Sunday, September 17, 2017

The Useless Summer

Today Oregon will get its first fall storm, with a lot of rain predicted.

Sure we need rain.  

But my heart sinks to think of it.  The summer was completely useless.

We waited so long for summer after a winter that broke every record for rainfall.  Last winter stretched on forever and was one of Oregon's most depressing and wet.

Finally in mid June, summer hit.   It hit hot and hard and wildfires broke out everywhere.  Aided by teens with no brains, intent on social media stardom, and others both malicious and careless---firecrackers, unattended campfires, driving on dry grass, the usual causes.  The air lay low and thick in smoke much of the summer.  Here in the mid valley the misery was compounded by the grass seeders plowing dirt fields sending up massive plumes of dirt to hang in the already heavy awful air.

My knee popped in June too, leaving me unable to walk without wanting to scream for a couple months and it still hurts nights and still I have no idea what went wrong.

The car failed, too but still sits in the driveway, along with the latest, the new old car.

I count on summer to get out away from people, hike or camp, take the raft out and I didn't get any of that this summer except for a couple times out on a very very crowded reservoir.

I guess I'm bummed, knowing the rain is coming later today, lots of it, and that summer is gone, although the air quality yesterday was so bad who really gives a damn if its summer or winter when the air is worse than Beijing?

A forecaster bit his lip yesterday, stared apologetically into the camera and said we might be in for another horror of a winter with La Ninja rains.

Another bummer for me is how fast this town is growing, sprawling along the freeway, every square inch being developed into high density housing, without the roads that will handle the massive influx.  A block away a field has now been filled with dirt and leveled, and I bet it will be wall to wall look alike houses put up and the only street can't handle even more traffic.  There's no core to this town, just sprawl along the freeway, no real parks outside of squares of grass, and sports fields, for like baseball or basketball.   It's a wasteland of sprawl and cars and concrete.

 I feel trapped.  I'm old but I want out, away from so many people, but how would I manage a change now?


7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I meant to entitle the post "Bummer of a Summer" then forgot.

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  2. Anonymous3:56 PM

    The sprawl is happening in a similar manner here, except in some places where there isn't even a freeway, let alone a train station. Your and my quality of life is deteriorating rapidly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I too am feeling a bit of a letdown as summer winds down and I didn't do many summer things. It's been very busy. I need to slow down and enjoy things more. Here's hoping that the smoke clears and you have some good outdoor time this fall.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks L&L, I hope it just doesn't start with the rain that never ends. I'm sorry your summer was less than it could have been too. At least no hurricanes hit here. I feel for the folks whose homes and lives were wiped out by Harvey and Irma. At least there is that. No hurricanes here, although here it is not so uncommon to experience winds exceeding 50 mph in the winter, rather common actually. Just so its not over 100 mph.

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  4. So sorry for you. Wish I could bring you here. You've given me new appreciation to my boring little 'burb. ~hugs~ Take care. I hope your knee heals over time.

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