2016 Fall December 17

40 degrees this morning, walk 35:27 minutes

A very cold 40 degrees this morning felt a lot colder.  Apparently snow this afternoon and then as low as 8 degrees tomorrow.

Of course, you never know, as good as weather forecasting is, it still definitely isn’t perfect.  Actually it is amazing it is as good as it is.  

The problem with snow is that if it stays cold, the snow hangs around, creating slush, ice and other problems.  

I remember when I was growing up on a farm, we used to say it would rain when the road grader came around and fixed the roads.  In that area, the roads were, and actually still are, just dirt, no rock of other improvements what so ever.  

As I remember, it was surprising how true that method of weather forecasting was!

A few years ago I drove out to look at where I grew up after a rain.  I almost got stuck and had to abandon my journey, so it was just as bad as I remember it!

Early after  my career started with cities, I began to see a different type of person run for election to pubic office.

It changed from the person who felt it was their duty to run for public office to a person who ran for public office because they had extreme views and either wanted to impose their extreme views on everyone else or they felt their views were the “one way” that that was it or that they would benefit personally in some way.

Unfortunately the general concept of compromise and middle of the road policy meeting moved to extremist views and not considering any changes or the views of other people.  

I don’t know the reasons for this, but it certainly isn’t beneficial to our  society or method of governing.  

Of course, now this has gone to local government to state government (look at how Kansas and this state are literally self-destructing due to the extreme views of the elected officials who can’t bear to admit they are wrong and keep on doing what doesn’t work) to now the national government.  

Maybe it will eventually go back again.

Overall I try to stay positive about politics, figuring that extremists normally destroy themselves due to their extreme actions.  

Christmas Eve is only one week away.  Somehow Christmas crept up on me this year.  It seemed to start ever before Thanksgiving and then kind of slipped into the background, if that makes any sense.  

Started a new novel, went to the Library last night and, as normal, picked up a lot more books than I intended to, but they look so readable!  

Listening to a lecture about Author Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” this morning.  As always, he shed some new light on some aspects of this, including the symbolism of  the Author Miller and Marilyn Monroe marriage.  (Those were general comments and had noting to do with Death of a Salesman.)

H pointed out that “Selling” used to be a lot different than it is now, back one they actually had traveling salesman.  

Of course that’s true of a lot of areas of our society.  

That’s it for now, Saturday, December 17, 2016.