Retirement!

Retirement has arrived and after three months is finally beginning to set in. I know that seems like a long time for something to sink in, but after 32 years it's hard to imagine a way of life that doesn't include answering to someone who is somewhere "above" me. Since April 1st, I've caught up on lost sleep, started to exercise, and watched a lot of C-Span. This last activity has stirred an amazement with how far we have slipped back into the '50's. You now back when things were Andy Griffith good. In other words, when no one questioned their good luck and poo-pooed those who were on the bottom of the pile. This country is much more like a family than most people admit. We really can't escape our family, we have to learn to get along, learn to take care of each other, learn how to make it work. Currently, we are not doing a great job of that. Listening to a hearing about Mountain Top Removal on C-Span this morning, I am amazed at how the House Subcommittee on Natural Resources and the Chamber of Commerce can turn a blind eye to the effects of this destructive form of mining. Is this commercial activity more important to the current and future health of the Mountaineers that live near their mines.