As I sit here and ponder the things going on around me, I have so many feelings crowding in on each other. The news is so dire that I have decided to listen but only monitor the weather. We hear about someone being killed in our capital city every day, sometimes two at a time. The war which we have fought in Afghanistan for over 20 years seems to have been all in vain. Our people are trapped in this other world and cannot seem to escape. The virus is raging and "tagging" everybody that comes into its path. People are dying that should have so many more good years left, and it seems we are powerless over all these things. If I were a person to become depressed, I would probably be in therapy twice a week by now.
We were talking about the state of things in general the other day and remembering back to a much quieter sane time. As a child growing up over on Rock Hill, I knew nothing about the Taliban, never even heard the word. I knew nothing about racism. I lived right in the middle of a mixed neighborhood and my playmates were black. Never knew anybody on drugs or alcohol. I am sure there were thefts, but they never affected me. And, if someone had told me about a man really born a woman or vice versa and had been changed to the sex that they believed they were, my mother would have had one of her fainting spells.
As I got older and was introduced to things of the world, I guess I was still somewhat sheltered. My friend and I played dolls until I was 13 or 14 and rode our bikes on up into our older years. Our dress was oh, so different then, too. If we wore shorts, they hit the knee. Dresses were always below the knee. Swimsuits were one piece and not daring at all. I remember one time when I was about 13 going out the back door of our house to get a suntan and I had on a halter top, not daring at all, and my Daddy said, "You are not going outside like that." I was completely covered but not enough for him. Nowadays the dress is totally different.
I believe that is why I love the life out here on our farm. I have black cows to look at all dressed the same. There is no violence and the only sounds I hear is the big John Deere's mowers cutting down the grasses and weeds in the pastures, cow birds as they huddle around the cows, geese as they squawk at their young, and every once in a while, tree frogs as they come up through the cracks of our back porch. Nothing is out of place or uncomfortable, almost serene.
I do not want to go backwards in time, but wouldn't it be wonderful to turn the state of the world back several years?
With the heat being so unbearable, I just don't want to heat my kitchen so we eat lots of salads.
Here is my chicken salad we love.
Chicken Salad
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 chopped stalk of celery
1 green onion diced, or you can use chives
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of cut red grapes
Combine all ingredients and spread on a cracker or bread.
