Lovely to wake up to a damp and relatively cool world this morning. While the temperatures didn’t rise all that much this morning, the humidity did, and everything felt sticky. Working at my computer, I had the urge to go wash my hands three or four times, just because they were sticky. Tonight, it is almost eerily still, not a leaf stirring, but the temperature is still okay.
We had
happy hour outside, with elaborate precautions to avoid mosquitoes. When Jordan
told me to keep my patio door closed until she came back out, I knew she had
sprayed Yard Guard—and I rebelled. I admit mosquitoes don’t much bother me, and
I realize they are a major problem for some—who knows what attracts them? I’ve
heard various theories, from sugar in your blood to perfume to the color of
your clothing. I also know the threat of West Nile Virus hangs over all of us,
and for those of us who are elderly, it can be life-threatening.
That
said, I still don’t want to put more pesticides into our atmosphere. I am more
afraid of climate change for my grandchildren than I am of mosquito bites for
me. I read an article today that linked the scorching, sizzling temperatures on
the Pacific Northwest and the collapse of the huge building in Surfside,
Florida to climate change, and I am a definite believer. According to the
article, humans are cooking the earth with fossil fuels for a short-term gain.
I know there are many who scorn science, an attitude I can’t understand, and
sometimes I have the unladylike thought that I want to beat their pointy little
heads until they understand. We have changed weather patterns, and we are ion for
increasingly severe hurricanes, soaring temperatures (which cause people to run
their a/c and only aggravate the problem). Ice in the Arctic is melting. I read
with horror that Ron DeSantis, that Florida genius governor, has issued an
edict that forbids Florida cities and towns from
choosing clean energy over fossil fuels. Is he a troglodyte of some sort? (I
hope that too can be taken to court—my goodness, the courts will be busy with
all this junk legislation Republicans are passing.)
The building in Surfside? From what I read, the collapse can be traced
to several things, including building superstructures on sandy landfill. (It is
now outlawed—too late for 160-some people!) Experts also say that rising sea
levels, due to climate change and melting ice in the Arctic, weakened the
underground supports for the building, more so because the water was salt
water. And of course, there’s deferred maintenance—the building was inspected
several times and cracks in the structure noted each time. The HOA was
notified, but residents were assured it was safe. You suppose someone was making
money from that?
Though tempted, I won’t say the collapse is all Republicans fault, but
in Florida, it’s a hard conclusion to
avoid. In Congress, Republicans, under the devious leadership of McConnell, are
united in opposition to extensive infrastructure legislation which would curtail
the use of fossil fuels, promote electrical vehicles, and work in other ways to
counteract climate change. I suspect they want to encourage fossil fuel use for
the sake of the donors who line their pockets. If it weren’t so serious, I would
laugh at the objections they bring up, such as that electrical vehicles must be
re-charged using fossil fuels.
I urge everyone to read as extensively as they can about climate change
and then decide for themselves. Do not listen to Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn,
Ron Johnson (the king of anti-science and anti-vaxxers), Steve Scalise (who
learned nothing from a near-death experience), and a host of other.
Rant over, though I have another, minor rant. I spent well over half my
morning in “chats” with reps from Amazon and Humana. In truth, both chats were
productive, but my goodness they take a long time. I suspect each
representative is juggling three or more calls at once. For those of us on the
ground, it’s so frustrating!
To end on a happy note: we had three guests for happy hour, our regular
Tuedsay night get-together plus a guest, and best of all one of them brought a
wonderful array of meats, cheese, and fruits, including really sweet
blueberries and some homemade Parmesan crisps. Deet had apparently banished the
mosquitoes, and I kept my mouth shut about that. A good time was had by all.
I realize I digressed tonight, and ranted, and lectured, but I can’t
help ending with a question: what did you do today to save the environment?
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