This morning the piper was paid. My arms are stiff, but I can still move, I can still eat and type, so all is well. Loading wood yesterday was a good idea. Tonight, after Attila gets home from work, we will give it another go. If this routine is maintained daily, the stiffness will gradually disappear. We are trying to get the wood in before black fly season begins.
The water continues to rise. I took a walk down to the waterfront; we have access within walking distance. The water level was much higher than it was when I took the last pictures. It was so high, that as I approached the edge of the water, two ducks flew out of the trees, where they had been swimming amongst the submerged trunks. The debris I had seen the other day had floated away. The home just outside the photos is submerged up to its floorboards, the basement is probably full of water. The owners are vacationing far away. Apparently they asked an elderly woman, who has been checking on the house for them, is paid less than minimum wage to do so [Hot off the press; Attila says she has been checking on their house out of the goodness of her heart.], and who cares for her spouse who has Alzheimers, to sandbag the property for them, herself. What are they thinking? It seems that their only concern is for themselves, and their property.
Unfortunately, the sense of personal entitlement, and attitude towards local people as a servant class, is what predominates in this area.
One of the down sides of living in an area that caters to affluence and wealth, is the preponderance of sales people who differentiate customers by perceived wealth. They act as “gatekeepers”, ensuring that only the “best” clientele enjoy their shopping experience, they “keep out the riffraff”. I ran into this just recently, yesterday actually, when I placed an order for Attila’s birthday present. The article was only available from an upscale shop. When it became obvious that I was purchasing a relatively inexpensive article, the tone of the salesperson changed, she took on an ever so slightly sneering tone, laced with condescension and mild irritation at having to sell an article to someone as trivial as myself. The corruption of wealth leaks like Fukushima.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
8C
Condition: Light Rain
Pressure: 102.8 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 7.6°C
Dewpoint: 4.2°C
Humidity: 79%
Wind: SSE 11 km/h
Quote
“It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.”
Isaac Asimov
1920 – 1992
I live just outside a very affluent neighborhood; around my house, it is clear that on my street we are not affluent (10 year old Ford Focus; 9 year old Volkswagon Jetta and so forth). I walk through their neighborhood on my morning walk in my jeans, tee, and hoodie. When I come across one of them climbing into their high end Mercedes or BMW, I can see the look as they assess my probable economic standing, thus assigning me an inferior social standing. Good old Calvinist idea–your affluence is a sign God loves you and your ordinariness a sign that you are not worthy/valued.
so much for ‘All men being created equal’
The only up side to the crumbling economy is that a lot of “them” have been “melting” into “us”. I am ashamed to admit that this loss of conspicuous and superfluous wealth gives me a severe case of Schadenfreude. Although, when I think about it, there is no tragedy in the loss of unneeded wealth, so what I feel may not be strictly defined as Schadenfreude.