Monday, August 6, 2007

While I Was Out

While I was away, I had peace and tranquility, and I was sure, thanks to the Library System, that I would be able to update my blog and read blogs in an air conditioned library. I was so wrong.

Remember when I said that there is "No TV" in my mountain retreat? What I really meant is that all programming comes out of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Scranton is the nearest big city. Besides the local Scranton news, and "Eye on Scranton" type programs, we also get entertainment like "Pennsylvania Polka." This show seems to last for hours and hours and hours. Once I have spotted the woman dancing with her mother-in-law, and the teenaged boy who looks like he wants to die, I am satisified and ready to change the channel. Other choices include "Outdoor Life" and "Hunting & Fishing". Last Sunday there was a pelt auction on one of the few available stations. Exotic furs were shown, with little legs dangling. On another station a woman cooked up "wild game recipes." Groundhog tastes better than squirrel, so I am told. I switched back to the pelt auction to see a man proudly displaying a wolverine pelt from Michigan. There was also a documentary on anthracite coal, which I have seen many times over the years.

This kind of programming insures that I will only watch maybe 7-9 minutes of Television per day while standing in front of the set. Then you turn it off and go outside. Outside everything is pretty, so that is a big plus. There is no noise at all, except for the sound of the wind in the trees and some birdsong. Some people find this boring, but it feels like bliss to me, because it invites total relaxation without having to work at it in any way. Kind of a country nirvana. Sometimes I feel I am inside Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony when I am walking around.