For decades, the official slogan of Ravenswood, West Virginia, was "Living is good in Ravenswood." I always wanted to change the slogan to "Living is slow," but I guess we would have had to change the name of the town to "Ravenswoe" to make the rhyme work. "Living is slow in Ravenswoe." I think it's kinda' catchy, but I don't think the Chamber of Commerce would have bitten.
To get a better view of the slow life, I took a 3.5 mile walk around town last night. Here are a few things I observed:
1. It's not the heat, it's the humidity: Need I say more?
2. Practice the wave: I wave to everyone I see drive or walk by, whether I recognize them or not. God forbid that someone should later say, "I saw that Sue Strother walking last night and she's gotten so uppity since she moved to California." Never mind that I moved away more than 31 years ago.
3. This porch is made for sitting: With the abundance of craftsman homes in the Pasadena area, there's no shortage of front porches. But I can't remember the last time I saw someone actually sitting on one of them. Not so in Ravenswood. I must have seen (and waved to) more than a dozen porch sitters. They were no doubt drinking "sweet tea," the common name for iced tea with sugar.
4. Howdy is not the name of a puppet: People really do say "Howdy." And without a trace of irony.
5. Earplugs, please: This must be a locust year. Is it true that they come every seven years? I could have used a pair of earplugs to protect me from the din of the noisy creatures. But then I wouldn't have heard the folks yelling, "Howdy!"
PS A shout out to Bill and Melinda Gates, who made today's post possible.
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