Consensus: Let us spray

I had just tried to hit the post and publish button when my machine froze, dumping the whole thing. I am not convinced all my prose is worth another hour to re-create. This has happened a lot. I don't know if it is the machine or google. I am beginning to long for an electric typewriter again.

I  understand the popularity of these is growing again among professional writers. After all, they can then be scanned into a disc and put on the computer for e transfer or simply copied so the disc can be sent.

My computer can do many things I don't know how to use. To improve that, I am taking a basic computer course this next month to increase my skills. Nevertheless, as I use it, I am constantly reminded of how primitive this system is going to seem in 10 or 20 years.  I wonder how many will be able to catch up? Will this disenfranchise technoklutzes like myself completely?

I suspect not. I hope not.

The blog I lost was simply reflecting, as we all must this election year, on how a simple fact or statement can please so many while displeasing so many others.

I was reflecting because, counter to any wishes I had, my neighborhood  was subjected to aerial spraying  twice in the last three days. Last night, I lay in bed, the dogs snoozing on the floor, and listened as small planes flew low overhead, trailing the aerial spray to kill the culex mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Supposedly we have them here, though we have no known cases.

So many are delighted. I am dismayed.  It seems to me that anything that may make the ecology less effective is not a good thing. But then, at this point, I am a genuine tree hugger.  Yes, I will use use the organic killers for fire ant mounds. I stomp on cockroaches. I flush scorpions in the house. Otherwise, I don't mess much.

I kept the dogs in till the sun was well up--the insecticide is supposed to break down in sunlight. I changed their outside water dish when I let them out, just in case. They had a fine romp and seem none the worse for any residue on the grass.

The  one thing I can do is put up a purple martin house in the back yard, as I have been talking about. I can keep drainage monitored in my area. Use DEET when mosquitoes are out. I can do those things. I can't stop the spraying.

The purple martin house will have to do.