O Pinions!

#1043683

January 26, 2023 at 9:55am

It's a 13 minute walk from Ponnya's workplace to home. I timed it tonight. No need for a car. There are 14 floors which include parking, a pool, a fitness center... no 20 acre suburban sprawl. Thailand is more compact even in rural areas. People live in communities and aren't as isolated from others (nor as fearful of them). In Montana they could build with better heating/cooling in mind, and not build throwaway structures that fall apart in 30 years. We have good water, so that&... [Read more]

#1043344

January 19, 2023 at 1:09am

Don't spoil it for others. Americans love their independence but no one survives alone. Humans are social animals. We need each other. We also make mistakes. And we need to be seen and appreciated. Where should the line be for the common good on personal freedoms (yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, etc.) and who should draw it (government or ?)? Every community draws lines. In Thailand one CANNOT insult the king or the royal family. This is NO joke. In the USA the presiden... [Read more]

#1043145

January 15, 2023 at 10:00pm

Which is worse, local or national politics/politicians? My dreams soar into realms of the unknown, unknowingly forgetting that the farther they go the greater the fall back to reality. The same seems to apply to idealists that enter government. Good intentions does not equal good governing. And those who have no ideals have no vision and those without a heart no shame. At least those who have nefarious intentions unabashedly ignore the consequences. They tend to rise to the top. Mos... [Read more]

#1042705

January 5, 2023 at 8:13pm

I remember the smell of rotting tomatoes while 'taking care of business' as a child. I suspect that anything rotting was thrown into my grandparents' outhouse. Outhouses were topped with lime and eventually moved to a newly dug hole and the old one filled. Most anything was thrown into outhouses. I shudder to think of outhouses in cemeteries... I'm sure they once were common. If not for the guests then for the ground crews and grave diggers. But... if an outhouse is... [Read more]

#1042661

January 4, 2023 at 9:54pm

I believe in more calories for my buck. Upscale 'heathy' markets are expensive. Mega-marts offer 100 types of peas. Who needs peas, please? I want calories. In Missoula we have summer and winter markets. They focus local on produce. Our region is known for locally gathered huckleberries and morels, cherries and peaches, melons and tomatoes. Dairy is controlled by Washington state; beef is sent to China; potatoes are grown in Montana, locally even, but the market is dominated by Idaho.... [Read more]

#1042622

January 3, 2023 at 8:36pm

A proper outhouse is biodegradable and self-cleaning. At the end so is the Earth and so are we. There has been an effort in the last century to mechanize everything and eliminate the need for slaves humans. Here in Montana I share the toilet. I realise that this is un-American; but, so be it . One of our local poets is our janitor and I'm thankful for his 14 plus years of cleaning up after me. I do try to not make a mess. In Isan I will clean our toilet if Ponnya doesn'... [Read more]