JUST NOT THE SAME

I KNOW THAT CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.  Things usually move forward or backward.  They rarely stagnate.  At least not forever. Still, some change is hard to take and some just causes a person to shake their head in wonder at it all.  So, here are a couple or three things that fall in one or the other of these category's. Read it and agree, or disagree.

1. I grew up in a small Mormon community a little over 100 miles from where I now live. I know it has not stagnated, but I don't like a lot of the changes I see there.  But this post is not about there. It is about here.  Kinda.  I live in a small ex mining town a few miles from the City of Silver. When my wife and I were growing up in the 50's, family trips were made to Silver City.  Often for my wife, occasionally for me.  The town was relatively clean, shopping was plentiful and banking was good.  There were several good set down restaurants and the downtown was a vibrant place to go. There was a bar downtown called the Buffalo. Other than that, there was a lot going on.  Fast forward to the 2000's and change has taken place.  The town is still a mining town, well kinda.  But the downtown has changed. A lot. I is not the clean town it used to be. The shopping has gone away. Even the Buffalo Bar has closed down.  Why.  Well, I have my ideas, and I am probably a majority of one on this, but I feel Wal Mart has came in a ran off most of the businesses, booze is available at all the grocery stores and the pharmacy's, like Wal Greens and so the bar business has went home, so to speak. The downtown is populated by hole in the wall shops and dogs.  And it is not clean.  And a woman, who probably came here form who knows where, was recently heard to say, " I just love it downtown, it is so spiritual".  Uh, no it is not. I hate to even go downtown any more and avoid it as much as possible.  And most others I know who have been around here for very long do also.  Nope, can't feel spiritual there.

2. The city Fathers and Mothers of the New Mexico City of Santa Fe' have decided to spend up to $100,000 to lure the TV show The Bachelor to film an episode in the city. This in a city and State that have a lot of financial problems. And a lot of the  people who live there have objected to spending that much money on the possibility of a TV show coming there, when there are so many problems in the city that need to be addressed.  Just another case of some one being "star struck" and wanting the lure of Hollywood, thinking that by doing so, it will showcase Santa Fe' to the world and bring in tourist dollars.  Tourist dollars help the motels and cafes and a few stores, but jobs of a substantial nature are what is needed.

HIGH ON THE HOG:  There was a news report on the price of bacon.  News Flash   It's not just for breakfast any more.  Why is the price going up.  The news says because a virus has killed thousands of baby pigs and so the price has gone up.  Now, I like bacon, but bacon has gone out of sight on more than just the price.  I also like a BLT sandwich, which is not a breakfast meal, but really, chocolate dipped bacon for desert.  No, don't think so.  It is used on burgers, crumbled up on salads and used on so many things any more, that it is difficult to find a good pound of gold flaked bacon for breakfast.

So, the theme of these three items are just what the title of this post says.  They are just not the same any more.  And while change and progress are a good thing, for the most part, and while I have never been inside the Buffalo Bar and don't care that it is shut down, I do lament the changes that are regressive, and a lot of what I see in this area are just that. In my opinion.

AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK