A Rambling Stream of Consciousness

Do you know what caused the extinction of the mammoths?  I do, it was ‘climate change,’ which shouldn’t be surprising considering the earth’s climate has been changing continuously for four and half billion years; and that’s because the earth has been evolving for four and half billion years.  So perhaps the phenomena the world has been experiencing since the beginning of (earth) time should really be called, climate evolution.   But what’s even more interesting is that there are no peer review studies specifying how much man is or has contributed to our evolving climate, nor how much the rate of change would be if man’s influence were magically removed overnight.  But the true believers will not be dissuaded.

My personal favorite challenge when speaking with a true believe is, “I will give you a thousand dollars if you can tell me what the ideal temperature of planet earth is and during what geologic period occurred.”  I’ve probably made that offer 50 times during “discussions” about climate.  I still have my $1,000!

Meanwhile, the left is doing its best to alter not just the way of life but to reduce of the quality-of-life for billions of people without any proven benefit to mankind.  The gyrations the left goes through in its march toward of net zero is beyond ridiculous, and if it weren’t so close to becoming a reality it would be laughable.  But here we are.  As an aside, did you know that for 80% of our planet’s existence the earth was too warm for ice to form – think about that.

I’m 79-years-old and find myself looking back more and more these days.  And I’m not being negative, it’s really far more introspection.  I’m active and positive about life, but it’s only human nature to muse about the past, especially as we age.

Bobbi and I were watching a Nexflix program about elephants the other night, which is what gave me the idea for this blog post  Those who read my blog know Bobbi and I have traveled to Africa numerous times and were even asked to be the photographer and artist in residence at a mobile safari camp in Kenya.  The timing wasn’t right, so we passed, nonetheless, the African bush is indelibly stamped onto our consciousness.  I was born in 1945 so the 50’s were really my formative years; and in 1950 there were 5,000,000 elephants on planet earth; today there are less than half a million.  In 1950 there were 450,000 lions in Africa, today that number is less than 20,000.  While this truly saddens me I’ve come to accept that reality and how irrespective of all the animal advocacy on earth, the situation will not be reversed.

And speaking of things that won’t be reversed; Bobbi and I moved to Tucson from Vail, Colorado.  For years wherever we traveled when we told people we were from “Vail” we would receive slightly envious and teasing comments such as, “Oh my, poor you!”  No doubt we were fortunate, extraordinarily fortunate actually.  I mean the Colorado mountains were a spectacular place to live – and there was a local expression in Vail back then that said it all – “We came here for the winters but stayed for the summers.”  Winter in Vail was wonderful, even if you weren’t a skier – but to be a skier or even better, a ski instructor as I had the privilege of doing, it was in a word, wonderful.

Fall in the Colorado mountains is also spectacular, and summers with 80-degree days and 50-degree nights are heavenly.  From June through September if you wanted to hike, take your pick, easy, moderate or difficult; the views, the wildflowers, and the clear mountain air would make one’s heart sing.  And after the leaves had fallen the anticipation for the ski season was palpable.  Ski-conditioning classes and last year’s ski equipment sales were everywhere; and how could one complain about skiing the largest ski area in North America, with its incredibly varied terrain and 350 – 400 inches of annual snowfall – not to mention the après ski scene down on Bridge Street.

When the lifts shut down in the spring we had “mud-season” with its sunny 65* days followed by 10 inches of snow then back to 65* – and time to head for a warmer clime ‘til June, which many of us did.  But sadly, that era in Vail long gone, and not dissimilar to what we experienced in our travels to Africa – it ain’t coming back.  Today if you want to hike in Vail – “make a reservation” with the Forest Service – no, I couldn’t believe it either.  Wanna ski in February, prepare for 25-minute lifts lines where once there might be 10 people ahead of you and you were on a chair before you could catch your breath from your last run.

Back in the day, I would “march” with the VFW in Vail’s Fourth of July parade where everyone knew your name; town-folks would hand out refreshments to the marchers and the event was as much a street party as a parade.   Later that afternoon we would attend the patriotic concert at the Ford Amphitheater (free of course) and sit on the lawn and listen to the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Sousa marches and the Armed Forces Medley with everyone waving an Old Glory.  We stopped attending years ago when the parking structure filled two hours before the parade began and tickets for the concert went ‘on sale’ at 8:00 AM, which meant getting in line no later than 5:30 A.M. – gee, what fun!  Then of course there were the fireworks – the last time I attended it took 40 minutes just to get off the ramp at Exit #163.

It may appear I’m complaining, I’m not. Bobbi and I lived in paradise for nearly 40 years and are thankful for it and we loved it.  But as I near the octogenarian mark I cannot help but recognize at all the changes I’ve experienced.  The other day I was in the checkout line at Basha’s Grocery here in Tucson and grabbed a York Peppermint Patty (my favorite all-time candy) and didn’t give it a second thought.  When I returned home and began to unpack the groceries, the receipt fell out of the bag, and I noticed the price of that snack – $1.39!  Holy Cow – I remember candy bars being a nickel (if I’m not mistaken, Hershey bars remained five cents were until the late 60s.

As noted, I’m certainly not complaining, just reflecting, because candidly speaking, those of us born in the United States near the end of World War II are unequivocally the most fortunate generation that has ever walked this planet – we never experienced a true economic depression, a diaspora or a war where our homes were bombed and refugees filled the streets, nor a plague that wiped out large segments of the population.  Yes, Vietnam was bad (I was there) and COVID was unsettling, but neither compared with what other generations faced.

My wife and I are healthy (thank the good lord) happy and love living in Tucson – Bobbi paints and I take pictures; our kids & grandkids are healthy too so what’s to complain about?  Which brings me to the end of this ‘stream of consciousness’ – the next election.  Today our nation is faced with a choice – on one side we have two candidates who represent polar opposite futures – free-market capitalism on one hand soul-crushing socialism on the other.

And frankly what bothers me most about this our current situation is that “Kamala” could win.  I take my cue on this from none other than Bill O’Reilly who recently implied that the House, Senate and of course the Supreme Court would provide a red wall if she goes off the rails – which I believe she will if elected.  Is Bill preparing us for something?

In any event, here we are in what is perhaps the most important election in our history; and who would have thought back in the 50s, 60s, 70s or even 80s that our nation’s politics would be distilled down to a choice between free-market capitalism and unapologetic socialism?   And if the latter is chosen, I believe we should fear for our future.