Friday, June 09, 2017

Along Country Roads




Like many Americans, I watched most of the testimony with the Senate and former FBI director James Comey yesterday.  It was sad, disturbing and exhausting.  

Sad to see the weary look on a good man's face who has spent his life working toward the highest standard in behalf our nation, only to have his world turned upside down at the wishes of a sick, deceitful and immoral "superior."

I hope some day and SOON that Mr. Comey regains the peace of mind that he has earned and that he is due.  In the meantime, he has to endure the gut-wrenching agony and continued stress thrust upon him because of someone else's self-centered and self-inflicted desperate behavior. 

Interesting to see that Senators on both sides of the aisle took ample time heaping generous praise upon the former FBI director for his service to country and for his consummate professionalism.

Then, they went to work with questions they felt they needed to ask----interestingly enough, never doubting his veracity---instead, questioning his natural human responses to the "stunning" situations he encountered while communicating with the man who fired him. 

I hope Mr. Comey gets the message from across this country that, for the most part, he is appreciated and respected for the example he has set. 

He is human, and that is always refreshing to see.  Granted, he may have made some mistakes that, at the time, ruffled the feathers of various political factions.  But that goes with the territory of his job, and from listening to his testimony in several settings, I believe he did his very best, given the complex circumstances. 

The bottom line is that this man exemplifies what many of us view as the epitome of a dedicated American, a devoted public servant and a decent human being.  

Good luck, Mr. Comey.  Hoping this nightmare which you are personally enduring goes away soon.

After watching the hearings and then seeing the opposition responses, I felt about as weary as Mr. Comey looked and as Sen. McCain sounded when he asked some strange questions at the end. 

I've since read that the Senator blames his questionable questioning on staying up too late watching the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. 

At least he's man enough to acknowledge his short-circuiting episode. 

The events of the day required a break, so I got in the car and drove up Pack River to the Caribou Creek Road.  

As I continued to drive and admire the summer beauty along the roadside, I could feel my mind and body letting loose of the tension that had built up during those hearings and their aftermath.

Nothing like nature to sooth what ails us.  Later, I enjoyed an evening walk down our dirt road, and even though the weather at the time was somewhat blah, I still found some photogenic beauty along the ditches. 

Various kinds of grass swaying in the evening wind alongside fenced farm fields do have a beauty all their own.  And, those old fence posts with their rusty barb wire---still functional but charming with their obvious signs of age. 

Makes me wish that others will find beauty in my signs of old age.  Maybe these wrinkles and the gray hair (soon to be zapped with a shot of color today) don't look as bad as what I see in the mirror.  And, that's WITHOUT my glasses. 

I read in another blog this morning how the Puritains believed that the old fogeys were the best in the human chronology ladder and that nowadays we tend to focus more on youth and materialism.  

I left a comment on that blog, suggesting that some of us older types are thinking that the Puritains had a great idea with their "veneration" of the elderly.

Maybe if we start lobbying for a change in general attitude, we can enjoy some of that veneration when we get really old and wrinkled.  Seems wise to me!

Anyway, back to nature.  Old fence posts and rusted barbwire to have their own brand of beauty, and I appreciated just that during my evening walk. 

Overall, there's nothing prettier in my mind than just about everything we see along a country road.  After yesterday's stressful TV viewing, I switched gears and found a needed sense of relaxation and definitely a welcome peace of mind.

Glad our world here in the country is not nearly as complicated as that of those who operate in high places.   Maybe all of those folks could do with immersing themselves in a little country every once in a while to clear their brains. If they did, this nation might be a lot better off.   

Happy Friday and the very best to my sisters, Barbara and Laurie as they finish their teaching careers on this last day of school. 




My sisters' barn looked especially stunning yesterday as a backdrop to the abundant hay crop growing in their field. 


















It's obvious my rake and the two shovels have sat idly next to the barn while the Virginia creeper has crept. 


1 comment:

ann gehring said...

You know I love your blog but I have a hard time leaving a comment. I tried on Wednesday when you left lovely pictures of us in the lupine in the Love Canal. Your thoughts today were mine but your talent for expression is beyond a "ten." Thank you, Marianne.