In Winter, I Am Lucky to Live in San Diego
There are many days, weeks, and months where I wish I could live elsewhere. As I have mentioned in the past, California is very far to the Left. The Bay Area, LA Basin, and Silicone Valley are represented by people who love to spend money, whether the State has it or not. Taxing the people is their reason to be. They will not save the excess water from the snow melt from the mountains to ensure the survival of the Delta Smelt, a tiny fish that amounts to nothing in the total scheme of things. Rather let the people have no water and save those fish.
I hear that our governor is considering a run for the White House. This is the same guy who shut down the state, and promptly went to a fancy dinner party at French Laundry in Napa Valley. That is an excellent restaurant with insane pricing. A normal dinner (without wine) is $400 per person. The citizens were forced to wear masks, stay home, and maintain social distancing when they briefly stepped out for groceries. He and his pals enjoyed their dinner with no masks or distancing. I heard the tab was $20,000.
I guess the best way to summarize it is that Hollywood is in California. Now you are getting the idea.
Of course, the upside is the weather, and that is why I am here. As I have aged, I have lost weight and become very sensitive to the cold. Today was a bit rainy with a high in the mid-50s. For me, that was awful. I bundled up, but still felt the cold penetrating my bones. I cannot imagine being where it snows. I have lived in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri. I have visited Norway and Sweden for business in the winter. I must have been Superman in those days (or at least a younger man). I remember walking to school while we lived in Wyoming. I had to be less than ten years old. The windchill was thirty-five below zero. I had to walk backwards to school as the wind blown air was too cold to breathe. Amazing what a few decades will do to a person.
We do have wild fires and the occasional earthquake. I hope I am not jinxing myself, but I cannot remember the last time I felt a tremor. The fires do not affect me much either. I live close in to the city, so the fires do not get close. Wind blown smoke is all I have encountered, plus a few ashes on the ground.
The quandary remains. Would I prefer lower taxes, cheaper rent, and a government that cares for its citizens; or would I like not to freeze? So, here I sit, waiting for whatever comes next.
As a last thought, California now allows composting of human remains. Just the soil enhancer you want on your lawn. Thanks Uncle Joe! The grass looks great.
I can’t handle the cold, either, Karl. It sets in my bones, and I’m miserable. That’s why I live in South Florida. 🙂
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
I agree, Yvette. Fortunately, the rainy season is pretty short, and things will warm up in a month or two, I hope. By the way, we don’t have four seasons in SoCal. It’s either the rainy season or the dry season, which is perfect for the wildfires, but not much else.
Panama has only rainy and dry season as well (minus the forest fires). :-/
Karl, you would like the climate in south Florida, both the warmth and the government. We have no state tax, either. I hope you weren’t affected by the series of bad storms flooding California this month. Composting is one way to recycle. I’m sure the grass doesn’t care if the nutrients come from Soylent Green or other unsavory waste products. As long as it looks good, right?
Blessings,
Patty
Patty, you are lucky to live there. As I wrote, I would like to escape the craziness of SoCal at some point, but time will tell. We received about 3 inches of rain here, which is a lot by California standards (outside the mountains to the East). No flooding around here, although a few golf courses had to close for a couple of days while the water gradually moved to the ocean. Regarding composting of people, I understand the benefit but believe it denigrates the human experience. That is my opinion anyway.
California weather sounded good to me until you mentioned composting of human remains. I buried my cat in my backyard; my vet even gave me the bag with my cat in it. No composting for me. I wonder what I’ll do with my dog. Nounous won’t be cremated. I have room for another hole.
Susanne, so far composting is just an option. If this state goes any further left, it may be deemed mandatory. Still, the state won’t manage the forests, which leads to the massive wildfires that hit us in the spring. They won’t manage water resources, so we run low on fresh water every year. The weather is great, but at what cost. My last dog is also buried in the backyard. I still tear up when I think about that day.
Hi, Karl,
I have to admit that I am laughing at your last paragraph about composting of human remains. Is your Uncle Joe used as fertiliser on your lawns. 🙂 I’m sorry but sometimes my humour is macabre.
About California, I don’t want to live there. I was stationed in Monterrey at Fort Ord, when it existed. Now the fort is under the water. I don’t like cold weather either, but I don’t want to exchange Europe for California.
Pat, I agree that the thought that our remains should be composted is the ultimate demeaning of our humanity. The fact that a person wants that for themselves is fine. Imposing things like that on everyone else is the Devil’s work, in my humble opinion.
Wow Karl, that’s a lot to take in. As far as composting human remains. I do have a major problem with what they are doing right now. Putting bodies in caskets that do not decompose. Burying patients who died of covid when, in my opinion, they should be cremated. I’m afraid we haven’t learned everything we need in order to manage the only planet we’ll ever have. But that’s just my stick.
The issue of death is not something we like to think much about. Perhaps the Jewish tradition is the best. The body in placed unclothed (perhaps with a sheet only) in a plain wood coffin. There are no viewings or wakes. They are respectful to the deceased, but don’t use metal caskets with lots of padding. Those fancy caskets look great, but the person inside does not really care. Their spirit is already with our Father in Heaven. I just find the composting thing a bit like the old movie Soylent Green.