It's interesting being the passenger in a vehicle. But, frankly, I prefer to drive for this very reason; I'm bored.
I once asked an older client who still rode long distances on motorcycles if he had those helmet microphones that allowed him to talk to his wife in the rear seat. “They broke,” was all he said. Later (not in the presence of his wife), he confessed to breaking them. He said, “on a 1200-mile trip, she always started talking gibberish at about mile 300.” “The wife wouldn't talk per se but would read signs and stuff. Oh, look, Bob's food hut is 12 miles ahead. Grand Casino has free shrimp; the Three-mile town is six miles at the turn,” and on and on, she'd go. “I ride bikes for the wind on my face and the sound of the motor, so the darn things fell apart.”
I laughed at the time, but now I understand. Finally, I asked, "do you know who Laura Wilder is?" My wife, who has been driving the past two days on our trip to Minnesota, said, "no, why?" “I keep seeing signs that we should visit her hometown while we're here in South Dakota.” I murmured. The minute the words left my mouth, I was embarrassed. "Google it" was her response. Oh yeah, I had forgotten.
"I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers." [1]
I don't enjoy technology to the same level as many people I know. I'd forgotten I could look up about anything from anywhere, especially along the main freeway cutting through this part of the state.
I'm not a fan of Google or any big tech search company relying on algorithms to help me find stuff. I understand the need for algorithms, but frankly, I've grown disgusted with the apparent abuse of their use by big tech to push their agendas. I also didn't want Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, images, pictures, and articles in my every news feed for the next few months, either. However, per my request, I learned that Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American writer who lived in the late 1800 and died the year before I was born in 1957. She is known primarily for her children's books based on her life on the prairie, [2] which we were now driving through at eighty miles per hour, enjoying the air conditioning and tech to determine the meaning of a sign that appeared a few miles back.
Laura Wilder is best known for the Little House on the Prairie series, which became a television show based loosely on Wilder's books. The series starred Melissa Gilbert as Laura and Michael Landon as her father. I remember watching the show probably more than a few episodes; however, as I grew through my teenage years, I grew tired of shows that always tried to elicit a strong emotional reaction, especially crying.
Mystery solved, I read some of the highlights to Linda as we drove past the little town and homestead for Laura Wilder. “Goodnight, John-Boy,” I said as we went past. "I don't think that was from Little House on the Prairie, was it?" Linda asked, "Pretty sure," I said. "Don't think so; better look it up." And here we go again. [3]
Written August 10, 2022
Reference:
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9878792-i-possess-a-device-in-my-pocket-that-is-capable#:~:text=I%20possess%20a%20device%2C%20in%20my%20pocket%2C%20that%20is%20capable,get%20into%20arguments%20with%20strangers.
[2] [Laura Ingalls Wilder - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder)
[3] [Goodnight John-Boy: A Memory Book of The Waltons, One of Television's Greatest Families: Earl Hamner, Ralph E. Giffin: 9781581822984: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-John-Boy-Earl-Hamner/dp/1581822987)