Monday, November 12, 2018

As Luck Would Have It

If I seem to wax rhapsodic about something as mundane as a vacuum cleaner, it's because this thing is amazing.  For someone who grew up with an effective but heavy and clumsy Electrolux canister that had to be dragged around, the advancements in technology leave me gobsmacked.  I thought when the cyclonic cleaners that didn't need replacement bags were as good as it was going to get.  This new one swivels so it can get into crevices and has such a low profile that it could go under the armoires where no other vacuum could reach.  Aren't I the lucky one that the Kids made exactly the right choice for me?

As for Clint Bowyer, if it weren't for bad luck, he'd have no luck at all.  He started the race yesterday toward the back of the pack and had worked his way up to seventh place in the last stage and then his car was wrecked and he got a DNF (did not finish).  That put him out of contention for the big-money race this year.  Phooey.

My heart breaks for the thousands of people displaced and the devastation of the Camp Fire up north.  Entire towns and hundreds of thousands of acres have been burnt to ash.  For the second season, family members have lost their homes, but luckily escaped with their lives.  First responders in all departments deserve all the support and gratitude we have.  Once again, California, north and south, is under attack by fire.  I try to stay apolitical, but when POTUS declares it is our own fault and threatens to withhold aid, I find that despicable.  We're not exactly in charge of climate change and years of drought have left us vulnerable.

Let's hope the forecasters are right.  With any luck we could get some rain by next week.  Fingers crossed.

1 comment:

Kathryn Williams said...

Sounds like a Dyson!!! And between hot high winds and dry landscapes, we are in trouble, but I started hearing about the restrictions on cutting down dead trees and clearing the brush long long ago to make the forests safer. Heard on the radio today (Armstrong and Getty - broadcasting up by you) that Getty's in-laws had a cabin in the wood and were not allowed, on their own property, to take down the dead trees, and it makes me want to throttle whomever makes those unwise rules. I think the protection of the spotted owl, way back when, started some of the rules that seem counter intuitive to wise forest management. On another note, I have seen several HGTV shows where they use the "beetle kill wood" in other states, and it is really attractive for feature walls.