Saturday, June 04, 2005

It is breezy and overcast but we still headed for the ice water when we got back from our walk down to Bluebeards to see if the little gift shop has the local newspaper. They weren't open but it was a wonderful walk. We stopped and wandered about a lot where clearly a hurricane had taken out the entire house. About all that was left was the pool filled with nasty water and some of the concrete posts. It would be a great building site - maybe someday.

I have been in and out from sitting on the porch reading due to the attack wasps - they are Jack Spaniel wasps - one of the most venomous from what the locals tell me. All I can say is when I got stung three times in a row, by the same dang wasp, my leg swelled up and each sting felt like a match was being held to it. They built a nest under the table and I made the mistake of sitting at it! Steve says he is buying a case of wasp spray to take care of the problem before the grandkids get here.

What I was reading is a book I found in my son's things. I had forgotten about giving it to him back in the mid 90s when he was working on his degree in Philosophy. At the time Amador by Fernando Savater was a bestseller in Spain. The subtitle: "in which a father addresses his son on questions of ethics - that is, the options and values of freedom - and attempts to show him how to have a good life..." Each chapter is an essay with quotes at the end from writers as varied as Fromm, Aristotle, Thomas More, and Seneca. This is no easy light read, but well worth the experience. If it is still in print I plan on giving a copy to my grandson when he a teenager. There are no pat answers here on how to live a good life - rather lots of examples and questions to help a teenager begin to develop a philosophy of life, and to enjoy life as a member of the world society.

Now we are off to town for a Shipwreck burger for lunch and to pick up the ingredients so I can make oatmeal coconut cookies. I have been promising Steve I would make them for weeks and now that I have a kitchen I enjoy being in I will do just that.