Back in the USA

Back at the Fort Collins ranch, three months after shutting the front door on the place we call home, very little has changed. The water pipes are intact, the grass had just been neatly shorn, and nobody stole any of the garage sale items that we call furniture. About the only difference was our garden gnome. Unaided, he had collapsed to the ground, losing – not for the first time - a battle against the summer winds. Other than the downed gnome, it was as if we never left.

Our first stop upon arriving home was the supermarket. We needed to fill up on genetically modified fruits and vegetables, which are in short supply in England. I was worried about my diminishing toxin levels so I immediately hit the produce section bypassing anything labeled organic. As I dropped apples the width of Kiwi’s head and














femur-sized ears of corn onto the conveyer belt I proceeded to exhaustedly pull some uninspired American bills out of my wallet.(Come on, America, you can do better than the greenback*). The checkout woman, while punching mystery numbers into her register, asked me about my day. With my best Tony the Tiger impression, I told her I was doing greeaaatt.

But the older gentleman bagging my groceries – a service you won’t see in England - hesitated. He asked pointedly: Are you really doing great? Because some people who seem happy can’t be that happy. Checkout woman was astonished by Bagger man’s brazenness, scolding him for being so blunt, but not a hint of bitterness was found in his voice.

I, on the other hand, was overjoyed by his response. This was a comment my Jersey-born, New York City working Dad would make! I realized I had spent a summer of reserve and civility in England, and now I was back in candid country. And it was surprisingly good to be home. So have a great day, America. And I mean that.

PS – Dollars bills were colored green because green was seen as a sign of stability. Is the new colored $20USD note a sign of the economic times?