String Too Short to Tie
Monday, February 27, 2023
Oops!
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Unintended Consequences, #T
or, Foreseeable Future is an Oxymoron.
People do not, as a rule, set out to make bad decisions. But poor choices are often made, and by intelligent people employing the latest methodologies. This is directly attributable to the fact that we cannot see into the future, nor can we picture the outcome of the decisions we make in spite of the hiring of "experts" to do an in-depth study to determine the "impact" of our plans. We may pay these experts thousands of dollars, particularly if we are a government entity and the thousands of dollars belong to the public coffers, which, I emphasize are filled from the pockets of the public at large, and yes, that means from you as an individual taxpayer as well. Spending other people's money (OPM) seems to be quite easy to do.
The problem with most decisions is this. The original impetus for the proposed plan is to improve the circumstances of a given situation, to implement progress, one might say. The problem is that once the person or group of persons (read congress, committee, council, board, what-have-you) latches onto an idea that appeals to the person or to the majority of the group that body immediately is seized of tunnel vision. They can see the entrance to the tunnel, they imagine they see the light at the end of the tunnel, and perhaps they do. but what they cannot see is what inhabits the tunnel, lines its walls and lives within them, so to speak. They cannot see the bumps in the road, the fissures in the ceiling, and above all else, they cannot see what is on the other side of the mountain awaiting them when they get to the other side.
There will be unintended consequences. These call for more decisions, and in all likelihood more of OPM. This is the way the world works. And whether the issue is a hurricane of national or international import, or simply a tempest in a teapot, people will take sides, second-guess, point fingers and generally fail to improve the situation or the circumstances. It's the way we are.
A. There will always be unintended consequences to every decision.
B. There will be good decisions, even some made by committee, believe it or not.
C. The ultimate impact of even the best decisions cannot be foreseen.
D. Bad decisions will always require more decisions to deal with the unintended consequences. Some of those decisions are likely to be unfortunate as well, requiring more decisions and more of OPM.
Sip your tea, pay your taxes, respect your neighbor, be kind, and hope for the best. It's the best we have.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Man in a Turnip Patch #T
Axie Wells come over ta see if I was okay, meanin' he come over lookin' for the borry some money. Axie is not the village idiot; I mean he is smart enough to know he is not very smart, but he is not smart enough to keep his mouth shut. You know what I mean; he expresses an opiinion on ever'thing, even if he actual knows nothin' about whatever is the topic of conversation, or especially if he know nothin' about it.
Ever'one don't know him think Axie is a nickname for Axel, but that hain't hit. J'ever notice thet all four his fingers on his left hand are ''zackly the same length? Waal, he was once't splittin' sticks for the farr, and waal, you know. So Axie come over and say, "Heidy, Jephtha! How's tricks?" Now Axie always pronounce my name real careful-like, makin' the 'eff' sound where the 'ph' is. Most folk don't do that, but he's not wrong!
"Slicker'n goose grease on a grain grinder," I says. "Jest about got this single-tree refitted to like new."
"Kin I he'p you any way?"
"Oh, no; no. I'ma hammer this last rivet and it is done." I complete the task whilst Axie stands there agawpin', the timothy stem he's achewin' on twistin' and bouncin' whilst he think on how to get at his purpose. When I lay the hammer on the anvil and hang the contraption on a peg, he says, "Jeptha, you reckon I could get the loan of two dollars? Now, Axie get some gummint dole for his inability to provide for himself, but it never quite reach from one check to the next. Partly his own fault, and partly it hain't none too big, anyway
"Axie," says I, "I don't have two dollars in my pocket. I don't mean to be unkind, but my ends don't always come together with enough string left to tie a knot." Now, I know thet Grace have a stash in her cookie jar, and we'll be fine. But I'm not askin' her on behalf a Axie. She's the kindest woman on earth, but she know the man's habits. Waal, so do I, so I say to him, I say,
"If you're runnin' short on groceries, please to help yourself to some a them turnips in the third row yonder. It's the best I can do right now." The man's eyes light up, and he says, "Oh, thank you ever so much! You are a gentleman. I do need something' to eat, and if'n you were to give me the two dollars, I'd like as not drink it rather than eat it, knowin' me.
So Axie go over to the garden and pull him up eight or nine nice, plump turnips, happy as any man you ever see.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Willful Ignorance #T
Be not the first by whom the new are tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. --Alexander Pope
David W. Lacy word count 776
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Just travelin' along, singin' a song. . . #T
If you want to see somebody who is 88, stop by my house here in Perfect, Indiana, for today I have reached that milepost in my journey here on Earth.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Joan of Shark #T
My friend, Joan Young, a.k.a Joan of Shark, or Sharkey, left her home near Ludington, Michigan on December 1, 2021 to walk the North Country Trail in its entirety. She has walked it before, but in bits and pieces encompassing the entire length, but this time she intends to complete it in one journey and has allotted herself a year in which to complete the trek. The NCT extends from Vermont to central North Dakota. Look it up online. In preparation for her hike, Sharkey devoted considerable time to refurbishing a small travel trailer which she has dubbed "Sunny." She essentially rebuilt the entire vehicle from the ground up, doing virtually the entire job by herself.
Saturday, January 1, 2022
Margot Comes to Call #T
You remember Margot. Of course you do. She was the little girl who terrified the circus animals and the townspeople. She's the little girl who broke Grandma's treasured keepsake and tried to cover it up-- and lied about it, too. She's the one who argued with the Sunday school teacher. Margot was a pill.
But Margot grew up, and as time will do, it has had its way with her, so to speak. She is no longer a little girl in Mary Janes and pinafores. Neither is Margot the lovely yet snippy little thing who tore the hearts out of many admirers in her youth. Oh, she was not cruel, deliberately breaking hearts. It is just that the young men could not but want her and she was very picky, even persnickety. So, it was rare that she deigned to notice the attentions of a would-be suitor. Yet blessedly she eventually found Mr. Right and they shared their lives together a long happy time. They produced offspring, who in turned produced offspring of their own, and so on. But only days after Margot and Evan celebrated their sixtieth anniversary Evan departed this life.
Margot soldiers on.
Magot is not only active in her community's affairs, but she also devotes considerable time to her grandchildren and their children. In a word, she is family oriented. Everybody loves Margot. Yet she is as outspoken as ever. One never wonders what Margot thinks of anything or anybody. We have all come to accept that in her, and not only accept it, but admire it, too. Lordy, how I wish I could be so forth-coming sometimes. But while everyone thinks Margot is cute, and strong, and upright, if I were to respond to people or situations as she does, I would be labeled a cranky old man.
Margot celebrated her 85th birthday last week. Some of her "girlfriends" got up a party and took her out on the town. I guess it was something else; and since it was something else it is merely mentioned here in passing. She dropped in on me recently in the company of her eldest daughter, Gwen. We had a wonderful visit, rehashing old times, reliving the good old days and so on.
Over the third cup of tea I ventured to remind Margot that though we had some years on us we were both single now.
"Well," Margot said, "that's a good thing so far as I'm concerned. That we are both single, I mean, and as for me, I intend to stay that way."
"But," said I, "I thought you and Evan had the perfect life together."
"Absolutely did," she said. "And nobody else could ever match my Evan, and by nobody, I mean you."
"Oh, yes. I am a nobody. Perhaps that's why I thought we might be the perfect match."
It is the only time ever in my long acquaintance with Margot that I saw her at a loss for words, and Gwen, bless her heart, laughed out loud!
Friday, November 19, 2021
Virgil's Farm #T
As Virgil picked up the pen with which to sign the papers the Rep for the developer said, "We'll go another mil for the five acres not included in these documents."
Virgil twirled the pen in his fingers, moved the Skoal a skotch farther back behind his lip. "With this thirty-five acres you will have the entire section but for only this five acres I'm holding. My great great grandpa settled on this land, cleared 60 acres and lived out his life here. My great grandpa cleared another 100 acres and lived out his life here. Grandpa kept up the good work, opened more land, built bigger barns and lived out his life here. My daddy finished clearing the section, worked himself into an early grave and passed it on to me.
"I've done well here, raised my family and was a faithful steward of this land. None of my kids chose to follow in my footsteps and here I am selling out. Selling out the sweat and dreams of four generations of God-fearing, hard working people. Y'all don't have enough money to get this last five acres. My home sits on this property. I know you have big and glorious plans for turning this place into a place of commerce with a "planned community" and only the good Lord knows what all.
Now here's what I'm gonna do. I am going to live out my days in that house whilst I watch your bulldozers 'n construction crews tearing up and paving over this paradise, putting in your strip mall and your signs will go up touting your hoity-toity development. I don't know how much you will destroy, or as you see it, "improve" before I die, but I'ma tell you up front that even when I'm gone you won't get your greedy hands on this five acres.
I have already made arrangements and established a trust to provide for keeping the weeds down and the property mowed, so don't expect to have it condemned. The taxes will be paid in perpetuity and the house and the equipment will sit right here, rust out and melt into the earth for all I care, but a sign and symbol forever that this place one time produced, produced, I tell you; fed people and meant something. It will be a reminder that something precious and worthwhile was destroyed for the sake of. . .
"For the sake of what, I dunno. Have a good life."
Virgil scratched his signature seven times, put down the pen, arose from his chair and strolled out the door, the heels of his boots clacking loudly on the wooden floor.