transmitted over the radio.  It was the regular AM/FM radio at first, then shortwave and C.B. radios later on.  I’m glad I held on to my dad’s old C.B. radio, it was the only thing in his life, he was right about.  Nearly everything is pretty much like it was in the late 1800’s now.  With pockets of technology scattered here and there. Slavery in some areas, indentured servitude in others, but no outright lawlessness anywhere.  Some people say that we lost over half the world’s population in the first six months.  Most of the lost were from the “civilized” countries, due to the pandemic.  The underdeveloped nations seemed to weather the storm a little better than most, I’d guess because the loss of comfort level was less profound with them.

Well , it has began to warm up a bit, time to get back to work in the gardens. Dog gone early spring mornings are kind of a mixed blessing. The sunshine is beautiful, but there’s that winter wind blowing out the North, that keeps it a bit chilly.  My Grandma used to call it ice-cold sunshine, and I’d reckon it’s a good name for the times we are living in,  here in 2017……………….

ice cold sunshine part 2

It all began in a place called Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, (Saudi Arabia) with a perceived insult.  The insult was a handshake that had been presented with a left hand, an insignificant incident to most of the world. But this handshake would topple the world’s most powerful governments.  Some analyst have said that the handshake was the tip of the iceberg to the growing thousand-year long conflict.  They say that it was the earthquake following the dispute that triggered the global chaos.  Many others say that it was neither.  It was just time for the teakettle to boil over, but whatever might have caused it,  our history was re-shaped  that day.

My wife had come home from work via the 7-Eleven  getting some gas and I hoped,  a 12 pack of beer.  I was watching Entertainment Tonight on TV when she called out to me,  as she came into the kitchen.  ” Honey, turn it on the news! ” she exclaimed.  She ran straight to the remote, before I could even get my feet off the couch.  There are long lines forming at the gas pumps, just like it did on 9-11! It look like the whole gas station staff is at work down there, and they say gas prices are tripling! I noticed that lines were forming at gas stations along the freeway as I was coming home from work and stopped at that 7-11 down the street from us to see what was happening!  I tried calling your phone, but it took a while to get a dial tone and then you didn’t answer!  Do you have gas in your truck?  No, my truck uses diesel!  I replied.  You know what I mean! she said in an exasperated voice. Is it full? It’s already six dollars a gallon now,  and three times that is $18.00!  If it needs fuel, you’d better go down and get it while you still can!  She switched the channel over to CNN, and drew my protest. “Foul play! I ‘m going to miss what Justin Bieber said about Anne Frank.” I said throwing my hands up.   She glared at me with her signature  “I’m real close to throwing the remote at you” look. The news announcer was narrating a scene that showed people in the Middle east loading shells into cannon and firing AK 47’s rifles.  Both of us watched in silence as the melee played out on the 120 inch screen.  I’m sure that both of us thought at that time, that this would be another short-lived crisis, like the one following September 11,  and all the other minor scares that followed it.  We both thought wrong, as did the rest of the world………….

TO BE CONTINUED

ice cold sunshine

I was outside, working in my garden on a beautiful spring day.  I had not a care in the world.  Even though there was a worrisome, unnamed heaviness in the air .  If you had told me of the coming trouble that this day would signify,  I would have used my cell phone to call up the local loony bin and make a reservation for you.  That was back when you had pocket access to speak to nearly anyone around the world.   That was back when, you could get into a gas-powered car and go two miles to the local Wal-Mart and get food, clothing, and the latest electronics.  That was back when electricity was plentiful, and you didn’t have to depend on sunlight to see where you were going.  That was before the Goon squads began to gathering up my neighbors in the middle of the night.  It seems like it was an eternity ago,  but it has been only four years since we abandoned the cities, though the rural areas were not much better.  If you didn’t know someone or have something to trade, you were considered the unwanted. Needless to say, the dollar was worthless.  Food, weapons and medicines became the standard currency.

   Farmers and ranchers defended the properties fiercely, the rule of law was undone, simple trespassing often led to murder.  Looters were killed on sight.  The doom-speakers and the  survivalists would have boasted about their correct prediction the coming calamity, if they hadn’t been overrun by the “food stamp” hordes.  The irony is that if they had kept their mouths shut, and gathered the food and supplies in secret,  instead of selling it over the internet, they might have never come under attack.  Even a stopped clock is right on time,  twice a day.  Television personality Glenn Beck was killed by an angry mob,  after his security failed to keep the crowds at bay.  The report of  the attacks, was one of the last few reports broadcast over the airways before the power grid collapsed.  April 15, 2013,  officially the last day of sanity in the modern world.  It all began in a place called Dubai………..

 

TO BE CONTINUED

The “gods” of the new Olympus

The “gods” of Olympus had their trident to access their power, the minor gods used their temples in the same way.  Modern man now has a new power, through the advent of something called the “internet” .  A  newly discovered godlike power, being wielded by mere mortals has birthed a new set of Olympians. These new gods are called bloggers, and like their predecessors they wield awesome power, a power that can be used to reshape the landscape, and cause evolutionary upheavals in the minds of all mankind.  Connected by a new organ called a “computer”, these mortals are capable of channeling enormous power through a vast network, in a few seconds,  instead of many years.  I have only met a few of these new Olympians, but from what I see so far,  they have already surpassed the old gods,  and are making new history every day.

The first new Olympian that I acknowledge is Kenton Lewis of the “The Jittery Goat”,  he has all the wisdom and power of Zeus.  Then I would mention “Opinionated Man” as the new Apollo, his style of writing carries you through to a new light of understanding.  Another person that I’ve found just recently is “hotsouthernmess” , she has the honesty of Athena, and lays everything out like it came in the package, no tricks and no deceptions of any kind.  Opinionated Miscellany is among my list of new “gods” because he gives you the answer, before you even knew that you needed to ask the question. There are many more that I’ve found, and don’t be offended if I didn’t give you mention in this blog.  I just haven’t got around to it just yet.  My son said that I was the new Hephaestus, or god of the forge.  I’m not sure how to take that,  Hephaestus was considered to be sort of an odd duck.  But for now I send you all greeting from high atop Mount WordPress, the new Olympus!

GOLDEN LEAVES FROM THE TREE

I RECENTLY LEARNED OF AND OLD FRIEND PASSING AWAY AT 94 YEARS OLD.   MY THOUGHTS WENT BACK TO OUR FIRST MEETING.  MR. TUCKER WAS AROUND MY AGE (50)WHEN I FIRST MET HIM.  HE WAS A TALL, SOFT SPOKEN MAN,  WITH AN UNCANNY SENSE OF HUMOR.   HE COULD ALWAYS BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE.  HE WAS A CARETAKER FOR SEVERAL WEALTHY PEOPLE IN OUR TOWN, AND EVERYONE SPOKE WELL OF HIM.  I WAS TEN YEARS OLD WHEN HE  TOOK ME AND MY OLDER BROTHER TO HELP HIM PLANT SOME TREES ON ONE OF HIS CLIENT’S PROPERTY.   IT WAS IN EARLY SPRING ON A SATURDAY MORNING,  HE WAS AT OUR DOOR JUST A LITTLE PAST SUNRISE TO PICK  UP MY BROTHER  AND  I.   AS WE ARRIVED ON THE ESTATE,  THERE WERE A NUMBER OF WILLOW TREES ALREADY IN BLOOM,   AS WE TURNED INTO THE DRIVEWAY,   HE MADE THE COMMENT “NOW THAT IS WORTH ALL THE PAIN YOU GO THROUGH IN LIFE.”  I REMEMBER LOOKING UP AT HIM AS  HE SPOKE THE WORDS.  HE WAS ELATED AT THE SIGHT OF THE TREES.   THOSE WORDS DOGGED MY THOUGHTS ALL THAT MORNING.   YES, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT, BUT I HAD NO CLUE WHAT HE MEANT.

WE WENT THROUGH THAT DAY PLANTING TREES AND BUILDING BERMS AROUND THE BASES OF THEM.  AFTER WE WERE DONE AND WAITING ON OWNER TO COME OUT AND INSPECT THEM.  WE SAT ON THE BACK OF HIS TRUCK  DRINKING BOTTLES OF FROSTIE ROOT-BEER.  I ASKED HIM WHAT HE MEANT ABOUT WHAT HE SAID WHEN ARRIVED THIS MORNING.   MR. TUCKER PAUSED HALF A MOMENT  BEFORE ANSWERING ME.

” ALL THOSE TREES THAT YOU SAW IN BLOOM WERE PLANTED BY ME AND MY GRANDPA WHEN I WAS YOUNGER THAN YOU.   GRANDPA TOLD ME THAT OUR LIVES ARE LIKE THE LEAVES ON A TREE.  DURING SPRINGTIME,  WE BUD OUT AND SPREAD OUT TO COVER THE SKY.  AS SUMMER COMES ALONG,  OUR GROWTH PROVIDES SHADE.  WHEN AUTUMN  COMES, WE CHANGE COLORS AND FALL TO THE EARTH.  WE STAY ALL WINTER PROTECTING THE ROOTS AS MULCH SO THAT THE LEAVES THAT COME NEXT YEAR WILL BE STRONG AND HEALTHY.   GRANDPA PASSED AWAY THE NEXT FALL.  BUT I REALIZED THIS MORNING THAT MY GRANDPA IS STILL HERE…. STILL TENDING THESE TREES.” 

I HAD FORGOTTEN MR. TUCKER’S COMPARISON OF OUR LIVES TO THE LEAVES OF THE TREE ,   UNTIL HIS LEAF CHANGED TO AUTUMN  GOLD AND FELL TO THE GROUND.   I DROVE BY THE PLACE WHERE WE PLANTED THOSE TREES  AND GOT OUT AND SAID “HELLO” TO MR. TUCKER.

MISTER HARLAN TUCKER REST IN PEACE