Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Mr. Waffles has left the building

 I may have written about Mr. Waffles before, I think so but I'm too lazy to go back and check honestly. That being said, it was a sad day for your home a couple days ago. Let me explain.

Three years ago when one could still go out in public and attend festivals and such, we happened to go to a popular fair festival in September. It was a beautiful day, the sun was high but not too hot. It was a great day to stroll around. My Beloved, my son and grandson hit the main thoroughfare of the event and did what people do there. We hit the food stands and played the carnival games. 

Now, most of those games are difficult to win, especially when the player is only about nine years old. We tried several before stopping at the game where you toss a ping pong ball into the center of the tent and try to land in a fish bowl. Well, guess what happened...Ragin Cage won a fish. Yep, we left our prize there since it was still early in the day and picked up our trophy on the way out.

It is well known that most of these goldfish don't live very long after you get them home. So, we stuck him in a bowl, we assume it was a him but never verified that gender, and let him swim around. He was given the moniker of Mr. Waffles. The next several months we were surprised he was still living. We took care of him the best we could until finally, I couldn't take it any longer and I went out and purchased small aquarium for him to have a proper home.

It was around Christmas, I think. With another quick trip to the pet store soon had the small tank decorated with green gravel and three plastic plants. It was pretty. But the saga doesn't end there. Mr. Waffles didn't have much to do by himself so being the softy I am, I decided he needed a buddy, so another trip to the pet store to get another goldfish. This one was more colorful that just gold and the two became fast friends. 

I forget the name of the new goldfish, I'm sorry to say but it livened up the tank for a time until he was found on the kitchen floor on morning. Somehow he had hopped out of the tank and fortunately he survived, but he was never quite the same. Since then, Mr. Waffles has been living out his life alone. It has been a few months and I was contemplating getting him another companion, but then, to our surprise, Mr. Waffles too was found flopping on the floor several days ago. My Beloved quickly scooped him up and plopped him back into his tank. We had no idea how long he had been out.

Again, we could tell our prize wasn't the same. He was acting oddly, floating in peculiar positions and we could tell he wasn't going to last. Finally, three days ago, the little carnival fish that we thought wasn't supposed to live more than a couple months left us after three years. It was a sad day but I am glad he came to a peaceful end.

Thank you for your time with us, Mr. Waffles. Till we meet again.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

We Never Learn

 I had planned to post about something different this week, however with the events now happening in Europe, my thoughts have changed.

As I am a bit older, I come from a generations whose parents took part it the most horrific conflagration in human history. World War II left virtually no one in the world untouched by its reach. Even as events were discovered after the actual fighting stopped, the depths of human depravity were stunning. 

However when you get down to it all, WWII was about territory, greed and power, a thirst that somehow never seems to be quenched. In the wars since the mid-twentieth century, they have nearly all been skirmishes in comparison, but the underlying reach for power and territory still remains. With smaller, less prosperous countries with limited resources, I can almost understand the want, the need to expand territory for resources and the betterment of the country. 

But, this is 2022. The world is a different place than it was seventy years ago, fifty years ago and even twenty years ago. Have we not learned from our past, a past of war and greed? What is it that drives someone like Vladimir Putin to launch an invasion of a neighboring country? He is a lingering part of the old guard that clawed his way through the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union, only to retain his power. He is a reflection of what was, what the world needs to leave behind. There is no reason in this century for a power such as Russia to bring Europe to the brink of another war. 

The world is more global than ever before. Whether we like it or not, we are tied to each other for good or bad. What affects one country often affects others in some manner. How have we not put blatant territorial grabs behind us as a species? How do the memories of atrocities of war not prevent futures wars? Apparently those memories are for others to lament and languish in and not for those who thumb their noses at the lesser inhabitants of the world who bear the brunt of such actions.

When will we learn? Will we ever learn?