The third cup 8/24

Hi neighbors. Missouri is known for its caves and I think it's high time we went back to living in them. Why? They are cold. That is the only reason, and the only one I need. Okay, so I won't have electricity -- tell that to New York. I won't have a view -- tell that to apartment dwellers. I won't have bat control -- but I won't have mosquitoes either! I suppose the worse part about living in a cave would be the decorating. Once you hang lanterns on all the stalactites and put pots of mushrooms on the stalagmites; what's left to do? One thing all our interest in the Middle East has brought to America, is the "how to" of cave interior design. Whether they choose cave living for the cooler temperatures that 20 feet below ground can offer; or if they just want a place to hide: cave living is popular among the transients. There was a news broadcast showing a cave dwelling in Afghanistan. I know this particular cave was designed with women and children in mind because there was a wooden staircase built for the trip underground. Inside were simple wooden rooms; although there were several of them. They didn't show the kitchen, but I assume it was modern. If not, just hang the food another ten feet down so it would stay under 36 degrees. There must have been a gasoline generator for power because there was lighting, even computers! Cave living just moved into the 21st century. If this global warming thing is going to continue; and if Missouri and Kansas do eventually turn to desert as predicted, maybe we should think about checking out the caves. A few years ago there was a show on about building quick housing out of blown Styrofoam. As a foam, it was blown into a wooden, or plastic, form. After the foam hardened, the frames were removed. The entire house was made of one continuous Styrofoam shape. There was lots of emphasis on the flexibility of design. We all know from landfill research that Styrofoam lasts forever so this might not be a bad alternative. If built deep inside a cave, there wouldn't be much danger of a strong wind blowing one's house away. As long as you had a generator for electricity, there are lights that simulate the sun's rays. Sometimes called "grow lights" these could be used for large areas to grow at least table vegetables in a cave. With fans to pull the cold air up from the depths, you wouldn't have to live so deeply in the cave anyway. Another nice thing about cave living is water. There are underground rivers and water pools that can be tapped into. The water would be cold for certain. Nice for drinking but maybe not the best choice for a swim. Are you feeling cooler yet? Sometimes just hearing the word helps. Do you remember when "cool!" was the favorite word of the younger folk? There is a lady on television who does a show on scrapbooking. One of her favorite words is cool. Things are always, "so cool, too cool, or just plain cool." My cousin's sons told me when they were down that the new slang word in Ohio is "boot-legging." I think it's used as an opposite of cool though, as in "I didn't study and I was really boot-legging on that test." I explained to the boys that they came from a long line of "boot-leggers" and that they owed it to their ancestors to make an attempt to educate their peers on the proper meaning of the word. If any one family could be considered historic experts on this word, it is mine. They asked me why, if our family was such good boot-leggers, we weren't all rich. I explained to them that the people who produced a product often didn't make the big profits that the distributors did, and if they were smart, they didn't take free samples. They laughed and said, "That's just being cool, not boot-legging!" Until the next time friends remember; no matter how hot it gets, there is always hope for a cooler climate. Things can turn around. Remember the phrase, "that (whatever) is so hot it's cool!" There you go!