“Progress is ugly.”

That dismal thought struck me as I was driving country roads, enjoying expansive, gently rolling farm fields – a view interrupted by a never-ending row of power poles.

Many of the weathered, wooden standards were leaning, waiting for a storm that would finally bring someone who cared. Or at least was paid to care and repair.

I wondered about years ago when those poles were planted. Was there excitement about the promise they made? The power they’d bring to brighten homes and shops. Make life easier. Those poles also connected telephone lines and then cable TV. Then, more progress brought us towers for the cellphones in every pocket and purse.

Technology tends to creep into our lives. This is most striking to me as I travel the ever-so-convenient interstate highway a

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