Apples and Stones and Inflation
Here at the edge of the Pacific Ocean on the far north coast of California the day is quite warm for early October, though not as warm as elsewhere in the golden state where temperature records are being broken every day and Los Angeles is experiencing yet another heat wave with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many people in America are still hoping that next year global temperatures won’t be so high, though most climate scientists suggest the ocean has done all she can to mitigate the effects of human-made global warming and from now on ever-rising temperatures will be the norm.
Our government, the national one composed of puppets of amoral billionaires, is dedicated to doing away with all programs to reduce global warming. That alone should disqualify them to hold public office, though their disregard for the environment and the future of human society pales next to their genocidal foreign policies and anti-democratic practices here in America.
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Every year we harvest the apples our little orchard produces, and every year Marcia takes a picture of me holding a basket or baskets full of the apple bounty. This year the little Grimes Golden I planted twelve years ago gave us hundreds of delicious apples and we’ve been sharing them with friends.
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The Friday Mendocino Farmers Market runs through October and I try to go every week to buy micro-greens and tamales at least. Last Friday I stopped at the table where a woman sells crystals and stones. I searched through her collection of carrying stones and found a beautiful piece of polished sodalite to carry in one pocket to balance the jet black stone I carry in the other, the jet black a stone I found on Big River Beach.
I’ve been a stone carrier since I was a boy. The first stones I carried were little polished rocks I found in the Tuolomne River when I was seven. I just liked having a stone or two in my pocket and felt bereft without stones to hold and touch throughout the day.
The stones I carried were always ones I found until I was in my thirties and bought a piece of amethyst and a piece of tourmaline to carry because a friend told me they would be good for me. I lost them somewhere along my way, as I eventually lose most of my stones, and went back to carrying stones I found until I bought this piece of sodalite.
The Lakota holy man Fool’s Crow said some people are born to carry stones. When I read his words I felt validated and happy.
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I don’t have a smart phone, but I do have a pocket camera I carry everywhere. You just never know what you might come across wanting to be photographed. This is a picture of an old rusty bolt and two turds of fox scat on the trail we walk on every day. How could I not take a picture of that?
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The local powers-that-be have installed fire hydrants all over Mendocino and up Little Lake Road. There are red ones and magenta ones and blue ones. Fun!
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Our several Japanese maples are putting on their annual show of many colors.
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Inflation is happening. Be on the lookout for bargains. Today in Corners they were selling perfectly good candles, long ones, only slightly bent out of shape, for 39 cents each. A year ago a 12-pack of new perfectly straight candles was going for $9.99. Nine months ago the price for a dozen jumped to $10.99. Then six month ago the dozen was $12.99. Today in Corners the dozen was $14.99. Hence the twenty perfectly good slightly imperfect candles I got for $7.80 was a steal.
My other unofficial inflation gauge is the prices for lunch specials displayed in the front window of The Goodlife Café. A few years ago the specials were 7.99 to 9.99. Today the range was 26.99 to 28.99. Yikes!
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How Are You? A very short movie starring Todd’s hand