My Little Golden Book of Phobias

I am here in the Oregon high desert on the Warm Springs rez at KahNeeTah, a resort built around a hot springs so the outdoor pool is a toasty 98 degrees. Pure heaven for a swimmer like me. Plus great gobs of beauty, red bluffs and sagebrush and large sky areas. What, you may ask, during this economic catastrophe, am I doing in such a place, behaving like the sky isn't falling?Well, I'm a guest and I'm here with my honey so it was practically free and yes, we watched the debate because it was patriotic to watch the debate. Sarah is, excuse me, an idiot. I know that isn't very Buddhist of me but hell, we are going down, fast and she is just a distraction in squarish glasses and a frightening hairdo. 

But on the train to Portland there was a lady across the aisle who was wearing a pink plush bear with a blue visor around her neck. And the lady was wearing a matching blue visor. When she sat down, she held the bear under her chin so the bear could see out the window. When she got up to go to the bathroom, she gave the bear to her husband to hold. He kinda clutched the bear a bit severely, I thought. Then she came back and put the bear on her lap so the bear could go to sleep. Then they opened their Subway sandwiches and delicately ate ham and cheese, not dripping a bit on their laps. The bear watched from her shoulder. He wasn't hungry, apparently. When I took a call from my service, she listened in and commented that she had been late with both of her children. This woman has kids, yikes. Maybe they also wear blue visors and wear pink velour suits. I can hardly wait to take the train back to Seattle. I think train passengers have stories to tell. About bears and visors and the view from the window. *sigh*