With it being another holiday, I stopped at office early this morning just to check on things, and then headed out to do about a hour’s work at getting weeds out of an area they didn’t belong, and shortly afterwards, I decided to take a little drive around North Iowa, just so I could get a good look at how the crops were doing, and surprisingly the corn and beans didn’t appear stressed, so if we get the predicted rain tomorrow, our gardens and crops should be doing fine.
For whatever reason, I decided to take a turn down a lonely gravel road, just to see where it ended up, and as I was driving, I was noticing all the more groves and fewer farmsteads, which was beginning to creep me out a little, but the big eye-opener, was when I was looking ahead, and happened to see a black furry animal which was about the size of a medium-sized dog, but from a distance, I could’ve sworn it was a black bear cub, and only because of the way it was walking across that gravel road, which reminded me of how bears walk. During the few seconds I was looking at it, all I could see was the silhouette of small black bear. As I slowly drove past where it went into another clump of woods, I didn’t see a thing. Talk about being creeped-out! When I got back to office, I checked online to see if there’ve been black bears spotted, and sure enough, they’ve been seen in Northeast Iowa near the Minnesota border. I’ve always said, if there’s something wild in Eastern Iowa, more sooner than later, it’ll be here, because that’s where the coyotes came from, as well as the wild turkeys. It actually doesn’t surprise me because the DNR has been adding all the many more acres under their jurisdiction, and especially in our northern Counties. Don’t be surprised if we get infested with those super-smart wild hogs that’ve adapted to our winters.
After I got a good scare with that ‘ghost’ bear, I headed home to get some much-needed gardening and yard work done. Of course yours truly wouldn’t call it quits until he had seven hours of it put away, but when looking back, I’d say I put in a good day’s work, and especially in my garden where all the peppers and tomatoes are looking handsome, as well at the corn, beans, cucumbers, watermelons and sunflowers. I’m remaining hopeful we’ll get rain tomorrow, because my garden appears to be needing it.
Because I had my body set on cruise control, most of those seven hours were spent doing some deep reflecting and forward thinking about what’s been happing these past twelve months within our City. My biggest concern, is our City Council being duped into OK’ing the sale of that much-needed and well used parking lot which borders 3rd St NE and N. Delaware. The more I thought about it, the more insane it would be to sell it to that Des Moines investment group which they in turn, would likely build another ticky-tacky apartment house. Just for your information, I’ve worked within a two block area of that parking lot for well over a quarter century, which gives me license to say that parking lot is a necessity for current business owners, tenants, shoppers, customers, and the nighttime patrons of the various activities which are being held at the park, in the plaza and Central Park. With that said, I personally would like to know, who in our City government has even considered placing that on our City Council’s agenda? Shame on that person! But, I would highly recommend all of you who’re living in our City, to send and email, or place a phone call to your City Council representative, because it’s time for our citizens to be heard. We must not allow any more of these ‘back-door’ agreements to be made.
Another gripe I have, is when reading the City Council’s agenda, I often see, ‘approval recommended’ written beside something that’s being brought before the Council. Now I want to know, who’s making those recommendations and why? I don’t think there should be any ‘recommendations’ made to our City Council members, and if they’re simply rubber-stamping that ‘recommended approval’, then why are they even there? In the old days, council members discussed and debated between themselves, along with allowing people from the general public to voice their opinions. I have a feeling our city government is turning into a quasi-autocracy where our City Council members automatically follow the lead goat, and if that be the case, why are are we paying a mayor, along with those City Council members, because they’re definitely not working in the best interest of our residents? Yes, those seven hours spent out in my yard and garden, certainly brought more clarity as to the direction a select few, want our City to go, and if you didn’t notice, I rightly mentioned ‘select few’.
I’m hoping all of you’ve been enjoying your day off, and hopefully you’ve been doing some fun things, as well as getting together with family and friends. For a number of years, the 4th of July was always celebrated on an upbeat, but after my absolute favorite grandmother, who was also my best friend, suddenly died on the 4th of July. Every 4th of July afterwards, her sudden death would more sooner than later come to mind.
If you’re wondering from where I got those clever and sometimes wicked little remarks I’ve been known to make on occasion, I came by them honestly from her. Yes, she was an exceptionally intelligent woman whom I believe was born before her time. I’ve also come to believe she was a clairvoyant because over the years, she’d say, “When I go, it’s gonna be with a bang”. Well, how much closer could she have gotten with her deciding to die the afternoon of the 4th of July.
There were only two of her blood relatives with her when she died, and that was my mother and myself, and in spite of my mother having placed many calls to our immediate family members, they didn’t arrive until long after her death because most were out partying. At least my mother and I were fortunate enough to’ve spent a good three hours with her until her last breath was taken. Yes, sometimes things are just meant to be.
The above photo is one I took last night of July’s Buck moon. Without a doubt, it ended up being the best so far. I do hope you like it.
Tonight’s One-liner is: In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and city governments, it’s the rule.
