Sunday, February 9, 2025

February Fog

 Politics makes and breaks, especially in the fraught days of a new and bewildering government scene.

So there may be little to do but stand watch and prepare to move, whenever or however.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on good omens, weather, judges.

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As always, I try a bit of underground resistance by currying favor whenever I can with strangers, and especially so with strangers on the street or in stores - those  not too strung out their phones or URL codes that have become annoyingly ubiquitous. Seek 'em out where they are to create an instant community of two or three.   Spontaneity will help save us all sometimes. Hence, on my way home from the local Trader Joe store, I stop two uniformed guys with shovels outside the luxury apartment building called the Residences on Capitol Hill . I want to know what is the substance they are about to put down on the sidewalk, in preparation for a major snow fall likely to happen that night. Is the pink stuff - looks like candy fluff - really ok for animals with sensitive feet?  The chemicals undoubtedly are strong. One of the two goes immediately to the trash can nearby to show me the cover of a big plastic bag that contained the 'poison,' known as ice melt. (So pedestrians won't sue the rental company should anyone get injured in a fall???!!) I see the words pet friendly, or pet safe - what is invariably how the manufacturer covers its bets. I learn from the man in charge that there are basically three levels of such protective commercial covering, dependent on price. The ultimate product is very expensive, he indicates; his team has chosen the middle ground.

Right - and at home I've also bought similar stuff from my local hardware store, the only difference being that it is an off white color. So what is its composition and how much should I apply? SUch are the mysteries of everyday life. It turns out (after a long night of falling snow) the medicine only works under certain situations, dependent on temperatures. We guess out way through this life and these times..

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Which - to continue the saga - is primarily what volunteers for airports' Travellers Aid volunteers do when strangers seek their help to navigate what is likely an entirely new and changing scene. Such goodwill messengers are there to invite passersby to use volunteers knowledge of airport layout and services. For many of the public it is a big learning experience to know about the Sunflower program that helps identify passengers with 'special needs,' usually accompanied by someone; that over 1300 lanyards (showing a sunflower sysmbol visible to all) were passed out in 2024. The program still is new and growing.

As for the volunteers themselves, they are as varied on airplane passengers: a 94-year-old woman only recently considered retiring from the job she has had since 2015. Another is a retired eye doctor wanting to be out among people - mindful that his professional background is not really applicable. There are military veterans, single adults wanting company  and liking helping others. Their training is intense, given that many such positions are in sensitive secure areas of the building. True to form, some potential dramas can occur. Such as the time a young new to the job volunteer was confronted from behind her stand (where buttons exist for emergency help in case of need) by a man's seemingly off the wall question:"Where can I turn myself in?"  Was he meaning to report some illegal substance in his carryon or possibly some seemingly more practical question, such as where might he report mistakenly holding another person's property? Ah, the volunteer took no chances and  immediately called on airport police to take care of the man. They came within minutes...

And some peculiar lost possessions might get left behind by people - boxing gloves, for instance - that eventually find their owners when a volunteer knows where such missing objects are housed in the vast territory an airport covers.

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Friday, January 24, 2025

SEIZE THE DAY AND THE MONTH

 



January 2025  - a new year, new possibilities whatever is your outlook on  national and world events. Father (why not Mother?) Time always marching (to the tune of different drummers).