WDM, IA - Shopping and Moral Decisions

Errands were on the line-up for the day. We began at Schuling Hitch where we had gotten not only the hitch for the RV but also the brake system for the Jeep. We have a secondary brake in our Jeep for added safety.There are those who drive motorhomes through the mountains without a secondary brake in their towed vehicle. Imagine coming down from Wolf Pass through the curves as you plummet tot he valley and you need to stop fast. Lots scarier than we want to travel. Nope, we’re going to travel with a secondary brake. We would like to put a different brake in our Jeep but they did not carry that particular product.

Next we journeyed over to the storage area where we keep our RV and, sure enough, it was still there. We reached into one of the basement compartments to turn on the electricity - oops, that was in the Simba, our last RV, the Journey electric key is up front. We’ve only driven the Journey for 3 months and have forgotten a bit about it and its quirks.

Next we headed over to Griffs, where we have a reservation for June 1 - July 31, where we can stay after we sell our home. We found our spot B10, checked out the commons rooms and met the owner. Finally we made it to Bass Pro. Now, what are two non-hunters, non-fishers doing at Bass Pro Shops? Good question. Actually, they have a nice selection of nylon shirts that are great for hiking. I bought 2 several years ago and have worn one of them every time we went hiking. They have side vents for cool breezes, the sleeves can be rolled up and buttoned, they have a bigger collar so we can turn it up to protect our necks from the sun and they are a breeze to clean. Perfect fishing shirts and thus perfect hiking shirts.

Here is where it gets dicey. I picked one up and it said ‘Made in Bangladesh.’ Ouch. I really don’t like to buy anything made in China (though our home is full of such things) because I really think that China is a real rival. Meanwhile, using that way of thinking, I wouldn’t mind buying something made in Bangladesh because they are not our rivals and their people need jobs desperately. If I could help them by buying something made there, why not? Well, now I know why not.

I always thought buying clothing was a financial decision and a style decision. I never thought it was a moral decision. Something so simple as buying a shirt is now fraught with difficulty. In the end I bought 3 shirts from Vietnam against whom we fought a long war in which more than 60,000 Americans died. Hmmm.

Meanwhile we attended a graduation for Samanatha, our niece who just finished up at Cedar Falls with a double major in business and art. Cathy and Tom and Gary and I drove over to Cedar Falls for the big day. Here’s the family afterwards. What a good looking family if I do say so myself. That’s Cathy and Tom on the left. Then Dawn, Gary’s sister with her husband, Tom, on the far right. Their two kids, Adam, who graduates from high school in June and Sam are in the middle.