Cafe Hitch-hike

2018-02-07

A long, hot--- winter

On this fine day near my fishing village, two separate shootings ended in deaths on a major roadway during my way to work. I had to take a detour because the road was closed for most of my route, but I was otherwise safe and unaware of what was happening.

One of the shootings from today was related to 2 other ones that took place yesterday and also another from this morning where a woman was killed. This ended when the gunman was shot by law enforcement on the same stretch of road.

In the second death, a man drove on his car into a ditch on the side of the road after getting shot. He died shortly in the car.

People usually turn crazy fron the heat, but this has been the coolest winter I've seen in the 10 years I've been here. I had an umcle call an intense and violent spell like this a 'long, hot summer.' The heat usually is here to stay around in May or soonafter, and we have a way to go until then.

I think everyone felt stunned by the senselessness of it all, and to see the violence condensed along an area so many of us travel daily. It happened too close to home and so randomly. How could this be? Is our region and our people really that barbaric?

I ended the workday with dinner woth colleagues. We openly talked about what is happening at work. I think we were relieved to share informatiob and be assured that our perceptions were not off about the mayhem that is ocurring. College John, my friend, joined us and we also will need to catch up soon.

We then went to a concerto where a friend of a colleague was playing. I think we needed the lullaby of music to soothe us. The trio finished with a sing-along of Bohemian Rhapsody, we had some gentle laughs.

It's one of those days where I wish for better days to come.

downwind | upstream