Sunday February 4, 2018
6:57am – I am out of bed. The Folgers sounds good brewing in our Mr. Coffeee.
7:27am The grociery list is made, and we are set to head to Meijers amidst the newly-fallen snow…..a Currier and Ives morning indeed! Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the food deserts in Muncie.
10:15am Back from the store, we (my wife and I) enjoyed a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon, bananas, and coffee. On the way to the store we spoke of the need the south side of Muncie for a grocery store. Not just a grocery store, but a co-op where people could trade work for food. For example, can’t pay for things? Spend a day working It off in the store. Also, we would allow people to run a tab because I sincerely believe that the vast majority would pay us back if given the opportunity. And while we’re at it, part of the benefits package would include assistance for students in both high school and higher education. The store would be all about valuing people and honoring their inherent worth and dignity. I see it as an investment in our future. Perhaps it would be close to the south side, Whitely area, and the Cardinal Greenway, somewhere in that area. The “elephant in the room” is I/we have no idea how to run a grocery store. We need to find a backer and someone who could actually make this a reality, but the idea is there. More on this later…….
10:23am I will now catch up on grades for my students. Wow! Do we ever have opportunities for improvement in class.
12:08pm I’ve read some of the Starpress, helped with laundry, and miraculously figured out how put on the new couch cover. Time to fix lunch.
1:59pm On our way to see Detroit ’67 at the BSU Theatre. Sunday’s are a busy day to keep a journal, but hopefully, things will slow down, and I will be able to share a few more thoughts later on life, love, and literature.
6:33pm The play was powerful and thought-provoking. It was all about several young people struggling during the “Long hot summer of 1967.” The plot was somewhat reminiscent of A Raisin in the Sun as a brother and sister are at loggerheads on how to best spend the inheritance money left by their recently deceased parents. A lot of other things were going on as well. The play opened with the sound of Dr. King giving a speech reminding the audience that, “A riot is the voice of the unheard.” [My wife] and I were talking at dinner about how every U.S. President and clergyperson should be speaking the way Dr. King did ALWAYS. People should be bothered; it’s the only way constructive things get done.
Yesterday, I took the speech team to a meet in Rushville, Indiana. Several of them placed and all had a good experience. I judged rounds that included Foreign Extemporaneous, Informative Speaking, and U.S. Extemporaneous. Anyone who fears for the upcoming generation should attend a speech meet. We have a lot of good, poised young people who will make effective leaders in th years to come. Our teams leave anywhere from 5:30-6:15 on Saturday mornings, but the gifts I receive are immeasurable. Students are polite, and they greet you even before you greet them. Many also thank me for judging the rounds, and the thought and effort they put into their presentations is truly inspiring. Go to a speech meet!
I also finished Beloved by Toni Morrison yesterday. What a strange book. I do enjoy Ms. Morrison’s writings (especially The Song of Solomon), but this was hard indeed to put my hands around. I was a bit bothered—but, hey, good for me!
Whoa! I just went outside to put some things on the compost pile, and man, the north wind is blowing and the snow is flying. We had snow this morning, and then it melted in the middle of the day. Well, it is back for a while, and this is supposed to be a somewhat snowy week according to channel 6.
Yes, I realize the Super Bowl is going on, but I have greatly distanced myself from professional sports. I really don’t even pay much attention to collegiate sports either. I do enjoy a good athletic contest and was heavily into playing and watching sports in high school. I have a hard time dealing with the obnoxious salaries men make to play a kid’s game, yet when I suggest we need a minimum wage of $15/hours, I am met with either derision or stone silence. I know these are two totally different issues, but I don’t think $15 per hour is too much to pay for adults trying to make a living. Wouldn’t this truly be an investment in our future?
Speaking of money issues, does the president really think we are going to grow our way out of a trillion dollar plus debt? Wow! Reagan tried a similar tactic on his “tax cut,” but what never gets talked about was how many times he had to raise taxes after the cut. Both men have said we are going to cut taxes, raise defense spending, and grow our way out of the deficit. HOW? HOW? HOW? But such rhetoric sure gets a lot of votes. I fear that one day our economy will enter a “black hole,” and there will be no returning. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Those are the “brushstrokes” of my day.
Bon nuit……………