There’s a major FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention in town. They’re swarming all over the hotel and the surrounding streets, with their blue jackets with patches commemorating their achievements. I covet the jackets, but don’t think there’s any way I will get one.
What is polyculture that Charlie digs? It’s growing multiple crops, a sort of imitation of natural diversity. It often replenishes the soil and is more efficient in the long run; the need for fertilizers is reduced, as well.
The big monument in the center of town celebrates a series of historic land grabs masquerading as wars.
A series of military actions, in which land was usurped from the Mexicans, the British, the Indians, and then the Mexicans again, for a second time. The winners erect monuments to their victories while the losers quietly seethe and never forget.
