And So We Go…

We haven’t done this writing directly thing lately, understanding that not everyone likes our “voice” or cares to listen to us jawjack. If that’s you – feel free to change the channel.

But things have been stacking up over the last year, our readers demonstrating a desire to keep in touch by writing us regularly and those who know us knowing we like to lay down words from time to time.

Understanding that people also like to see us stay focused on local issues we’ll say only it’s nice to get through a G7 Conference without having our president assault the prime minister of Montenegro and, generally, the nation appears headed in the right direction once again. Still have some repair work to do, though, of course.

Locally, critters are in the news with alpacas and otters and black bears roaming our neighborhoods and us human-types reacting with characteristic human confusion – many of us either giddy or chagrined by their presence. Personally, we like animals of all stripes and would like to think that some that have suffered at our hands in the past may be making something of a resurgence. We understand that we may have left the era of any possibly sustainable co-habitation back in 1920 or so but it’s still fun to dream.

On the human front, we continue to do what we humans do – muddle on and err spectacularly from time to time while making more people.

A Concord woman erred a bit Friday evening when she thought she heard someone burglarizing her home, exercised her right to bear arms and reached for her personal home-defense heater – apparently putting a round through her foot. Not fun, and we’ve heard from people who know that getting shot really, really hurts soooo… quick recovery.

In other news we people-types continue to toss pyrotechnics into dry grass, shoot into occupied cars in public places, crash into all manner of things while operating all manner of conveyances and generally muck things up for everyone else.

Police hoping to keep a lid on the worst human eccentricities in San Ramon must be feeling a little snakebit after knock-down, drag-out tussles with cantankerous domestic partners and, last night, having one of their squaddies rammed by a carload of young celebrants. Whoever has the body and paint contract for local police fleets may be able to send their kids to Harvard and put in a new pool this summer.

While newly-released Post-Pandemic Party Animals burn gasoline and cash in Walnut Creek, exposing their maskless mugs to members of the opposite gender in hope of going where no man or woman dared go before and hooking up again, others among us get the sad reminder that we are ultimately fragile beings and learn that a son, brother, or father who left us so long ago has been found dead in a homeless encampment along I680.

This being human thing can be a mixed blessing and it often comes with baggage – like that cousin mum always said was tearing up the business world with a “really big job” who turns up on your doorstep one day in search of a place to crash and time to kick his sports betting addiction.

Generally, though, things are pretty good – with toilet paper and Handi Wipes available again and many of us hanging up our masks and inviting jabbed friends over for lunch. We don’t know if those masks can be put away for good, however, as the cruise lines and travel businesses send endless strings of brochures asking us to consider a cruise or trip abroad, and harsh memories still fresh.

We’ll just have to see, this being human thing is just absolutely riddled by random ironies and quirky twists that make the whole thing interesting.