I Couldn't Believe It

I was shocked by the map that AARP published in its July/August 2018 Bulletin: 

This is a national map of eligible voter participation in the 2014 mid-term elections.  In only six states did more than half of eligible voters actually vote. In fourteen states 30 percent or fewer of eligible voters participated, which means that in these states, a mere third of voters determined the elections outcomes.

This, of course, is not how democracy works. Democracy requires every one of its citizens to participate by voting; otherwise it is not a democracy. None of us can afford to become complacent. Our personal lives consume us, but we must remember that we live freely because of the foundation of the democracy we share. 

By voting we give voice to our preferences by supporting as our representatives in government those who believe as we do.  If we do not vote, we have no voice, no say in what happens to our country. 

November is not far away. SPEAK UP!

Copyright 2018by Shirley Domer 

Terrible, Horrible, Awful Summer

This spring and summer have been a terrible disappointment.  April was cold and cloudy. Suddenly, when May came, the weather turned very hot. Eastern Kansas enjoyed no spring at all.  Fruit trees bloomed exuberantly, but very few apples and pears actually set fruit, and cherries set none at all.

The spring garden was passable. We ate some asparagus and a handful of little strawberries. Flea beetles ate millions of holes in the mustard greens. (The chickens ate the greens anyway.) We did enjoy fairly nice Buttercrunch and Romaine lettuce and a few beets.

Our local nursery provided us with tomato plants that were twisted and spindly, due to overcrowding in their greenhouse and their pepper selection didn’t include any of our favorites. As soon as Dennis planted the tomatoes in the garden, they developed fungal diseases.

Late July is here and we’ve had no rain since early June. When Dennis dug the potatoes he was disappointed to find there were only small and tiny tubers, in spite of his having watered them throughout the drought. The struggling tomato plants are still small, producing only eight tomatoes; most of them quickly rotted . We still haven’t eaten at garden tomato. Sweet potato plants should have formed a vast mat of leaves by now, but they are still small, separate plants.

Wildlife is on the move, desperate for water. Raccoons got in the hen house last night. Wild turkeys roamed the yard this morning. Deer have been eating the few, tiny apples on our trees, and I say “Eat up.” 

And here’s the kicker: chiggers live on, although they normally die off when there’s no rain. Dennis, who never gets a chigger bite, has had several in the past week.

One good thing comes of this miserable year: grass isn’t growing, so there’s nothing to mow. At least the noisy, polluting mowing machines are silent.

Please note that I am sparing you from seeing photographs of this failure.

Copyright 2018 by Shirley Domer