Thursday, June 17, 2010

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

The Bag Lady has been in a funk lately. She isn't sure why, but suspects it has something to do with all the deaths she has had to deal with lately.

The funeral for her friend was held this week and, except for those of her own parents, was one of the saddest she has ever attended. This friend was 39 years old, and he was killed in a motorcycle accident last week. He left two children (who were in his custody after his wife left him) and it was heart-breaking to hear the little girl sobbing (wailing, at times) throughout the funeral. Such a senseless tragedy.

Another senseless tragedy is what is happening on the Gulf coast of the US. Why can't they do something to contain that oil and stop the death of all that marine life? For cryin' out loud, why aren't the oil companies forced to have a contingency plan that actually works in place before they are allowed to drill in the ocean? The Bag Lady can't bear to look at the pictures of all those oil-soaked birds and animals. It makes her want to dunk a few oil executives in the gunk.
(Perhaps we could have a gunk-dunking.....)

Between that, the war in Afghanistan, the threat of war in Korea, natural disasters and the other cruelties to humans that are broadcast on the nightly news, she has started to despair about the state of this poor planet. Maybe she needs to stop watching the news.

She is going to spend some serious time in her garden this weekend, attacking weeds with her trusty (albeit slightly rusty) hoe. The Princess loves to help the Bag Lady weed the garden. The Bag Lady pulls the weeds, then has to throw them to the edge of the garden so the Princess can catch them and chew them, ensuring they are actually dead. (Sheesh, even the Bag Lady and the Princess are committing murder!) At least it makes the Bag Lady smile to watch the Princess crouched in anticipation at the edge of the garden, awaiting the next bunch of weeds flying in her direction! She takes especially good clumps of weeds out onto the lawn to give them a good chewing before coming back, panting and smiling happily, dirt-covered tongue hanging out, ready for the next bunch to fly her way. (The "she" referred to in the previous sentence is the Princess, in case that wasn't clear. The Bag Lady is terrible at catching weed clumps in her mouth. Just wanted to make that understood.)

Life ain't always beautiful, but to a dog, it's definitely simple.

13 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Surely it is a dog's life.
That said, the tragedies of the world are often too much to think about.
My glimmer of hope is the kind of massive change in outlook and preparation that the gulf disaster may bring about.
Our dependence on oil is not the underlying cause. Our dependence on profit is.
All that aside, I think I'll go catch some dirt lumps in my mouth and chew hell out of them. Princess has the right idea.

the Bag Lady said...

Catching dirt clumps certainly seems to make the Princess happy! Let me know how it works out for you, cousin! :)

JavaChick said...

I admit that I don't watch the news. On purpose. Yes, that means I am woefully uninformed about what's going on in the world, but I just honestly can't handle hearing about tragedy after tragedy.

Missicat said...

Sorry to hear about your losses. Have been in a funk too, and have stopped watching the news myself.
Yes, I admit to being an ostrich...

Cheryl Kohan said...

I am so so sorry to hear about your friend's death. What will happen to his children? Senseless is exactly what it is.

You know how I feel about the gulf debacle...heads really need to roll on that one but I'll fall over in a dead faint if they do. I'm all for dunking those greedy execs in the goo.

I don't watch the news much, anymore, either. We get the newspaper every day and what I do is scan the headlines and if there's anything horrible indicated I just don't read it. I know that's wimpy but I don't care.

messymimi said...

I quit watching tv totally 10 years ago this August.

I haven't missed it.

I read news headlines online, listen to news recaps on the radio, and figure if the world ends, someone will inform me.

Part of me is convinced the conspiracy people are right -- that they could do something about the oil, but have an underlying reason not to. I know, I know, silly, but sometimes it just seems that way.

I won't be catching dirt clumps, but will gladly go out and toss a ball with the kids.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I read the news, but don't watch it on TV. Reading can be depressing too, but at least I can pause and think about it, and click to another window and do a little extra research instead of having my emotions hijacked by sensationalism on a screen.

I think we all have those "No, Virginia, there isn't a Santa Claus" moments, but life was ever thus. You're on the right track, though. Voltaire was right when he said we must cultivate our garden.

the Bag Lady said...

JavaChick - I think you have the right attitude.... there is something to be said for being an ostrich! Now, if I could just convince the Rancher to watch less of the news channels and/or doom and gloom documentaries, we'd probably both be happier!

Missicat - Ostriches are lovely birds!

Thanks, Cheryl. I was talking to a relative of the mother at the funeral - turns out, they weren't actually divorced (he would never sign the papers), so she inherited everything. She promptly signed all the property, etc. over to her brother-in-law, but will probably take the kids to live with her in town.

Messymimi - a few years ago, a friend of ours started talking about conspiracies, and I thought he was a little paranoid. Lately? I'm starting to wonder if he actually knew something we didn't.....

BG - the world would be a better place, wouldn't it, if we all paid a little more attention to what's in our gardens! :)

Cheryl Kohan said...

You might just have something there...I believe I will start spending more time in the gardens. Can't hurt.

solarity said...

I haven't had a television since 1996, when I decided I had no time for it. I'd had an internet connection for two and a half years and was getting my news and weather that way, and I just never had time to sit down with an old movie. (Now I have Netflix, and the current disc has been waiting for me for two months, so nothing has changed except my control of my options.)

I haven't read very much about the oil spill, but I prefer to do my own skimming rather than have the media choose my sound bites for me.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

the Bag Lady said...

Cheryl - good plan! Especially in your gorgeous gardens!

Mary Anne in Kentucky - sounds very sensible to me. The Rancher is the one who watches TV - I try to only listen with one ear, most of the time.

Charlotte said...

I'm like JavaChick. I don't watch the news. I just can't. Instead I read my news off the Internet where I can filter it and thereby remain blissfully ignorant of anything that will make it so I can't sleep at night. This works sometimes:) Sorry you are feeling in a funk! But I'm glad that you haven't taken up catching dirt clumps in your mouth alongside princess!

Anonymous said...

I can watch the 5am news for our region (and Wash. DC has more than its share of murders in the summer) but I just can't take it by 5pm. That is when someone goes out to the garden and gathers produce for supper.
Princess has the right idea (although I'll stick to pulling the weeds).

I'm still sad for your friend's children.