Letters To An
Overseas Friend.

One of the characters in Shane is from New England. This could be a somewhat important detail. Suppose it can implicitly say much about the tastes and mannerisms of the character. I don’t think I noted the origin of that character the first time I read the book. I figure it’s one of those details that I might pass over and not register. I think it could also be one of those details that show up on an elementary school English test. Which I would have gotten incorrect after a panic struck me for not being able to answer the question. That experience made me not want to read books, because, clearly, I’m reading them wrong.

But you gotta teach reading comprehension to the children, right? I suppose testing is a proven way to educate?

Just finished some work on my bike. I tightened and capped a frayed cable that had never been capped. Reset a star nut that never did bite in. It bites in now. I’ll clean it soon. Non of these tasks are what you might call in need of immediate attention. That’s why it’s noteworthy. You know how I only maintain to the bare minimum standards for safety and function.

Dick Proenneke said, “Learn to use an axe, and respect it and you can’t help but love it.” You know I’m suspicious of quotes like these. Respect for an inanimate object just seems oddly misplaced when compared to respect for a human being. The latter seems so much more meaningful, that to call feelings of admiration for an inanimate object “respect” short changes the word. But maybe I’m being a little hard edged and confusing the sentiment, because when you take in the second part of the Proenneke quote, “…But abuse one and it will wear your hands raw and open your foot like an overcooked sausage,” the first part makes more sense.

I’m coming around to this way of thinking: See an inanimate object that you rely on as an object WORTHY of your care and attention and it will be maintained. Or to put it real short: garbage in, garbage out. Neglect in, malfunction out. Blatantly obvious, but warm and fuzzy quotes like, “Learn to use an axe, and respect it and you can’t help but love it,” as wise and true as they might be, obfuscate.

Not being able to fix your brakes on the road because you let the cables fray so badly is a rough situation indeed. This will not happen now.

I suppose this will be a recurring theme for us till the end of time.