Looks tranquil doesn’t it?  Not according to the local paper.  We can only get one local paper, the Press Republican, delivered daily.  I may stop reading it.  It has about one page of national news and the rest is dedicated to the horrors of the Adirondacks and its environs.  The printed news is in sharp contrast to my daily experiences.

Every day contains an article about bestiality in the north county.  Dogs, horses you name it.  Another serious problem reported is abuse – of everyone, children, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and elders.  Every driver is either under the influence or going too fast for road conditions.  Hunters shoot people instead of prey.  It’s a jungle out there.   If I  relied on what I read in the paper as the whole picture, I would think twice about ever venturing out.

Then there is the reality of my own experiences.  The kindness of our neighbors who are there to lend a hand with anything.  Friendly people who stop to say hello.  Today I even had a sweet young thing buy me a cup of coffee!!  It reminds me of a study of people who watch a lot of  TV (news?).  They develop an unrealistic fear of the dangers out there.

I’ll have to keep my head up and my eyes open…and maybe cancel the newspaper subscription.