March 20, 2010

 What a completely fantastic day it has been.  You could not ask for a day more beautiful-well actually could but this one would be hard to top.  Only one of my dogs got to enjoy it though.  Poor little Elvis had been sick all day.  He woke up with diarrhea that turned to vomating this afternoon.  He couldn't even eat his dinner-Elvis never, ever misses a meal.  I'll give him tomorrow but if he doesn't get any better I my have to take him to the vet.  He was suppose to get a bath today but looks as if he got lucky-he hates a bath.  Fuggo ended up with two dinners-he stole Elvises too.  But he and I did our 1.5 miles walk so I guess he was hungry. 

  While we were walking I was watching people outside enjoying the day-kids playing and yelling, ladies in big hats gardening, old folks hanging out in their front yards chatting loudly, other dogs barking at us as we walked by.  I noticed that it looked a lot like life when I was a kid.  Of course the neighborhood we were in was made up of brink ranchers from the 50's, 60's and 70's.  I may not have been around in the 50's but I do remember much of the 60's and all of the 70's-well the tail end of the 70's and the early 80's are a bit of a blurr.  Still, things have not changed all that drastically.  Technology may have progressed but people haven't.  It all seems so benign on the surface but I know better.  I lived in that benign world.  Pedaphiles, alcoholics, child abusers, pill poppers, even ex-klansmen live in that benign world.  And oddly enough I lived with all of them at one time or other.  I think a lot of us did-especially in the 70's.  It was a strange time.  I mean during the 60's there was a fight for (social) freedoms-civil rights, womens liberation, for or from Vietnam, fight against social injustice and a fight for equality.  The 80's were kind of a toned down version-the fight was more physical then-with the distruction of the Berlin Wall and the dissolving of the old Soviet Union.  But the 70's were that strange transitional period where we did not transend very gracefully or with any real dignity.  I mean, come on, when swingers are the biggest draw for attention and wheather or not disco sucks is considered current events it's just strange.  Well, I guess it did have it's up side.  I was in on the last years of busing (from what was considered a 'white' school to a 'black' school).  I never quite understood that.  My school was already intergrated and yet every day they would load us up on buses just after noon and 'ship' us across the Lee Bridge to Lee school.  I'd go to one school in the mornings and end up at another one in the afternoons.  I didn't mind it very much.  I did not like going past the prison but it's not like anyone was going get me either.  Lee school was primarily black and I was very very white-atomic white.  Every afternoon right before we got on the buses to go home we had to line up in the audiotorium acording to bus number and the principle would say his good afternoons and good job children and call out the bus numbers as they would drive up.  I can only imagine what he must have thought when he looked out into that sea of various tans and browns and saw two-only two-super white kids.  Some little boy and I were the only white children there.  It must have been a strange sight to see.  And you know I stood out.  I was so white I could have glowed in the dark.  It was as if God just ran out of ink when he got me.  It was a strange time.

  I might revisit that some other time but my husband just came in wanting food as husbands tend to do.  And of course I need to supply it.  So I guess I say 'Good Night'.  God Bless.

(Photo is the Robert Russa Moton School)