The Caregiver’s Tales
Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.
Select a category from the drop down menu:
Flood Thoughts
The Fourth of July floods on the Guadalupe sure took the buzz off this Fourth of July weekend. I can’t stop thinking about the loss of life and especially the children, and especially the ones at camps away from their parents. If any good can come of it, I hope it’s something to help future generations remain safe. It seems the least we can do. And I hesitate to say more because the camps are already regulated, and I really have no idea what’s in place.
Weather Report
I’ve got four little cups of seedlings on my back porch. They’re starting to sprout. Alamo Vine and Morning Glory. July is probably not the best time to start new plants, but I’ve got a relatively shady spot for them, and even if they don’t make it into the ground I’ve learned something from the experience that I’ll put into play going forward, and bless the internet for its help.
Working
I just saw a story that people coming out of college with degrees in computer science are having a hard time finding jobs. It appears we might have oversold the opportunities. And artificial intelligence is playing a role as well. Because it also appears the programmers might have programmed themselves right out of a job, or at least the sort of job Artificial Intelligence seems to do pretty well which is the grunt work.
Culture, Culture
There’s a story in the June issue of the Atlantic asking if American Pop Culture is in decline. I read it, but a debate is not worth the time because it seems to me that decline is hardwired into any form of popular culture. Things come. Things go. Tastes change. And a desire to talk about it critically is usually someone shilling for something he or she likes, and acting as though it can be measured and evaluated against standards. As though there’s an ideal to which we should strive.
Train Travel
I like public transportation. I’m staying in Virginia just outside DC. Anywhere I want to go in the town, there’s a metro line that will get me there.I like the convenience, the commonality, the collegiality of it.
Tomorrow Land
The 21st century is coming to my little town in a relatively big way. A bank of charging stations for electric cars is being installed next to the gas pumps by our local small box supermarket.