CG Express

1. Giant red ants crawling out of large holes in the sandy ground. I’ve known to avoid red ants since I was a child. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood when suburbs were a new concept. The split level and colonial houses that dotted the streets were all new with huge yards, woods all around and hundreds (okay maybe fifty) kids everywhere. We played in the streets, not because we didn’t have enough space across the vast lawns but because we were riding bikes and pulling wagons, as though the pavement wasn’t at all for cars. We would gather at times, bikes fallen over, with just a ball or a homemade popsicle and sit on the curbs at the edge of the road. Everyone knew, even Kindergarteners, don’t sit for too long. Give ants enough time to find a sweaty, sweet child’s butt and there would be a line of them crawling right up a leg. If they were black, not so bad. If they were red, get ready to cry. Seeing supersized red ants as an adult inspired just a little bit of fear. No way could those ants climb up my leg just by walking over them. Still the marauding creatures had my respect. I had to keep my imagination from going to a sci-fi flick where ants take over the world.
2. Snow out the window of our plane. Maybe you all fly regularly in snow. It was a first for me. Unexpected, beautiful but again, I found myself wondering if the de-icing spray would work or would we crash before we could get above the weather. A fleeting thought until I got engrossed in a book. Thank God for all you published authors! Keep writing people! Lives are at stake.
3. VR world, that’s Virtual Reality and if you haven’t experienced it you need to the first chance you get. For someone who has a hyper imagination, being in a virtual world is intoxicating. Now all those novels (reading “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline- which totally has me trapped and I’m not even an 80’s culture addict) about humanity sectioned off in virtual lives seem so plausible I’m afraid for humanity. But…what a rush to play a game!
4. Candied jalapeño- I saw this at a farmer’ market. I have to be careful with super hot stuff even if I like it. But jalapeño paired with sugar, I don’t know that just tweeked my curiosity enough that I paid $5 for a small jar. It’s a winner, exactly as expected, the sweetness cuts the heat so that it releases slow. Left them behind where I was staying so now I’m on the hunt to find them locally.
5. Flashes of light – those were at the edge of my eye. First I thought I was seeing a reflection off the edge of my glasses but then I realized I was wearing plastic glasses…nothing reflective. I’ve had flashes show up before, usually sparkly stars, just before a migraine. I had my eyes checked by an eye doctor the last time and all was well. But these outer edge flashes were different and for a little while I worried my retina was detaching. That got me thinking. I had spent the day enjoying majestic, awe inspiring views of the Rockies, the blues, yellows and stark grey of rock. It was a feast for the eyes which without warning my ability to see those views could be over. It’s like that with life and especially with age. What you have today might not exist for you tomorrow. Now I know it’s popular to say ‘live like there’s no tomorrow’ but sustaining that mind set every day isn’t easy when you wake up every day and still have the same problems, the same needs, the same disappointments. So my advice having considered the loss of sight, is to not hold too tightly to what you have, be willing to let it go if that’s the plan laid out for you and of course be thankful each day for those things and people who make your life full at this very moment.

That’s all folks. Just some notes and musings on things going on here and there. Take a look around. There’s a lot more to ponder on than if our lives will continue to be manipulated by a virus or the media, pick your choice.