My, but it rained here yesterday!
I baked four strawberry-rhubarb pies this morning, picked and washed two gallons of blueberries (each one of them the size of my big toe thanks to the rain!), and tied a tub full of rainbow chard into pretty little bunches. Now that everything is ready for the farmer’s market, there is nothing left for me to do but sit here and chat with you.
The news is full of the Chinese government’s tantrums over the Dalai Lama’s honorary Parisian citizenship. Ooh la la! The AP photos of Mayor Delanoe and His Holiness are amusing: In each one, there is enough space between the two men for President Sarkozy to stand between them. “As if,” my grand-daughter Rose would say.
His Holiness looks tired. I know that he does not get frustrated or angry the way mere mortals like me do, but he must get heart-sick just the same. His people are suffering. He’s had his shoulder to the wheel for fifty years, and he isn’t getting any younger. And now, people like Secretary of State Clinton are telling him that yes, the United States is still on his side: It’s just that so far, publicly chastising the Chinese government for violating human rights in Tibet (and China) hasn’t worked, so it’s time to try a new course of action.
Which is?
Well, something non-violent, of course, since the Dalai Lama wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even so much as a well-aimed “thwock” from a slingshot some long-lost monk has hidden away in his pocket. Something non-material, since the Chinese government already has all the money in the world, and its leaders soon will be riding around in Hummers and handing it out to us during Saka Dawa. I’d like to say something like the Nobel Peace Prize, which is what Robert Thurman suggests (See Why the Dalai Lama Matters at http://dalailamamatters.com/.)President Hu Jintao could win if he’d only agree to grant autonomy to Tibet. But I was convinced recently that power is the only thing that appeals to the men making the decisions in China. So I will have to think on this a while longer.
In the meantime, I believe the Dalai Lama deserves a break. He should come to Pelden Farm for a few days. I’ve got a spare room with an east-facing window, and it’s quiet here except for the frogs and that silly beagle, Kash, who showed up on Sunday. He’s so addle-pated that he follows all scents clockwise instead of where they actually lead, which means he’s never going to catch the rabbits that’ve been eating my lima beans.
So what? you ask me. And really, it’s an excellent question.
