I write so many critical posts about our country and government that it could seem that I don’t like the place. The contrary is true. This is my adoptive country, and I love it, and I love living here. I am often reminded about this, but it’s not as newsworthy as a corrupt administration or an inept government. Here is something I love about this country:
Its great size and climatic diversity.
Last week, on December 29, I was at the Seattle airport waiting for my flight home to San Diego, via Los Angeles. I had just spent two days in the Seattle area, and it had been raining solid. Not just a drizzle, real, steady, cold, wet rain in temperatures in the 35° F / 2° C range. The airline gate representative was managing two flights, mine to Los Angeles at gate 10, and another to Chicago at gate 11. He made the announcement that the two flights would be boarding at about the same time, and it was important that we passengers would get on the right plane. “One is going to a warm and sunny place, and the other is going to a very, very cold place.” At the time, the temperature in Los Angeles was 82° F / 28° C, and Chicago was around 10° F / -12° C. I was glad I was going to Los Angeles.
Tomorrow I was supposed to travel to Boston. But they are expecting a blizzard on Wednesday and Thursday. It’s 17° F there right now. It was over 80° F here in San Diego today and sunny. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be in that cold right now, yet, I am only about five flight hours away. Needless to say, I canceled my trip, and I am staying in town. I’d rather be home and warm, than stranded in some forlorn airport in a snowed-in city with no way out.
What I love about this country: That you can go to any type of weather, from bitter winter, to balmy sunshine in just a few hours and never have to leave the country. There are very few places in the world where that is possible.
I love America too, but my family doesn’t think so. Last year I posted a brief item on Facebook about my concerns regarding Betsy DeVos being appointed as Education Secretary. I included phone numbers of senators to call if you were also concerned.
My sisters and some of their children jumped on me so hard that I vowed that I would never again post anything political on Facebook. I had a lot of people defend me at the time, but one sister even said that I had never said a nice thing about the USA since I moved away in 1976. Of course that is total rubbish, but it just goes to show how divisive Trump has been. Slowly—a year down the track—my sisters are beginning to correspond with me.
Yes, America is and can be great. But I’m damn glad I don’t have to live through what you all do.
The advent of social media has polarized people. You end up saying things to folks in an online forum that you’d never say to their face in a backyard BBQ. We’re just desensitized. Trump figured this out and won himself an election. This could have been used by others the same way. There is actually some genius in Trump in that regard. He is a promoter by profession and he took advantage of that skill.
When I moved to Southern California, as soon as I crossed the state line, I pulled over, got out, and flung my ice scraper as far away as I could. I’ve never needed it since.
There are probably a good number of those in the desert strips off the I-10 in Blythe.
If you like variety but don’t want to travel around a lot, just go to Oklahoma. “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute.” — Will Rogers