So here I sit with a good cup of English tea before me, taking the chill off this wintery January morning here in the 1000 Islands region of upstate New York.
Clearly I am not a digital nomad sitting in the South of France. I am not sipping a cappuccino and gazing out over the idyllic Mediterranean Sea, sharing musings safely and poshly ensconced from the madness that has overtaken America. The only bit of France from me today is that of the view from the French doors onto the beautiful and inviting back acres of my property.
Why am I an Anglophile you might ask? And before you snicker and offhandedly dismiss me as another American who is charmed by the ideal English country village, here are a few, but not all, reasons.
I have Scottish ancestry, prefer tea over coffee, adore using a bit of British vernacular here and there in my writings, and am mad about Shakespeare. What I most admire of my British cousins is your ability to remain civilized under the most dire of times. These are globally dire times indeed, all the more so in America.
I now look all the more to Britain to be the calm and sane democracy in this mad storm. Though I fear the infectious decay that is so prevalent here is determined to invade Britain as well. I hope you push back and keep your beautiful isles safe and free.
America today
Honestly I’d rather write about other matters than the political state of affairs here in America, and given the opportunity I will dazzle and entertain with those other matters. But today, as an introduction, let me share my observations.
First and foremost I believe this rise in xenophobia has always been part of the American fabric. Perhaps it’s inherent to human nature for one group or culture to be compelled to beat down and squash someone different. The hypocrisy in America is that the often touted phrase from the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal” is nothing more than a lofty ideal yet to be realized. Women were completely shut out by the founding fathers of American Democracy, so right from the get-go the lofty ideal falls short.
The bloom is fading from the MAGA movement of Republicans. I see it in the tattered Trump flags that fly along my country roads, read it between the lines of social media posts, hear the slightest hint in passing conversations with service people I encounter. Their words carry a cautious concern that they have placed the government in its entirety into the hands of one man who gives a good talk. But will he deliver their heart’s desire, which simply put is an exclusively white, heterosexual and prosperous America; where women are chattels and men are free to force their attentions on any passing woman without consequence.
Personally I would tell them to wake up and smell the coffee. I sense buyers regret in the air. Alas, it is too late to close the barn door.
The future?
No doubt as the weeks unfold into months, months into years, there will be those who will despair that their man did not fulfill their needs. Their needs, by the way, were fueled by fear mongering, xenophobia and an economy that simply does not deliver an affordable, livable lifestyle to roughly 70 million people.
I am a compassionate man by nature, however I can find no compassion for those who chose this path for America. One must not be naïve either in thinking the next or subsequent elections cycles will allow the pendulum of Democracy to regain some balance. No the dark ages have arrived here in America.
As I write, the day has become even more enchanting with the bright sun reflecting off the bits of snow that inexplicably recede with each passing moment of sunshine. But it remains a most curious winter here. Over the last half dozen years, the winter in my micro-environment has become increasingly mild. Gone are the piles of snow and the frequently brutal, well-below-freezing temperatures.
I must be truthful and write that I took a pause while writing this missive and took a brilliant romp in the back acres with my beloved Border Terriers, Ginko and Kiwi. So soothing and nurturing to be amongst nature no matter the time of year. Admiring it offers respite from the weariness of our political news.
There is such a delight to behold my Icelandic chickens scratching about in the thin layer of snow. Romping with my furry treasures, putting my ear to my beehives and listening to the gentle hum of the clustered honey bees.
So now I have surely meandered on enough. Until my words appear once again, I bid you adieu. May good-hearted laughter be your companion for this day no matter the political news.
Cheers,
Your American cousin Guy Anthony Ayres
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