Letter from the Vineyard

Nick Stuart  Tickety boo  James Green  Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders  Marco Rubio  Jeb Bush  Zika Virus  Brazil Olympics WHO  Apple  Google  Alphabet  Yahoo  Melissa Mayer  IS Boko Haram  Assad  American Airlines  United 

When I drove into the drive of the cottage, behind me was a brilliant rose gold sunset illuminating the western sky.  After spending the afternoon running a variety of errands, I was grateful to be home.

My very English friend, Nick Stuart, if he is concerned about either my physical or mental well being, will text me a message that says, “Everything tickety boo?”

And tonight, not everything is tickety boo. 

I have been headachy and achy since about noon today and so, once the errands were accomplished, I slid home and lit a fire, changed into comfortable clothes, also warm, and began to rest. 

I don’t want to get sick.  I have class on Wednesday; my friend James Green is Skyping in to discuss digital advertising.  It is not possible to get sick; the show must go on! 

The show that is going on right now, as I write, is the Iowa caucuses and the let the games begin.  The first “showdown” is happening.  Hillary and Bernie are neck and neck.  Trump has a lead over everyone.  Marco Rubio is desperately hoping he will come in third in Iowa.

I am worn to a frazzle by all this.  This campaign will go down in history, I hope, as the longest election campaign in the country’s history.  I can’t imagine anything longer than this.  Shouldn’t the elections be next Tuesday so we can get this all over with?  We have something like another 280 days of all of them slugging it out.

As the caucuses begin, Jeb Bush is on his way to New Hampshire where he hopes to do better.  Once  the wind was in his sails and now he finds himself becalmed.  The son of a President, the brother of another, he seemed anointed.  Not so much now…

While we are bemoaning the campaign cycle [or at least I am], the Zika virus has become worse than originally thought.  Brazil is harder hit than first thought.  The World Health Organization has declared an emergency.  And the world will be traveling to Brazil this year for the Olympics.  Bring lots of mosquito repellant and use birth control while there and afterwards until you’re sure you don’t have it…

For three years now Apple has been the most valuable company in the world.  Today Google became more valuable.  Alphabet, the holding company for Google and its other enterprises, rose sharply as there has been a renaissance in its advertising.  Ah, heavy is the head that wears the crown…

Yahoo, which once wore that crown, is now shedding 15% of its workforce.  Ms. Mayer has not turned the corner.

Oil prices continue to slump and there is a slowdown in manufacturing both in China and the US.  Worrisome.  Pundits are wondering if we are in for another recession.  Say it not so…

IS is working its wrath upon the world.  Boko Haram, which has declared its loyalty to IS, killed 70 in a suicide bombing attack in Nigeria.  Not to mention the trouble in Syria; 3500 have fled into Turkey as Assad’s forces advance.  The Taliban have killed twenty in Kabul. 

And my oh my… Free snacks have returned to American and Untied.  Is this an alternative universe?  Free snacks on planes?  Have I been transported back to the 1990’s?  No, don’t think so. Not until they make the seats bigger.  I’m not big and the seats are a challenge to me.  To get a good seat in economy one must upgrade to Economy Plus, which I usually do.

My fire is burning happily.  I am happy and feeling better, more “tickety boo.”  The flood lights illuminate the creek and I am more ready than ever to crawl into my great queen sized bed and pull the covers up to my neck, watch a little video and head off to sleep.  I need it.

The show must go on!