Yesterday was Unity's annual town meeting. The secret to minimalist government, it appears, has to do with a strict economy of facial expressions. Dick Whitney, the first selectman, has reduced affect to its narrowest range, which efficiency saves his face a lot of unnecessary expense not to mention liability. One reason he is careful about needless expenditure of affect could be that he is uncertain about who actually owns his face. As first selectman, perhaps the town owns it and adding expressive frills could lead to increased taxes. If the state owns it, some obscure statute might require a license for smiling. And who would pay the maintenance on that? I was disappointed that he did not wear a plaid shirt yesterday, but he probably had all he could do to get his pants cinched up that high. Not much controversy this year. No radical proposals such as keeping the sidewalks clear in winter.
 Between rainy days and snow melt, the waters of March have been running high. Bither Brook this morning had real white water. Melissa spent a lot of energy last summer and fall playing corps of engineers at the lake cottage. And it all works. The basement has had nary a drop of water this spring. I'm reading Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are
Reshaping the World by Benjamin R. Barber. It was written in 1995 and re-issued recently. Lively writing, balanced viewpoint. I'd started out on this subject with Empire by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, but it was way too academic, too theoretical, too French.
I'd be curious to hear what other people are reading to try and understand our world.
In honor of life's little resurrections and of the brand new feeling of mornings in general, this week's MP3 download is Slaid Cleaves' This Morning I Am Born Again.
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