Yesterday, I won at Scrabble

And yet, it was not the highlight of my Sunday. Such a nice day: church, cherries, Scrubs, Scrabble, a long nap after the vegetable soup made me nearly comatose (something about eating these days makes me so tired), TWO baths, a dog walk, and grilled chicken and corn on the barbeque I finally convinced K. to drop $20 on.

A great day, and much-needed, considering my sweetheart will be living it up yet again in Vegas next Saturday to next Thursday.

We finished it off in the dark bedroom, lying side by side under soft cotton on plumped pillows, talking-- YES, talking-- intently about The State of America.

Being involved with this small town has made me wonder about the future of small towns in America. I hate to see so many gentrifying themselves with coffee bars and over-priced antiques, hoping to become the latest get-away destination for urban people with money, but that seems to be the only viable alternative other than 1. being a University town or 2. dying. Because the people who used to support small towns were farmers and then industry/factory workers, and we now eat food from other coutries and agricultural giants and use things made in other nations.

K. said, well our town is still alive, and I agree. It has a hardware store, a local newspaper, a video rental, a lumberyard, a drugstore, and a grocery store-- all locally owned and operated, although all have their competitors (mostly in Oxford).

But there's also still one plant here, a place that makes carburators, and if it closed-- how many of those businesses would survive?

K. thinks-- and I agree-- that we have always chosen technology over what's actually good for people. There is more stuff in the world than ever before, but somehow, bluecollar America isn't making it. Which is why our colleges are filled to bursting, and the competition for liberal arts majors is so intense.

I wonder what will happen.