Barbara J. Hamby

sign-up for our email list

Cloudy Crystal Balls

The ongoing and recently publicized controversy over the Pledge of Allegiance has brought attention to its author, Francis Bellamy. It was a more simple version that he originated, and it has evolved to become an object of dispute.

Mr. Bellamy also wrote a book that has somehow escaped my attention in the past. Looking Backward, written in the late 1800’s, purports to cover the period from 2000 to 1887. I found it on amazon.com and read the first ten pages.

As a young woman, I was fascinated with Brave New World and 1984 for their peeks into a fantasized future. I don’t know how I missed Bellamy’s book, but I think it would be fun to get and read it now.

My peeks into the future today involved projecting my Quicken program forward to study my budget. During my breaks from this activity, I did more fun things like washing windows and deadheading flowers.

By tomorrow I hope to have shaken the sniffles and coughs that have kept me out of the swimming pool the last few days. It will close October 1st and I need to get as much exercise as I can before then.

By the way, just a reminder:  I’ll be taking my books to sell at Writers’ Faire in the Multnomah Arts Center on October 1st.