I hate politics--and other complaints

Politics is such a bore. A real yawn. And here I am blogging when I should be keeping my political commitments. In less than 4 months Californians will vote on Clean Money (Proposition 89), the last best hope for American democracy. Moneyed interests will be going on the attack full-tilt, with lies and distortions ("Do you want your tax dollars going to politicians?") and wads and wads of cash, to ensure that our tax dollars continue going, instead, to those same moneyed interests.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I'm polling for my local civic group, to get an idea of what voters want for Petaluma, so our group can act on their wishes. Wednesday I'll be warming a seat at the local pub in a pre-announced attempt to lure members of our group to get together and actually talk to one another.

What I really want is to get out of town. Head for the Sierras, that clean austere place of granite and transparent lakes. Where the air is thin and pure and every step, every breath, is pure spirit.

It's not easy to walk 10 miles on granite. At some point I'll be too old to do it. Already my knees are giving out. Will I get there before it's too late?

Right here in my town there are roads not taken, canyons and hilltops not explored.

There is my garden. My back yard in need of rototilling--though I have made some progress there. More than half of the area visible in the May 31 photo has been tilled.

My daughter showed up for 5 days. She spent most of it in my car house-hunting in Berkeley, leaving me stranded without the benefit of internal combustion. I chose to spend one of those days replacing the plumbing in my kitchen; as I worked I made a list of missing parts I needed with a view to getting them later in the afternoon.

It was 4:45 when I remembered that I had no car, and due to a catastrophic fire at our local neighborhood hardware store, the only place within biking distance closed at 5. So we spent a day piling up dirty dishes. Another day passed while I figured out the ins and outs of installing faucets and garbage disposals and drainpipes. Then it was time to take my daughter to the airport.