The City Mouse in the Country

Generally speaking I don’t like to talk politics on this blog, but it is one of my favorite topics to explore.   It’s just so rich in history. Not everyone is going to agree with me, and frankly I am an anomaly in the country, so a brief explanation before I get to the gist of today’s topic. People living in the country or rural areas generally tend to lean right politically.   Those that know me however know that I am a dyed in the wool Democrat and that I lean liberal.  I consider myself to be a Social Democrat; which differs from Democratic Socialism in a lot of ways despite the names being so similar.  The best way to think about Social Democracy is “ Capitalism with a heart. ”  We are still Capitalists; we just believe that Health care is a right that every citizen has and therefore the current health care system needs reformed.     Or that no one should be homeless.  Examples of Social Democratic programs that have been adopted by the United States over time are the

  I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. - Thomas Jefferson            I sit outside on our front porch, a tall cool glass of home brewed iced tea in my hand.   I'm looking over our "front 40" - basically a few raised garden beds and containers holding our strawberries, cucumbers, tomato's, peppers, Brussels spouts and zucchini.  There is not much I can do for them now, just let them grow and hope that we get a harvest of something soon.   I'm actually a bit anxious about the garden, I want to have something...anything for the effort.     You can plant a seed and try to take care of it as much as possible, but so much is out of your control.     Although to be honest, for the most part I am actually very content, and I can't help but think of an opening line of a poem I once read.  Sadly the rest of the poem has slipped from memory.  The opening line was simply.  "

    It's been a few days since I've been able to put electronic pen to electronic paper so to speak.  This was due to the untimely death of my mother, Patrica Ann Wilson or simply Pat as many of her friends and family called her.             Like any mother she could be a pain in the ass, loving, supportive and making her son's crazy at the same time.  However she always believed in and supported my brother Gary and I whenever and however she could.       The funny thing is that Sue and I moved back to Pennsylvania because we knew that our parents were getting older, and that we wanted to spend more time with them.   Now this happens with us being less than two months in the area.  At least my mother got to see our new home.     I'm sure that she probably thought we were crazy to move this far out into the country, where are nearest neighbors really are a horse named Billy and a goat named Nanny.      The funny thing is that I've always found solace in nature.  As