Thoughts from the hill

Spring is in the air. The daffodils are thriving, the squirrels are chasing each other up and down the oak trees, the Canadian geese are flying north (am I sure they are going to Canada and am I sure they are geese?--I heard once that they might be cranes), Obama is in California propping up people as best he can, and I am sitting here on my hill contemplating my life, the life of those I care about, and the lives of those people whom I have never met.

Everywhere I look businesses are closing. Today the airport mechanic told me that he will be closing the door on his hangar on May 1st. What happens to all those airplanes flying overhead when their engines start sounding funny? How far away will they have to fly to have repairs done on their planes? I have hope for Obama's 'change' mantra but everywhere I look I see people struggling. Money is not going as far as it used to even though gasoline prices seem to be sliding downhill.

We still have options though. I guess we can all do what we can from our own part of the world. We can plant Victory gardens and reap the benefits of fresh, local-grown produce. My local nursery-person tells me she expects seed and plant sales to ramp up this year even more than last year. We can pack picnic lunches and take a Sunday drive. We can have Friday night dinner parties with close friends. We can get back to basics and bake bread and home-made cookies again. Slow down a bit and enjoy the ride.

I guess those card parties that my parents used to do every Friday night are back in style, minus the thick cloud of cigarette smoke that hung in the air over the heads of the players. Instead of bourbon on the rocks we can serve wonderful bottles of wine or fancy martinis. I wouldn't miss all that smoke hanging in the air at all.