The good word is the sun is seen more frequently. Sometimes in a sheltered corner, or from behind a car window, the warmth can be felt. As the years go by and fuel costs escalate and wars are fought for precious oil, I wonder more and more why solar energy hasn’t caught on as an alternative to using the resources of our planet.

The illusion of spring clears some corners of my mind and day-dreaming takes over. So I ponder recent events, like the issue of whether statuary given to the nearby city of Portland actually represents the fabric of Portland. (I notice the City Council voted to accept the gift.)

Here we have what some call a typical family: father, mother, boy and girl. Well, it is historic, that’s for sure. According to “real time” statistics, this isn’t a typical family any longer. Some protested the acceptance of this gift since there were already statues portraying Caucasian men – citing as examples, poet Henry W. Longfellow and John Ford. Historic Portlandites, surely, and part of the past, just like the so-called typical family.

From the newspaper photos of the sculpture, it was hard to tell just what nationality these people were. “American” isn’t a race. Are they European? And more to the point, what possible difference does it make?

What it all comes down to in my opinion, is a gift was offered. Gracefully accept it or don’t. Whether it’s politically correct enough to satisfy all residents is irrelevant. The sculpture belongs as much as Longfellow and Ford. It’s part of historic Portland, vis a vis, the establishment of the Sea Dogs.

The entire discussion about the diversity component, is like smoke when the burning issue is day-to-day tolerance. All these meetings and experts would be better devoted to more important issues. We should be so lucky.

Just think, maybe we could have had a sculpture of a group of people – say 10 of them – nine could be white, representing the Irish, Italians, English, French, Jewish, Greek, Armenian, Polish, Scandinavian…well, you get the picture. And of course the 10th would represent the almost 10 percent non-white segment of the population (Natives, African, Asian) in this whitest of all states.

Maybe we are interpreting this sculpture in the wrong way. Are we sure this is a mother, father and their two children? Maybe it really is a typical American family: A divorced man, his divorced girlfriend and one child from each marriage, enjoying their respective weekend with the kid.

It’s good that the council voted to accept the gift. Let the interpretation be in the eyes of the beholder. We’re all tired of committees and other people deciding what’s good for us.

See you next week.

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