A neighbor brought by his Wood Splitter today so we spent a couple hours putting wood up for the rest of the winter. We heat this house only with wood and this is the fifth pickup full of rounds that we have cut this season. Not bad.
My progeny writes to ask if I can think of any positive things that have been created since my birthday in 1961. Now I am a dyspeptic dysthymic negative bloke of a person and the state of the world certainly leads me to more pessimism than optimism. Yes, life is good on a personal basis. I've got people who love me in my life. This house. A good job. A fairly decently working brain and a body that manages to heft me around. I've got good dogs. All those things that make for having a satisfying personal life.
And I guess we should enjoy that huh? Sure.
So some things that are better now than in 1961:
1. Science. Specifically climate scientists who have let us know precisely what will happen as CO2 and Methane are released into the atmosphere. In 1961 we had no clue.
2. The Wilderness Act of 1963 and the Alaska Wilderness Act of 1980.
3. Solar panels and Wind turbines.
4. The Internet.
5. Environmental Groups, thousands and thousands of them, that just might save the planet.
6. Lap Top computers.
7. Really good hiking shoes.
8. Lightweight sleeping bags and tents. And you have to love how quickly and easily tents can be set up nowadays. And whoever thought of putting those little wires through tent poles so that they never get disconnected, or lost, is a genius.
9. Medicare.
10. Reliable birth control.
11. The Endangered Species Act and the EPA.
12. Dental floss and pain free dentistry.
13. Wheels on suitcases.
That's about all that I can think of. All the rest of progress doesn't really seem to add up to much.
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