Random thoughts

I've been walking a lot lately, which gives me time to think about the most capricious things. Here's a sampling.

• In the olden days, vehicles were named for fast animals such as the Impala and the Mustang. So what's up with pickups like the Dakota and Tundra. Especially, Tundra. That's the frozen ground up in Alaska...sort of a wasteland of frozen ground. Why would you name a pickup after a wasteland of frozen ground? I'm not inspired by Tundra. 
• We used to see a lot more people walking at 6 a.m. Where are these people? Did they die from too much exercise? Did they move? We didn't see anybody today. Yesterday, we saw a guy in a pickup who stopped to chat with us.
• I was thinking about the guy who owned the newspaper in Baker back in the early 1980s when I was walking today. I was wondering if he was still alive. He sold his paper more than 20 years ago and bought another one in the Black Hills, but he didn't own it very long. One of the wisest things he ever said to me was this: "You lie to your friends, and I'll lie to mine...but let's not lie to each other." 
• There are a lot of sump pumps working 24-hours a day in the homes on the east side of Mandan. The water can't be put in a drain because it would overload the sewer system so it has to be released outside. Some of the homes have water that seems to stretch from the curbside back to the river...about a mile away. The only people making any profit on this are those selling the pumps and the utilities selling the electricity. Also, what would happen to the homes if the electricity went out?
• Why is it calm early in the morning, but as soon as the sun gets above the horizon the wind starts to blow?  Some would think it is the sun's heat that creates the wind...but I have a different theory. I think the wind is a big chicken and only likes to come out when the sun is shining. 
• Sometimes we see special needs children when we're walking. I can't help but thank God that my children are normal. But I also think about the children and the parents of these children. What would it be like to be them? Is there something I can do to make their lives better? I'm so thankful for people who have devoted their lives and careers to helping others. 
• Every once in a while, I get a song in my head and can't get it out. This makes me wonder why some songs are so memorable. Last night I heard the song, "Putting on the Ritz." I love that song. The composer was Irving Berlin, who wrote a lot of American classics. Wouldn't the world be a duller place if Irving Berlin and other song writers had been born a thousand years ago and there music had never been written down? And what was music like a thousand years ago? Have we missed some of the earlier songs because they weren't recorded?
• We walk along the Interstate Highway, which is across from a cemetery. I'm always curious about the people buried in the cemetery. Both sets of Belinda's grandparents are buried there. I only knew her maternal grandmother. I wonder what the other three were like? Both of her grandpas were farmers and all of her grandparents were German. I'm sure they liked polkas and waltzes. What else would they like? Maybe German potato salad and bratwursts. 
• I think about my children and wonder if they will have the same economic opportunities that I had. The economy and the national debt worry me. I'm thankful that my parents enjoyed Social Security and Medicare in their golden years, but I wonder if it will be around for me or my children when they retire. Seems to me the country is over-extended and anything that is paid for by borrowing from the Chinese should come to an end...even entitlements. Maybe we need the slogan "Cash is King" to be our country's mantra. 

With that, the walk has come to an end. Our house looms in front of us again. Yes, Belinda, it's been a pretty good walk. Let's do it again tomorrow.