Lazy Daisy

My day began with a great meeting over hazelnut coffee. Several dozen freethinkers get together at Hastings booksellers to discuss whatever is on our minds and today it centered on Pasco where Planned Parenthood is proposing to set up a clinic just about women’s health. The residents are against it fearing that if young girls get educated about their bodies they will be more likely to engage in early sex. Ludicrous, in view of statistics that show Pasco Hispanics have one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies anywhere in the state. Not to mention the dangers the very young face during childbirth because they don’t ask the right questions about reproduction.
One mother was concerned about how her girls were into making friends through email and wondered about urging them to get into TV. Well I was not the only parent that spoke up about how harmful TV is. I think it is a very bad baby sitter. Ads are clever and devicive. The mother defended the programs and complained that her girls did beg to buy the products. Advertising stuck in their minds way past the merits of program content. I would like to get girls (and boys) outside to consider their connection to nature.
But I put that aside at home and set about enjoying my sunny backyard. I applaud those who enjoy lazy days in summer with energy to run through sprinklers and play ball or chase bluejays. I don’t run my sprinklers in the hot sun, some of the water evaporates before it hits the ground and besides that I have sprinklers that keep the water spray close to the ground. Couldn’t get under the spray if I could run. I remembered that at Universal studios last week there was water spraying from many low fountains around the lot. No visitor had to suffer hot feet for long. Water was also delivered as mist through fans in many places along the streets.
Back to my day. After a hotdog dinner I went to pick up apricot windfalls. I cleaned and packaged 4 quarts for the winter. Good job. I noticed the sun had disappeared in a menacing black cloud coming up behind a cool breeze. Be very nice if the menace proceeded to float overhead and wring out water tonight. I decided to leave my car windows down to encourage a pleasant rain. Well it seems to have worked in the past, especially after I washed the car.
When I walked into the house the temperature was warmer than the outdoors. What a shock! So I opened the windows and doors to let the cool in. A neighborhood kid is popping off his leftover rockets. I hope he runs out soon.
Naomi Sherer