{"id":893,"date":"2020-07-04T18:35:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T17:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainingplace.com\/?p=893"},"modified":"2020-07-05T16:32:59","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T15:32:59","slug":"july-4-a-day-of-pints-and-haircuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainingplace.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/04\/july-4-a-day-of-pints-and-haircuts\/","title":{"rendered":"July 4: A Day of Pints and Haircuts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kathy, I\u2019m lost,\u201d I said, though I knew she was sleeping.
\u201cI\u2019m empty and aching and I don\u2019t know why\u201d
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They\u2019ve all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America<\/p>Paul Simon<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/amp-fit-text>\n\n\n\n

It’s the strangest Fourth of July in my life, maybe yours as well. In London, where there’s not much virus (at least for now), Super Saturday is here. Pubs, restaurants, and haircuts, for those who risk them. And soon, travel to a few countries and overseas territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But travel not, advises the government, to the famous former colonies celebrating the end of a revolution that declared independence from a King and became the prototypes for modern democracy. As an American, that’s sobering (no pun intended on pub independence day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kew Palace <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Writing from Richmond upon Thames, a mile or two from Kew Palace<\/a>, where the Tea Party inspiration George III<\/a> convalesced during his periods of mental illness, I can’t help but observe the irony. Today celebrates long-awaited freedom from lockdown, at least in England, while Wales and Scotland lag a bit behind. In the United States, the reality is as different from most of Europe at any point during my years I’ve been away due to an American resurgence of coronavirus infections and a divergence of everyday points-of-view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember in Seattle my friend Charlie Cunniff told me he was amazed that I could start over at a time that many people are close to retirement, and be open to new experiences, new customs, and leaving comfort behind. Then, I shrugged. Now, I’m confused, but I expect that soon, the confusion at worst evolve, and at best resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borrowing from the observations<\/a> of many, I see five things that suggest a basis for hope, some of which I noted in earlier thoughts posted here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n