A Post Poem (of the very worst sort of poetry)

Is it really the end of August? I might as well post these photos from much earlier in summer. Just posting photos is boring though, so humour me as I try to be less boring.

Dressed as an Edwardian at the seaside, but I haven't got a boat

But if they keep turning back our rights

I might not get to vote

 

Last year I took a chance

And planted some potted mums

They weren't expected to survive winter

But fuck it, nothing rhymes with Global Warming

You get the idea

Asters that signal disasters (see, that's better) 

They bloomed before the storm

They also shouldn't have overwintered 

But damn it

The climate is getting warm(er)

I missed osting for Canada Day

Belated wishes to our neighbours up North

It must have been 1 July

As every year that stupid CN Tower purse comes forth

I don't know why I own this bag and it really does only get used once a year for Canada Day.

Saw this in a junk shop

Among the trash and litter

Not really sure why anyone

Needs a strawberry seat for their shitter.

Someone went to Bali

And brought home some cool fabric

The dress was donated half-complete

But I just had to have it. 

I'm glad I'm not a cowgirl

I don't like riding horses

Me and gravity don't get along

when I hit the ground with forces

(Okay look, I'm not a poet and the only other good rhyme was "divorces")

I have a boring dress

Made of the dullest tan

Not much to recommend it

Except a place to stow my hands

This blouse is nothing special

I have better in the style

I don't know why I bought it

Just adding to a pile

Earrings that are roller skates

A brooch that is a pie

I'm wearing so much makeup

Why do I look about to die?!

I'm wearing too much black

I look stricken with grief

But if you look a bit closer

It is just inspired by Georgia O'Keefe

(She did wear a lot of black)

An outfit such as this

For Olympus with the gods

But I'm stuck here in Omaha

With a bunch of regressive clods (mostly)

They call this dress a peasant

The choice of the rural bred

But here in the State of Nebraska

It is a sweatshirt reading Go Big Red (football)

 

 

(For the record-I lived in rural Nebraska for 12 years on a farm and never saw anyone wearing a peasant dress, even ironically in town. Shhhh, don't tell the Trad. Wives)

 

I like a big necklace

To adorn my ageing neck

And a pair of faux amber earrings

Complete with fossil speck

This outfit worked for summer

The shoes are very nice

I bought them at the grocery store

At the same time I bought rice

(Seriously though, Aldi sells nice shoes!)

You can't tell my my sun-kissed-tan

I have poor hemoglobin

Don't know where all the blood has gone

But I feel somewhat downtrodden

(But put on some bright clothes and fake it)

Some days I dress on whim

Not knowing what I'll find

Or remembering when I purchased

A brooch of a cat's behind

I do enjoy a spotty frock

it keeps things nice and cheerful

If I truly dressed for mood

It might be grim and fearful

If you think that I will take

The bait of the obvious rhyme with ducks

You obviously don't know Midwesterners

And think we must be schmucks

(You knew I'd do that, didn't you?) 

Look at those little waterfowl

strung along as beads

I'm not sure if they're coots or mallards

I'm not expert at breeds 

Some will call these trousers

Others call them pants

No matter what you call them

They're perfect for a dance

At last we have arrived, 

At the last outfit for this post

Thanks for putting up with me

My brain is really toast

 

I will try to answer comments

As best that I may do

But please know that I read them

And appreciate all of you

 

Some days are a bit of a struggle

Some days are more or less

But I've never known a better cure

Than a good hat and a dress

 

You think I might exaggerate

That can't really be truth

But look at this pink confection

And take it as some proof

 

When there's not much else to look forward to, there's always getting dressed.

 

See you next time.

Blow The House Down

 

That video was taken moments before the 90 mph (145 km) wind tore straight through my neighbourhood into central Omaha. It was a bad night. 200,000 people (about half the city) lost power and five days later not everyone is reconnected. We spent 4 days in a hotel because it was impossible to stay here in 100 degree heat and humidity with a heat index of 114. There's a limit to what I can endure. I won't talk about how much that cost, or about price gouging in a natural disaster. I'm glad we were able to pay it-so many people can't. The city offered nothing by way of shelter and relied on a few charities to help (whilst doing the bare minimum). The Red Cross is the exception, because they're great, but also in the absence of a federal disaster declaration, limited. I'm not going to talk about our local government because I'm upset enough already. I think you can already imagine how inadequate the response has been.

There are trees down everywhere blocking roads, tearing through houses, power lines, transformers, and substations. There are power poles broken like matchsticks. I've taken direct hits from tornadoes and straight line winds, but this was different. The speed and energy/power of this thing almost defies description. Dan was sheltering 40 blocks away and that area was hit even worse. It took him 2 hours to get home when it should have been a five minute drive. Mr. ETB was downtown sheltering at work, and they were largely spared as the winds crossed the river into Iowa. Getting home was an adventure for him as well. 

You can see where my 20 Ft. tall sunflowers were dug up from the roots by the wind. That was nothing compared to 100 year old oak trees uprooted in a similar manner. Interestingly, my Osborn for Congress sign held together with wire, survived the storm. Locals can feel free to take that as a sign from god or whoever to go vote for him in November. His opponent sure as hell isn't representing my interests in Washington. 

The mayor had a press conference today where she made a laughable attempt to empathise with everyone over the losses from the storm where she noted losing power caused her to loose an extra storage freezer full of Omaha Steaks. Those are VERY expensive beef products that almost no one can afford (I've never bought them). Meanwhile, poor areas of the city haven't any power and aren't going to be getting extra food stamps to replace their fridge contents which I'm positive didn't contain Omaha Steaks. FFS, read the goddamned room, Jean. 

People survived the storm, but will be dying in this heat the longer it goes on. People with medical devices that need electricity, people with medications that need refrigeration, people who are old, infirm, etc. Can't afford $150 USD a night at a hotel? Tough shit for you, plebeian. Yeah, I'm disgusted, and I'm privileged enough to be able to cough up the money on a moment's notice. What if you don't have a job, or a credit card? Don't even think about sleeping outdoors or you'll be dealing with the police. The supreme court made it illegal to be homeless. Do I think that this "Once in a lifetime storm" the likes of which keep happening will result in improved infrastructure, or a public safety net, or anything that might realistically look at climate change and try to have a climate plan? Maybe city operated cooling centres? Nah. But the governor convened a special session to work out a policy to give the wealthiest landowners in the state (he's top of that list) a tax cut. You know where that money will come from, though to be fair, there's not much left by way of public services to rob.

So please keep my fellow Omahans in your thoughts as they struggle through this disaster and try putting their lives and homes back together. And spare a though too for the mayor's great steak loss. I'm sure she's hurting.