Dan Antion

Remnants and Futurecasts – SoCS

Two limes, artfully balanced.
John Howell’s Bourbon (with a little help from PhotoShop)
MuMu has been brushed

Happy Saturday. David and I and, oh, don’t tell him yet (Skippy) are gathered at the bar for some adult refreshment and perhaps a snack. While we’re here, we’re going to try to wrestle Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt to the ground. Ironically, this will be easy. As most of you know, David is a fictional composite of some of my friends and family. My best friend’s favorite expression will satisfy today’s prompt.

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘pin.’ Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!”

Pin this out, this is a rare event at No Facilities. I wrote a lighthearted post, about the bar running out of Corona, weather, and the way the news shows handle these storms. However, when I read it in the preview, I decided it would be inappropriate to make light of this situation while people are still without electricity and while they wait for other essential services to be returned. There are still people affected by flood waters, and many more still living under the thread of more flooding.

I experienced flooding very early in my life, and I read that the neighborhood where my family lived until I was ten, has flooded again. When I think about that, I can’t bring myself to publish a humorous post.

I hope you are safe. I hope and pray that the recovery from these storms proceeds quickly. Have a nice weekend. I’ll see you on Monday.

This is a small tree stump in our yard that was uncovered as I cleared space for the fence upgrade recently completed.
Marigolds
Rose of Sharon looking for the sun.
MiMi’s alarm hasn’t gone off yet.
As seen as Maddie and I approached the park
The park is ready for us
The sun was bright. The apple tree seems to appreciate that.
Leaf
The flag is in there
The water hasn’t burned off the grass yet.
Someone set the chair back in place.
“Thanks for crossing the street. I like this place for breakfast.”
Smokey was busy preparing for the storm.
Maddie is in “there’s a storm coming” mode.

66 comments

  1. When I was very young, our basement would flood. There was always loss, but the work of clean-up was the worst. (Not that I was any help.) Now I look at the images on my computer screen and think how much despair we have seen in recent months. Knowing how much work my parents had with our floods, I cannot imagine the cleanup facing people right now. I also cannot imagine how sick people are getting in 100-degree temperatures with no air conditioning anywhere, not to mention no water. We can’t pretend these things aren’t happening, so the compassion in your post is welcome.

    p.s. I wouldn’t mind a word of enlightenment on “pin this out.” Is that something like “check this out”?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. I’ve been seeing my New Jersey hometown in the news and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. The ferocity of that storm took everyone in the Northeast by surprise.
    But it’s nice to see Mr. Bunny survived the onslaught.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • I read so many articles where people were talking about the water coming in so fast. I felt so bad for the people in Queens who were trapped in basement apartments.

      Last week, I saw one of the bunnies outside in the rain. I didn’t have a camera (he didn’t look like he was ready to pose). I hope you guys have a nice weekend.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. It’s kind of ironic in a bad way as we watch some states fight these horrific fires and others fight unbelievable floods. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of them. However, I do wish the weather talking heads would tone down the entertainment and just report the facts. Of course, I can wish all I want. :-) Hope Maddie enjoys the good weather while walking and sitting this weekend.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • It was the news and weather folks turning this into a spectacle that sent me down my original path, but when I was done, it seemed unfair to be laughing. This has happened to me before, and there’s really nowhere to go at that point.

      I hope yo have a nice quiet weekend, Judy. I know you try to avoid the tourists.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Ahhhhh! A lonely leaf . . . I wish the entire world would run out of corona. But I think it’s here with us for good and we will learn to live with it as we do. I’ll take it in liquid form but I’m tired of the virus form.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. That chair brought to mind someone seeing you and Maddie approaching and then beating a hasty retreat behind the bushes. I had to laugh at the thought. Thanks for the mention and I understand your desire to keep humor away from the current situation. Have a great week, and Go Mountaineers.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. I applaud your common sense, courtesy, and decency for not posting your original script. The overwhelming hardships that so many folks are dealing with due to Ida are catastrophic in some instances. I don’t know how they deal with this kind of devastation and loss. My prayers are with all of them.

    MiMi has fine-tuned her alarm perfectly to suit her needs. The marigolds and rose of Sharon still holding on to their vibrant colors. So nice to see. That lone leaf won’t be alone for long as fall progresses.

    Looks like Maddie will get in some terrific walks and ‘sitting with Dad’ time for the next several days. Yaaayyyy!

    Wishing you and the Editor and Faith, and of course the 3-M’s, an especially nice Labor Day weekend.
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. MiMi’s alarm is set for the food dish and the litter box. She still likes to play, but that seems to be timed to the point where neither the Editor or I have time to throw her little foam ball. Maddie enjoys her rest. On the days we can’t walk, she finds a comfy spot and someone to cuddle up to.

      When I read about the neighborhood I grew up being flooded again, my heart sank. I only remember one flood, and it was minor. We had water in our basement. My brother remembers an earlier flood where the water was much higher. I couldn’t post anything that seemed to be laughing at that situation.

      I hope you have a nice long weekend.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. That stump takes me back. My sister and I loved to find these outcroppings in our woods and take the larger ones home and color or paint on them. While driving a day school bus in Houston, was in a flood. We lived on a high part of the area so our home was safe. Glad you are ok.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  9. Fred and Ida have been devastating, Dan. My mother-in-law was flooded out three times in the last 10 years of her life and it took a toll on her. She watched a lifetime of possessions and memories poured into a dumpster. They had a midnight rescue from their townhouse, too, which was unsettling. The water can rise so fast.

    I have made my fair share of cables in my career, too, Dan. Hadn’t thought about it for a long time.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • We’re showing our age, Maggie. Some people are probably shaking their heads at the notion of making cables. I still have coax crimping tools and a pin insertion tool hanging around somewhere. You probably also remember setting DIP switches.

      Flood images bring those memories back. I was fortunate to only have lived through a minor flood. We still had to clear the basement and a basement apartment under our apartment (my grandmother owned the building) but we didn’t have to evacuate. My brother lived through a worse flood when I was still a baby. The area we lived in has flooded three times this century, all much worse than when we lived there in the 50s.

      I hope your family is safe. Enjoy the weekend.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      • Ha! I think you might be right. I remember how impressed my children were when I borrowed the butt set from our phone guy so I could run phone wire in the house I was renting. Ha. I doubt I will be making any more cables at this stage of the game.

        Living through a flood of any magnitude can be a life altering experience. I am glad you and your family were ok.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  10. Thank you for your compassion. The photos are wonderful. I especially like the tree stump with fungi? and the chair. Wondering what that is on the sidewalk next to the chair. Maybe just a piece of trash…. or a clue?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. Hurricanes are scary enough what with our ‘spaghetti maps’ and ‘cone of uncertainty’ but Ida was laser-focused on LA right from the start. The worst hurricane we had left us with no water for a week and no electricity for two weeks. When ‘those Georgia boys’ hooked up power lines on our street, all of us stood up and cheered. I hope everyone gets help soon.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. Save that image of the chair…both images for the “Something that doesn’t belong” image challenge. 😀

    I had never heard the phrase ” pin this out” before and I worked for a long time in the electronics industry as a buyer and expeditor both of which took me to the labs and assembly rooms where I heard all sorts of nutty stuff, but never that one.

    I had a thought the other day about some infrastructure I could really get behind…building two aqueducts one from the northeast to west, and one from the southeast to the west that would send all that flood water out here! We built one in CA that runs from the north to send water to the south and center of the state so why not?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. Pin this out is a new one for me. The terrible devastation that parts of our country are experiencing – too much rain in some areas, not enough in others – is horrible to see. I’m not sure where we are headed but it doesn’t look promising. Thank you for your beautiful, calming photos… we need those moments of zen.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • I was going to have David explain that saying to Skippy. I should have added something about it. For my friend, it refers to customizing computer cables. The weather is becoming a huge concern across the country.

      Like

      Reply

  19. Running late, but here I am and I enjoyed your photos again. The flooding and aftermath are horrific. Although we expected what happened in Louisiana, the photo from NYC and Philly (and surrounding areas) were terrible. Between this and the fires in the West, so many have lost so much. I know that many in Louisiana didn’t even have insurance but even if you have insurance, losing everything is incomprehensible.

    P. S. David isn’t real??? What???

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • It is devastating for so many people in so many parts of the country. A lot of people in the paths of these hurricanes and in the path of fires, can’t afford insurance.

      David is not real. He has never been real. He is named after a real friend (with permission) who is part of the “David” persona. I have mentioned this before (never wanting to mislead) – for the most part, these posts are fiction. Cheryl is a real person, but she’s not the bartender. She’s a friend who enjoys being a virtual bartender and she does contribute to these posts on occasion.

      Like

      Reply

  20. Hi Dan – the States has been hit violently recently … let alone the burning west. Pleased to see you’re safe … I’m grateful I’ve never been flooded … actually my mother was once when she ran a Care Home – lots of clearing up to do – but I think I must have been in South Africa. Good to see ‘everyone’ … all the best – Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. Sometimes I feel that way with every post, Dan. How can I post “this or that” when people are suffering…. just about everywhere. I hate feeling oblivious or like the struggles of other people don’t matter. Lovely photos. May victims all across the country and world find the assistance they need.

    Like

    Reply

  23. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration Dan. Growing up in Baton Rouge, we weathered many hurricanes and lots of flooding. You know how it has devastated my life in recent years, so quickly, so unexpectedly and thoroughly, even from a distance. In a few hours lives are crushed, dreams shattered and homes upended. Somehow it seems like Nature rubbing salt in open wounds with Covid in the foreground. And yet, so many humans still behave so disrespectfully. 😞

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. That being said, it is irksome to see the coverage of storms like no one has ever lived through one before and sensationalizing things for ratings. It’s like there is no weather history. 🤦‍♀️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Add your thoughts or join the discussion. One relevant link is OK, more require moderation. Markdown is supported.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.