Flowers and Sunsets–and a Tragedy on my Campus
In last week’s post, we visited Bootleg Lake in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. In this week’s post, I’ll wrap up the pictures from my September adventure with wildflowers and a spectacular New Mexico sunset, share the usual batch of meme-y hilarity–and reflect the tragic shooting this week at the University of Arizona.
But first, welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Natalie has food pics this week. Try not to lick your screen.
Warning: my first topic this week is neither funny nor pretty. Feel free to skip it if you need to.
A fatal shooting on the University of Arizona campus
I rarely write about anything serious on here, because where’s the fun in that? But I can’t talk about this week without mentioning the shooting on my campus. Here is one of many news stories about it if you want details, but the gist of it is that on Wednesday afternoon, a former student shot a professor dead. I didn’t know either of the parties involved, and while I was on campus that day, I wasn’t near the scene of the crime.
Still, it rattled me. Me and the rest of the campus community. I can hear the voice in my head–this time it sounds like my father–telling me to toughen up, it didn’t directly affect you, get on with life. And yeah, I get that. I’m not curled up under my desk in a fetal position. But the key point lies in the phrase, “campus community.” The University of Arizona is huge, but it’s a community, and our community was violated. This tragedy happened to one of our own. I could get all philosophical about how these incidents make us all feel more vulnerable and yada yada yada, but I’m not going to do that. Instead I’ll share two quotes from co-workers as the news was unfolding:
“It could have been so much worse.”
Followed by,
“Tell me you’re an American without telling me you’re an American.”
Yeah, it could have been worse. We read the news. We know what “worse” looks like. And when we see an emergency alert that contains the word, “shooting,” those are the images that flash through our minds.
I hate how inured we’ve become to these events. How our first thought when we hear about them isn’t, “Oh, that poor man! That poor family!” No, our first thought is, “It could have been so much worse.” There’s a callus on my soul. It’s numb and ugly and I want it gone, but like the calluses I used to get on my palms from playing on the monkey bars as a kid, I need it there to protect me from pain.
And I hate how shootings have become more American than apple pie and Chevrolet ever were.
The last batch of vacation pictures
If you stuck with me through that last section, thank you. After almost two days of hurting and processing this event with my equally-hurting colleagues, I needed to get some feelings out of my head.
If you scrolled past, I understand. We all have to take care of ourselves.
The rest of this post will be the usual happy, fun, and/or weird stuff you’ve come to expect from my twisted corner of the interwebs. No more gloom and doom, I promise. There may be a little philosophical reflection–but no gloom and doom.
Wildflowers
You know me–I love taking pictures of flowers. There wasn’t a lot of floral variety on our trip to the White Mountains, but a few plants were in bloom. I loved how these yellow daisies looked against the rough bark of a ponderosa pine.
I think we were a little late for lupines, but I did see one or two.
A bank of white daisies grew along the shore of Rainbow Lake, some with the traditional yellow centers and some like these, with adorable pink centers.
The bees seemed to enjoy both kinds and were way too busy gathering pollen to pay any attention to me–even when I got in close for pics like these.
A viewpoint in New Mexico
On the way home we crossed into New Mexico, stopped at a viewpoint, and found… this:
Whatever took a bite out of that picnic table can stay far, far away from me.
Here’s the view from that viewpoint:
No sign of the picnic-table-eating monster, thank God.
A New Mexico sunset
In last week’s post, I wrote about serendipity being one of the great joys of travel. Sometimes you stumble onto something wonderful that you didn’t know about or plan for. On the last day of our trip, we detoured to Silver City, NM, to see what it was like (Answer: Pretty cool! I want to go back.) Then we drove home on I-10. The sun was setting as we approached the Arizona border, and it was so spectacular, we pulled off on an exit ramp to a deserted road to take pictures.
Here’s the deserted road:
And here’s the sunset. My iPhone camera did not do it justice.
Bonus: a double rainbow!
So the thought I’ll leave you with today (before we get to the memes, anyway) is this: Pull over. Take the picture. Stand on that road to nowhere and let the raindrops fall on your face while you gawk at a double rainbow. Slow down. Stop. Maybe even turn back to see what you missed the first time.
There’s so much beauty and magic all around us, even on abandoned exit ramps in western New Mexico. Drink it in. Drink it all in. Let it soften your callused soul and remind you that so much of the world is good and beautiful and magical.
Because that beauty and magic will help you get through the ugliness and evil with your soul intact. Callused maybe, but intact.
The memery
I thought about ending the post with that little reflection on life, but I can’t deprive my loyal tens of readers of their weekly laughs. So here we go:
Also, “Jack.”
I might donate mine to the medical school on my campus and suggest they use it as a cautionary tale.
Later in life, Mediocrates formed a partnership with his colleague Bureaucrates, and thus was born the phrase, “Close enough for government work.”
If ever there was a task for which, “Good enough” should be the standard, it’s folding a fitted sheet.
Now we’re going to visit the wacky world of science. Gather ’round, fellow nerds. This section is for you.
True story: I had two advisors as an undergrad. Their names: Dr. Seaman and Dr. Cox. No, I am not making that up. I don’t know if they ever co-authored a paper, but they should have.
Somewhere I have pictures of mountain goats on the side of a sandstone cliff in Zion National Park. I’m not sure how they got their exemption from the laws of physics, but they did.
Oh, that little mallet! I want it!
And finally:
I should add, “1970s remote control,” to my resume.
Take care, everyone. Drop a comment and tell me something good that happened in your world this week.
33 Comments
Susanne
Hi Janet, I’m so sorry to hear about the shooting, I hadn’t heard about it. Perhaps they don’t give news about US shootings here unless there are several victims. Yes, shootings in the US have become too common and almost “normal” as if such things ever could be.
The goat pic made my day!! And, your photo of the rainbow is absolutely stunning!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks, Susanne. Sad to say, but shootings hardly make the news (at least the national news) here either unless there are multiple victims.
I don’t know how goats got exempted from the laws of physics, but I wish I had that trait. Gravity is my worst enemy 🙂
joylenebutler
A month ago, a man injured 17 and killed 11 on a reservation in Saskatchewan. He was on parole and had committed numerous offensives, yet they kept releasing him. He killed family members and friends and people who had known him his entire life. Many see this world worse than it’s ever been, but I think it’s because News comes to us so much faster. Especially bad news. On a more pleasant note, I must have 20 photographs of mountain goats in precarious positions. When we travel along the Rocky Mountains, which is often, we see a lot of wildlife. One of the best perks about living in the north.
Janet Alcorn
I agree re: the world seeming worse than it is b/c of the national and international news cycle. Used to be, we didn’t hear about much that happened outside our local areas unless it was really big news, and news was only available at limited times and through limited outlets. Now you can immerse yourself in the horror 24/7.
rawsonjl
Oh I am so sorry to hear about the shooting at your campus; that is so scary and so tragic. Those sunset photos and that rainbow— WOW! What fantastic photos!! I hate that my phone or even camera rarely seem to do them justice but I’ve learned to just bask in them.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks. My phone doesn’t do most scenery justice either, including the sunset in these pics, but I do my best. It’s fun to look back at places we’ve been and the beauty we’ve seen.
Kelly Wellington
It was always uphill both ways through the heavy shag carpet to the television.
Janet Alcorn
Right?! We didn’t have full-on shag carpet, but we had this hideous mixed-shades-of-green plush. I’m pretty sure several new life forms evolved in that stuff during my childhood, because we weren’t exactly consistent about vacuuming.
trentpmcd
“Stop and smell the roses” and “Stop on an abandoned road and watch the sunset”, all the same, things that make life nice that we too often forget… Nice photos.
Yes, your blog is usually more about humor, sarcastic wit and nice desert photos, but I am glad you detoured into the more serious today. We as a society do need to talk about violence and not just sweep it under the rug. It is very sad and I feel sorry for the poor family.
I hope your weekend is going well and that you have a good week.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks, Trent. Sometimes even I have to be serious. And yeah, it seems like we don’t really talk about the violence in a productive way, just point fingers and argue.
Hope you have a good week too!
Bobbiem91
That abandoned road was great. I like the flowers, but that double rainbow–awesome. I like the abandoned back roads that take you to places you never expected to go–ever. I did one in NH that took me back to where I started, but it was totally fantastic and even the locals weren’t aware of it.
Now onto those Meme–remote control expert. I can see it. Then there is the goats who defy gravity and I want that hammer too.
As to the serious portion, it is an example of how our society is falling apart when killing people is glorified and helping others become rare. I’ve watched the deterioration of society that has coincided with the deterioration of the nuclear family, the disrespect of human life, diversity of opinions and beliefs. That explains partly while I had to get out of the city and into a place where I don’t have to deal with anyone unless I choose to do so. I will say, that I miss you and hope that we all can get together when you are in the Flag area again.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks. And yeah, so much seems to be deteriorating–but some things are better too. Our society is fairer and more equal than it used to be, at least in some ways, and believe it or not, it’s less violent than it used to be (I think US crime rates peaked in the early 90s). But evil still exists, and sometimes it gets too close for comfort.
I miss you too. I need to make it up there again one of these weekends.
Yinglan
I love your pictures especially the double rainbow! And I absolutely agree, “pull over, take a picture”. I do that sometimes and of course, make sure there’s no one behind you first. 😀
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! And yes, safety first when taking pictures. I’m the one reminding my husband that no, he can’t just stop in the middle of the road to take a photo.
Yinglan
Haha, as much as I love driving, I think not able to take pictures while driving is definitely a con. 😀
Denyse Whelan Blogs
I am someone who does not live in America can find it hard to read about the awful stories about shootings, mass and otherwise. Of course, no country is without tragedies but one close to ‘home’ for you is worse. It does open lots of questions internally and they do need to be spoken about. I have a friend who has come to US to live as her husband’s job is here now, and she has 4 children. When asked about the differenced between schools in Australia and US, she said “lockdowns/practice for shooters”… so sorry it is like this. Your natural environment pics are beautiful. Denyse #wcs
Janet Alcorn
The school lockdown/shooter drills break my heart. Is it any wonder this generation of kids has record levels of depression and anxiety? I agree about discussion (and action!) needing to happen, but I’ve given up hope that it ever will. It’s incredibly frustrating.
leannelc
Hi Janet – such a confronting thing to go through with that shooting – and yes, a very American occurance too. Guns are so prolific in the US and shootings seem to be commonplace and that’s an awful observation to make. I feel for you being so close to the event and the processing you’ve had to do to get past it. Hopefully someone over there will figure out a way to make gun control more acceptable and to reduce these terrible shootings.
On a different note – your flower and nature pics were lovely and helped balance things out for you (IRL too I imagine).
Janet Alcorn
It would be lovely if we could change US gun culture. I have so many thoughts on that, which I’ll keep to myself b/c I try to keep my blog an argument-free zone. But the current state of affairs is so exhausting and disheartening.
Flowers and nature (and beauty wherever I can find it) definitely help balance out the bad. The world is a beautiful place if we take the time to look.
Maria
The shooting was a horrible event. I am so sorry to hear it was at your campus. I am sure processing something like that can’t be easy. Even if you weren’t nearby at the time.
Your gorgeous photos are very inspring. I’ve only visited New Mexico a couple times, but I found it to be very picturesque and intriguing. For a while I even contemplated moving there with my RV due to the generous rules of what you can do with your land in some areas of New Mexico.
Janet Alcorn
New Mexico is an interesting place! I’ve only been there a few times, because I’ve only lived in Arizona for about 9 years. It’s quirky and, as you say, there aren’t as many land regulations as there are in some places.
Deborah Drucker
The shooting is bound to impact you. It is traumatic and needs to be processed before you can just move on. The photos of the sunsets with those landscapes are beautiful. And the memes are very good.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks for the kind words! And you’re right about needing to process. I’m in a much better head space now than I was last week.
Natalie
Janet, Thank you for your weekend coffee share. I’m sorry to hear about the tragedy on your campus. It’s unsettling and upsetting when violence occurs in the community and shakes our sense of safety. I hope the natural beauty shown in your pictures bring you some peace.
Janet Alcorn
Thanks, Natalie. Unsettling and upsetting capture the feeling exactly. And yes, I’ve always found solace in natural beauty, from national parks to my neighborhood to my backyard. There’s peace in nature.
Victoria Marie Lees
I am also sad to hear of the shooting on a college campus. These are scary times, guys! I so enjoyed your humor. I told the family the jokes. They liked them too. All best to you, my dear!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks so much! These are scary times but humor helps.
Gary A Wilson
Great stuff young lady, but one correction.
The remote control meme was from the 1960s.
I was the remote control until my sister got old enough to be conned into the job.
In the 1970s, the remotes were cool little boxes with buttons that hammered little bars that made tones which the TV heard and responded as commanded – which was cool until we discovered that 1) we could really screw with our parents by jingling keys in the back of the room which sent the TV in to spasms and 2) the tokens on the dog’s collar could do the same thing if you scared the dog and he panicked enough to mimic #1 above.
Loads of fun.
Janet Alcorn
LOL! We didn’t get a TV with a remote till the mid-80s, after I went away to college (for some reason my parents decided to join the late 20th century after I left; I came back from my first year of college to find they’d gotten a microwave and a VCR. Can’t remember when the new TV showed up, but I think it was around that same time.
Julie
In the last hospital I worked at, I’ve had some encounters with violent patients. I’m not sure if I would get “use to it” because though I don’t work there anymore I still get shaken thinking about it. The pre-med students who would volunteer there would like to stick around to see a patient acting out, but that’s naïve thinking. The hospital is not a zoo because the patient could do some harm.
Janet Alcorn
I work with med students occasionally (I’m a medical librarian), and I think they’re curious about anything and everything that can go wrong with a patient. I once heard a student in an interview get super excited about a patient who nearly died. I understand where they’re coming from (enthusiastic about their new career, everything they’re learning, the opportunity to save lives), but I’m with you: the hospital isn’t a zoo, and patients are people.
Julie
Oooh I work in a med school in California. And also like you, we had an unfortunate safety incident a few month back (before I started working there) of a school shooting threat on campus. The strange part of the threat was that the person who threatened the school was based in Colorado but the school continued to act on high alert. In fact, it made it’s way on the news…
Janet Alcorn
How weird. Makes you wonder what goes through some people’s minds.