General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe view from someone who has largely dropped out.....comments on recent things
I love DU - I poke my head in here a few times a day. It is where I get my news.
I was in the corporate world (big pharma) from 1984 until I was laid off in 2008 - then I went back and consulted for a year.
But - since 2010 - age 54 - I've been retired. I decided to finally make my hobby - gardening with an emphasis on heirlooms - my "job". I wrote two books, working on a third, go around the country doing talks and workshops. My wife quilts. We just moved (at last) to a smaller house and more rural area. We are overjoyed.
When I got laid off, we cut the cable - we have WiFi, but no TV and haven't watched any since 2008. We only get the Sunday NY Times - no other paper. We don't listen often to the radio.
The primaries in 2016 drove me off of DU for quite awhile - the behavior overall was deplorable.
Election night, by 9 O'Clock it was evident that something was wrong - I sincerely believe our election was hacked. HIllary won, Trump was "placed".
I can't stand it - since that night there are parts of each day that make no sense (when I do poke at the news). I see it happening again here and elsewhere - the splintering, the cult of personality, the arguing - and I have no doubt seeds of discord are being sown by bad actors.
The media has no idea of how to handle trump. Neither do other politicians. We've never had to deal with a serial liar, a borderline personality narcissist that is in the pocket of foreign powers. We have a world climate in crisis. We have addiction to destructive social networking turning our world into a collection of short attention span idiots.
So - I am in a way "sitting things out" and living my life - my wife and I are living our lives with our dogs and hobbies, trying to enjoy what this lovely world provides. I care - I will vote - I will vote for whoever opposes trump. I am more liberal than many here, but that's fine - it is a big tent - but I do shake my head at how my party since as long as I can remember has run so fast rightward away from me. I guess propaganda works.
So - I am here - still here - with less to say than usual because little makes any sense at all. I worry for the future of humanity. I don't worry for the earth, because she will just run her fever and burn us off - and we will be deserving of it.
I guess in a way I've about had enough. Enough of "out there" - but never enough of my wife, dogs, cats, life, nature, music, books.
alwaysinasnit
(5,057 posts)Response to alwaysinasnit (Reply #1)
Post removed
ramen
(788 posts)No retirement coming for me, either, but that is no fault of the OP.
nolabear
(41,930 posts)Warpy
(111,116 posts)There are too many of us out there with nothing but Social Security, thanks to a national policy of keeping wages at rock bottom in order to lower inflation on our backs. That means "retirement" is a patchwork of part time gigs that nobody else wants, just to pay the rent, buy groceries, and maybe afford the medication we're mostly all on at this age.
Some of us are doing better than that, and for that we can celebrate. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different for most of us.
Turin_C3PO
(13,893 posts)Geeze, calm down.
Response to Post removed (Reply #3)
SylviaD This message was self-deleted by its author.
Turin_C3PO
(13,893 posts)and slightly right economically (although in the last few years its moved back leftward a bit). Nothing wrong with noting that.
paleotn
(17,870 posts)Response to paleotn (Reply #17)
SylviaD This message was self-deleted by its author.
paleotn
(17,870 posts)The point is, you're obviously here to start fights and sling shit. The arguments the OP mentioned. Not sure why. But if you want to be part of the mayhem that's taken over the Democratic party and normally reasonable people, have at it. I'm not playing your game anymore.
SylviaD
(721 posts)It angers me when people claim the Democratic party has swung to the right. That's an untruth. I call out people who say that.
And you basically said my opinion is invalid because you haven't seen me post a lot. I've been here longer than you!
You can't blame me for getting a little irate. I'm 50 years old now and don't have the patience of the 20 year old girl who first voted!
alwaysinasnit
(5,057 posts)paleotn
(17,870 posts)You have no idea what the poster went through. No idea at all....and yet feel it necessary to spew such nastiness. But your a liberal...more liberal than most here....so that makes your vitriol OK, I guess.
SylviaD
(721 posts)OP said the Democratic party (which they admitted they are NOT a part of) has moved "far to the right". UNTRUE
paleotn
(17,870 posts)Given the current state of affairs online...that makes me wonder.
Response to paleotn (Reply #22)
SylviaD This message was self-deleted by its author.
Turin_C3PO
(13,893 posts)say he wasnt a Democrat?
SylviaD
(721 posts)I guess my mind is playing tricks on me. I read so many things over the past while of people claiming they are no longer Democrats because of some kind of supposed "right wing shift" the party has taken and it's just not true. Brack Obama and Joe Biden are not to the right of Bill Clinton! This is often said by...let's be frank here...Sen. Sanders supporters who then ask for our vote to go to their candidate.
I apologize for making accusations.
This is why I choose to lurk instead of post I suppose.
ronatchig
(575 posts)The three you mention are to the right of HST, FDR, and LBJ . Obama and Biden were pulled to their relative positions by the nazification of the Rethuglican party.
What's more, many here long for the days of yore when the democratic party stood in direct opposition to the policies of the radicals of free unregulated markets.
AllyCat
(16,135 posts)Magoo48
(4,697 posts)Im 71, and Ive always seen the Democratic Party as too far right, so, I play on the left side of the Dems lawn or I have no where to play at all.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)I'm sorry for you.
alwaysinasnit
(5,057 posts)the post, what struck me the most is that, of all the negative things going on in the US and elsewhere, that so much negativity here at DU is especially debilitating given that we are a like-minded community. The post brought home to me that our own in-fighting is making it more difficult to maintain mental equilibrium. Fortunately for NRaleighLiberal, he has better possibilities for achieving such equilibrium. I believe that the post was trying to gently point out a need to take a step back from the fray and catch our collective breath. Because, we are going to need every bit of strength to get through the mess we are in.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)real emotions.
My post was of a point in time, of a current thought that I felt like sharing. I could have listed the places in life we struggled, our daughters faced serious issues, family members had it really hard.
None of us know much at all about each other, so extrapolating to a point of deeper knowledge is fruitless. I try to post stuff from the heart - and can be clumsy, and fumble things.
But no harm, no foul. We are all a huge tent in so many ways - good and bad fortune, lots and not nearly enough security, and on and on. All we can do is to try to understand, to help where and when we can - to consider our world is one living organism, and that it is NOT just about what we see far too much of recently - me me me me me.
Anyway - my words seemed to elicit a range of responses and that is all that one can ask!
alwaysinasnit
(5,057 posts)how you are doing. I wish you and all our DU community tranquility and strength to carry on.
rzemanfl
(29,554 posts)Alliepoo
(2,208 posts)Had to go back and sign in so I could bookmark your post-its that good! Take care!!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)malaise
(268,635 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)quite a ride we are all on these days, hey!
your presence here, and words, have brought smiles to me throughout my time here.
klook
(12,151 posts)Thanks for stopping by. Im more of a DU lurker most days myself, and I share many of your views expressed here. For what its worth, I always take notice when you post something Ive usually found your OPs and responses to be worthwhile. This ones no exception.
You and I are of similar vintage. This is definitely a time to be useful where possible but also to take care of ourselves and those around us. And especially to keep having new adventures!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)democrank
(11,084 posts)Sometimes one needs some time alone with simplicity in order to see the true lay of the land and act accordingly. Im with you on this and agree with your observations.
~peace~
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)richdj25
(162 posts)which from my old stomping grounds, he's to be treated and looked upon as a pure loser. After all, that's what he is.
Yes, he's occupying the oval office but why even bother showing any respect towards him?
That's the media's biggest problem, approaching Trump in the same manner as past presidents. That ship sailed a long time ago.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)His whole affect triggers me into loathing...so I have to look away.
Tweedy
(628 posts)Because what would life be like if you trusted nobody, thought everybody was a crook & believed you were a "stable genius" when behind your back your nearest & dearest were laughing at your ignorance & general stupidity?
The blackhole of corruption in the center of this president is real and it sucks everyone in his orbit into it.
You are so right not to orbit him IMHO. He is corrupting to everyone. His need to inflict pain is so raw and his coping abilities are non-existent. Just watching him is painful.
This president wants to inflict the pain he feels inside on all the rest of us. When he succeeds, it is heartbreaking. On the plus side, he and his cronies are a modern incarnation of the keystone cops; so, his success rate is not high.
Yet, even laughing at his failures is sad, since it is obvious somebody (an aide, his wife, who knows?) is paying a heavy price for that failure. He is emotionally abusive of that there is no doubt. He abuses his staff on television.
I do wish he would resign. It would be better for him and would give us more time to survive this mess.
You are right not to engage in the daily horror show. I need to be more disciplined and do more of the same.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Whatever else happens in the outside world, taking care of yourself, your loved ones, and those things in your life that feed your soul are the most important.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)thanks for your words!
KPN
(15,634 posts)Live life as best you can under whatever the circumstances. Obtain joy and gratification where you can. Simplifying certainly allows one to better do that. Good for you and your wife.
Hopefully we all are able to do the same at some point soon. For me, what we are now experiencing, as a nation and globally, both fascinates and frightens me immensely. While I try and certainly have the means to do so, I find I simply am unable to tune out or even turn the volume down. But I do hope that, starting in 2021, I will be able to focus on the things that truly make life and this world amazing. Relying on one news source and otherwise cutting the cord seem like a really effective strategy for doing that. I have been passionately yet undauntingly disappointed by the backslide of working/middle class progress the past 35-40 years. Hopefully I will be able to break that long spell and arrive at the place you and your wife have. Hopefully, 2020 is my last hurrah so to speak disappointment-wise. Thats my hope and goal anyway. Thanks so much for sharing.
LittleGirl
(8,277 posts)Make your 10k one special!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)paleotn
(17,870 posts)The nastiness is getting way out of hand. And from people who are normally far more civil. It's put me in attack mode. Life is far too short for this crap.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)So I grab it back as fast as I can.
sinkingfeeling
(51,434 posts)to pull up stakes and start a new life. I'm in the process of sorting through 50 years of accumulated stuff and selling my home of 28 years.
I have to enjoy my last years and lose this hate and anger I've built up in the last 4 years.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)we just moved (downsized) after 28 years. It was CATHARTIC to unburden ourselves from so much stuff. We feel lighter, more buoyant, freer - we are 64, so hopefully will get 15-20 years in this new smaller place - and we want to keep sloughing off stuff regularly.
Squinch
(50,901 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Im glad your retirement is working out well. I retired in 2018 and Im also doing well. Its wonderful to be free of all that work stuff. In any case its good to hear from you.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)because they are individuals reacting to words. No worries!
Polly Hennessey
(6,783 posts)because someone was willing to tell you something about their worldview. We all get to retire, one way or the other. When I was young I began planning for my retirement. I understood that one day I would be old and viewed by most as no longer important. I also am enjoying my retirement with my dogs, my books, rural life, smaller house, family close by. I use DU for my news. Gave up on the mainstream about a year ago. No one knows how to deal with tRump and his cult. The safety net I thought we had is not strong enough to rein in tRump or Moscow Mitch. Just wish there was less vitriol on DU.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)dweller
(23,606 posts)that's the big stuff, don't sweat the small stuff
dude, you'll be an heirloom here one day...
✌🏼
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)keel over near a tomato plant and become the compost it needs! Talk about a perfect ending....
Never missed a vote - and a vote for a Democrat - in any of my voting part of my 64 years, and never will!
patphil
(6,144 posts)I also love nature, and am not happy with all the bickering on DU over candidates.
We can't survive another 2016-like debacle in 2020.
It's now or never. Stand up for your party's nominee; stand up for your nation.
The cost of divisiveness is just too high.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)So many things popping out of the ground, too - being a new house (well, a 1960s era house) we've been in for only a month, we get to see what former owners planted - it will be a wonderful year of surprises!
patphil
(6,144 posts)I love to hear the birds sing, and hear the wind blowing through the trees.
Nature is the best sound track.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Sancho
(9,067 posts)....and some is happening again.
I can identify more than you know.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)we can't take the way we've lived as long as we can remember for granted. Free societies - Democracies, etc - need constant tending or entropy will take us to pretty bad alternatives.
c-rational
(2,587 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)trof
(54,256 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)I hear you. Boy, do I hear you.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)volstork
(5,398 posts)You and I are the same age, and I dream of the day (hopefully soon) when I can "hide out" from the larger mad world and enjoy what really matters, a la Thoreau (and you). Congratulations, and here's hoping you drink in and enjoy every minute of it!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)badhair77
(4,206 posts)Im with you on turning to real life instead of something onscreen. I simply cant stand the vitriol and anger, and then nothing gets done. I have no idea how many years I or my husband have left and I dont want to spend them in that environment. Ill stay aware of whats happening, do what I can do, vote, contribute where I can and step out of the toxic atmosphere. My days are far more productive. Thanks for posting.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Six117
(205 posts)Hope. I'm a relative new comer to DU but I also don't like the tone a lot of posts have taken. I end up scrolling past so much and come away feeling like I miss what first got me to join. So much wasted energy. Anyway -thanks again for taking the time to share something that rises above the noise and ugliness; and gives this fellow DU member a nice lift to a solid Monday....
Peace
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)proud patriot
(100,704 posts)take care
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Under The Radar
(3,401 posts)I too seem happier when not paying attention to national news. But increasingly, what has been happening in Washington is increasing pressure within each family. And I feel guilty from not doing anything to change it.
Come back when you can and lets talk about it.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Botany
(70,433 posts)... Old German, German King, German Queen, and Hillbilly are all the same tomatoes.
If you are in Ohio this summer I can show you the greatest way to grow tomatoes.
CH3-CH2-OH. Cheers
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)it's all about wriggling invites.
One day you WILL show me that earth shattering technique of tomato success!
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)PS my BIL needs a new job..He's in medical sales
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)Spent Sunday and Monday working on exactly this, a "Plan B" and I'm not necessarily waiting until November to implement it. If I see things going south before that, I'm making changes--incremental at first, then more substantial.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)horrible act trump commits, one that would have downed anyone else, and then see no one in Congress stopping him and the news forgetting about it the next day. It is against anything we have ever experienced and challenging to our core beliefs systems. And not good for our mental and physical health.
It is both sad and good to go to plan b at the same time.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)just trying to improvise day by day. So far so good!
Hekate
(90,515 posts)Stay centered, and send us postcards about your tomatoes from time to time.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)on Instagram @nctomatoman and in my blog. And in my head. (and...poor Sue, and my nearby friends!)
babylonsister
(171,029 posts)So glad your move was so successful! Enjoy the good life!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)had a week in Corvallis, then a few days in Connecticut - nice big break until St Louis.
Got some fun talks this year - Nantucket, Clinton Library (!!!!!!), Dow Garden in Michigan, Botanical Garden in DC, Albuquerque NM, well spaced out - will cherish them all. Being amidst gardeners is just simply energizing.
yonder
(9,653 posts)as it turns out, are exhibited in a few of the resulting threads.
Your words are peaceful as they are inspiring and your thoughts are likely shared by most on this board. I wish you and yours (including the furry ones) much happiness and look forward to your contributions again.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)My little OP, which I spewed out as I tend to do (as I've said in the past, I am not always terribly eloquent when "typing" my political thoughts - one on one with a beer always works better for me - H2O Man I am most decidedly not!)
But I thank so many of you for your kind, nurturing understanding responses. I've read them all - and even those with whom my words or thoughts didn't work, thanks for your honest response. I've always aspired to having an open mind, and also having my eyes opened by other views.
So, this set of responses is collectively quite a gift for me, for which I am very thankful.
The movie Shadowlands has a great line - "we read so that we know we are not alone" (stated by Anthony Hopkins as C S Lewis).
I've read your words, and hence I know that I am not alone.
leftstreet
(36,097 posts)We love the garden porn!!
Good to see you posting
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)@nctomatoman
will be lots on my blog too
orleans
(34,039 posts)early on was that i was not alone and that others shared my thoughts, fears, views, concerns, passions, etc.
so... it's the primaries...i tend not to venture in to that area too often. i "stick to the roads"
your op was lovely. nice to see your name again.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Ahpook
(2,748 posts)I knew at that moment we had big troubles in this country.
The media is handling Trump exactly how they need/want to. It is ratings and they air the fucking guy 24/7.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)big troubles indeed.....bigger daily, it seems.
PatrickforO
(14,557 posts)I'm still in it, but I'm getting old.
Funny, I was just saying on another post that it is strange to me how all of us can pay lip service to 'speaking truth to power,' but when someone actually does it, a bunch of us don't really respond well.
People seem to be quaking in their boots about Bernie, but you know what? He's a hundred times better of a human being than Trump, and will, if elected, be a thousand times better president.
I mean, my God, this country has gone so far right we have kluxers and nazis actually marching in our streets. We have a set up a network of concentration camps run by private for-profit prisons and therein languish children that could be our own grandchildren, lost, frightened, despairing of life itself.
We have a media who does not report most of these awful things, and another right wing media that spouts nothing but lies and hate and fear.
And we're sitting here on this site quibbling about candidates who are too far 'left?' Bernie would have fit right in with FDR and the New Dealers, pretty much. And that's what we need here in America for sure. A new deal. Because the old one ain't working.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)liberaltrucker
(9,129 posts)But I understand. Take care, my cyber friend.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)blogging a couple of times a month
trying to instagram daily (@nctomatoman)
newsletter quarterly
gotta get that third book finished!
Aussie105
(5,315 posts)Congratulations, you have found the secret of not only how to keep your sanity in an insane world, but how to enjoy life.
Daily attend to those things important to you. Worship them, groom them, watch them grow, watch them reward your love a hundred times over.
There are times i have to walk away from DU, so much static, so much anguish, so much of . . . I am right and you are wrong type of discussion.
Considering I am half a world away, and not exposed to the bombardment from media, I have to wonder how some people cope.
They may well benefit from adopting your lifestyle and attitude.
Thank you for posting!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)kentuck
(111,049 posts)Still growing those wonderful tomatoes?
Good to see you again!
These are interesting and difficult times.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)thinking of taking a very slow year to observe the passage of the sun in my yard, the drainage, the critters - thankful to experience something completely different, and in an area very much like that in which my wife and I first met 41 years ago.
kentuck
(111,049 posts)Good luck in finding the right spot.
rainin
(3,010 posts)Since election night, I have felt as you do. Hillary won and tRump was installed. The media failed to look at what was right in front of them and largely continues to do so. I noticed also that I've started making comments to my kids about maybe not having kids of their own. It's shocking that the world has changed so much in such a short time, but it has, and I've come to believe that the only way my kids have a chance at a peaceful life is to forego having a family and take care of themselves. Get dogs, cats, live in nature, enjoy books an music as you do, with their spouse. That is the best prescription for a happy fulfilling future, I think
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)they are both on their own life adventures. we do talk the state of things with them - one is in the PNW, one a few hours away, we cherish them both as they weather life's bumps and bruises. There seems to be so much of my wife and I in them - values, etc - we watch them traverse life with great joy (and occasional anxiety!)
HAB911
(8,867 posts)SnowCritter
(809 posts)Over the years I've planted Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Black Prince, and a couple others whose names elude me.
My favorites have been the Cherokee Purple and the Mortgage Lifter.
I've still a few quarts of each canned in the basement (I should make some chili soon).
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Ah yes, Cherokee Purple (that is gardening luck - that someone should send me that as an unnamed variety - shocked at how it has "gotten around'!) Give Cherokee Green and Cherokee Chocolate a try - and Lucky Cross - and Egg Yolk - and Dester - and Green Giant - and on and on!
Joinfortmill
(14,376 posts)OfTheBottom99Percent
(47 posts)I completely understand where you're coming from and I was moved by your words- this particularly:
-"We have addiction to destructive social networking turning our world into a collection of short attention span idiots."-
...as one of the symposiums I'm currently organising for the co. I work for is about the dangers of social media on collage campuses...
...but even more so I am moved by the sanctuary you find in your garden- when I travel back to mine I am almost refreshed before I arrive just picturing it (in hopes my husband hasn't over watered
You're was the first post I read as a fresh newbie here; I'm off to read more and figure out how to post an introduction...help...anyone?
phylny
(8,367 posts)I think you need to be here and post awhile before you can start an new thread. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me
OfTheBottom99Percent
(47 posts)Cheers phylny (Reply #84),
It's a bit confusing. I was directed to The Lounge where I was encouraged to post an Intro but still, I got the yellow window saying I'm not allowed, so I guess for now I remain un-introduced - it feels a bit awkard but alas I'll poke around and just wait and see- there's certainly enough happening to keep one busy
OfTheBottom99Percent
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)Most people post a brief introduction in the DU Lounge at the beginning and feel free to do that for us. Just go into the Lounge and click on "Start a Discussion" and a message window will open. You will have a spell checker and message preview available.
Best of luck from KY and enjoy DU!.........
OfTheBottom99Percent
(47 posts)Cheers KY_EnviroGuy,
I greatly appreciate your greeting, I did as you suggested and the yellow window appeared again informing me that I'm apparently still not able post even an intro in the lounge, um...okay?
Hmm...I'll continue to meander around and check in at the lounge until the yellow window stops stopping me- It feels awkward not having introduced, anyway-
Thanx again
PS:
How are you liking Andy Beshear so far? Must have been such a relief to get rid of Matt Bevin- though those pardons! OMG can thr courts do anything about them?
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)I knew the rules were here somewhere but had to do a search to find it. Here ya go:
See: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10131538
(snip)
Make sure to post a reply whenever you see a new member in there.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1256
Therefore, after about five more posts, you can start a new discussion thread.
I think Andy is doing a great job, particularly considering the headwinds he faces with our Rethug legislature. My daughter in particular was relieved because she's a public school teacher. At least Andy can somewhat limit the damage Republicans can do to our state. I don't think there's much that can be done about the pardons other than use them as weapon during upcoming elections around the state. To my knowledge, few Rethugs spoke up against the pardons.
Best of luck and look forward to seeing you around DU......
OfTheBottom99Percent
(47 posts)I can't thank you enough for being a welcoming lone voice in the wilderness but still getting blocked by yellow window no matter which link I click on
Ahh, me...I'm packing to get to the airport so it'll just have to simmer til I'm back on terra firma -hey that's an idea...a forum for folks who are on planes more often than land in varying countries -
Wish me luck I don't contract the C-virus
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)I traveled for much of my later career as a field service engineer but mostly in the states. There was a long spell in the 90s I traveled so much I hardly knew my way around home. I'm very glad to be retired.
It's been so long since I joined DU, I don't even recall the yellow flag thing but I assume it's just to remind new members they're on temporary probation. From what I see, you should have total freedom after another four or five posts (you have six now). Currently, I believe you are restricted to replies only.
Please take care of yourself and wash those hands more often than normal. Have a good trip!......
OfTheBottom99Percent
(47 posts)Cool, (I hope you don't think I'm using you to get to ten posts KY_EnviroGuy my grandfather had a very similar job to yours w/ air flight sure but of course he had to drive allot of the time- he loved that job. I must have got his travel bug genes (and his foot size damn it, from his 6.7 ft. / size 12 feet physique).
Anyway, landed and jet lagged but still: What up with that debate? The crazed Bloomberg-paid-for boos and yays were well out of proportion! I mean who in South Carolina is THAT obsessed with Charter School funding in New York? Hmmmm suspicious to say the least. Plus HIS adverts between breaks DURING A DEBATE? Wow! What has the electoral system become?
Tired
OfTheBottom99Percent
PS
e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y is tired
Rhiannon12866
(204,586 posts)You're more than halfway there. Welcome to DU and stay safe out there!
Karma13612
(4,538 posts)And I just might use it as inspiration for my own life, and my inevitable hard times.
Hugs!
cilla4progress
(24,708 posts)is me. I am 64, almost 65. Fortunate to work in social justice. Always been politically active and involved, but can only take so much and stay healthy and alive.
I believe there will be cataclysms here in what remains of my life - of unknown type.
Horrid for my daughter and younger generations. I'm kind of deferring to her politically; it's her world now. She supports Bernie (as I did in'16 primary). Though I just voted for Warren in primary. Bernie leading is another indication of how polarized we are.
I don't understand how anyone can have children now. Sorry.
In this chaos, hard to know how to proceed.
Raleigh - I have trouble finding books that don't add to my anxiety. Suggestions??
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)"The Hours" by Michael Cunningham
hard for me to come up with a good book list - my wife is the avid reader, I tend to non-fiction (or writing my own non-fiction of course!)
You make an interesting statement. My current thinking is that only a world-wide, cataclysmic event will actually draw people together again, get people to work together again. I think....impact of climate change, of not the idiocy of some nutcase pushing "the button". But I don't really want to see how my wife and I will "do" when we truly get into a dystopic scenario. Would rather the nuke explodes right over my house.
We live in interesting - frightening - times, for sure. We need, though, to dig and find and hold on to hope when we can, wherever we find it.
cilla4progress
(24,708 posts)Guess I should gift myself, too!
I come to many of your same conclusions and outlooks...though I experience wide swings. I don't know about "hope" so much... though I agree with you that the planet - nature in some form - will outlast us. I've seen it with my own eyes, having lived through several wildland fires, and experienced the rebirth; like you in your garden.
I also believe indigenous peoples will survive the dominant population's demise, as they have for milennia. This gives me some hope.
I, personally, am privileged and I acknowledge that. I have animals/pets, live out in the countryside, husband retiring with government pension. I feel best when I am using that privilege in service.
Be well, and thank you for your inspiration and uplifting conversation this morning!
Grasswire2
(13,565 posts)I would like to step out, too. I love my books, my collecting and preserving ephemera from estates, my extended family, my dear kitty, my life on the bank of a river.
But my fourteen ancestors who served in the American Revolution will not let me go.
THEY pledged treasure, sacred honor, and even blood itself to throw off a king and tyranny.
One of them lost 14,000 acres of land with a profitable sawmill in New England, and then (because he helped ill neighbors who were loyalists) was imprisoned on a horrid ship, in shackles, and nearly hanged twice, escaping only when his wife nailed him into a pine box and smuggled him away. He was a patriot, who cared naught for mean tweets of the day but did what was human and moral.
And memories of my Uncle Bob will not let me step out. He spent nearly four years as a prisoner of war in the Philippines. His gangrenous leg from wounds suffered in the artillery barrage was sawed off by an Army surgeon in a tunnel! He told us (children): NEVER FORGET.
What kind of person would I be if I stepped back and let this happen without resisting as actively as I can, no matter the personal cost? I spend a good portion of each day resisting and keeping close track of what's happening. I have been in the ER twice this past week with blood pressure issues.
Our very way of life is threatened. Autocracy is a mere breath away. All that's between autocracy and ourselves is..........us. This is our time in the barrel. Will our lives return to normal? That's up to us.
I'm not letting go.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)world peace, one tomato (talk) at a time!
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)............
Paper Roses
(7,470 posts)I pulled back from DU posting in 2016 for the same reason. Yes, I read DU daily, in fact several times a day. I hope the discourse during this primary stays more civil.
I don't post much because my opinion cannot compare in knowledge with others. Still love this place and hope it stays pleasant.
Good to see your post.
This old timer will be soon thinking of the garden again. What is summer without tomato plants?
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Pachamama
(16,884 posts)I feel very much of the same about DU and watching what has been happening and the cycle that is all too familiar to many of us who have been on DU since it began.
I had all the same feelings and reactions and have come and gone from DU, especially around the election cycles and all the Newbies who suddenly appear and the divisiveness and attacks.
Look even at what happened at the beginning of your thread.
I miss seeing you around and I am happy to hear how you and your wife are doing. You are wise and doing what so many of us need to be doing if we can.
Wish I could join you in the Garden..
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)llmart
(15,531 posts)So nice to read a positive post these days. I think it's terrific that you're living the good life and not allowing all the negativity to seep into your days. I keep up with what's going on only on DU. I do not have cable and do very limited TV watching. I do however, volunteer for two very worthy organizations, read voraciously and listen to music - whatever the mood calls for - travel, keep up with friends and family and simply adore watching my four-year old granddaughter grow and learn about life. I am an advanced master gardener, certified environmental steward and live about a mile from a huge metropark where I walk daily.
My physical and emotional health do not suffer because this person is squatting in our White House. As my mother used to always tell me, "This too shall pass."
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)markpkessinger
(8,392 posts). . . I so relate to the feelings you express in your post. I, too, used to post far more often than I do now.
Great to hear from you!
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)thanks, my friend.
Worried senior
(1,328 posts)garden in you new home.
I've learned quite a bit from your facebook postings and really do miss them.
I sure hope things go well for you.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)follow me @nctomatoman - and look for my blog at my website. Just had to depart from FB and Twitter - my philosophical choice!
thanks for the kind words and stay in touch
Red Mountain
(1,726 posts)Where have you moved that is 'further out'?
Just out of curiosity. Get outside of the more built up areas and things get interesting around here. It can take many years to get to the point you become a known quantity if not accepted as a local. Social ties run a couple of generations deep.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)Loving it - easing into the gardening community!
cilla4progress
(24,708 posts)my bible verse.
I will come back to it time after time to return to center, to calm, and to perspective.
Bookmarked for perpetuity.
Thanks again, NRL.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,006 posts)thanks, friend!
cilla4progress
(24,708 posts)and continue to, struggle with my role and level of participation in politics these day.
For years we've assiduously followed "Rachel" (she's one, like Cher, who can go by one name...) seeing and expecting sanity and resolution of the sick circus that is now our federal government and political system. We see clearly what is going on, but not enough people seem to be alarmed enough (yet?) to fix it.
I can't take watching the daily developments any more. It seems the Dem candidates as a whole are playing into it. I remember previous debates where the audience was cautioned not to make any comments or applause until the break. These are now like Roman games. Playing right into Putin and drumpf's divisive strategy.
At the same time, I can't entirely drop out. Of course I will vote...for the Democratic party nominee. I am hoping to also do GOTV. But I can no longer invest the time and energy to follow every move, hoping and believe that "this is finally IT."
So your post gives me both support and affirmation that it's ok to go on living life seeing the beauty and grace that the natural world - and even some homo sapiens - bring. And also hoping to add to it.
Thanks, NRL!
cilla4progress
(24,708 posts)NRL, but it's painful to see my husband still caught up in the mayhem.
Sent him your post.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)The wife and I have done very well considering we started out poor. But that is a common story. Still love my job and not looking towards retirement and it will be here before I know it. Like you we have bought a lot in a small town, but on the on the gulf coast we hope to build a smaller house. An historical area as well. And near the marina we will keep our boat. And my wife and her grandmother used to quilt till her grandmother died. Never could get my head around how she sewed the pieces backwards so when opened up they fit. Quilters must be great geometry students!
But more interested in your gardening. Im a professional horticulturalist. We are serious gardeners although central Florida is about the worst place you can imagine for gardening. Sandy soil, hot and humid in the summer. This is the time of year we raise our greens for the year which I put up. Beans and tomatos as well. Mainly in containers. Not organic since I use chemical fertilizers but not pesticides or fungicides. And soilless mix with lots of pearlite to combat our wet conditions.
I have been more interested in heirloom vegetables than ever. At this point in life gardening is more about quality than saving money. If you feel comfortable I would appreciate you mailing me the names of the books you have written. Would like to check them out.
And like you I have started just reading on DU. I think this is my third post in the last couple of months. Primary season and Trump have kept me away. But still a committed and enthusiastic Democratic voter!
Miss your posts.
Sounds like you have realized your goals. Congratulations.
EllieBC
(2,988 posts)Not all of us are retired but many of us have stepped back politically. Much like you Im still voting, but Im far less emotionally invested. For me its a mental health self care thing.