Well, it happened again. The long swing from winter, in the northern hemisphere, anyway, to our sweltering summers in the Virginia Piedmont is accomplished.

From here, we advance (or recess) by a minute or so of less daylight until we shudder and shiver again in the darkness, and wonder at the vagaries of our orbit around that magnificent solar orb that creates the gap between day and night.

It was a busy day, for a new summer Saturday. There was a meeting of our professional association, which is a big deal, considering people gave their lives to this peculiar line of work and have left legacies to it. I am honored to be associated with people who give their time, and who contribute selflessly to keeping the whole enterprise marching along.

I was mindful of that, thinking of the Global Hawk high-altitude drone that got bagged by the Iranians a day or so ago. If I have not mentioned it before, I have the highest respect for the Persian people and their cuisine and culture. The Mullahs? Not so much, and particularly not since 1979, a year which inconvenienced me no end. Quite irritating, in fact.

In fact, this latest series of provocations marks 40 years of personal animosity with the regime in Tehran, a round number that is useful for my aging brain to retain.

But anyway, like the President said, it is possibly better to talk than shoot, but whatever happens is going to have to run its course.

I have been in favor of regime change in Iran since the Shah left. Maybe the sanctions will do it. Maybe a change will result in something much worse. I dunno. I have been to the country fair and everything, but I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this.

Live long enough and that starts to happen with alarming frequency. Nice day in bucolic Culpeper, though. It is green and the days are long.

Have a great summer!

Copyright 2019 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com