J and I took a walk in the woods today by my dad's house. My dad lives on top of a craggy foothill on a private road with little trails spinning off of it, I had no idea. Only known to locals, it was just us and nature today. I was amazed at the gorgeousity, it was almost indescribable. Hemlocks (my favorite) with strands of moss hanging down, pure white alders, cedars, and everywhere the ground had salal at knee-height. We found a single track that wound its way through the woods and it was quite dark in there even in daytime. It was what people call a fairytale wood.
Because of the dead silence I started to worry; I'm no longer accustomed to woods that are host to actual dangerous animals. I heard a twig snap and I froze, expecting a bear. We finally made it out and ran into Mrs. Rice, my dad's good neighbor who keeps an eye on him. She's been so great, the other day she taught us all about how to recycle in Shelton because we just got my dad signed up for garbage removal. A whole new way of life for him, after years of just going to the dump.
My husband hit it off with Mrs. Rice because she's a rare liberal in the sea of conservatives. She's also a retired teacher so they had that in common. They talked and talked and talked American politics and were 100% in agreement about Trump and had the same reactions to the news this week. I told her how I voted in October via email and she actually said, "Thank you." *grin* Her dog eventually just lay down cuz the conversation went over 30 minutes. She was delighted to be able to talk politics with someone who shares her views but I had to interject, "J, you know, Americans don't talk politics." He just got lucky to run into this American!
He gave her a lot of info about German politics, how Merkel is finally stepping down, and Mrs. Rice was actually interested in that. I could see it was fun for her. She also confirmed that there are bears here, so we should be careful. I hear wolves at night, what an awesome song they have!
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At Fred Meyer today a lady got very angry, in a rage actually, because a customer was not wearing any mask at all in the store. She went to an employee and complained and the employee said, "We are not allowed to enforce." I cringed to realize that the reason - I imagine if a store employee tried to enforce the mask law, they'd end up getting shot.
The photo below is obviously from Summer, these pokey mountains are pure white now.
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10 comments:
I guess Americans do talk politics where they feel it is safe. But to talk politics with Republicans is dangerous. I’m careful in the rural area in Texas where I live. I’m sure it made your dad’s neighbor’s day together to talk freely. I’m sorry about your Dad. My mother died because of Alzheimer’s. What a wonderful walk. I felt like I was there.
The employee would probably NOT get shot, but s/he might get fired. I won't shop at FM any more. In fac there are a lot of places I won't shop any more--thankfully, the farmer's co-op is still on the side of angels!
Have you tried grocery store curbside pick-up yet? That is a total game-changer for me!
I'm back in America and we discuss politics all the time. But we can't discuss them with Trumpers because they are fascists and racists. Or venal and evil. I haven't met a Trumper who doesn't fit that category and I will throw in science denying, anti-vaxxer, pederast allowing misogynist too.
KB, I'm republican but didn't vote like it: )
Aarene, see the thing is, grocery stores are like Disneyland for me because they are so massive and have so many things I've never heard of. I can spend hours in FM, in 2018 I spent 4 hours just enjoying it. Walking the aisles I'm like what is that? what is that? And, "Oh, my childhood!" I'm ashamed to say the things I bought there. The only healthy food so far was J wante dsalad and I wanted asparagus and FM had awesome, pencil thin asparagus for 1$ each. I bought 4. (Green asparagus is very rare in Germany, and it's usually fat and awful.) Anyway it's one of my favorite things to do here: )
G in Berlin, tell me how you really feel *lol*
Ha, ha. I am writing as someone who used to be a Republican. But the party that elected Donald Trump is not a party I can belong to, and it hadn't been for quite a while before that: Trump did not spring from the head of Zeus but from the nether regions of Newt Gingrich and Moscow Mitch.
PS- In Germany I could find thin green asparagus- and blood oranges and amazing greens- at Turkish stores. Do you have any near you?
G, we live in the sticks between Wuppertal and Cologne. There are no "international" shops, unfortunately. That's where I used to go to get cilantro in Wuppertal. Also fresh jalepenos! Sadly, nothing here. Not a jalepeno within miles.
You can grow asparagus, you know. It takes 3+ years to get the plants established, but they are perennial and will last decades.
I just bought a new "gardening for beginners" book that should arrive tomorrow. I'll review it and let you know, but I've followed the author's YouTube instructional vids for yonks and find them very helpful.
If Americans didn’t talk politics, I would not have spent the 4 years of Trumpism afraid for my life. Trump Republicans were quite loud about their hatred of POC, Latinos, masking up, their love of guns, QAnon and conspiracy theories, and their disbelief of Covid. I *wish* talking about politics here was taboo. Life would have been much more peaceful.
I live and work in a liberal area. While at work people won’t outright have conversations about politics because it’s not polite, they’ll make enough snarky comments that it’s a well-known fact on whose side my coworkers are on. (Which is why I work where I do.)
Thank you for your vote despite being conservative. <3
Saiph, it's a weird feeling to be thanked for how I voted but now it's happened twice : )
When people in Germany ask me what the spirit back home is, how people feel in America, I say, "We're relieved."
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