Living in interesting times

Today was supposed to be all weather all the time. Chimney postponed, tomorrow doctor likewise. But cloudy, cool, kids out playing touch football, I wondered if I'd been a bit hasty there.

I got on with non-weather-governed things, such as this, loads of fun

And, more seriously, this

Long interesting essays around loneliness, physical aloneness against the will, existential loneliness which strikes through being in company. She chooses visual art as the vehicle for her thinking, the first essay being about Hopper. He for many people is the authority on aloneness and longing to connect.  

She discusses some of his most iconic work and lesser known ones, with a sympathetic inclusion of his wife, Jo, also a painter, whose talent he relentlessly tried to suppress and extinguish. 

She threw her energies into promoting his work, a Stockholm syndrome set-up if ever there was one. The loneliness of being married to him probably surpassed anything in the paintings, for which she was also his model

It's disturbing to read about his cruelty, but important to understand. If possible. Next up is Andy Warhol, so we'll see.

Then in the mail, look, my moringa seeds came

You can see them in the window of the packet. And a bonus present of some exotic cucumber seeds. Next year.

Here's a picture of the seeds before they're harvested, by this tiny company in Phoenix. In their back yard!

So I'll be starting them in a pot soon. I usually avoid sending or receiving plant material or seeds from other states out of concern for accidentally exporting or introducing regional diseases. But I did make an exception.

In fact it wasn't possible in and out of NJ for several years after the anthrax attack shortly after 9/11. Yes, that was our post office. All our mail, in and out, was irradiated to kill the deadly anthrax spores.

At first they overdid it and turned the mail into cinders. I got a plastic bag and an apologetic note, sorry, this is your mail. Just crisp brown shreds of paper. Bills, legal mail, who knew what you should have received. 

I lost access to a British pension because they said l failed to return the annual form for declaring my eligibility. I wrote to say most likely it was incinerated, and could they try again. 

After some hesitation they said they'd researched my account, were so sorry for the experience, and here's a new form, also they would backdate to catch me up. Tiny pension, but welcome anyway.

And on the subject of mail, here's one of the results of my get out the vote work along with many other people. Legislation providing this

Pre filled out with my information from the voter rolls, just sign, date and return to ensure vote by mail ballots forever. 

I chose to get them for every election, president to fire district. Prepaid envelope. This is good. Contrasts vividly with states doing their best to suppress the vote and worse. 

Then it was late afternoon and it started raining. And flooding. Thunderstorm overhead, massive lightning, an entire evening of tornado warnings and reports, phone alerts to take cover,  trees and wires down all around me, 

Now 11pm and heavy rain but the part of the storm that touched down the damaging tornadoes locally has finally moved on. Some awful pictures. 

However, flooding is serious. This is the current state of affairs. Closed roads too many to list. We had several inches of rain, still going on heavily out there.

Looks like it wasn't hasty to postpone the doctor after all. I doubt if anyone can get anywhere tomorrow. 

Right now Handsome Son and I are safe and dry in our respective homes, except he's moved his car to higher ground because he's pretty much surrounded by water, the marsh having invaded the parking lots where he lives.

We still have power, and WiFi. So this is good. I'll keep you posted. Finally got calm enough to blog.

.