Mariner’s blog has been out of service for a few weeks. The reader hasn’t needed him to know the world is the same. He read an article yesterday that drew compassion: More and more migrants are attempting to enter the United States via Canada into Vermont during the dead of winter. Many carry small children heavily wrapped in blankets, tromping through deep snow and temperatures below zero. There was a photograph of a bare footprint in the snow. The article centered on two parents and their two children frozen to death just yards from the border.
Statistically speaking, if you have time to read this blog, had a meal today and a bed tonight, consider yourself wealthy.
Now that the pandemic restrictions on rent increases and evictions is over, the rush is on as record numbers of renters are being evicted. Losing a home is one of the fastest ways for a stable family to be trashed financially, emotionally, and too often, permanently.
Mariner had the thought that, given the resistance of NIMBIES and profit-oriented investors who don’t want to build low profit housing, perhaps the United States (along with a future Congress) might emulate what Britain did after the Second World War: build whole neighborhoods of small home row houses.
The housing market today is so screwed up it will never stabilize enough to be a viable resource for homeless families.
֎ Many years ago in an old textbook, mariner read about the tectonic movement on Earth that was to split an eastern chunk of Africa away from the continent along the Rift Valley. This item has become current news today as a new crack formed. Don’t worry, though, it is moving apart at just a couple of millimeters per year.
֎ Hasn’t it been a terrible Spring? Flooding on the West Coast, Snow in the North, storms in the South. Here along the fortieth parallel, the weather remains bitter cold with an abundance of precipitation. Mariner picked a bad year to reorganize his gardens; tree and brush trimming, building new vegetable beds and suffering prolonged winter damage by rabbits has delayed his Springtime efforts.
It felt good, however, to be in the shed planting vegetable seeds under the grow lights and planting a climbing rose against the outside wall. It is time, folks, to stretch the joints, exercise the muscles with ‘real’ work and get some gumption going – or you may be older than you think!
It is good to have the blog up again but don’t expect a torrent of postings. The world hasn’t change since the last post.
Ancient Mariner