Somebody from Oregon who knows serious water right out her door......

A letter from a reader:

Dear Sewer Raccoon News editor,

Thanks for the stamp. (We sent her an Oregon Territory stamp.) I won't keep it in my (Army) field Manual (our suggestion), because that would no doubt entail stuffing it in a computer, theses days. With the proliferation of dependency upon machines, we are rarely issued anything in hard copy anymore. I perhaps feel this difference more than most because I left the system before this occurred, and found returning to be a challenge more because of the electrons than anything else. There are computer programs that do just about everything anymore, and the humans are slaves to passwords, technicians, and the ability to produce such a plethora of electronic static. E-mail boxes are crammed with "sitreps," "spotreps" and "reps on reps", SIRS CCIRS and more "R's". My civilian lead avoids dealing with the systems by using the phone, which has its benefits in immediacy, and the inability to say "I never got your message." But it also has the drawback of being a one-time, forgettable conversation.

I keep a list of e-mail addresses in my address book just in case my computer should decide to go on strike. It has saved me more than once. Besides, then it's portable, and I don't have to lug a laptop around if I don't want to.

My latest discovery entails the fact that tap water is cleaner than bottled water, because the standards for tap water are higher than those for bottled. Add to that simple fact the cost of bottled water (something which truly offends me is paying for water) and the fact that those stupid clear bottles are killing the environment, and it is obvious that this latest fad of sucking on a bottle of water is more silliness on the part of humanity. They have created a new container for this overpriced beverage called a "Corntainer" and it is designed to biodegrade fairly quickly and less likely to give off the carcinogens the plastic bottles are rumored to provide. To date, my solution has been to pour a glass of water when I need a drink, and if I need a vanity water bottle, I bought a fancy stainless steel jug that both keeps the tap water cooler, and is washable for reuse.

Amazing how we come full circle, isn't it? I read that the new rage in some cities is being environmentally conscious and providing restaurant customers with free tap water at the table instead of charging the $3.50 for a plastic bottle with a fancy label. They are now advertising that to draw customers in, to support the "green" movement. Common sense has gone out the window.

Must go work out now. The serious weight loss program is requiring I exercise daily. The Army weigh-in is tomorrow, so we will see how long my resolve lasts after that!

Hah!

s/ Nelderberry

(Gaynelle O'Neil)

.........................................

and our reply:

Imagine that

as water droplets
flowing from a common tap
a free common tap save for
the monthly water bill
but which more legitimately
-but barely-
includes sewage removal

I am with you
fully, quenchedly
sated of thirst
as I sit here at the
restor-ed
electron machine

I am with you
with my feet planted
perhaps more inclusively and
resolvedly
due to my age
in the dual ruts
of what was and what is

I am unpain-ed
buying the government inefficiency
high-cost postage stamps which
enable scribbling and drawing
upon my scrolls
and sooty cave walls

and then re-writing
-always the re-write-
onto mailable pounded pulp
and hung within clothes-pinned
reach
of the mailmen
or women
pinned though now in shorts
and goggles
to the task of their
appointed rounds

Your message is grist for the raccoon news if you will consent to our printing it (redundantly electrifying it on the SR News).

Advise as able.

Good luck at the weigh-in!

Zep. ed.