Health Care

My health insurance through a group plan went up 10 percent a year for three years and thirty percent this year. Recently I was able to find less expensive but still costly insurance outside of the group plan. As long as private for profit corporations are the only option for health care, premiums will go up. Profits and high paid CEO's drive the cost up and are more important than providing health care. This nation will continue to pay the highest rates in the world under our current corporate rule. My guess is that a large percentage of the population annually pays more for health care than income taxes. Oh and we did get a tax cut last year although few people are aware of that.

Sweet Smells

Here are some pleasant natural fragrances that I enjoy. The fresh smell of water in the air right after a thunderstorm; a recently mowed lawn or hayfield. Salt sea air as the fog rolls in on a summer night. Spring time at home when the ceanothus or buck brush is blooming on the back hill. A spring time bike ride when the local flowers are blooming. The Tahoe and Sierra pine trees. The musty smell of my grandmothers cellar from long ago. Iowa farms as long as there are no cattle or hogs. Lastly, chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, okay maybe that last one is not a "natural" fragrance.

Thunderstorms

I was ready to take a Tahoe bike ride this afternoon and decided to cancel after seeing a dark gray sky and hearing some thunder. It was the correct choice. The skies flashed, threw ice cubes and then dumped. Coastal California where I live most of the time rarely has thunderstorms and I kind of miss them. Here in the mountains I find them refreshing as long as I'm in a sheltered place. Even a tent will do and that has happened on occasion. Most of the time these storms are a minor delay in a nice day. After the storm moves through it leaves a fresh fragrance like the day has been washed clean. Of course the flash (no delay) boom is a little scary and should be respected.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone Park is the American Serengeti. I don't remember the park ever being so lush and green and overflowing with wild flowers. It is like a huge salad bowl for herbivores of which there are plenty. Deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, bison, along with black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, wolves, bald eagles, I saw all of them in a four day stay plus various other birds. This park is truly a national treasure and should be preserved in eternity. Thank you to President Grant who gave Yellowstone protected status and President Teddy Roosevelt who started the National Park system.

We saw elk but not the large herds we have seen in previous visits and we know that moose are there but we didn't see one. The highlights were the grizzly bear that walked around the car and watching wolf pups play on a hill side. I hope my experience is available and cherished by future generations.

Cycling

True to my history as an athlete and a P.E. teacher I love to ride my road bike for the exercise and the joy of being out and around. The simple reason is it makes me feel better. A more complicated reason is it's a chance to feel like an athlete. Throughout my life I have watched good athletes retire from competition and sit in the rocking chair so to speak. Not for me, the athletic experience is one I fondly reflect on and one that I want to continue as long as possible.

Today's ride was a leap forward. Because of winter and an injury I had to stay off the bike for a couple months. The result was a loss of leg strength that became readily apparent climbing hills. Even the smaller hills brought complaints from the quadriceps, however a little work in the weight room and more work at climbing and the body, even old bodies adapt and get stronger. Some days I'm glad the ride is over, today I reached my mileage goal but I could have easily (mentally and physically) added more distance. I guess the endorphins were working.

World Cup

As a long time soccer coach I am obviously interested in the World Cup, not a fanatic or into hooliganism but interested. Sports talk shows typically condescend about soccer most notably criticizing low scoring and insinuating there is a lack of action. These are the same sports talk shows that love golf and think a no hitter in baseball is a great game, yeah, two guys play catch, great game.

This year's World Cup does have one problem, I'm watching with the sound turned down or muted. Considering sports announcers sometimes hitting the mute button is not a bad move but that is not the concern. The vuvuzela, sometimes called a "lepatata" or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. These horns are a constant background annoyance which affects the enjoyment of the game. They never stop and the constant noise sucks. They should be banned, I doubt FIFA has the courage.

The Future

When I think about my 10 month old grand daughter I have to wonder what kind of world she will see in her lifetime. My generation and those close to mine are using up the earth resources at an unsustainable rate. Peak oil was projected to be around 2006 or 2008. We are close to the downside or already there and it won't take a 100 years to use what is left. When I hear the "drill baby drill" mantra I say no, leave it in the ground for our grand children. Let's change how we live now so the children of today have some natural resources when they are old. It is not just about oil, it is clean water, arable land, pollution of our oceans to name a few. We need more public transportation, fewer sprawling suburbs, more alternative energy, less water use, more hybrid cars and less consumption. Personally I have a hybrid car, recycle almost everything, have solar panels and still need to do more.