Is It Just Me...

...or are there are some weird things going on in life right now. 

Maybe it's getting used to life in America again. Like people pushing, shoving and (if you're Gweneth Paltrow), swerving out in front of schoolbusses:

The water is receding now in Colorado...but there's a whole lot of mess left to clean up. And a surprising puzzle -- now that a number of roads, especially those up in the mountains, are washed out in places, how are people going to get to work?

Daughter #2 is going through this right now. She's the assistant manager at El Loro in Boulder...but her usual route, via bus down Boulder Canyon, is closed. And will be, for quite a while. There are other ways, but they'll take up to an hour longer, each way. And boyfriend Keith needs the Jeep for hunting. What to do?
    Here's a recent photo of Angel and Keith.

 

They've been hunting now for a few weeks (archery season), but all Angel's gotten out of it are bruises from wrist to elbow. (She keeps forgetting her armguard.) Oh, and some close encounters with elk and deer.

Speaking of hunting, all the anti-gun advocates are shocked -- SHOCKED, I tell you! -- that two Colorado state senators who led the changes in gun laws lately were recalled. (The senators, not the laws.) I'm not surprised at all, quite frankly. Before you put on your Outraged mask, take a moment to reflect on this:
    *Many gun owners are just fine with security checks and references
    *Many take extra care to not only safely handle their own weapons...but go to class to do so.
    *Many keep guns and ammo separate, and/or locked safely away.

Colorado's laws were changed by people who apparently never went hunting in their lives -- because some of the laws are the least-practical there could be. Some are downright stupid, e.g. characterizing some hunting guns as "automatic weapons." The Poster Boy for Stupid Gun Laws: you are not allowed to loan any gun to someone for more than 72 hours.
     Hmmm. Any gun. How often have we, or people we know, borrowed shotguns for hunting? A lot. Most people go hunting for a week. (Do the math.)
     Colorado's sheriffs are torn on how to handle these new regulations, with some saying they won't enforce them. 

Ok - tougher laws, with more time for security checks. (The latter are ok with me, by the way.) Let's see...
     Have we suddenly seen a decrease in gun-related incidents, thanks to all this increased regulation?
     Would decreasing access to guns for the law-abiding citizen mean that they have less of a chance to defend themselves?

Hmmm....let's ask the Navy Yard victims that one...the James Holmes theater victims, too.

Rant over. Here's one of the photos we took on the recent trip to Ireland. I'll have more, plus a report on our trip, shortly. Back to cleaning up and ironing.

Connemara, Ireland...and a view of the ruined D'Arcy castle (but not Elizabeth Bennett's honey)