22 August 2021
[Above photo: Connie heading for a swim at Kinkwater Cove in the fog. “Don’t swim out too far, Connie!”]
Awaiting the arrival of our French visitor, Henri, I want as few boats on moorings as possible. I assume that the winds will eventually blow straight into the harbor, since tropical storms circulate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and Henri will be heading out to sea when he gets here. The barn doors are closed and all doors and windows in the empty houses, as well. Other than bringing in my hammock chairs, chain saw, and string trimmer from the covered porch, which I assume will be drenched what with rain and wind, I may remove the large screens from the porch, since strong winds could damage them or blow them off their seats. I have enough food, water, and wood and can monitor the float with my telescope.
I’ll check the beach today for loose or low-lying boats/kayaks, since we may get a very high tide or storm surge. Oh, and I’ll bring the Velociraptor (pontoon-mounted bicycle) off its mooring and up the beach. Other than that, I’ll enjoy the show on Monday and Tuesday. It certainly is calm now and I may even go for a kayak paddle after writing this.
The end of our involvement in Afghanistan is a relief, very sad, and a testament to the importance of understanding how a culture works before rushing to superimpose our values. Our military and diplomatic ignorance about Iraqi and Afghani cultures—Tom Friedman encouraged the Iraq invasion as an opportunity to bring “Democracy” to replace Iraq’s feudal governance.—has contributed to our undoing. And, as in Vietnam, the wishful, or deceitful, optimism of our leaders has contributed to the mess. I find Condoleeza Rice’s thoughts predictable but misleading. Basically, she thinks we didn’t give it enough time. But we weren’t making any headway with honest governance or military will after 20 years. We now, at least, can try to protect and welcome to the US Afghanis and their families who helped us and want to immigrate.
People have rushed to attack the President. He may have erred, following the disastrous “agreement” between DT and the Taliban, which excluded the Afghani government. I see the nips as either attempts to sell papers—“Get it now! Hot off the press! Biden really messes up!”—or score political points. More sober voices will analyze the situation with a little distance. Like Obama, Biden inherited a mess. Our naivete in expecting to be greeted by millions with garlands, shouting “Mission accomplished!”, is well-matched by our short memories and quick reaction times.
What an impulsive, short-term-profit culture we have become, especially given our origins. People came to this wilderness from hardship and persecution, expecting to work hard indefinitely to carve out their existence. First, car models changed every year. Then bands were “so over” after a 12 month run. Now we seem to have the staying power of an overripe nectarine—yes, we have our DNA but conscious thought and resolve decays in a minute, it seems. This sounds like I think we should have stayed longer in Afghanistan. I think we should have stuck to our mission, preventing threats to the US, and not tried to drag, to paraphrase Ms. Rice, a 7th century culture into the 21st century. We cannot be successful at that, no matter how many schools we built. How about fixing our own marginal education system, enabling all of our children to get a first-rate education?
I think the Canadian immigration experiment in which provinces are allowed to set their own immigration quotas, depending on the provincial labor needs and ability to accommodate, is something we should consider, given our shrinking birth rate. As much as we think of them as quaint, our northern neighbors are well ahead of us in this, health care, and, generally, civility.
Being alone on the island for the entire summer has allowed me to get to know my family members at a deeper level than previously. We are all a pretty odd bunch but decent, hard-working, and smart enough. We all love the island and I am glad to have had the opportunity.
Harold and Connie visited for 5 days. We had lobster and played Scrabble, as well as other island activities. They brought 3 bottles of quite fancy wine. The white, a French Burgundy “Goisot”, was especially lovely. There is something about old friends that is so automatic and easy.
I met my new Goan friends and we got crab rolls at the Bagaduce Lunch, overlooking the old stone wharf and the rushing tidal bore. How stupid some of us are to resist immigrants. These are the nicest, smartest people you could ever wish to meet. We used to think of the amazing overachievers we’d interview for Harvard admission as having “immigrant hunger”. Such wonderful energy to harness for our country.
A new friend will visit for 5 days in September. More civilized than I am, I think, so we’ll see if it agrees. A little lobster with a good white wine can go a long way toward easing the itch of a mosquito bite or trepidation at approaching an outhouse.
The chanterelles have been amazing this year. Is it climate disruption? We have all picked quarts and quarts, sharing them around. I was circling the island on the path one day and came upon a clearing with a large golden patch in its middle. Chanterelles 4-6 inches in diameter were growing cheek-by-jowl. I harvested them and gave them to visitors I liked. Abundance can encourage generosity, although I have found the poor to be more ready to share what they have than the very wealthy. Which makes sense, as clearly the latter have a strong desire for their gains. Oh, the rule doesn’t hold true, I think.
I am excited to start a new chapter in Portland, ME. It seems the small colleges I’ve contacted—Bates, Bowdoin, Colby—are not receptive to adjunct faculty. I’ll try a state school next and suspect I’ll be lucky. It’s paradoxical how a thinner budget may encourage them to take risks, be less insular, and enrich their students’ experience.
I have carried a lot of luggage and food this summer as visitors come and go but not so much lumber or building supplies. It has restored muscles, which I enjoy using. With a good diet, island life is healthy. But the summer has flown.
A Psychiatrist in Myanmar 