With all that’s been going on here, I felt like I had to take time to do something creative. And so I collected some photos (see ART@CHC) from the past couple of decades that reflect an unusual interest of mine, namely locks, latches and closures. Enjoy, be safe.
Read 3 comments and add yours
Read other posts in Creativity
I don’t understand how fascism, cultism, hate, prejudice and division is UP FOR A VOTE in America in two weeks — and that the outcome is up in the air!
• • •
We are in the clean-up stages of navigating the worst natural disaster (and we thought that ice storms were bad) of our 70-plus years. But our situation was mild compared to that of others in the Asheville area: yes, we lost power, data and communications for 16 days and drinking water for 21 days and counting, but our north-side-of-the-mountain location was spared the worst of the storm.
The day Helene blew through (after we already had 12-15 inches of rain), I looked out our living room windows and thought, I’ve seen worse. That was the day before the day after, when we drove through the neighborhood on the windward side of our mountain only to run straight into the devastation and then struggle to back our way out of it.
We had no property damage ourselves other than a boatload of refrigerator/freezer items and some rainwater that leaked through a poorly-caulked window. We were fortunate that our son found us a gas station where we could tank up and leave town, and that he and his family put us up (and put up with us!) in their Virginia home for 17 days until the City of Asheville was finally able to restore a semblance of water service.
Now we are back home, cleaning out our fridges, waiting for our water to run clear and looking forward to one day cooking with it and drinking it again. The authorities claim that we can run our dishwasher on its high-temperature setting, and so we did — and my wife says our glassware and plates looked okay. If this happens to be my last blog post, you will know that the authorities and my wife were wrong.
I originally thought I would forego taking showers until we had crystal-clear water, but the prospect of going to the YMCA… no thank you. These days, you never know when you might run into Donald Trump in a public shower, sizing you up so to speak as the subject of his next genitalia story.
As it happens, Trump himself was here in Asheville yesterday, repeating the rumors that “FEMA has done a very poor job.” I had to make a wide circle around the Trump-created traffic jam to visit the FEMA water tanker at the local Baptist church, where I filled several jugs for our neighbor and ourselves. Trump would rather serve bullshit to Western North Carolina than drinking water.
Clearing the sediment in the reservoir so that the water can be treated seems to be a bigger challenge than the City anticipated. I assume we will be on a boil-water notice for several more weeks, well past Election Day. The tragic part is, Trump sees all this and yet follows his basest instincts, turning our situation into yet another anti-government talking point so that he can get re-elected.
• • •
We don’t need another disaster — we need to vote against the undisciplined, unprincipled, unhinged reality-show provocateur called Trump. How can it be that this is even close? You can prevent the next storm by voting blue on November 5. I approve this message because things are chaotic enough for everyone already.
Read 6 comments and add yours
Read other posts in Life
